RUSTY presents Big Wednesday @ Dukes in Huntington!
Wednesday June 3rd @ 7:30PM
Product raffle with all proceeds going to Surf Aid International.
Huge Raffle, Live Music, Guest bartenders and Free Prizes
Nate Yeomans will be our guest bartender for the night !!!
The Rusty Rider, Bastien Salabanzi, strikes again and wins the Adidas SkateClash in Berlin this week end. During two days of high performance skateboarding Bastien offered us some big, technical and smooth tricks that allowed him to get the 3000 euro winner prize. On fire the whole week end, the Rusty Rider dominated the park to take the win over a bunch of other international skaters...
Congratulation Bastien for that great performance and see you at the CPH pro next month!
More Skateboarding >>
"It's a stretch to say it was my idea. What most of us do is borrow from the past and other parallel, applicable worlds to collect ideas, interpret, and offer up our versions of other things combined. The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away"
-Dr. Linus Pauling
If you scour the internet you will see plenty of past media and dialogue about the design.
The story of the tuna fins is true, but ultimately the design ended up being more closely related to a Twinzer than anything else.
When I worked at G&S in the early 70's, one of the brands under the G&S umbrella was Bing. They had a license to do Bonzers. Mike Eaton shaped me one around 1973. If my memory serves me correct, it was a 3-fin version.
Sometime in the early 90's the Campbell Bros shared their design ideas with me. Although their Bonzer design has stood the test of time and still has a solid following, I never really made very many.
Some of my more recent models such as the Hipster and Hustler do incorporate a subtle Venturi type concave with a somewhat conventional 3 fin configuration.
In 1989 Martin Potter won the World Title. He was sponsored by Blue Hawaii/Glenn Minami for surfboards. Minami worked with Will Jobson on the Twinzers which powered Pottz to many victories.
I think it was George Orbelian who put me together with Will. He came to San Diego and shared his design with me. I made myself one and was blown away at the difference in feel from a conventional twin fin. One of my shapers at the time, Stu Kenson, borrowed my board and wouldn't give it back. I did make quite a few and paid Will a royalty for his idea.
Here is a technical explanation from the sailing world but has similar application:
Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing by C.A. Marchaj
I got distracted in early 2000 working with Curtis Hesselgrave on cambered (Vector) fins.
They opened a whole new world of performance that needed to be explored. I even made C5's with all 5 fins having cambered foils. They worked great.
My focus eventually shifted to trying to get the cambered foils dialed. It was easier to understand what was happening with 3 fins.
So the simple answer to your simple question about the C5:
I still make them.
The fin relationships, relative cant, positioning, angles make or break the design. Just a few degrees off and it will feel like the parking brake is on. Get it right and the board will feel like it's turbocharged and riding on little ball bearings.
There are other shapers out there that grasp the concept and make excellent versions. Stu Kenson and Greg Griffin to name a couple. I'm sure there are more.
Happy Surfing!
R.
The surf industry has lost another industry giant with the May 4th passing of legendary shaper Mike Croteau. Mike passed away due to complications with his medication prescribed from surviving a successful brain tumor surgery on May of 2007. A Memorial Paddle out ceremony for Mike is being planned for Sunday May 24th Memorial Day weekend in conjunction the Santa Cruz Longboard Union Coalition Surf Club Contest at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz.
A local of the North Shore Oahu, Santa Cruz, and La Jolla, Mike was known and celebrated worldwide for his innovative shaping genius that spanned over 45 years. A protege of Master Shaper Dick Brewer, Mike consistently created innovative, cutting edge progressive designs, yet freely shared his skills and knowledge with surfers and shapers on every continent.
Mike is survived by his wife, three grown children, three grand kids, and forth grandchild on the way. A Memorial Fund has been set up to help Mike's family with financially devastating Medical bills.
Memorial donations should be addressed to:
Mike Croteau Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 1862
Soquel, CA 95073
I think the first time I put a Skil 100 planer in my hands and pulled the trigger, it was Mike's.
The initial torque on the barrel freaked me out. I thought the machine was going to jump out of my hands.
Mike used to make all kinds of funny weird sounds and noise instead of real words sometimes.
I heard a harrumpfsnortgiggle come from behind me.
He was 6'3" and looked more like a bodybuilder than a surfer. His reputation for being unpredictable and short fused magnified his physical presence. Probably 250lbs and zero body fat. Mike got this simple, bemused, delight out of my reaction.
He let me butcher the blank for a few minutes and then relegated me to a far corner in the shaping room.
I ended up with a 6'10" swallow tail that I thought was way too thin for me. I have distinct memories of the board being incredibly difficult to paddle compared to my previous board. I also have vivid recall of how the board flexed and jumped out of turns. It was a lot of work to paddle and catch waves, but once up it was a joy to ride.
We would surf together at Wind n Sea and Blacks. Winter of 69/70 I was next to him when we had to push through a substantial north peak set. We didn't have leashes then. I think I tried to turn turtle and got violently dismissed. He did a duck dive long before duck dives were invented. He simply tried to push his board under the breaking 6 foot wave. His board was probably about 8'0", 20.5 wide, 3.75" thick, spruce stringer, double 6 top, single 6 bottom. He made it through with the front half of his board.
The back half ended up on the beach. Physically unfazed but not very happy.
At Wind n' Sea, he was at home in the power that back in the day was considered a North Shore Hawaii training ground. If his size didn't get your attention, some of his antics would leave indelible and formidable impressions. He took bites out of unwelcome visitors rails. If you really pissed him off, he would simply take your board from you and knock your fin off with a palm heel and point to the beach. A little trick he learned from Fred Kenyon. Fred, a martial arts pioneer in Southern California and Wind n' Sea local, had some how ended up as Mike's surrogate older brother during his time in La Jolla.
Mike was 4 or 5 years older than me, but was already living a gypsy life. One afternoon I had to take Mike to the public library in Pacific Beach. He had a vision: his new surfboard label was to be called Mars Orange. He had checked out books with pictures of Mars. We looked at dozens of images and picked the best one. He had to have board laminates printed up with his new logo. I have no idea how many he built but some of the first Mars Orange boards were shaped in the Bridgeman garage. Another La Jolla board builder, Guy Hansen, spent quite a bit of time with Mike, surfing and creating forward-looking mind machines.
There were some incredibly futuristic endeavors. One board comes to mind:
A board with two 2' holes in the mid deck, cut at slight backwards angle through to the bottom. These were meant to function as vents. The bottom had a long oval shaped concave that the vents opened into. There was a faring, flush with the bottom, which covered the front half of the concave and functioned as the vent exit. This Magic Carpet/hovercraft rode on a cushion of air.
His stay in La Jolla/Pacific Beach lasted a year or so.
He headed up to Santa Cruz. Later that winter we hooked up to surf. My family had moved to Carmel Jan 1970. I did my second semester of 11th grade up there. I'd surf Carmel Beach on the weekdays, surf permitting. Weekends, I would drive my fathers 1960 black VW Beetle to Moss Landing and beyond to Santa Cruz if necessary. One weekend I hooked up with Mike and we were driving around looking for waves.
At the time I was 6'4" 210 (still growing) and Mike was 6'3" and 250 lbs of muscle. To casual observers it had to have been hysterical to watch these 2 xxl people climbing in and out of a little black VW bug, with boards strapped on top, to check the surf.
Mike managed to get a little media attention in the early seventies. He shaped and modeled for an Agua Jet hollow, honeycomb, board design.
Crotanimal, was, by all accounts, indestructible. He ran into a farmer's boundary chain, dirt biking at the Hollister Ranch. It would have cut a normal person in half.
Mike was in the hospital for a month. He lost 70 pounds. He healed, regained his strength, and kept shaping. Mike ended up spending time in Hawaii. As it was with most of us at the time, he dreamed of being connected to Brewer in some way, shape, or fashion.
I remember seeing Shaun Tomson on a board at Sunset that looked different, in a good way, from the other equipment of the day. It was a Croteau shape, sporting Mike's Equipe target logo. Uberclean, minigun, with a low entry, blue rails, looking like a good fit. Shaun still has fond memories of this board.
Conceptually still valid.
Mike was obsessed with speed and power. He was a mad scientist and an artist. The boards he loved to build reflected that. Â Long, clean lines that always seemed to flow together from every angle.
I lost track of Mike later that decade. 30 or so years later we reconnected one morning at the Shores. He was just passing through. He spoke fondly of his son was still passionate about board building. As always, his head seemed to be brimming with ideas. He was driving north later that morning. That was the last time I saw Mike.
If I were to ever write a book about my life as a board builder, my time with Mike Croteau would be an early chapter.
Rest in peace my brother.
Rusty
Nate Yeomans stopped by Rusty North America today for a Shred sled show and tell.
Nate's new 84 model.
Rusty Wakeskate N Bake from Rusty USA on Vimeo.
As promised, here's the video footage of the Wakeskate N' Bake!
Josh Kerr Has a blog, it's sick. Go check it out!!!! KERRAZY PRODUCTIONS
KERRAZY TIMES EPISODE 1 Part 1 from KERRAZY PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.
KERRAZY TIMES EPISODE 1 Part 2 from KERRAZY PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.
Kerrazy Times EP2 Preview from KERRAZY PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.
KERZY'S KRIBZ - BELLS BEACH from KERRAZY PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.
This piece was featured on Surfline.com
Rusty examines the best way to go shorter and have more fun...
Nat Young winning the '66 World Champs on a radically short (for the time) 9'4". Photo Tom Keck
Once again there is a full-blown "modern" shortboard revolution going on.
Every generation settles into the equipment of the period, which is usually some version of what really good competitive surfers ride in optimum conditions and that notion of "standard equipment" or "Performance Shortboard" (PSB) is perpetuated by the surf media.
The reality is that most of the time the average surfer is dealing with average conditions and is trying to find the fun in a surfboard designed for a better-than-average surfer in better than average conditions. Ah yes, we can all aspire, but let's get real.
Thus, every decade or so there is a collective cry of B.S. on the PSB and the media announces a "design revolution."
Owning a surfboard designed for average surf is about the most sensible thing a surfer can do. If there is only one board at a time in your budget, wouldn't you rather be having fun, surfing with much less effort 80% of the time, and pushing the threshold of your board on the occasional good day? (Versus bogging and pulling off the odd good hit on your signature world-tour board?)
There is no revelation in the "short shortboard revolution" -- it's practicality and the pursuit of happiness rearing its everyman head.
Go shorter, wider, thicker, flatter, and the fun will find it's way back into your everyday surfing experience. Skip the old-school fish thing; it's been flogged to death. They ride flat on the water and have an appalling lack of continuity in rail-to-rail transition. There are plenty of good alternatives. Round tails, diamond tails, bat tails, and sorry if it sounds sacrilegious, but do yourself a favor and try anything but a tail that ends with a 10-inch gap. One or two sets of wings are a great design feature to step down tail width without excessive outline curve.
Nine-time world champ Kelly Slater getting funky with his stubby board at Snapper. Photo: Sean Rowland
Length: At least four inches shorter than your current PSB. Depending on body type, agility, ability, and (cringe) age you can go even shorter still.
Outline: Go at least an inch wider in the center than your current shortboard. The proportions dictate how the board will ride. As the area shifts forward or back you will be forced to move with the balance point or center of mass. Most generic PSBs have a tail that is three inches wider than their respective noses. These proportions put the wide point at roughly two inches behind center. For your alternative everyday board (why would it be called an alternative?), consider an outline that is proportionately fuller up front. This extra area up front will assist in catching waves, add draw and length to turns (remember the board is shorter) and provide some bonus planing surface under your front foot. (There have been past evolutionary branches that have explored area aft, but history has shown that only staunch advocates of back-foot surfing find happiness down that road.)
Rocker: Lower rocker will help the board plane in softer surf. I feel that old-school fish rocker is too flat and limiting. A relaxed modern shortboard rocker not too far off your current shortboard will be fine. Extra width and fuller, firmer rails will add plenty of skate and glide. Simply delete the nose flip: imagine cutting a few inches off the front of your board: the arc you are left with will be fine for your new everyday board.
Rail Volume: Go fuller -- more volume. The object is to stay on top of the water and not bog. The trick is to find a rail that is full and still somewhat angular so you can still set the rail on turns but not over commit in weaker, softer, surf.
Rail Shape: Low; a lower apex and tighter bottom radius facilitates more efficient water release and generates more lift. It will also make for a more sensitive rail that reacts more quickly than a softer, rounder rail. You will find that a well designed full rail with a firm tucked edge will get up on top of the water and be quicker out of the gate than the garden variety, round, Frisbee rail. Other positive attributes: better carry and glide through flat spots and weak sections with a free and loose feel.
Fins: why wouldn't you want to be able to change your fins? Fins make or break the board. It may sound counterintuitive, but bigger front fins will generate more lift. Softer tips are a good thing in softer surf. Fins with dynamic rebound, usually only found in all glass or RTM construction (a whole other conversation), are worth the investment. Rear fin(s): smaller will free up the tail.
This is a good trick if you want to get a little more out of your current three-fin in weaker surf: Speaking in general terms, most surfers are running about 4.5" fins in all three slots. Try something on the order of 4.75 up front and 4.25 in the rear and this should give your board more lift and free up the tail.
Construction and Weight: In smaller, weaker surf, light is your friend. You will get the best weight to strength ratio with EPS/Epoxy construction; handbuilt, composite, molded or otherwise. The lightness of an EPS core combined with the strength of epoxy resin, pound for pound, ounce for ounce will make for a more responsive, lively board.
Sounds like fun? It should be!
Rusty, mowing foam in his SD shaping bay. Photo: Aaron Chang
Thanks Surfline.com
14 May 2009, Sanur-Bali: 2008 ISC Champion Dede Suryana claimed victory today over 2007 ISC Champ Lee Wilson at the Rusty Rumble in the Jungle 6-star Coca-Cola ISC surfing competition, starting out his 2009 season just where he left off last year, which is on the top spot of the nearest podium. He pocketed a check for Rp 10 million and racked up 3,000 championship points in the bargain.
In a final that saw some of the best waves of the day and the entire event, Suryana jumped out to an early lead by slotting into a barrel on his first try and setting the bar with a 6.5 point score. Lee wasn't so lucky and got pinched on his first wave, getting him only a 2.5. Suryana was a wave magnet, consistently nabbing the best waves and soon had a 7.75 and then an amazing double barrel that netted him a 9.25, the highest scoring wave of the day. He added another 7.77 that had Wilson needing two 9-point waves to take over first.
It was clearly Suryana's day, as towards the later part of the final the sets slowed down, not allowing Wilson much of a chance to fight back. At the horn the score was Suryana 17.0, Wilson 10.5.
Lee had this to say after the final, "Dede surfed great and went for it 110%. He is a great guy and an amazing surfer, so it was really great to be out in the final with him. If I would have made it out of a couple of those barrels, the score would have been a lot closer and maybe I would have won." "Today was his and I'm very happy for him. But next time, watch out!" he said with a grin while clapping Dede on the back.
Being a great sport as well as great surfer, Dede said, "That final was so great! The waves were pumping! On my second wave I felt really solid, like it was my best one, and knew had a good score. But when I got my third wave..wow..if I had made that floater at the end it probably would have been a 10! But a 9.25 isn't too bad right? I was lucky to get most of the good waves because if Lee would have, it would be him with the first place trophy for sure. He is such a good surfer and never holds back. Just today in the final he didn't get the good ones."
The next stop on the Coca-Cola ISC tour will be in Dede's home town of Cimaja in West Java from the 20-23rd of May, so Lee will be looking to take Dede down at his home break and Dede will be pulling out all the stops to make sure he is atop to podium in front of his friends and family.
But just before the Suryana and Wilson took to the water for their final, the ISC Master Division finalists paddled out to see who would take the early lead in the race to be the Masters Champion for 2009. The four over-35 competitors consisted of Made Artha, Wayan Widiarta, Ketut Menda, and newcomer Jake Paterson.
As these legends of surf paddled out, it seemed to stir the ocean up into a whole new level of activity. The previous 3 footers quickly grew to 4-5 footers, with 5 to 6 waves in a set crashing into the reef and giving the men a paddling workout as well as some big opportunities for glory. At the horn it was Jake Paterson who scored the highest total points and the highest single wave score, a 9.25. Obviously his past professional experience had well prepared him for conditions like this. Made Artha gave him a run, but couldn't find a way to equal a 9.25, so ended up in second place, with Wayan Widiarta in third and Ketut Menda rounding things out in fourth place.
Back on the beach at the podium, Rusty GM Kane Faint had this to say when asked by MC Tai Graham to say a few words to the crowd on the beach, "First I want to say thanks to all the Rusty and ISC staff for their help in running the event, and to all our sponsors. This was a really great final, one of the best ever, and it made for a super event. The waves were pretty good for most of the comp and today, but then for the finals they just got bigger and bigger. It was unbelievable. You dream about something like this for your comp, having the best waves for the final, but it isn't very often you get it! I'm very stoked."
But not to be forgotten are the other awards, namely the Coca-Cola Best Maneuver Award, captured by Wayan Merta, who took home Rp 500,000 and five cases of Coca-Cola products, and the Sabre Best Barrel Award of Rp 2,000,000 was earned by Pepen Hendrik for his 10 point three barrel wave from the previous day's competition.
The Rusty Rumble in Da Jungle is part of the Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour and was proudly sponsored by Rusty Indonesia, San Miguel Beer, Sabre, GUS, Magic Wave, and SurfTime.
ISC Men's Pro Division
1. Dede Suryana
2. Lee Wilson
3. Wayan Budayasa and Tipi Jabrik
ISC Masters Division
1. Jake Paterson
2. Made Artha
3. Wayan Widiarta
4. Ketut Menda
Sable Best Barrel Award
Pepen Hendrik
