Logability: My 9'8 Gulf Stream

 

I now have logability! A secondhand Gulf Stream 9'8 traditional noserider (Saunton Foil model) that I have just coated in a nice little-lumpy layer of Mrs Palmers longboard wax. (The jury's out on the Mrs Palmers for me - it's a bit sticky. My favourite wax so far is Terra Wax.) Can't wait for the right conditions - so far I've only paddled out on it in a miserable Wooly mess.

It's nice to have a board shaped by a local shaper/company. I have been told that Jools is a good shaper and he scrapes his shapes a couple of hundred yards away from where my daughter goes to school. Skelly was helpful in the shop in talking me through the shape and advising me as to whether or not it was the right length for me and so on (thanks!). It's got a bit of nose concave (which I wanted after trying out a similar board) round 50-50 rails, not too much nose rocker and a pivot fin.

There's some juicy information on Tom Wegener's site here about rail shapes (and more!). It's interesting that round 50-50 rails actually get sucked into the wave like when you hold the back of a spoon against a stream of water from the tap. That's how you can noseride. I was watching Picaresque yesterday and there are some underwater shots where you can almost see it happening.

So, in just over a year since I bought my Mal I now have the Mini Mal, a 7'0 Diplock thruster and a 9'8 log. I didn't realize I was signing up to this! The obsession's sunk deep. Thought's of sucky rails, nosetime, the weightless drama of a good drop-in pervade. When I close my eyes I see the corduroy lines of welling-up waves. Can't wait to be tucked into my next clean wave: hand dragging in the face and the sun glistening off it.