Al Merrick K-Step Rounded Pin 6'9" $275 NE Florida

this board gets used in Florida once every 5 years

 

I had one years ago and I did take it to PR.
Wasn't needed there either. I sold mine as well.
That is an Indo board, perhaps Pipeline. Steep waves, late take off, shallow reefs.

 

guess you never surfed chatarra barry?

This board seems perfect for DOH tubular days, rare in FL, more common in Caribbean, maybe OBX

 

I actually did surf Chatarra. But it had yet to be "discovered" when I was there.
But, it also has the name Aviones (east of Punta Maldonado, in the Pinones area). There is more than one peak there.
But a board like the Kstep up really is not required for there. We used longboards there when I was a kid . PR is mellow compared to other destinations.
I have not surfed there since I was 18 years old. Extremely over-rated break; I would not take the time to return there. It can get really nice, but it is rare.

 

geeeezus barry you are so down on pr. did they make fun of you there on the schoolyard

o barry

 

so you havent surfed there since you were a minor? I bet you mis-remembered some things old timer.

and yes, folks can surf a longboard on any wave, but if I want to take off late and hold a steep drop and get tubed, that board seems like the bees knees

etimm, you owe me 1$ for every post where I extol the virtues of this fine shape

 

Here's the convo with the surf shop salesmen who sold that board. Salesmen in bold

"hi im learning to surf."

"cool, here's a 8' round-nose funboard"

"I want a pointyer board"

"ok, here's a 7'6 pointy nose fun shape"

"look guy, i want all the girls to see how cool i am while i carry my board from my car to the water"

"got ya, here's Kelly Slater''s pipeline board, its very cool and super pointy."

"SOLD!"

 

lolz

 

Of course, we all mis remember stuff.
But as for me....that is ok. You see, truth be told, I will be surfing another 2-3 years; I am already getting really bored with it. After surfing for 54 years, that is normal. But I have lots of other hobbies and activities that I enjoy doing.
I am taking one more surf trip, not PR, but CR. With my bride. If there is surf, nice; if not , who cares?? After that, there are other places I want to go to before my number is up.

 

I've owned a couple of Tuflites. The first one was a 6'8" CI Flyer in light blue that I bought on impulse soon after Clark died. Couldn't even duck dive it due to the incredible buoyancy...I would've needed to weigh about 250 lbs for that thing to float me correctly. Sold it on consignment for a decent price (at the height of Surftech's popularity).

The second one was a red 6'0" Rusty Piranha which I admit I loved. The shape was absolutely perfect for waist-chest high mush and those Rusty down-rails were the most incredible rails I've ever ridden. One thing I didn't like was it had Future boxes which made the fins sink too deep into the board, leaving huge gaps. FCS boxes are better on Tuflites because fins sit on top of the glass.

Despite Tuflite's many flaws (stiff, chattery, doesn't hold wax, etc), I proudly rode the hell out of that Piranha for several years. One of the pros was the closed cell EPS didn't suck in water, so I wouldn't fix the few dings I did get until it was convenient. One of the best things I did was sand the gloss off the entire board so wax would stick better and hopefully speed it up a bit. The stiffness was what ultimately motivated me to sell it.

 

I also had a k-step tuflite, I think it was 6'3.

I loved the way the shape looked- but it was really a one wave type of board- steep, hollow and powerful. I didn't really like how it caught waves either tho.

I actually like tuflite- but this one I sold as well- since I hardly ever surfer it.... And when I took it out in the wrong condition it was a dog...

If someone's looking for a big wave board- this is it! Specially the 6'9

 

Why were the lineups CLOGGED with 6'8" light blue Tuflite (everyboard called them Surftechs the by the way) CI Flyers for about two years ca. 2004-2005? Serious question, and I don't mean by beginners, I mean by guys who had been surfing for 10-20+ years. Suddenly three years later these seemingly indestructible boards all vanished.

 

Haha - I still got one! Light blue and I love it!

I really only ride it in the winter, like I mentioned- it's kinda like a lazy board, it's easy to surf with the extra wetsuit and my wave count triples, almost like riding a longboard.

But to answer your question- I have no clue why they where such a hit in the 2000s. Maybe it was due to the Clark foam prices. Maybe cause it was new technology. Maybe cause everyone was lazy back then. Maybe it was one of the first surftech models available? Idk - I only remember the m13 or ratboy or something being popular too.

Ahh... The mid 2000s ... Those where the days lol doesn't seem so long ago- but it's been 10 years!