California Dreamin’

Talk about the perfect holiday gift… Landing in Santa Barbara, California on December 28th with a ticket purchased 3 months out. My daughter lives in the area and we were just finishing up our Christmas break, and coincidentally landing into the two biggest swells of the winter. The first peaking on Thursday the 28th, and the next, just as big, on Saturday, the 30th. Luckily, I’ve built up a decent stash of gear to surf when I’m out this way.

I’ve really been enjoying surfing out here, learning the different lineups and meeting the local crews. It’s always a blast surfing with our customers and board builders too. At 6’2 x 210lbs, here’s what I rode through both these swells in the Santa Barbara area, from the peaks of both, to the dips in between.

Left to right:

Patagonia Yulex R3 Hooded and R2 Wetsuits

Patagonia’s latest generation of neoprene free Yulex wetsuits took a big step forward with regards to flexibility, weight, and softness in hand, while retaining the warmth and durability Patagonia is known for. I use the R3 hooded for the dark o’clock morning sessions and the R2 once the sun’s heated things up a bit.

Maurice Cole Reverse Vee Alpha Twin

8’9 x 21 3/4 x 3

This board is a channel bottom twin fin, rigged up with NVS Maurice Cole Reverse Vee Twin Fins. I rode this board at the peak of both swells. Great for sitting out the back and picking off the bombs. I’m definitely an “outside guy”, sometimes to a fault, but that’s where I feel the smallest, which is a great feeling when you normally feel too big, haha.

The Alpha Twin also worked really well when the devil winds picked up and had you flying down the line straight into the oncoming chop. The added length really smooths out the bump, a lot like big skis or snowboards in busted up terrain at speed. It’s also useful for your third (or fourth) session when your arms are toast and you’re going dark to dark. I have a couple 8’7’s at home in Cape Hatteras that I love, so this was a natural to add to the quiver out here for the bombing days. It definitely likes the racier sections where the long, lean lines, channel bottom, and twin fins send it into overdrive. The reverse vee bottom is premium on late drops.

Christenson Nautilus

6’10 x 21 1/2 x 3

This board is a thruster, using Futures John John 2 Techflex size L. People sometimes question the price on Christensons, but they last, this one dating back to the beginning of our relationship with the brand. It’s actually the board from our video review that we posted seven plus years ago. I’ve surfed countless swells at home on it, plus traveled with it to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Fiji and the Maldives. (Take your good boards on trips! Don’t save them at home.)

Jon Peck said this would be insane at the better points when it started pumping, and he was right. Tons of drive, confidence and momentum, and it handles solid size. Plus it dampens chop way better than lighter, chippier boards. I love the flow of this board on points. It really smooths out your style and the turns you can do at speed are insane. I rode this underneath the Alpha Twin in the quiver and it’s still magic after all these years.

Harley Ingleby Moe Mini

6’10 x 21 1/2 x 2 3/4

I actually had this board with me as a single Caribbean travel board for Christmas break, clocking sessions for our upcoming review. It ended up with me in California and I used it on the downside of both swells. It’s Thunderbolt Red Construction, which is their fiberglass construction. (Black construction is carbon/fiberglass). It’s a five finner, and I have it set up as a quad with FCS Performer PC Quad Large fins.

Harley x Thunderbolt has been a really successful recipe. Every one of his boards we’ve tried we really like. The new Moe Mini and Mid 6 Mini now offer smaller sizes to designs that already have a huge fan base. This board worked really well in waist to head high Caribbean waves, and was also fun as each swell tapered in California. What it’s good at is generating speed, and harnessing the flex and spring of the Thunderbolt construction. I think it’s gonna be money at home on our beach breaks when it’s average/fun size.

Christenson Huntsman

7’2 x 21 1/4 x 3 1/16

I love single fins. If you’re scratching your head why, then you haven’t tried a good one yet. This is the Huntsman from our video review in early 2020. I use a True Ames Skip Frye Volan 7.5” fin on it. It’s a butter smooth ride, nice roll through the turns, handles chop, and loves cheater fives. I really miss having this board at home, but get a lot of use out of it here in California at a variety of waves.

I’m goofy, so it’s a bit harder to connect through the flatter sections compared to being frontside at home on our lefts, but I’m figuring it out. It just needs a bit more size in the wave. There’s a few peaks around this area where you can go left or right, and I really enjoy this one there as well. I broke this one out the last two days of the second swell and really enjoyed to glide. It’s a magic carpet.

Christenson Outlaw

9’0 x 23 x 3 5/16

This is another video review board I couldn’t let go of. Started surfing it Summer 2020 and it’s still going strong. I love the 9’ length at home since our waves are typically shorter period and the board “fit” them better. It’s a pretty beefy 9’0 so has plenty of foam for me, as I’d normally be riding a board like this in 9’6 - 9’9 size.

For California, this thing is great because there are so many good longboard waves, and it fits in almost any rental car. It’s a single fin, I’m using a True Ames Greenough 4A 9.75” volan. I had a blast my last two sessions on this one. One putting the sun down and the last watching it rise. Perfectly groomed longboard lines. It was a great way to cap the trip!