The Revolution

Despite a victory in the 1968 World Contest by old schooler Fred Hemmings, boards were shrinking around the world. By the end of the decade, a full 3 feet had been sawed off as designs were checking in below 7 feet. Furthermore, rails had evolved from 50-50 gravediggers to low models with a tucked edge. Shortboards were here.

The new mind machines were blazing paths in places never before imagined. The tube, previously a hot potato that no one would touch, became the surfer’s sanctuary. No longer were there limits to where one could go on a wave. With the development of the shortboard, performance surfing took its biggest leap ever, and it has yet to land.

2×1 longboard

Classic longboards of the ’50s and ’60s, as well as the modern replicas of such boards, have a clear design link to the wooden olo boards of ancient Hawaii. These boards had basically rounded, convex bottoms that attempted to reduce the drag on their enormous lengths by pushing the water aside from the centerline as the board plowed through the water. This application of a shape known as the “displacement hull” shows that in earlier times, board builders had only canoes and, later, boats to draw their inspiration from.

With the addition of 50/50 rails (completely round and bulbous with little or no release or breakaway edges), a heavier tail kick with a flatter nose lift, and the peak thickness pulled back from center, a counterbalance of drag and suction allowed a full-grown man the ability to perch indefinitely on the very tip of the coasting surfboard.

The length, width and comparatively flat bottom rocker of the classic longboard overcame many of its drag-inducting features, giving these boards their distinctive Cadillac glide and stability, but there was a relatively low terminal velocity: these boards would only go so fast before they’d shimmy, hum and basically try to buck the rider.

Today’s modern longboard bears little resemblance to its clunky ancestors, borrowing heavily from all we’ve learned since the shortboard revolution in 1968. The modern tri-fin longboards may well be some of the most versatile boards ever built — combining longboard groove, shortboard performance and paddling superiority to provide the rider an almost unfair advantage. Because of this, you get a sort of half-assed longboard and a half-assed shortboard that will, for most, grant the ability to be a full-ass.

While the modern incarnation of the longboard was the underdog trend and cash cow of the ’90s, the re-revolution really has its roots in the early ’70s. Only a few years after the 1968 shortboard coup, there were editorials and letters in the surf magazines that pined over the lost glide of the longboard. Over the next two decades, surfers and shapers such as Herbie Fletcher, Steve Walden, Ben Aipa, Rennie Yater and Bill Stewart contributed to the refinement of the modern longboard, replacing drag with planing, trimming with pumping and ash-canning the sluggish 50/50 rail for the lightning release of the down-rail and tucked-under edge.

Another modern twist, the 2×1 longboard (aka “2-plus-1,” “single-fin with side-bites” or “single-tri”) is a design based on compromise. Single-fin purists disparage them as “single-fins with training wheels,” yet this model, like it or not, delivers the most versatility of any longboard design. It incorporates a reduced-area center single fin (usually set in a box) and two small side finlets that are placed along the rail in a basic tri-fin setting. The idea is to give the surfer all the benefits of a single-fin longboard, such as increased traction in noseriding, 180-degree left-go-right bottom turns without skipping or staginess and, with proper rocker, the option to trim instead of pump.

A rare yet useful addition to the longboard family is the modern longboard gun. If you could have only one surfboard on a deserted island, this design would probably cover all the bases. Enough of a spud to tinker with knee-high surf enjoyably, the better-designed 9′0″ will start to hit its stride in 8-foot surf and keep on going up to 15 feet. That covers, in one board, what a six-board Sunset quiver used to. It harnesses all the hot-rod features of the state-of-the-art shortboard, gun and modern longboards along with a template that resembles a Dick Brewer Pipeliner model, arguably one of the cleanest outlines of any surfboard — ever. The result is a progressive synergy of efficient rocker, teardrop planshape, modern foil and a fast bottom that neatly lifts this design up and away from the longboard gene pool. Variations of this design stretch up to 12′0″ and are adapted for use in giant, open-ocean bomboras due to their superior paddling penetration.

Gone are the days in which all logs were created equal. A variation on the theme can be found for every wave and every style of surfing, accommodating the octogenarian at San-O as well as the charging grom at Mav’s. Far from facing extinction as initially believed by 1970, the longboard’s many incarnations ensure it a long and fruitful future.

Read more SurfLine.com

Too easy to Ride ?

The fuller, more balanced outlines and flatter rockers offer so much more speed and easy lift in junk surf that many sniff at serious day-to-day use of these boards, claiming that it is cheating, or that they are too easy to ride ?

100% Handmade Fins

Peter Maisch started Wedge surfboards and Maisch Fins in the late 1960’s in a small town called Warner Beach, South Africa. Peter has shaped thousands of boards and fins and has developed one of the top fin factories in the world! Peter showed both his sons Gary and Justin the art of shaping at a young age. Gary Maisch is now the full time shaper for wedge surfboards and shaped his first board at the age of 12, he has now shaped over 5000 boards for a variety of shapers inc Spider Murphy. Gary and Justin have achieved excellent results both nationally and internationally.

Peter now specializes in the production of 100% handmade fibreglass fins.

Contact us to order, we do worldwide shipping.

25 eBay Tips

99 Tips for eBay Buyers and Sellers is a digest of some of the best tips. All of these tips are available at the website, http://www.auction-sellers-resource.com.

Let’s get on with it. The first tip is probably the most important, and many of the other tips relate to it. Imagine, if you went into a shopping mall and every store had a board near the entrance where customers could post notes about the products and services sold in each store. Do you think that would improve customer service? Well, that is what eBay’s feedback system is all about. Achieving and keeping a good feedback rating is essential to your long-term success on eBay.

Tips for Buyers

Almost everyone starts his or her eBay experience as a buyer. Learning how to buy effectively will improve your eBay experience and prepare you for becoming a seller. I recommend you make at least ten successful transactions on eBay before trying to sell. We hope the following tips will make you a better and more successful buyer.

1. Build A Positive Feedback Rating

Give and get good feedback. This is less critical for buyers than for sellers, but having a good feedback rating makes other eBayers comfortable doing business with you. For example, I accept checks for immediate shipment if the buyer has a good feedback rating. If someone has very little feedback (less than 20) or several negative comments, then I hold the checks until they clear before sending an item.

2. How to build feedback quickly?

Here is a quick way to build good feedback: make some purchases for a few lower cost items you use everyday or that you would normally buy at a store. There are plenty of items in the Health & Beauty category that you buy every day such as shampoo and razor blades –often at prices less than you would pay at Wal-Mart. Pay promptly using PayPal and immediately post feedback for the seller as soon as you get the item. If the seller does not post feedback, send them a short email telling them that you posted feedback for them and you would appreciate them reciprocating.

3. Be generous with your feedback

Post feedback quickly and leave specific comments. Leaving a comment that says: “great seller,” is nice –but it is more helpful to say, “Item arrived quickly in perfect condition, just as described.” Or: “Quick Professional transaction –good email and just what I ordered.” If the seller sells something specific you can mention it such as: “Beautiful Print –I will enjoy for many years.”

This type of feedback is very helpful to future buyers and it tends to get you better feedback comments in return.

4. Use PayPal

Sellers want to be paid quickly and everyone is concerned about fraud. There is no faster or safer way to complete an eBay transaction than PayPal (now owned by eBay). PayPal is now used by over 60 Million users around the world and now processes more debit and credit card payments than Citibank. Over 80% of registered eBay users accept PayPal and eBay has fully integrated PayPal into their systems. Take the time to become a verified seller and always give your verified shipping address. This gets you the fraud protection. Go to www.paypal.com .

5. Avoid Fraud on Large Purchases

Given the millions of transactions that occur each month, fraud is actually rare on ebay but it does exist. The most common type of fraud on eBay is a seller that offers an expensive item for sale at an unbelievably good price. When you win the item the seller asks to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. You send the money and then the seller disappears.

Demanding a cashiers check or a money order only is a red flag. Never bid on a large purchase if the seller will not take Paypal or credit cards. Always check the seller’s feedback and how long they have been registered on eBay. Most fraudesters set up an eBay account, run a few quick expensive auctions, get the money and either disappear or are kicked off of eBay as soon as they are discovered. Be especially careful if the seller is located outside the U.S.

6. Pay sellers quickly

Paying quickly will help you build feedback faster and you will get your item sooner.

7. Be honest –admit your mistakes

If you forgot about the auction and are late getting a payment off, or you forgot to ship something you sold – be up front and honest. Apologize and admit your mistake. People can be very forgiving if they believe you. They can be unforgiving if they think they are being B.S.’ed.

8. Create an About Me page on eBay

EBay allows you to create a page to describe you and your family or even include your pets. You can put a photo on the page, talk about your hobbies, your family – basically anything you like. The About Me page is where a person can get a sense of who you are and if they would like to do business with you. If you have a web site, this is the one place on eBay where it is allowed to direct buyers to your web site.

9. Master the power of searching

According to eBay, about 65% of bidders find their item by searching. Including the exact name of the product you are selling is key to bidders finding your auction. Some sellers place a tilde (~) or a star * next to their auction title to help get attention. Place a space between a tilde (or *) and a word, or the word will not come up in a search.

For example: *Nikon* would not result in any items found, because eBay’s search engine sees the * as part of the word. According to Power Seller News, some of the most searched words on eBay are: DVD, Art, BMW, Gucci, Longaberger, Louis Vuitton, Laptop, Playstation 2 and Paintball.

Use eBay’s powerful search engine to find items and to see what items are selling and how much they are selling for.

10. Be sure to thank people

Send an email to your seller when the item arrives. Thank them and let them know you posted feedback and are happy with the transaction.

11. Search for misspelled items to find bargains

Finding misspelled items is a great sport on eBay. Remember that 65% of eBay buyers find items by searching. If someone spells an item name incorrectly it will not come up in a search. These items usually get very few bids and this is a great place to shop.

Here are a few misspelled words to try: jewlery, strawbery, Ken Griffy, Porsch, beaney, If you want to buy something specific on eBay, think of how the word could be commonly misspelled and type it into the search box. You will often be surprised how many items come up.

12. Use the .02 or .03 rule.

Most people bid in even numbers. If the bid increment is 50 cents, make your bid .52 or .53. This way you will just outbid someone by a few cents instead of a large increment. This is very important when sniping (see next item)

13. Learn to snipe

EBay’s proxy bidding system allows you to set your highest bid and then forget about it. EBay will keep bidding the minimum increment up to your maximum. This is fine if you know exactly how much you want to pay for something. If you are not sure how much you want to bid or if you know an item will be hot, then learn how to snipe at the last minute. Here is how to snipe:

Open one window with the auction description. Open a second window and place the highest amount you will pay for the item and hit “Review Bid.” Now enter your username and password –but don’t hit “Place Bid” yet. Wait until 15 or 20 seconds before the auction ends. (Refresh your first window to see the time left). At the right moment, hit “Place Bid.” With luck your bid will arrive at the perfect time to beat out your competition.

Be sure to synchronize your time with the official eBay time or you could just miss the end of an auction.

You can also purchase a sniping service. I use BidSlammer which is very inexpensive and can snipe the auctions where I am not around.

14. Use Ending Today

When searching eBay listings and categories, it can become very tiresome because there is so much out there. If you’re just browsing for stuff to buy, then select a category, and select Ending Today. Items ending in the next 24 hours will be highlighted in red. Here’s a tip to find great bargains. Look for items ending after midnight. There aren’t as many people up after midnight and those auctions tend to get fewer bids. If you don’t want to stay up that late, use BidSlammer to bid for you.

15. Search Completed items

To find out what a product is worth, it doesn’t do any good to find prices for on-going auctions as this could change minute by minute. Searching Completed Items (from the eBay search box) is the best way to determine an item’s worth or value.

16. Check the seller’s feedback rating –and the comments

Because you are spending your hard-earned money, it pays to check the feedback left by others about the person from whom you’re thinking of buying. When in an item’s auction page, select “view seller’s feedback.”

This will list all comments made by others that have dealt with this person in the past. It can be very revealing. If you see a bunch of negative comments, stay away from this seller. If you see positive, then proceed. Don’t let one or two negatives dissuade you if most of the feedback is positive. Everyone makes mistakes, and things do get lost in the mail. Also there are some people out there who are very difficult to please. Be careful buying expensive items from sellers who are newly registered or have a low feedback score.

17. Be careful about leaving negative feedback

You should always try and work things out with the seller. If a seller is a total fraud, then go ahead and leave negative feedback.

EBay is a community and most people are basically good, although all of us screw up once in a while. Unfortunately there are a few “Crazies” out there. If you leave negative feedback on them, they seek revenge, start flaming email wars, send emails to your bidders and so on. Sometimes leaving negative feedback on these people can cause more trouble than it is worth.

18. Check your email at least twice daily

As a buyer, you want to ensure you win the most bids you can– within your price range, of course. Since eBay will email you whenever you’re outbid on an item for which you have an outstanding bid, you want to be sure you know as soon as possible, so you can re-bid if you want to. If you don’t check your email, and you receive an outbid notice, by the time you do check email, the auction may be over for that item. Checking your email regularly will keep you informed of the status of your bids.

Also you want to respond quickly to any emails from buyers or sellers relating to your bids or your auctions.

19. How to narrow your search?

Since using a single word for your search can return many, many ads, you may want to narrow the search even more to get down to a more specific need. For example, suppose you are looking specifically for Timex watches as opposed to just any watches. Then use the AND keyword function in your search. In the search field, you’d enter Timex watch. This would return a list of all ads with both the words Timex and watch in them and exclude all ads that do not contain both words.

20. How to narrow your search even more?

Let’s say you are looking for ads that include certain phrases, or words that go together in a specific order. For instance, if you are searching for teddy bears, you can use quotation marks. The command you would use is “teddy bear”. This will return a listing of all ads with the words teddy bear in them. The word bear must immediately follow the word teddy for the listing to show.

21. Finding auctions with multiple words

If you are searching for items that have one of multiple words, you can use the OR keyword in your search. For example, if you wanted to find all auctions that have in their title listing the words cat or dog, then you would enter (cat, dog) in the search field. This would return all ads that have either the word cat or the word dog in their listing.

22. Locating auctions with one word, but not another.

If you are looking for watches, but are not interested in Timex watches then you would use the AND NOT keywords. In the search field, you would enter: watch -timex. This would return all auctions whose listings included the word watch, but excluded the word Timex. (Note there is no space between the minus sign and the word timex).

23. Don’t Fall for Spoof email supposedly from eBay or PayPal

Many emails you receive in your email account from PayPal or eBay are really fakes. If eBay sends you an email to your email address –and they sometimes do, don’t open it. Whenever eBay sends you an email they also send it to you’re My Messages box in you’re My eBay Page. Just go to you’re My eBay Page where you will also see the email if it really came from eBay. You can open it there safely. If you receive an email from PayPal, don’t click on any of the links. Instead just log into your PayPal account and you will see any notices on your main account page.

24. Use a SPAM filter

Unfortunately once you start buying and selling on eBay, your email gets out there and your volume of spam increases. Eudora has a great free email program called Eudora Lite, free at http:// www.eudora.com, which allows you to direct all your eBay related email into a special mailbox where you can filter it. There are also new services available on the Internet to filter out spam –but they are not 100% reliable. They sometimes filter out legitimate messages and still let a lot of spam through.

25. Know what you are buying

Unless the item you are bidding on is clear and unambiguous, be a little careful. If an item description is not complete, or if you are buying a collectible or something used, take the time to email the seller and ask questions or for clarification. If the seller doesn’t answer quickly and completely, that is a warning flag and you should be careful.