Ride report by Steve83

Wombat, you in cohoots with Roy? Maybe there's something in the water in the southern hemisphere and in NJ. I've remained relatively silent on his boards lately but have been vocal on the design on other threads. Roy has created such a buzz around his boards by asking so much money for them and by minimalizing other surfboard designs and construction methods.

He has claimed his boards are the most efficient and fastest out there. That's debatable but lets say they are for this conversation. What else is fast, long, efficient and doesn't turn well? Trains. Roy's surfboards are the surfing equivalent to trains. Sure some trains go really fast and can eventually turn.... I'd compare a train's turn to a surfboard's trimming on a wave. We've already had the turning/trimming conversation so we'll leave that alone.

Here's where the disconnect is, many surfers don't want to drive trains, they want to drive sports cars. They want to drive fast, turn, burn rubber, slam on the breaks and jam the gas again... all these things are terribly inefficient. IMO, terribly fun too. I asked Roy what car he drove or what his primary means of transportation was and he decided not to answer. That's cool.

You're right though, Roy makes a board for the way he wants to ride. More power to ya Roy! I'm working on my second HWS built to my specifications for the way I want to ride but I'm not building a train.

Steve, I'm still ready when you are!

 

As a relatively new member of the site I haven't experienced the whole Roy Stuart saga from the get go. I avoided the topic at first and didn't understand some of the comments directed at him. As I'm now a couple months I've gotten a bit more of the back story and checked out his site. Gotta say it's a very pure form of surfing, and the boards certainly are works of art (albeit ridiculously overpriced). He rubs some the wrong way, but then again any publicity is good publicity, right?
I'm fascinated that he said Randy Rarick intentionally kooked it. Especially when I looked at Roy's website and found a review by Randy of another one of Roy's boards (13' something or other) that was legitimately critical, but overall very complimentary. In the end he said it was a really fun board to ride. And that's what this is all about, FUN! So Randy didn't like one of your boards Roy, WAAAAAAHHHHHH. Just because you disagree doesn't make it untrue.

 

And get surfing already Steve!

 

Well, I never claimed to be Einstein but I don't think that I'm drooling on myself, either.

Come on Scottino, you & I have a little history from some other threads & you're still a tad irked with me, you can say it, I'll still read your material.

I don't have it in for "this guy" or anyone; "this guy" has made huge claims about his mega-priced board; he requested that a veteran, reputable surfer test drive the beast; the review was negative; creator of beast then launches personal smear attack on the reviewer. It is what it is. I'm not padding the tale of woe, it's there in plain sight. Well, it is for those who want to see the way & the truth, eh Scotty?

It's all semi-amusing.....because The Gnome is about as crazy as a fox. He revels in all this back & forth; it jacks up his google search pages and name hits; and ultimately he's hoping some goober reading The Robb Report will pay him $500k for that slab of kindling. The Gnome seems to subscribe to the theory that there ain't no such thing as bad publicity when you're pitching a product.

 

He missed the one good day for the rest of the week. Today is an SUP day. However, this may be a good day to compare Roy's design to a typical long board. He only seems to ride it in waist high and above waves on the videos, yet we use longboards in less than knee high stuff here in the southeast. It doesn't seem like this board design would be the best for the really small stuff. Steve, when you heading out? I would love to join ya. We could compare to my 7'4" board, as it has no problems riding knee high swell.

 

Fair enough - If he sells one, I hope he shoots you off a bit of a commission for your efforts.

 

That's funny, others accuse me of riding only knee high and below...

 

Such as?

Many people claim that I make 'juge claims' or 'wild claims' but these are usually manufactured on my behalf, please provide direct quotes when making these accusations.

No I didn't...Randy requested the ride... get your facts straight or stfu.

The facts are that Rarick rode half a dozen waves and fell off on most of them while riding from way back on the tail, ignoring the designer's advice regarding the riding position.

Thus he hadn't even achieved a basic level of competence, yet felt qualified to publish a bad review which was not compatible with the dozens of excellent ride reports from other riders.

As I said earlier he's either incompetent or untrustworthy, or both.

Too tall to be a gnome.

 

Randy only rode one board, the 13 footer, can you provide a link to the review which you claim is on my website?

 

Correct.

Many people rode that particular board and some rode it for months before writing ride reports,

Those with the hate agenda however, conveniently ignore all ride reports except the one from their poster boy Rarick.

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Firstly, you should remind yourself why I arrived on this forum... because members here were talking about me that's why.

You claim to be a man of science and constantly wave your claimed qualification around, and yet you make false and illogical claims frequently. A case in point is your statement above that I argue with 'everyone and anyone' clearly that is not the case and in my experience these arguments are usually conducted by a small rabid minority of people like yourself.

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For your information: the 13 footer went on a five year tour and was available for anyone to ride, I did not choose who rode the board.

Wrong, he didn't ride the board correctly, he was told that it shouldn't be ridden from way back on the tail but deliberately ignored this advice, consequently he fell off most of the few waves he rode and is thus unqualified to judge.

I know how well that design works and so do many others who have ridden it.

As I said he isn't qualified.

The reality is that you are ignoring all the great ride reports which others have provided, and choosing only one, to suit your agenda.

Incorrect, my products are in demand.

It was one lousy review with many positive ones, you try to spin this as many i.e. lousy reviews from qualified people, while ignoring themany positive reviews as if they don't exist. That is dishonest and illogical.

Furthermore I did not request that Randy rode the board. The board had been ridden by others in Hawaii for a few weeks and according to North Shore surf photographer Scott Hartvigsen the locals were lining up to ride it, Scott said that the word was going through the 'coconut vine' that the board is a hot item, that it rides really well.

That's when Randy stepped in and put a stop to it. After randy rode it it went to a magazine guy who kept it under lock and key for an entire season, he wouldn't let anyone ride it and eventually told a trustworthy friend of ours in Honolulu that he had kept it locked up as he had received death threats... i.e. he was not to let the board out or he would be killed. That explained his bizarre behaviour. It was extremely difficult and took years to get the board back from Rarick's little gang.

A ridiculous statement. Of course he does.

There's demand.

 

This is the funniest thing I've ever read on these forums. The legend of Roy grows - a design so advanced, others will kill to keep it away from the masses...

 

Wow, just wow.

 

Meh, knee high to Hawaiians and west coasters is waist high here in the east. They are spoiled. I am sure Steve can attest to the fact that SC rarely gets swell like seen in those NZ videos.

 

That is bullsh1t, and you know it. The only people you don't argue with are the people who agree with you. Anyone with a differing opinion or viewpoint should be ready for the long multipost argument by Ol Roy. Just searching your name on google will pop up dozens of forum links with you fighting and arguing with people.
By the way, I make accurate claims and almost always post links. You, however, never seem to back up your side of any argument. Case and point, reread your BS in the bee thread. If you are going to accuse a person of doing something, it is best to be sure that you aren't also guilty.

 

Well, that's what happened, and more.

Fact is often stranger than fiction.

 

No it isn't, nearly every post of yours including the one above contains serious logical errors which are completely fatal to your case... as well as frequent factual errors.

You appear to be oblivious to this and/or have no respect for the truth.

 

Another ridiculously illogical situation which makes a mockery of any comment to do with wave size.

We also get tiny swell, short period swell, onshores and short waves, and i assure you that the boards perform superbly in such conditions, almost always making much more of the conditions than other equipment delivers.

 

Yah, heck yah. The kindling gnome has revealed his inner machinations. Just absolutely bizarro.