Dear Surf,

I still love you.
More than ever, actually.
I've just been so busy.
Which is a good thing I guess.
And thanks for putting out a little last week,
Despite my lack of visits recently.

I hardly ever write.
I never send flowers.

But I'll make it up to you come Valentine's Day.
Promise.

"You can't shred on a hull."

And they're next to impossible to get tubed on as well, not to mention ride backside...

(Do yourself a favor and mute the youtube player, then add your own soundtrack.)

Howdy Pardner

Ever since I rode my first hull waaaaay back in the oh-seven, I've been intrigued by those voluptuous, organically-shaped little (liddle) vixens. The brahman who lent me his personal 7' Liddle then — the inimitable Festus Porkmeyer — laid a compliment on me when he saw me riding his in Crescent City. He said I was "made for" one of those boards. I think he was referring to the fact that I'm hopeless when it comes to riding a surfboard off the tail, but anyway... My interest was further piqued when Manny Caro said my next board should be an Andreini after I ordered my last custom from him.

Then, last summer, I met a American fireman in El Salvador who was sliding his blue 8'0 Andreini across some pretty challenging point waves and we started to talk about his quiver as we waited between sets. When he mentioned that he had one in particular that was too small for him — I pounced. Three months later and here it is: My new 7'0 Vaquero de las Olas. Made from EPS with an opaque cream resin tint, it's super light weight and in amazing condition. Dig the old OWL logo in the first pic!

I only wish I had it for the two amazing days I got earlier this month. At least now I know exactly where to take it when the conditions come together again.

Special thanks to Hank for the bro-bro-bro deal and Jeremy and Giles for bringing it home to papa.

Flatter, Fatter, Faster

Casper Jr., the Friendly Hull.


I just received this great video link from Kirk at Consafos Press: Richard Kenvin ripping Rincon last week on a hull/fish hybrid based on scaled down version of the Simmons dual-keeled planing hull. I believe the first version of this board, the original Casper, was called "The Pocket Protector" and you can see why in this video. The board is short and square-tailed, but -- like I discovered in my own limited way on a traditional hull -- moves in perfect synch with the wave's sweet spot. Unlike classic hulls though, I hear that these boards work in a wider range of conditions... Shaped by Joe Bauguess and Larry Mabile, there may (or may not) be some of these in the works through the Swift Movement. All I know for sure is that it looks one "hull" of a good time!





P.S. Fsacto, long lost director of my five minutes of fame, proved how small a world it truly is by sending me the above photos he shot the same day. Is that Joe Curren or Kenvin again?
Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit

((((((((((HULLABALOO))))))))))

At long last, I had the chance to meet the legendary Festus Porkmeyer last Sunday in a little beach town nestled on the CA/OR border. He's a writer, beard-grower, and wheelbarrow specialist recently transplanted from San Diego to McKinleyville. I pledged to buy a Parmenter-shaped "Occster" surfboard from him nearly a year ago, and finally made good on the purchase.

But more on the Occster later.

Porky packed (along with his lovely wife and child) a nice stack of wave riding objects for my road-weary crew to test out in those southern waters: namely a Pavel Speed Dialer, a Pavel log, a surf mat, and a Liddle Hull. The waves were only waist high at best, and I soon found myself trying out the Hull.

I had read an article on the Hull a couple years before and remembered being intrigued by the shape. Porky swapped the the board with me in the water and just said: "Your first wave will be interesting," or something to that effect. Knowing that Hulls are supposed to be surfed closer to the middle of the board, I figured that I'd have very little problem getting used to this one. I've always ridden off my front foot, with my back foot in front of my fins on traditional shortboards.

So when a little left came my way and I paddled in and hopped to my feet, I was pretty surprised at the relative instability of the craft. I leaned to turn down the line and the board just kept rolling downward until I fell flat on my face. Splat. My second wave, backside, was even worse.

But, at Porky's insistance, I stuck with it. When another, larger left came my way I paddled in and jumped up a little quicker than my previous attempts, gently angling down the line and correcting slightly when the board seemed to lose stability. As soon as I realized that I'd made the turn and was slotted in trim, I did very little else but crouch low and "feel" the wave.

From my limited experience that day, the Hull actually felt more "in tune" with the waves than other boards I've ridden. It felt like the curved bottom and tapered rails conformed to the wave's concaved face when riding in trim in the same way that rocker fits into the curve of the wave when descending from top to bottom. As a rider, I felt more sensitive to the nuances of the little peelers that I slid along the faces of. Just by gently tweaking my ankles, I could climb to the top or drop to the flats. It almost felt like I was pumping by simply moving from rail to rail. It was all very subtle.

Riding several long lefts in a row, I found myself wishing that the waves were bigger and more consistent so that I could really feel how the wafer-thin fin flexes on turns. I wanted more.

Some of you who know me will say that I'm like Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials when it comes to surfboards: I'll try anything, and usually like it. But the Hull had me genuinely intrigued because it simplified my goals on the waves I was riding. I was completely focused on the act of plugging the 7'0 stick into trim and then just tripping on the feeling.

When I got back to the blogosphere after the long weekend, I noticed that the Cabinessence blog featured a long excerpt from the Liddle website where Greg Liddle addressed surfers who were interested in Hulls after the publicity from the TSJ article. I was surprised at how many of the observations I had made in one session with the board were exactly what he intended by building them:

"...These boards are not for the onlooker. It is not meant to be a visual experience, it is for the "feel" of these boards. Not that visual observation of the ride cannot be enjoyed. To me it is quite beautiful the way they "fit" to the wave and become part of it."

For me, riding the Hull was one of the most vivid surf experiences I've had. By that, I mean that I can remember little nuances of every wave I caught on the board. I felt attuned to almost every ripple on the surface. But, then again, I never did get a chance to try out the surf mat...

Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By (Hullabaloo London 1965)