Just Bonzers - Long time gone

Well it seems like a hell of time since I last blogged, mainly because it is. Just Bonzers now sits there a window to a past. Through all that time boards have been made, ridden, improved, evolved and broken.

So why now, well apart from the fact that it's been too long to leave a welcome receptacle for my expressions about making bonzers, I just rode the new mid length NARB and needed more space to comment than felt right for facebook or instagram.

7-6 NARB by Tim Stafford Custom Surfboards

The NARB started out as an EVO asymmetric bonzer long-board... fortunately the customer who ordered it didn't get on with it so i took it back and decided to try to learn why? From the first surf the board flew, but it did require some basic long-board skills, the ability to walk a bit up and down the board. Over the next 3 years the board became my favourite whenever i felt like a change from my short-board, whatever the wave size.

Then fate rolled the dice with a sh*t blank and I found myself with a 7'10 "freebie" to shape... I've never been much of one for mid-lengths but it seemed a 7'6" NARB was the obvious candidate and so it began. I kept the nose, added some width in the tail same as my short-boards, played with the rocker and rails until several iterations later i had the board designed you see below.

Resin tint metal flake inlay on asymmetric bonzer 

Glassing, I wanted something special for myself, just for a change, so decided to do a circular inlay cut into the laminate tint, used some metal flake and contracting colours to create some sunsets in the board, which seemed really apt as i am always painting them inspired by the view out of my kitchen window most evenings. A double deck lam and gloss n polish later and the board was finally ready for a surf yesterday.

So there I was waxing up a shiny polish (which always seems crazy when you've spent hours polishing it yourself) at Black Rock, with chest high peeling rights in front of me. Any doubts were washed away with the first wave. The board caught waves so easily there was guilt involved... it got in so early and was so stable on take off, it really was very similar to riding the 9'2" I'd just sold. And things kept getting better, the first turn was buttery smooth and full of drive. It came off the top very similarly to my short-boards and then went into smooth roundhouses with ease. There was the usual mass of speed with freedom to choose your line of attack, as with any of my asymmetric bonzers. I had a blast, wave after wave, set after set carving smooth fast lines though a mostly slow and slopey right hander.

As you might have guessed by now, I love this board. It required no adaptation, no learning curve, no mastery of some mysterious sweet spot, it just flew. It delivered in spades and the promise it conveys is huge; Since then ive had it out in some chunky left point waves and again it impressed, with super early wave entry and masses of drive to make waves from deep.

There is nothing quite like riding a new design  you crafted yourself from start to finish, especially when it works this well. Truly stoked. I hope you've enjoyed this window into a board maker's craft and just what it means to those of us out there who work for the love of the craft we ride.

Ride & glide. Tim