Shortboard on Order!

Colors

This morning I met with shaper Ward Coffey in Santa Cruz to order my new shortboard. Barry joined us to offer his observations. I mentioned that I'd like to be able to duck-dive the new board, but judging by the look that passed between shaper and coach, I think it'll be a while before I can ride a board I can completely duck-dive. I'm just such a lightweight.

The discussion produced a scaled-down version of my 7'0" Emm, which Ward shaped last year. The 7'0" is itself a smaller incarnation of my 8'3" Magic. After the latest shrinkage, here are the numbers:

6'2" long
13.5" x 20.5" x 14.5" wide
2.5" thick

The new board will be a squashtail thruster in epoxy with a matte finish, "Albert Blue" on the deck and "Lady Fern" on the rails/bottom. It'll have Future fins, Pro Tecks again, but this time the stiffer Performance fins. Like Emm, the new board is designed to work in a variety of wave conditions. And it will fit in the travel bag I already have, so I'm set to take it to Nicaragua in January.

After settling on the parameters, Ward took us back to his shaping room, where he drew the outline of my new board on a blank. Then he placed it in his to-do stack, and told me the board will be ready in 3-4 weeks. An early birthday present, to myself. Ward said that "on a shorter board, you're more intimate with the wave." Not just gliding along the surface, but really feeling what the wave is doing and responding to it. I can't wait!