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Im off to delaware this weekend, this was a pretty good day at the lighthouse

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This movie, video, documentary, whatever you want to call it is basically indescribable except for “holy Shit”, “Ohhh my god”, “Damnnn” and “did you see that??” those are the only things you say for an hour and fortyish minutes. The movie starts with a basic sum up of Adam Hayward’s story/traveling no skimming.  It starts off with the typical Laguna sections, then to Florida, followed by Chile, back to Laguna, off to Brazil, huge Sununga, back to Florida for the narvee contest, Laguna, Dominican Republic, and ends in Laguna.  Chile had some of the longest liners I had seen in a video.  Sununga blew my mind, in outs on almost every wave, huge siders that feed into huge barrels.  The Dominican Republic was just unbelievable, looks like a really fun place to go with a great atmosphere. The last Laguna was sick! Very fast paced with really good West? Maybe 10^th Street footage also had some HUGE clips of Corey Hanks at wedge.  The movie ends with Zach Hoag being soooo cool.  This DVD is a must buy, personally the best skim video to the date! Captures skimboarding at its best with some music you’ve never heard before(I also liked) that just added to the whole feel.  Oh and woody harris has a really nice bonus video online…

You can order your copy at

EOS The BOX

You Killed it Adam!

If you haven’t seen the teaser yet check it out…

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I will add Slotstiks and Zaps as soon as i get them…. They are in the order in which i received them so first come, first serve -Shawn

Victoria’s Tex Haines Model

Shawn Kenny:  What makes your fish different from the competition (Victoria’s Tex Haines Model, Exile’s Dude! Cruise, Slotstik’s Wingfish, Shortbus’ Fish, and Zap Zach Smetts Model)?

Nick Aleandro(Victoria Skimboards): Well our board has a patent pending spray enhancer and OTB stopper built in, this multiplies the average spray on a front side schwak by 9 times and doesn’t allow OTB airs.  Haven’t really seen any of the other models yet so it is hard to tell what is different.   Alternative shapes are really fun way to be different from the proven “high performance” shapes which tend to be so similar.  Moving the center point around, adjusting the rocker and wing position are all little ways to create a different feeling ride and since ours is an original shape it must be different.

SK:  Where did you come up with the idea for it?

NA:  A few years ago we took an old template from the early 90’s and adjusted it to make it a little less retro shaped and a little more high performance.  Fish shapes have been a fun option for a very long time but since it has traditionally been offered as a “custom” shape not as many people rode them.  Putting a stock shape out there makes it a little easier for more people to try it out.  We really wanted to offer a board that had great drive down the line and could offer a loose feel to do some stylish turns.

SK:  When did you make your first fish?

NA:  We started making swallow tails in the late 70’s and combining wings in the early 80’s.  Skim shapes have loosely followed the trends of surf shapes as we constantly change to adapt to new styles of riding.  With people opening up to trying new shapes again look to see cool shapes becoming more prevalent at your beach.

SK: What do you think are the best conditions for it?

NA: You will see these boards excel in less than optimal conditions and perform well when it firing.  You can ride them in any wave but the best is when you catch a weak liner with some speed or blow out the tail on a wave you normally would be struggling on with a standard shape.  The forward shifted center point lets you really take advantage of the low rockers speed to get out far and go down the line fast.  To balance out the change in shape we use a shorter length and added a wing to help you still wrap fast when it gets steep, if you have seen Tex snap a late under the lip wrap on his board you know it works.

SK:  What is your fish made of?

NA:  The Tex model is a Project Triangle model made with ¾” Divinicell and e-glass.  No gloss finish.

SK:  What is your price for it?

NA:  $390.00

SK:  How do you support the sport?

NA:  We support the sport by putting everything possible back into it.  Making quality products allows riders to progress and eventually compete in contests we sponsor or hopefully land  a sponsorship and become a team rider.  Everyone wants to see skimboarding grow enough to be able to have companies and riders at least make a living.

SK:  Why should the buyer buy your fish?

NA:  Pretty simple, if you want to have fun and get better you will buy our fish.  Boards for different conditions are always a good idea.  You want to keep riding fun and mixing it up is a great way to do it.  If you are looking for a second board riding fish option is a good way change your style and it will let you look at waves in a little different view.  Riding a fish as your main board will give you a solid board that can be fun everyday you show up to the beach no matter what the waves are doing.

Shortbus’ Fish

Shawn Kenny:  What makes your fish different from the competition (Victoria’s Tex Haines Model, Exile’s Dude! Cruize, Slotstik’s Wingfish, Shortbus’ Fish, and Zap Zach Smetts Model)?
Curtis Cromwell (Shortbus Skimboards):  First of all, Shortbus Skimboards are built with the latest resin glassing technology, resin infusion. This allows the board to be glassed with a heaver weight glass without adding extra weight to the board. As far as why our fish shape is better than the competiton, having a more pronounced double wing really loosens the board up in the most critical places in the waves. All Shortbus fish are done in 3/4″ foam and epoxy resin to give that extra float. Also, they are slightly wider so the rider can drop down in the board size, allowing the board to be even more responsive.

SK:  Where did you come up with the idea for it?
CC:  I surf, so the idea came from the fish / old school fish surfboard outline.

SK:  When did you make your first fish?
CC:  I’ve been building the Shortbus Skimboards since late 2006 and the fish outline was the third outline I drew out in early 2007. It was to be for myself, but after getting a few people to ride it, I got such great reviews on it, I had to put it into production in July of 2007.

SK:  What do you think are the best conditions for it?
CC:  The fish shape preforms really well in any conditions, but riders have found that it makes sloppy soft days, that don’t have much push, just as fun as glassy days on their regular shape

SK:  What is your fish made of?
CC:  Shortbus Skimboards is the only company to use the resin infusion process. All boards are built with epoxy resin. We use 5/8″ or 3/4″ high density corecell foam cores. Our standard boards are made with a triaxial E-glass and we also offer a higher performance carbon board. The finish is a durable, high gloss clear coat.

SK:  What is your price for it?
CC:  E-glass: $280.00, Carbon: $410.00

SK:  How do you support the sport?
CC:  Being a relatively new company, I feel that the best way to support the sport is by building a high quality board at a good and reasonable price. We also support a small number of team riders and as we grow, we will build the team.

SK:  Why should the buyer buy your fish?
CC:  Why should the buyer ride a Shortbus? Well first of all, each one is hand crafted by the Shaper, Glasser, Sander, and Finish guy (aka the Owner, me).  So each board that leaves from the Shortbus factory was built to be ridden by the most intermediate to the most advanced rider and stand up to the abuse.

Exile’s Dude! Cruise

Shawn Kenny:  What makes your fish different from the competition(Victoria’s Tex Haines Model, Exile’s Dude! Cruize, Slotstik’s Wingfish, Shortbus’ Fish, and Zap Zach Smetts Model)?

Steve Taylor(Exile Skimboards):  To be honest,  I’ve only seen one of these models live in the flesh, and it was just a glance, so I can’t tell you what’s different from ours to theirs, I can only tell you how the Dude! Cruise performs, and it performs well.

SK:  Where did you come up with the idea for it?

ST:  We’ve been sitting on two high performance shapes for quite some time, and we wanted to get our feet wet in a new area, and thought it would be fun to try something completely new for us.  So Aaron and myself went into the shaping room and came out with the Dude! Cruise…

SK:  When did you make your first fish?

ST:  My first fish was made last summer, with the first Dude! Cruise effort.  Aaron and Chia have made fish-type boards in the past, but haven’t stuck with a fish shape for the Exile line of boards until recently with the Dude! Cruise.

SK:  What do you think are the best conditions for it?

ST:  At first we figured it would be mainly a liner board.  We were thinking a lot of surface area, a lot of float, and drive down the line, but with a winged/swallow tail so you could carve the board and lay on the tail for turns.  We’ve now tried both sizes in just about any conditions you could imagine.  Wedge siders, West St. siders, Aliso straight wave, Cabo heavy shore pound, windy junk liners, small liners, and waist high glassy liners in Balboa.  Everyone that’s jumped on it finds something they like about it.  It works in everything.

SK:  What is your fish made of?

ST:  The Dude! Cruise is constructed with the exact same materials that you can find in all of our skimboards.  It comes in Eglass Epoxy, Sglass Epoxy, and Double Carbon Epoxy.  We typically ride it with 3/4″ foam, that is thinned out to 5/8″ in the tail for maneuvering.  This gives the board tremendous float, and allows the rider to turn the board with the thinner tail.

SK:  What is your price for it?

ST:   Depending on the materials it would break down as follows:  Eglass Epoxy: $384. Sglass Epoxy: $410. Double Carbon Epoxy: $459.  To be brutally honest, the stoke you’ll get from riding it makes it priceless, after the original purchase of course.

SK:  How do you support the sport?

ST:   Exile Skimboards is fully dedicated to supporting the sport of skimboarding in every way possible.  We have two full length team DVD’s that have pushed the levels of media in skimboarding far past where it had been stagnating for years.  We sponsor basically any skimboarding event we can that is looking for help. We have been flying our team riders within the United States, and outside of the United States to contests, events and even to put on skimboarding camps since our beginnings.  We also make ourselves as easily accessible to the public as possible, whether it be a question about fixing a ding, or questions regarding how to do more for skimboarding in your community, we are here to help at all times.  We also host a top notch UST sanctioned contest that concludes the Tour each year, at one of the most consistent skimboard breaks on the tour.  We work hand in hand with Main Street Surf Shop on this event and are proud of what has been put out year in and year out with it.  We have also supported ForeverSkimTheMagazine, the online skimboarding magazine, since it began.  I could go on about how we are supporting the sport, but if you look around, you already know that we’re out there helping any way we can.
Why should the buyer buy your fish?

ST:  It’s our hope that you, the buyer have been pleased with our product and what it has done for you in the past and the present.  We would like to keep you stoked in the future as well.  This board has put smiles on all of our test riders, (nearly our whole team), and we are sure it will do the same for you.  In the most recent issue of ForeverSkim there are a handful of shots of our riders on the Dude! Cruise.. It works. Trust the best, trust Exile. And while you’re doing that, don’t forget to Dude! Cruise….

sidenote,   Thank you for sending me these questions, and for your efforts in skimboarding Shawn.  You might talk a lot, and some people might think you have a slight internet addiction, but I am stoked skimboarding has you and your high levels of stoke to help get more media out to the public, and more information as you are doing with these interviews.

J-Gordon Skimboards Retro Fish

Shawn Kenny:  What makes your fish different from the competition (Victoria’s Tex Haines Model, Exile’s Dude! Cruize, Slotstik’s Wingfish, Shortbus’ Fish, and Zap Zach Smetts Model)?

Jim Gordon (J-Gordon Skimboards): The big difference is my boards are made of wood not foam.

SK:  Where did you come up with the idea for it?

JG:  When I only surfed back in the 70’s, I made surfboards and a few Fish
kneeboards. Surfboard shapers started making Fish surfboards, and I saw
surfers shredding on them. I too made Fish surfboards for myself and for
friends. They worked awesome, but after a few years, the shape went out of
style. I stopped riding and making fish boards because they weren’t cool
anymore–I was young and stupid.
Then in the 80’s, I started manufacturing J-Gordon Skimboards and thought
the fish shape would work on a skimboard. But like surfboards, fish-shaped
skims went out of style. Skimmers wanted round pins. You would have
thought I had learned from my past.(I didn’t). A few years ago, the
Retro-Fish surfboard made a big comeback. I knew this shape worked well
and is what skimboards needed for better performance. This time, I’m not
going to be sucked in by the current style, but rather in what shape
really works.

SK:  When did you make your first fish?

JG:  If your talking about skimboards, not surfboards, that would be in 1980.

SK: What do you think are the best conditions for it?

JG: For foam skimming, I think any conditions would be good. Now for riding wood skimboards, you need a strong shore break that’s close to shore because wood doesn’t plane (float) out as far as foam.

SK:  What is your fish made of?

JG:  They are made of laminated hardwood with a waterproof glue. Boards are
available in various colors of HPL (high-pressure laminate) plastic which
is laminated top and bottom with extreme heat and pressure.

SK:  What is your price for it?

JG:  All J-Gordon Skimboards sell for the same price, $150.00. This price
includes handling and shipping to your door, if you live in the lower 48
states. If you reside outside the continental US, there will be shipping
charges and any additional mandatory fees/tariffs required by law.

SK:  How do you support the sport?

JG:  I participate on several skim online forums contributing tips on skimming, wave and inland riding, board/ding repair, etc. I enjoy preserving surfing and skimboarding history; posting facts, old pictures and archived media
articles on the Internet. I donate boards, hats, shirts, stickers and cash
prizes for contests. In addition, J-Gordon Skimboards has sponsored school
skimboarding clubs offering discounts to club members.

SK:  Why should the buyer buy your fish?

JG:  They shouldn’t if they already can ride waves. Experienced skimmers should
buy a foam skimboard from one of the companies listed in this article. But
I highly suggest getting a J-Gordon wood skim for those dayz that the
beach is riddled with rocks. You shouldn’t, or at least I wouldn’t, ride a
new $400 foam board over sharp, jagged rocks. That gives me an idea!
Perhaps, I’ll call our skimboards Rock Fish instead of Retro Fish?

Our skimboards are better for riding over rocks, plus the board is one of
the few wood skimboards that can actually ride waves. Compared to foam
boards, the price and durability is perfect for beginner skimboarders too.
Skimmers that bought a J-Gordon skimboard over 25 years ago are still
riding them today. In fact, they are now buying boards for their kids. The
boards last–no wonder I don’t make a profit on repeat sales! You could
say I am my own worst enemy.

Since our fish skimboards are made from the same burable blank as our
switchblade, we have found they are at home on rails too.

We are a very small company and like it that way. We have a good handle on
production and the best quality control. Why? Because everyone working at
J-Gordon Skimboards has their name on our boards: Jim, James, Jared and
Janet Gordon.

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