8 foot Oh

The eight foot board realm is an interesting one.

Not a short board

but not a long board
whilst

at the same time

being both.

Not to say it can't be surfed like either,
and circumstances may dictate that it is.

But there is a soulful envelope

the 8'ers fit into

that is unique.

Not picking off every ripple outside,

but gracefully riding with the wave

in a thoughtfully aware sort of way.

Enjoying the ride to the fullest

but being careful not to damage the wave

in the process.

Every surfer should surf a quiver,
(I had "own" in place of "surf" in the sentence above
but owning a quiver and surfing a quiver are two
different things, as we all know)
and the mid-range lengths are perhaps one of the
sub categories most deserving of extensive exploration.

And in most cases, they'll still fit in the car without racks!

Examples can be anything,

from fun board beaters you teach someone to surf on

or a life and death gun
that makes you nervous to contemplate.

The seven foot range are maybe next most comprehensive category.

Six footers and below have,

due to mass alone,

a narrower band of purpose

and are usually shaped for one

delightfully specific use.

The same with the nine foot and up group.

There are exceptions,

thankfully,

MAGIC BOARDS

cross all boundaries, defy labels

and are beholden only to themselves.

But then,

they are magic,

and are truly,

gifts from beyond.

Certainly an eight oh would make the perfect
"stuck on a deserted island" board.

Of course, a mat would be better, but hey, aren't they always. ;)

Magnificent Art by Tom Threinen

This morning's post was obviously inspired by SurfSis' new board, check it out.

(BTW, M you are getting close to getting an intervention,
well probably not, mostly because I'm always checking to see what's next)