Bioboard review from ZSS's Kai Sanson

Stoked to have built this 9'0" whip for "LA's best Surf Instructor" (by LA weekly), Kai Sanson of Zuma Surf and Swim Training. Lucky for us the board surfed really well for Kai. Here's some of the nice things he had to say: 

http://www.zsstraining.com/files/c1860ffbb559d86f3f6aac03bb039df6-16.html

Thanks Kai!

My Homebreak away from Home

There's nothing better than surfing your homebreak on a good swell. Yeah, other spots may be bigger, more hollow, less crowded .... whatever. There's a spot in Hawaii (sorry I can't say exactly where) that we've been visiting for the past few years and there's this super-fickle reefbreak that only goes off on a BIG swell and in the narrowest of swell windows. In the years past, it always seems we just seem to miss the swells that make this place go off, so we usually have to find other spots to surf. Well, this time we finally got lucky and our visit was timed perfectly with a nice sized Hawaiian swell (i.e. North Shore was double to triple OH). This swell was able to wrap through for some fun-sized shoulder-head high surf, all day on friday.

I was able to test our 6'8" bio-epoxy/hemp board which made the quick pitching drops nicely. The EPS core keeps this board fairly light given the bio-glassing treatment and was super maneuverable and loose. Being a regular foot, I'm never great at surfing backhand. So we left this board with some friends who are full-time watermen and truly believe in the boards we're making. We're hoping they can give the bioboard a run for its money in some pure Hawaiian juice. Looking forward to hearing what they have to say. Thanks to the O.P. crew for helping us out with some R&D!
Saturday, the swell declined fast so we took to the SUPs for some fun, knee-high lefts. We rode the S.O.S. (Sean Ordonez Shapes) 11'11 and 10'10 Big Red and Big Blue shapes. Really versatile SUP shapes that can be surfed off the tail. http://www.sosshapes.com/2006/home.html


By Sunday, it was flat, so we took to the 6 man canoes, and were able to see and HEAR a group of humpbacks who had been hanging out off the coast for the past few weeks. Truly an incredible experience, especially to hear them communicate. Here's one our cousin Pete caught on his camera. Thanks to Danny for the paddle out.

6'2" Bioboard Fish (aka Anti Turdfish)

Dims:6'2"x21_5/8"x2_11/16"
Core: Biofoam
Glassing: Resin Research Epoxy, Bottom Bamboo, Deck Bamboo w/ Bamboo deck patch

We wanted to evaluate the bamboo glassing kit made by Greenlight Surf Supply, an eco-friendly surfboard supply company. The kit came with a DVD that went into great detail regarding how to glass using their bamboo cloth, which is similar to t-shirt material. The process is pretty involved and time consuming, with many additional steps when compared to glassing by traditional fiberglass methods. The boards come out slightly on the heavy side, as the cloth really likes to soak up resin. Interestingly, the cloth is streched taught over the boards, which supposedly create tension in the laminate. The boards seem pretty tough. Kudos to Greenlight for providing a "green" alternative to normal fiberglass.

6'0" Hemp Biofoam Shortboard

DIMS:6'0"_x_18_15/16"_x_2_3/16"
Rider: Aron, 6'0" 180 lbs.
Core: Homeblown Biofoam
Glassing Schedule: Epoxy, Bottom 6oz hemp, Deck 6oz hemp + 6oz hemp Deck Patch

Aron could throw it around in small wave conditions and liked the flex and drive of the board. He's banged on this hemp board pretty well, and it's survived. Even the leash plug is made of biodegradable plastic from Greenlight Surf Supply.