NEW 'SIMON SAYS' BLOG LOCATION - AND RECENT UPDATES

Keiren - 5 Spark, Cooper - Face Dancer 
RECENT UPDATES -

We've recently updated our Simon Anderson Surfboards website & changed my 'Simon Says' blog location. Here's the new link to the blog: http://simonandersonsurfboards.com/au/?cat=3

Our website:  http://simonandersonsurfboards.com/au/?page_id=15

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Cooper Chapman
Rob Bain - 3 Peat

KOMUNITY PROJECT


Have been working with the Komunity Project accessories company developing back foot pads for people who don't like deck grip.
For me I don't like dragging my back foot over the high foot block at the back or the high arch bar.
So the pad is flat for easy access on the take-off jumping to your feet.
The good thing about back foot pads is they give that little bit more protection from denting.
Or if your board has already dented badly you can place the pad over the affected area stopping further damage and also disguise the damaged area a little to keep the resale value of your board.
The prototype pad is suitable for wider tails as in the Spudster model and other fish style boards.



SPUDSTER MODEL AND FINS FOR QUADS


Spudster is a small wave quad option board I've been tweaking for a year or two.
The idea being to create a fast versatile board that can handle the small days.
Spudster 6'0 x 21 x  2 3/4 RT volume 36.80 litres

I'm 100 kg and this board is 6’0 x 21 x 2 ¾ coming out at 36.80 litres of volume which is not a lot for me. So far have surfed this only twice as a Thruster and once as a quad in small waves and find I like it best as a quad.
The quad format seems to be fast across the wave face and dynamic in turns off the top.
Also on this wide fish style roundtail the quad fins get it up more on a rail at the critical time in the turn which feels nice.

Will have more feedback soon but wanted to share with you some thoughts on volume and fins for fish type small wave boards.
I ride normally an XFC 6'6 x 20 ½ x 2 ¾ RSQ volume 36.30 or a Fusion 6'5 x 20 5/8 x 2 ¾ at 36.60 litres.
Going back a year or so I made an early Spudster prototype at 6'1 x 21 ½ x 2 7/8 similar shape to the one above but with volume at 40.15. This board was good but at times felt a little big, not too long, but a little cumbersome in some surf. The surfing experience with fins choice was similar to the 6’0 feeling better as a quad in small surf.

The 6'0 board of today feels a better overall board, more pure thru turns and zippier, but I think if I lived at Manly and surfed waves with not as much punch generally as say Narrabeen and South Avalon I think the better board for me would be the higher volume 6'1 older Spudster.

So I have come up with a formula for volume ratio to fit small wave boards.
That is if you are fit or light on your feet or a good surfer, when you go for a fish style board you can have the same or a touch more volume as your normal all-rounder and even a touch less volume is going to work.
But if you’re an average surfer, older, not fit or not surfing regularly, or in a soft small wave area, then look to get the fish style board beefed up in volume 2 to 4 litres more than the volume of your normal all-rounder.

Fins
My formula for quads is - surf your normal preferred Thruster side fins, probably with inside foil, and then for the quad back fins use 1/4" smaller double sided foil fins.
You can also use even smaller quad back fins to loosen it up further with up to 1/2" smaller fins for very small weak waves.
Some surfers prefer flat inside foil back fins or 70 30 foil fins at the back, this is fine and increases speed and life, but lessens control.

There is a lot you can do to give your board more spark by matching fins to your board and the waves you surf.
You will also need to take into account the way you surf, your ability, physique, technique etc to get the most suitable combo.
Don't just assume that what you have in the board is as good as it gets.

In the 6'0 Spudster board, (see photo), I have Simon red SA2 forward side fins and white Soar 70 30 back fins, the SA2's are 4 ⅝" deep, the Soar 70 30 are 4 5/16 deep.
So this is a small wave set up for me, normally for more solid waves I would have the same SA2 forward side fins and M3 size double sided foil back fins at about 4 3/8 deep.

BELLS HISTORY



Tommy, Dot and Joan Peterson after scattering Michael's remaining ashes - photo by Terry Baker
Kelly  Bells 2006 epic fly on the wall finals carve
Occy epic bottom turn Bells Bowl




SURFING SPECTACULARS

Surfing award season gala spectacular.
ASP World Champions awards night and the Hall of Fame 50 Years of Surfing Australia celebrations.
2013 World Champ Parko
MR #1 influential Australian surfer 1963-2013
Nat PT Cheyne & SA -  ASP night
Steph Gilmore Inducted into Hall of Fame




BELLS 2013 - AN EASTER FESTIVAL OF SURF


Congratulations Adriano De Souza a well-deserved winner of this year’s Bell.
Bells from Winki carpark

Big Perfect Bells

Raoni Monteiro   Brazilian carver in the Winki carpark

Winki from the Damien Hardman stand at Bells

GIRL POWER


Women's surfing goes to new levels at Bells Beach in 2013.

Wow the girls surf good with power and grace.

The good thing about women's surfing is the depth of talent on tour.
There is no one girl dominating and Steph has her work cut out to retain the World Title.

The semi finals this year will go down as a new benchmark in girls surfing.

Bells is a hard wave to surf well, congratulations to Carissa, Tyler, Courtney Conlogue, Lackey Peterson, Silvana Lima, Sally, Steph and Paige Hareb for setting the bar a little higher.