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The Surf Station's 5 Day Surf Forecast

Dean's Expanded 7-Day Wind & Wave Forecast (7/5/08):
SATURDAY: Wind near calm early, becoming S/SE 5-13 mph by early afternoon with the small ESE swell holding 1/2-occ 1').
SUNDAY: Wind SW/S/SE 5-14 mph with the small occ 1' morning waves improving toward evening to 1' (occ 1.5') in E/SE swell.
MONDAY & TUESDAY: Wind light SSW/S early each morning, increasing to SE 5-14 mph by afternoon with waves up a bit more to 1-1.5' (occ 2' late Monday and on Tuesday) in moderate period ESE swell.
WEDNESDAY: Wind SW 5-13 mph with waves down a tad to 1-1.5' in moderate period ESE swell. Afternoon seabreeze is likely.
THURSDAY: Wind WSW/W 5-14 mph with waves up again to 1-occ 2' in moderate to long period SE ground swell. Afternoon seabreeze likely.
FRIDAY: Wind light offshore in the morning, shifting to east with the sea breeze in the afternoon with waves up some more to a solid 1-2' (occ + toward evening) in long period ESE ground swell.
SATURDAY: Wind light offshore in the morning, becoming E/SE by afternoon with waves 1.5-2.5' (occ +) in lined up ESE ground swell.
Extended Forecast and Tropical Wx discussion:
Bertha is continuing to organize as she plods across the far eastern Atlantic. The official NHC forecast is for her to become a strong tropical storm this week, though the following CFHC discussion mentions the cool SST's that she must overcome to do so:

"Bertha is moving to the west northwest and that forward motion should continue for the next few days. Only slow intensification is forecast as the cyclone moves over some cooler SSTs (26C) in about 24 to 36 hours. After about 4 days, the future motion of Bertha will hinge on the strength of the Atlantic high pressure ridge."

NHC discussion mentions the negatives of cool water and shear on Bertha's potential intensification:

"WHETHER OR NOT BERTHA BECOMES A HURRICANE WOULD SEEM TO DEPEND ON HOW WELL IT SURVIVES ITS STAY OVER COOLER WATERS...AND JUST HOW MUCH WIND SHEAR IMPACTS THE CYCLONE ONCE IT REACHES THE WARMER WATERS...AND BOTH OF THESE FACTORS ARE SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN RIGHT NOW."

Cape Verde type tropical cyclones in July are very unusual, but have occurred periodically enough over the years to warrant attention. Remember the bombogenic July '96 swell from an early season hurricane? Ironically, her name was Bertha, and nearly 12 years to the day later, her namesake is following roughly the same track across the Atlantic.
Elsewhere in the tropics, the far eastern Atlantic should continue to awaken with the Sahara periodically spewing convective clusters off the African coast (note the strong convection over Africa on the heels of Bertha), seeding the ITCZ with potential systems weeks down the road for hope of major meaningful surf later in July and August. The ITCZ was positioned too far south of 10N latitude to allow for significant development in June, but continues to shift northward toward a more favorable 12-15N latitude.

In our tropical back yard in the western Caribbean Sea, abundant moisture associated with tropical waves transitioning toward central America and the Yucatan is firing significant but disorganized convective clusters throughout the region. Over the Gulf of Mexico, a nearly stationary frontal trough carcass is also supplying cloudiness and showers.. SST's throughout the Gulf are scaldingly warm, close to 31C in pockets, so there is an ample energy source for anything that spins up to tap into. Moderate to strong SW shear continues over the central Gulf and central Caribbean Sea, so significant development will probably be delayed until atmospheric conditions become more favorable later in July and especially August. Stay tuned, megut is feeling that the 2008 season is getting ready to bust out soon.

Take the above discussions with a grain of Epsom's because models have been behaving poorly with the onset of the summer duldrom's weak steering currents. I will add this disclaimer that incorporation of anomolous weather systems into the 5-Day Forecast more than a few days out in the summer is often overly optimistic, making this forecast subject to frequent revision. In other words, save the rotten fruit for the compost pile!

Ongoing Weather Links and Discussion (periodically refreshed and seasonally adjusted):
Looking ahead to the '08 hurricane season, the presence of a moderate La Nina in the Pacific suggests that tropical activity should pick up in 2008, but given 2007's busted forecast, I'll go with me long range gut feeling of a near normal to slightly below normal season. That does not mean that Florida will breeze through the season without impact. Remember, all it takes is a direct hit by a Cat 4 or 5 in a sub-par season (such as Andrew, August '92) to make it a very bad year for some folks. With the start of hurricane season only a few days away, I will start to focus on the tropics for the potential of an early season system. The ever diligent Colorado State University meterology department is forecasting an above average season with 15 named storms, 8 becoming hurricanes, and 4 becoming Major Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricanes Here is the link to Dr Gray's 2008 Atlantic hurricane forecast (released in April and periodically revised):

CSU'S FORECAST OF ATLANTIC SEASONAL HURRICANE
ACTIVITY AND U.S. LANDFALL STRIKE PROBABILITY FOR 2008

and NOAA's bet (with a spread) for the '08 season is calling for 12-16 named storms, 6-9 becoming 'canes, and 2-5 becoming Major Hurricanes. Here is the link to the official forecast released in late May:

NOAA 2008 HURRICANE OUTLOOK

Here is a critical look at the value/accuracy of the above forecasts by researches and emergency managers: Throwing rotten fruit at the Hurricane forecasts

Check out this NWS Melbourne web marine newsletter with a table of some memorable bouy readings off the Florida east coast.

For regular (4x/day) official updates of the marine discussion and forecast, click
here for the multiple zone east Florida coastal marine forecasts.

Letters

Surf Cam problem:

I was wondering why the live cam has so many glitches. I feel very fortunate when it is up and working properly, which unfortunately is not very often.  -Tom



Tom,
The problem of late has been COMCAST!  My cable has gone out 3 of the last 4 days.  And when the cable goes out, then the feed to send the cam goes out.   This used to not be the case.  Also.. if it is ever out, pop me a quick e-mail so I can start fixing it.  I can't fix it if I do not know it's out.

Thank so much for the letter,

-Tory


Through July 2nd:


Video of the of a small piece of the National Kidney Foundation contest:

Tory here is the video sorry i got it to you so late. Hope you can still use it

http://www.youtube.com/user/pnast03



Through last week:


Request for more video clips:

Hey Tory-

Just wanted to let you know that I check out your site everyday for the surf report. I am originally from FL and make a yearly trip to A-street area. I’m actually headed there in two weeks. Anyways, was hoping that with the surf up a little you might post some video like you usually do. It is really nice to be able to hear the surf while in my cubicle up here in Vail Colorado. Hope to see some videos up today! Thanks bro!

Jason Alligood



Jason,
I got posted some videos of today's (Saturday's) fun surf on the main surf report page just posted. I can't promise them everyday, but we'll try and get more video for ya. Thank you for the feedback.

-Tory





Through June 27th:


Mailed ordered surfboard from Surf Station arrived safely:


Hi Shelley !
Wanted to let you know i got the board and its amazing , exactly what i wanted !!
im very happy with it and how all this went and wanted to thank you for your great work and execution of this.
it will be my pleasure also in the future to come back and buy more stuff from you with the same way !!
thank you, Tory and all your wonderful team
best regards
Kobi Shoham
Tel Aviv ,Israel




Through June 25th:




Hey Tory,
Here is an article today I read, then saw the photos of the suf camp and thought I'd pass it on. It is super rare, but maybe the instructors should know about it just in case.

Aloha,
Ben Peacock


http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/16/news/story01.html





Ben,
Thank you for the article and link. Surf instructors everywhere, read it and take note!

-Tory


Through June 21st:


Bet you did not know today is international surfing day

good article in daytona paper

This is suppose to be a clip of the biggest east coast wave every ridden but I could not open it on my computer

Tomas

Through June 19th:


Crescent Beach Challenge thanks:


Tory,
I want to thank all of the people that made the Crescent Beach Challenge possible. It was good to meet you. There was plenty of good vibes in the air. I know it takes a year round effort to put on a free event that is as big as this one but it is for a worthy cause. I hope all of the people that put the time, energy, and effort into the event will continue to do so. Kudos and plenty of them go out to all of these people. They help keep the stoke alive.
CB in M.




Happy Fathers Day:

Tory,
I just viewed your Fathers day morning report. As I did I thought,
what a great dad Tory must be. You take such good care of so many
surfing fathers and their surfing sons. Thanks for being there for
all of us every day rain or shine five feet or flat!

Way to go, Tory! Have a super day!


blessings
mike green
Thanks so much Mike,
It's going to be a great Father Days I am sure. Here is a link to my blog about my kids.. but it's very much about being a Father: http://www.surf-station.com/groms/

Thanks so much for the kinds words and I hope you have a good one too!

-Tory



Through Saturday, June 14th:



Critter(s) report:

The water clarity yesterday at a Northern Florida Beach site (name withheld for the obvious reasons J) was unreal.

I saw my first shark about 30 minutes after I paddled out. Just a 2 footer so no big deal. About an hour later, I saw his bigger brother. He was around 4 foot and definitely made me a bit uneasy but I tried to forget him. The problem was the water was so darn clear you could see everything. About 20 minutes later, I’m trying to focus on the surf when I notice some rather large shadows moving slowly across the bottom. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. It didn’t help that there was literally no one around and the walk to my truck took about 20 minutes with at least 40 yards of ocean between me and the beach. The whole feeling was unnerving. I watched the shadows praying they were friend not foe. It turned out to be a school of large stingrays. And when I say school, I mean school. I counted about 13 2-3 stingrays within the same area before I decided to call it a day. As I turned to paddle in, my hand touched one of those hard jellyfish that look like mini cannonballs. I thought I was going to die. These don’t sting but my first thought was OMG, a shark!

Anyways, I had a good chuckle about it later and regretted cutting my session short. I did catch a couple of nice little waves on my new fish so it was worth it. I was grateful to have found a spot with absolutely no one out and a gorgeous day but for safety’s sake, it would have been nice to have some help had I needed it J

The surf report is awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.



Mark


June 11th:




Letter in from New Jersey:


Andrew my nephew used to hang at the surf station.

He’s back here in NJ.

I love St. Augustine and hope to get back there soon.

I check out your pics every day.

Good surfing,

Margaret

Margaret, Customer Service Specialist

Candle Factory Products

www.candles.us.com

Light the Day . . . Light the Night . . . Light Up Your Life . . . with Candle Factory Products




June 9th:



The Ormond Beach Art Museum has an exhibit called "Surfs Up" which starts Friday at 6 PM and runs through Aug 3rd.
Surf pictures, surf art & what is supposed to be the first surfboard used in Daytona.
Step into liquid will be shown on a 30 foot outdoor screen Friday at 7:45
tom



June 8th:


We've shipped surfboards to Africa, New Zealand, all over Europe and more but our first surfboard shipped to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates was recently shipped, and here is an e-mail back to Bill at Surf Station who packed and shipped the board:



Hey Bill,
The board arrived in pristine condition, and was well worth the wait. Have been surfing almost every day with it.

Thanks for all your help.
Cheers,
Darrin





Through June 4th, 2008:

Charge for Dean's surf forecast?

Hey Tory,
This came up in one of your recent responses to a letter…"I have thought about charging for sections of the site then the money in would pay for a guy to do the reports on a much more timely schedule (rather than winging it) like we do. But would the surfing public pay?"

I think some people would pay. I think that I've tried all of the available options for forecasts and reports in our area. Yours is by far the most accurate and updated that there is. Let me put things a different way…even if only a small percentage of people would be willing to pay for your service, you’d still be financially ahead of where you are now. That is, unless you believe that have pay sections of your site would negatively impact your business. but the only way to find that out is to give it a go.

Hell…I'm in favor of you turning your site into a pay site simply because your site is so accurate that when Dean says it's gonna be good the lineup gets tends to get crowded, because everyone knows Dean is spot on the vast majority of the time. So, people plan for it, take time off, drive out to the beach, etc.. If changing some areas of your site to pay only is going to mean that less people are going to have access to the information, from my perspective it also means that I'm going to be surfing with fewer people and will have more waves to myself.

So…please make Dean's forecast pay only. I'll start a petition if that'd help convince you.
Steve



June 1st and before:


June

When will the local buoy record wave height measurements again?

Tory,
Just looked at the maintenance schedule and it looks like sometime in June they are going to restore the wave data. Hopefully sooner than later.
CB in Melrose



Through May 28th:

Lookin' for pics from last weeks good surf:

Hi,

Do you still have pics from all day Friday’a reports??? Thanks

Sal Bonventre

SGS Planning and Estimating


Sal,

Yes, we archive the reports every day. Here is a link to some of Friday's surf. Scroll back for pics from earlier in the day. Thanks for writing!


-Tory





May 17th:



Dear Tory,
Jeez, the complaints about the Surf-Report Lately! You'd think this was Australia or something!
First of all, I've never seen ANY SURF REPORT THAT UPDATES AS OFTEN as yours or even consistently puts out a daily DAWN PATROL report.(Hangovers are a pain). Second, if you know anything about wind/tides/buoy reports you knew it was going to be super fun yesterday. Get a little knowledge dude. Pablo





May 16th:


 Reports not timely:



Tory and friends,

While I appreciate your dedication and thoroughness, and while I understand that this is a completely free service, one which I am NOT entitled to but rather privileged to have, I still have a complaint. More consistency, please. Yesterday, I waited around for the noon or early afternoon report to post before making the trek, but it never did. The phone report was the same. I finally just went. When I got back, still no report. Then, when I logged in this morning, I see picture posts for 2 p.m., 3:45 p.m,, and 5:45 p.m., all posted for yesterday. I would rather they just not post at all if they aren’t going to be current. At least that way, I could imagine that there was some forgivable personal emergency or computer meltdown that prevented the report from being updated.

Again, I’m not justified in my complaint, because no other local report posts as often or as thoroughly as Surf Station. But that is exactly the reason for the complaint. Many of us landlocked users, us travelers, us trekkers, us devoted, us using up a half-day of vacation for clean, fun lines… we come to depend on the one report that keeps us posted with a high enough periodicity that we don’t miss out on that 6-hour window of great surf.

I need my fix! Thanks!

Eric P.




 Eric,

What has made it so we can do this site is we do it when we can. It costs us tons of money even the way it is done. Sorry about any inconsistencies. And I am very well aware of them. I am a perfectionist and try to do the very best but things happen throughout the day and it keeps us from being completely consistent. I have thought about charging for sections of the site then the money in would pay for a guy to do the reports on a much more timely schedule (rather than winging it) like we do. But would the surfing public pay?
About yesterday. Did you hit "refresh"? I bet when you came back from your session there was an update there. But if there was not, I do have an answer for you. Click here: http://www.surf-station.com/wavecam/
The online cam will show a lot of what is going on and you won't have to wait for text or picture updates. You can see the ocean live. It's not a great pic, but it's pretty good. You gotta wait at least 30 seconds for it to load, but it's a live stream when it does. Besides that, check the local pier wind data (Here: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=sauf1 ) and if it's onshore you know it's choppy.

In the meantime, we'll try and step it up some. Keep in mind the profits we make at the SS go right back into the site for a large part as evidenced by the quality of the reports, most of the time. So if you like what you are getting and want to see it to continue to improve, then when buying your next surfboard or wetsuit (or heck even surf clothing for that matter) keep us in mind as you will be putting the dough right back into the report that you watch. I hope you understand how it works. With the economy the way it is, every choice DOES matter. We've been down in sales 4 months in a row now, so I speak from experience.

Hope the above links help, let me know if we can do anything else,


-Tory





Through May 15th:


The Crescent Beach Challenge is coming up!


Friends,

This is a milestone year for the Crescent Beach Challenge. We hope that you can celebrate the 10th Annual CBC with us on Saturday June 14. There will be a Kickoff Party Friday evening at the St. Augustine Pier - please see if you can cut out early to help us start the weekend festivities. Last year you helped raise more than $30,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That shows you that together we truly can help make a difference!

In December 1998, our friend Dan Chellemi lost his wife Nancy to acute myelocitic leukemia. DanO's young children Matt and Katie lost their mom. To honor Nancy and to support DanO and his family, the first Crescent Beach Challenge was organized in June 1999. About 30-40 friends turned out and $1645 was donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I remember it was a typically hot and clear summer day and the runners really suffered from a late start - ever since we've tried to start as early as possible. The surf that day was small but beautiful. The 3K (1.8 mile) paddle was harder than most of us thought it would be. DanO waited at the far buoy for the rest of the surboard paddling pack to catch up. When we finally got there (I swear it wasn't that long..) a rogue wave about waist high came through and we all caught it together. That was one of those special moments I remember from the first CBC.

Jeff M.






Wednesday, May 7th:



One more letter on the surf forecasting flap:

Tory,

All of the spoiled brats out there have it so good. In our day we had to drive an hour to the beach only to hear that how good it was yesterday. The other alternative was to try and try and try to call the surf report to only get a busy signal. Today you have the buoy reports, web cams, internet access, and more than one surf report to choose from. So what if one person is right 95% and wrong the other 5%. I give a guy willing to stick his neck out for the surfing community for free a lot of credit in my book. What if he decided and Tory decided to charge for the Internet access. Dean and Tory thanks for all you do and keep up the stoke.

CB in Melrose









Through Tuesday May 6th:



Dear Tory ,
Dean does have a tendency to undercall the size, probably due to his Hawaiian experience, but that sarcastic letter was uncalled for.
I appreciate Dean's ability to make the call and anticipate Bombogenic lows/predicting swells with pretty darn good accuracy. Once again, take the info and look at the waves yourself as This Sunday morning proved. ( I had a great session at my spot, anybody else? ) Paul Leadem


Paul,
Yes, Dean is conservative, and many surfers like that. The annual "Is Dean great or not" conversation has moved (for the most part) to our messageboard. Here is the link if anyone wants to chime in.
And Yes, yesterday was surprisingly fun too! Here is a link to some pics taken Sunday at a spot some are calling 10th Street.

-Tory



Sunday, May 4th:

Response to the letter in about Dean:

Dear Tory,
Pete sounds like a spoiled brat to me. I really couldn't believe anyone would be so unappreciative and hostile to someone who, through the years, has put tremendous effort into doing something that I imagine could be pretty thankless...By my measure,95%+ percent of the time, Dean nails it.That's pretty good for a human!!!!! He is a superb forecaster and I know many people who are very thankful for the time and effort he puts into it.We are also very thankful for your great report and website.Pete should be ashamed..
JOHN


Through Saturday May 3rd:


The following letter came in yesterday titled "Dean":



What’s the point of having Dean forecast the waves. He just says the waves are always going to be 0-2 feet. Then if by chance he calls it a .5 bigger and a head high swell hits, you guys are like Dean nailed it. He doesn’t nail it. He sucks. He calls over head swells 3 feet and chest high waves 5 feet. He’s just like a fortune teller, super vague. Does Dean even surf?

Don’t get me wrong the wind data / swell type / direction is great and on most of the time, but that info comes directly from the marine forecast, just link to that.

Let me save him the trouble and do his forecast for the rest of the year 2008.
SUNDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.
MONDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.
TUESDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.
WEDSDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.
THURSDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.
FRIDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.
SATURDAY: Wind some direction with waves 0-2’ (occ + possible) maybe clean maybe bumpy.

According to Dean the waves in Florida never get bigger then 4 feet. He thinks 2 foot waves are chest high, sometimes head. Get a real scale, a dudes 6foot – 2 feet are a third up his body. So a 2 foot wave is thigh high, 4 foot is chest and 6 foot is head high. This isn’t rocket science. Anyway I am over your forecast, just link to wetsand or magic seaweed at least they understand the metric system.

Pete






April 29:

Letter in last night:

Saw a black tip shark chasing bait fish in State Park around noon today. Was about 10 yards away. That ended my surf session at 10 minutes.

April 28th:

Looking for a Webber & Super fish:


Just wondering if you guys have a 6'9'' or 6'10'' fatburner in stock and how much?? Also do you guys carry the 7S super fish?? thanks

Jonathan



Jonathan,

We have a 6'9" Fatburners in stock for $399. And we do have tons of 7S fishes in stock as well.


Through April 27th:


We've shipped surfboards all over the world, but this is the first to this location:

Hi,

I would like to purchase the above surfboard and have it shipped internationally to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Please confirm that you have the surfboard in stock and it can be shipped to my location as well as the instructions for the shipping. My address is as follows:

Darrin Lee
Dubai Silicon Oasis, Villa A-11
Nad Al Sheba
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Thank you in Advance,
Regards,
Darrin


April 24th:


More Anderson Fish talk:


Hey Tory,

I saw your note to Damaris about the Anderson Fish and wanted to give her my feedback on them. I'll start by saying that I think Scott Anderson is one of the best shapers in the world. I have a 10'0 Farberow Model which is smooth as silk - love this longboard. I also picked up a 6'6" Bojorquez Pescado last year and really like it for it's versatility, flow, and all around fun! I'm considering the Bojorquez Full Hull design right now as well.

The Pescado is a wide board and uses the 50/50 rail from the nose to about the fins before the rail turns hard. These boards use a lot of the principle of a Hull design which takes power from deep in the wave - this can take some adjustment depending upon what you're used to riding but is a nice feeling. The Pescado had incredible glide for its size (really, like a longboard) that allows connecting of sections and carves very flowing arcs. The only caution I'd throw out at all is that it is not a Potato Chip that you can throw around which is what many folks want in a fish. If you want a flow machine, the Anderson Bojorquez Pescado is a good answer...

I tip the scales at about 150 lbs and I've ridden it in half-foot slop and overhead beach break barrels with success. I'm heading up your way this weekend and will have it on the roof. Have a good one all!
--
Best Regards,
Kevin




April 23rd:



Messageboard problems:

The MB seems to be down, at least it is when I try to access it. I'm going through withdrawals here. -Dave


Dave,

I just found out myself. We'll get to work on fixing it!


-Tory




 April 22nd:


Letter of the Day:

Love the pics work's great on my i phone!!!! keep 'em coming .


Through April 21st:


Hey!
I am from Fl and I love the beach.
I have been going to my dads place
on E street near the Holiday Inn since I was a kid.
I now live in WV and go back to St.Aug once a year.
Thanks!!! for the web cam it helps when I am home sick ha
Thanks!!!
Lynn McLeod
Jeff, Lynn and Girls in WV!





Letter #2 in:
Just wanted to say thanks for the excellent report day in and day out.
I always take it for granted and wanted to show some appreciation.

Cheers,
Morgan

Morgan,

Thanks so much! After over 20 years of surf reporting, we never ever get tired of a little "Thanks..."

-Tory




Through April 17th:


Askin' about an Anderson Fish:


Hello there, I talked with you guys a few months ago about the 9'4 Anderson Bindy, you were very helpful and I ended up getting a 9'0 Bindy eventually that I love! Now I'm looking for a shorter board. I'm mostly a longboarder but looking for something for those high tide days when a log won't work. The green 6'0 Anderson quad funshape looks intriguing because it's very wide but also looks thin.

I'm only 120 lbs. so I know that I should be on a much smaller fish-type board, but being a 36 year old woman I just want something I can catch waves on and have fun.

Thanks!!!


Damaris,
I have looked at that same board over and over! I am very curious as to how it would ride. A fish would be great for those days when you need more responsiveness than a longboard. Fishes do catch waves much easier than regular more narrow tailed thrusters. I personally would want a fish with a harder, boxier rail.. but for a light person, I do think the thinness you noted is good. Good luck in your choice, and let me know if I can help you further.

Oh.. TN (Terry Nails) works Saturdays and Sundays and could give you more insight on that board. He can be reached at the shop then at 471-9463.

-Tory




Through April 15th:

Feedback in soft racks:

I have used FCS soft rack systems for several years. I have the double pad car top rack, and I'm on my second tailgate pad. In my honest opinion, the FCS racks are by far the best made soft rack system available around here. However I would like to share my experience with them. Inherent in all soft rack systems that I know of is the almost certainty that rain water will track down the webbing straps and drip into your car. Also, I had to give up using my car top racks when my wife and I bought a 2006 Honda Civic with the new body style. The aerodynamic body shape has a dome shaped top which Honda didn't see fit to make very sturdy. The down force caused by the surfboard easily pressed the car top in. I know this may be an isolated problem, however I feel this may be a trend in new body styles and car makers trying to make bodies lighter. The new Mustang has a similar dome type top.
Anyway, I ended up finding a nearly new Thule rack system with a 2006 civic fit kit on Ebay. I saved about $100.00 for a one year old system.(That sounds better than saying I had to spend $350.00 on it.)
__________________________________________________


Through April 10:


Lookin' for good car racks:



I drive a mustang kinda not the best surf car lol but im looking for a surf rack that is good for the board and the car at the same time and safe for long trips wit boards, and my family drives a expedition and i want a rack that will be good on both, i was thinking the fcs double soft racks how they wrap around into the inside. i just need a good opinion from you guys thanks -Matt


Matt,
The FCS rack you speak of is great. They are strong, go through the car so are less likely to come off, and can carry 4 boards easily. I don't think you can go wrong with them, and we almost always have them in stock!

-Tory




Through April 8th:


Hi Tory,
I just want to let you know last week I traded an 8'2'' Robert August fun shape in on a brand new
Ben Aipa 8'4'' swallow-tail. I've been riding a 9'8'' Hawaii Noserider that was like a sailboat and the August just wasn't enough, I'm 6'2' and 240lbs. The first time I stepped up on the Aipa, it was like holy !@#$* kind of like greased lightning. A buddy of mine(Eric Norton) has a Ben Aipa and Eric is bigger than I am so I gave it a try. I was impressed. Now I have my own and I am more pleased with this board than any other one I've ever owned. Kudos to you and all of your crew there at SS. Keep up the excellent work.
Richard (Rick) Wear


Rick,

Those Aipa's can be SO good! They are great for the bigger guys, allowing them to glide like the little guys! I am so stoked you like the board..


-Tory





'till early April, '08:





Going to P.R. looking for a ride:




Hey Tory,

I'm trying to go to Puerto Rico this weekend. I am only 20 years old and running into a problem finding a rental car. I was wondering if anyone out there might know of a b