Monday, June 29, 2009

*Day 74 - Mega 'Airforce'

This boat came to our store in a round about way years after it was already considered a bit dated in it's design...it's too long apparently. We put it up for sale at a ridiculous discount and few people expressed any interest and many of those that did just didn't fit it. After a year of watching such a beautiful boat collect dust, Jen sent it to Mexico with a bunch of folks from the San Diego surf group to let them give it a go, and hopefully have someone fall in love with it. It turned out that the waves were too big and people were afraid to take the boat out for fear of getting it beat up, so it came back to us unused.

After that weekend however, the precedent had been set that this boat would be allowed to be paddled, so I had to give it a try. I had been in finned surf boats prior to this one, namely the Storm and Rush from Valley, but after I caught my first couple waves on the Mega I couldn't contain my whoops of excitement in the sheer speed of the boat. I had found by surfing match. It's a bit of a story of how it came to be, but thanks to no interest in the boat from customers and the generous actions of a very good friend, the Airforce is now mine.

Speed is the word I use to best describe the kind of performance you get from the Mega Airforce. It's just plain fast. With that speed I can beat out sections that used to catch me and try to turn me inside out. Big waves, little waves, steep waves, slow waves, whatever... I can ride them all in this boat. It's not as zippy and maneuverable as the shorter squash tail boats that are tearing it up now days but I'm loving the way this boat rides and that's ok with me.

Today my friend Thom and I were up at Tourmaline surf park wearing ourselves out riding one awesome wave after another. Once again (for reasons that I'll never understand) We had a wave all to ourselves while dozens of board (I should say boring) surfers crowded on the wave to our south. I'm starting to believe that board surfers don't really go out to ride waves. It appears as though they are out there to act tough, talk, wait, paddle furiously, carve two turns, and fall off their tiny little boards. The way I see it those guys should; shut up, sit down, grab a paddle, and start surfing. The first time they're faced with a head high wave that's about to dump on them - and they can't duck dive - they'll learn just exactly what tough is. Then again let them stay perched on their undersized boards giving me the hairy eye ball, it just means more waves for me.

Mega Review

Manufacturer = Mega
Brand = Mega
Model = Airforce
Material = Carbon/Kevlar hull - glass deck
Type = Surf Kayak
Length = x
Width = x
Weight = x

Location = Tourmaline
Time = 6:30 AM
Distance = N/A
Duration = 1:30
Avg. Speed = N/A
Conditions = 3'+ waves with a few chest+ sets slight offshore breeze

2 comments:

  1. Oh Jake, LOVE the commentary about the surfers. I'm LOL!

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  2. Stop... don't encourage the board surfers to discover surf kayaks. Let the lemmings alone!

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