South Coast Demo Board 9'0 CK model

Check out my latest video riding a board Bird gave me to demo while my others were being put back together. Enjoy

Click on Pic or the link below...

http://www.vimeo.com/7067430

Mini Moto

At an undisclosed location in San Diego, a small group gets together for Super Mini Moto.

Its a small dirt track that we are able to ride around. There are some obstacles that you have to master like; berms, trees, jumps, mud, and the occasional elbow to the chest...just kidding.

After a few rounds of free style we get down to the nitty gritty.

In action around the turn.

Jumping action.

messing around.

having fun.

in the mudd

I cannot wait for the next secret meet up. Look for videos on my website www.isaacwood.com I’ll post up some more pics next time!

Photos by Jeff Greenhouse and Erin Wood

Miracle/Legacy

Things have been so hectic, its nice to finally get out on the trails for a bit. Here are some highlighted pics of my recent adventure to Miracle.

Rode all day, the clouds came in and made for some decent overcast shots.

Not too bad for a hot afternoon.

I am going to be hitting up the trails again soon... Hope to see you out there!

Photos by Erin Wood

Guayaki Yerba Mate

On Saturday the 7th, Guayaki Yerba Mate had a release party for the new Lemon Elation tea at The Office on 30th street. It was really cool hanging out with all the guys from Guayaki they do some really innovative things for the rainforest and for the indigenous people of Paraguay. They are an awesome company with awesome people.

What is Guayaki Yerba Mate? A great project, and a great beverage.

If you have never heard about Guayaki Yerba Mate, here is a little history;
The South American Rain forest is home to a special holly tree (ilex paraguariensis) The leaves of this tree is what the Yerba Mate is made from. You can drink it a variety of ways, but the most common is in a gourd with a Bombilla straw. The leaves of the rain forest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. Needless to say, its good to you...and good for you.

In the sub-tropical rainforests of Paraguay, there are indigenous people called the Ache Guayaki. Through decades of deforestation and the ripple effect it causes, the Ache Guayaki people were almost lost forever along with 95% of the Atlantic side of the Rain Forest. Please visit www.guayaki.com for the whole story.

The founders of Guayaki use what is called Market Driven Restoration to rebuild the indigenous people and the rain forest they call home. Every drink you buy and enjoy, directly helps the rain forest and communities.

On top of supporting a great company...I am so hooked on Yerba Mate! In the morning, I brew the Mate in my coffee maker and drink it hot. I have a focused energy that I cannot find with other energy, coffee, or tea beverages. Go check them out at your enlightened supermarkets...

The Fin - Finding Placement

Over the years I have found that fins, although a small part of the surfboard puzzle, are one of the most important parts of the surfboards make-up. The way a board rides can be directly altered by placement and design. Theories of fin design have been and will be disputed, probably until the end of time. It seems like my whole life has been spent searching for the right combination of fin and board. Lately, I have had a lot of people asking me about where I place my fins and how to find which ones work best. The more I talk to people, the more I realized fins have become the forgotten part of the surfboard. People put so much of their trust in a shaper to make the perfect board, then go put in a fin that is totally wrong. You can have the best board in the world but if you have a crappy fin the board wont work. Fin design has a lot to do with the drive, speed and function of a surfboard.

Fins can be broken up into 5 parts;
1st fin size
2nd fin shape
3rd thickness and flex
4th placement
5th number of fins

This first post of the topic of fins is dedicated to Placement. Although fourth on the list, placement can tell you if you need a bigger or smaller fin. Most people already have a fin when they buy their board, but lack the know-how to put it in the right spot.

If your board didn't come with a fin. Then the first step to finding the best fin for your board is to talk to the shaper of the board, and if you cant ask him, try to ask someone in a surf shop that understands your board and fins. They will give you a good idea of what to expect from the board, how it turns, glides, etc. They will usually explain how they got to the fin that they recommend. If anything, it gets you pointed in the right direction.

I am going to start with the single fin since its easiest to explain. Once you have a fin you feel will work for your application, set the fin all the way back to the end of the fin box. Now go surf, the board will usually be too stiff and tipsy, this is a good way to find out if the fin is too far back. Get a feel for how the board works. A good way of doing this is to do a couple of turns, climb and drop, nose-ride and cut-back (if you can). Depending on your skill level you'll be able to tell within 3-5 waves if the board feels stiff...almost as if your dragging your fin.

Next, move the fin up 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch forward and mark it with a pencil. See Pics Below.

Go surf it again. Feel how the board reacts, usually it will loosen up and turn a little easier. Again turn, climb, drop and nose ride the board. See how that feels compared to your last fin placement. If it still feels stiff, move it another 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch, and mark your spot again. Keep doing this until the board starts to feel loose and more predictable out of turns. Most boards will not work with the fin all the way forward or all the way back, with the exception of displacement hulls and long rake flex fins.

You will begin to feel the difference between having the fin all the way back and the board going
from being slow like dragging the fin and tipsy to really loose and lacking speed out of turns. This is good, because now you have a gauge to work with. What I like to do is put a number next to the marks. 1 being my favorite to 5 being my least favorite. Usually I find my placement within

3-5 marks. Sometimes it can take as many as 8.

A side note; try to surf in the same conditions when finding fin placement. Different conditions may cause different results.

Placement is a crucial part of the fins function. Too far up and the board slides and doesn't get speed...too far back and it can feel like a parachute or become very directional. But if a fin is placed perfect, it can make a board go from good to great.

This is your first step on your journey to finding proper fin placement as well as the proper fin for your board.