Zander Morton was one of my first friends here in St Augustine. The kid who would ride his bike to the shop for his afternoon shift here and there turned into a lifelong friend of mine and we still regularly keep in touch even though he is across the country. He and his amazing family always made me feel welcome and at home after I came to town in the early 2000s so when I started this blog Zander was a natural choice to include in our team picks column.. not only for his ability on a surfboard but also his prowess as a writer.
Unfortunately my full-time job rarely allows for vacations.. so when I had the opportunity to take one this summer I called Zander up and off we went to his current home of Leucadia, CA. Leucadia is right on the northern border of Encinitas and Carlsbad and has plenty of different waves to choose from within a two mile radius. Beach breaks, cobble stone bottoms, jetties.. it really has it all. We surfed for nearly a week straight and one thing was consistent during our sessions.. Zander’s choice in surfboard as outlined below.
surfer- Zander Morton, 35 years old
height- 5’9”
weight- 150 lbs
Board- Seaside from Rob Machado/ Firewire surfboards
5’2″ x 20″ x 2 1/8″, 24.5L with Futures quad set up using Rasta quad set
Unfortunately the beloved Seaside had an accident recently..
Last time Zander and I surfed together we were surfing next to Rasta himself..
Funny thing is that Zander (and I) used to ride 5’11″x18 1/4″x 2 1/8″short boards forever so this off-kilter choice in surfboard was a surprise to me when he pulled it out of his Jeep in CA. Zander is a writer by trade so these are his well-written words on his new found love, enjoy!
“This is the first quad I’ve consistently ridden in my life. I’m addicted to how fast this thing is. I expected it work only in soft, mushy waves. But I’ve found that not only does it make slow surf way more fun, it also works really well on steeper waves up to about head high, before it starts to slide.
It doesn’t feel like a fish, either. You can do full carves in the pocket, and it’s actually a great board for airs. I rode it at Waco and loved how it felt on the air section.
I would recommend everyone has one of these, especially in Saint Augustine, where you’ll find yourself riding it 70 percent of the time. Bottom line, in average surf this board gives you more speed than most, and without sacrificing performance. If you can’t already tell, I’m a big fan. ”
Here is another angle from BSR
Josh always keeps the Seaside in stock so check out our ever changing inventory here.
