You know this is all Laird and Donovan's fault right?

who do we blame for the jet powered boards? like tow-ins and foils, i don't see these at my beach. but i too like to point fingers...

 

I saw a guy on one of those about two years ago on a waist high day. My buddy and I just about died laughing. Too funny.

 

Would I want to be in the same lineup as one... no.

Would I try one given the opportunity... Hell yeah!

 

Don't like to paddle, ya lazy bastid??

 

Maybe there should be some exceptions.
I had my femorus rectus removed. Both hips have severe osteoarthritis. I ruptured my achilles last august.
I for one am the not that old man who can only popup on certain swells, certain waves, but i used to surf ok.
I still paddle real surfboards.
But i was a shortboarder only for 30 years.
Now if i ride longer, thicker, wider does that make me a total kook?
I never realized until it happened to me. I was guilty. The worst.
If you see someone physically unable to do it made able, where do we draw the line?
I guess we give everyone the benefit of a doubt.
Maybe that kook used to rip and got MS.

 

As much as i love the guys surfing....i can totally agree with this. He's a pretty cool guy though really. He plays out east on LI every year. His music is ok. I dig some stuff, other stuff i hate. It's hit or miss. But as far as live sound goes he sounds good. Got to chat with him for a quick minute after one show. Cool guy.

If he wasn't one of my favorite surfers, i probably never would go to see him live haha. The logic doesn't make sense but it's true

 

I’m not the type of person to make fun of someone’s ill fortune. It was a kid and he was very well and able. I just think the concept of a motorized borte is a funny one. Seems disconnected to the actual pursuit of riding on the energy of an actual wave. Just my opinion.

 

You got all of that 100% right. We all get disabled to surf at one point or another. So far, I have been lucky, with the exception of short term ailments. My shortest board now is a 7'4". But that was always my favorite size anyway, liking the "flow" feeling of surfing, rather than the erratic dis-motion of extreme short boards.
Adjusting upward makes no one a kook--makes one smart. As the Kane Garden type of fishes went into the graveyard of surfing history, so will the very shorties.

 

To east its own.

 

I like foil boards. Not sure I understanding anyone hating that. They are super difficult to ride and for the most part don't even need a breaking wave. Seems like a cool option to stay out the crowds. I also love skim boarding. Haven't done it in over 25 years but really dig the young guys that can do it well.

 

Had a really super fun day here a few weeks back with a few locals and a small handful of interlopers.

One of the non-loc's really caught my eye, as he was on an old style longboard and just fuckin flowing. Couple of strokes, walk to the nose and pose, backpedal out of the pocket to the tail for a true tail whip cut back, then catwalk back towards the sweet spot through the section. Controlled turn out of the shoulder, then knee paddling very soulfully back to the lineup.

WITHOUT A LEASH.

I watched this guy repeat this a half dozen times, even throwing in the odd spinner or switchfoot in some critical sections...all the while earning his waves by sitting near the peak and patiently waiting for his turn.

The guy clearly knew how to surf and I was pretty impressed by the newcomer. I paddled up to him to ask him where he was from. Imagine my surprise when I saw what appeared to be a 16 or 17 year old kid lol.

To make it worse, he told me he's only been longboarding "for like 3 months". I would hate to see what this kid surfs like on a HPSB.

But it just goes to show ya, it doesn't matter what manner of craft you ride. Ride it well and be respectful of others in the lineup and the world is your oyster.

In keeping with the subject of the original thread, that vid of Laird shooting the pier at Malibu on a SUP on that big day is still a top 3 moment in surfing.