One of the first times my brother came down to watch me "surf" I remember an older asian woman who had the exact same piece of shit wetsuit as me except for it had neon green arms. She was a boogie boarder and I think possibly a schizophrenic. She would always tell me I was a good surfer and I think at one point she was coming on to me. It probably would have been the best sex in my life but like a pussy I passed.
I got an 8'6" surfboard from a guy named Jim on craigslist for $225. That surfboard was a fucking tank but it still took me a while to find my balance while floating on it. (Once while coming home the board flew off my car on Skyline blvd. and barely got a scratch) I was able to stand up after a few times out and had my fun but sitting out there on that huge board for hours started making my hips feel like they were seperating so I looked for something smaller.
I bought another tank of a surfboard. This time it was a 7'5" mini-gun made specifically for winter waves at Ocean Beach San Francisco. The difference was felt the first time I stood up on that board. It was easier to stand on, easier to paddle, easier to duck-dive, easier to feel that rush of catching a wave.
But, that 7'5" mini-gun isn't meant for small summer waves. It's meant for the big boys during the winter and definitely not the beginner during the summer. So, the mission again was to buy something smaller meant for smaller waves.
I came very close to buying this Aloha Quickshift board. It looked perfect. It has 5 fin slots so you can change between a three fin "thruster" type, a quad set up, a dual set up, or even a single fin set up if you wanted. The price was a little odd though. It was only around 500 dollars and I know a lot of custom boards go for much higher. Why was this awesome board only $500?
I contacted the guy I bought my original board from and asked him that question. Jim is a local surfer and he buys boards cheap, fixes them up and sells them. Not a bad way to get some disposable income. I told him I was about to buy a Quickshift and he quickly informed me Aloha mass produces their boards in China. The people who shape those boards are people who have never set foot in the ocean. That mixed with the fact that the materials are shotty at best and the boards tend to snap in half.
So, the hunt was on. I wanted to continue my slow progress from longboard to short board. 8'6 to 7'5" now hopefully to 6'5". I camped out in craigslist land for a few days until I came across a 6'5" Bulkley surfboard. It came with fins and was a four/quad fin board. These boards have less drag and therefore can go faster. Less drag means easier to paddle so less hustle/wasting of energy. The dude wanted $350.
Too much. Keep on camping. I found a bunch of close calls and even tried buying a few that had just been snatched up. I keep on searching craigslist and come across another Brian Bulkley board. Brian Bulkley is a surfer and shaper in California. He hand makes each board and really puts a lot of himself in what he does. After checking out his website I re-check the craigslist posting and realize it's a re-posting of the original 6'5" quad Bulkley board. I guess the dude just wants rid of it and now he's selling it at $275.
B I N G O. I shoot over there yesterday to check out the board. It was beautiful and the dude threw in base wax, a leash, and dropped the price to $260. So, without further adieu:
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