Harbour Surfboards

Rich Back in the shape bay!

Kuch — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:34:49 +0000

Rich Harbour has had pneumonia the past few weeks but the good news is he’s feeling better and back in the shape bay! Check out these recent photos staff member Brian Kucera took of rich shaping Todds new plantain:

New Boards In Stock!

Jake — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:07:45 +0000

9'6" "Banana" model with the classic Rich Chew paint job.

We just got in this killer 9’6″ “Banana” model with the classic Rich Chew paint job! Board #30332. This one is ideal for someone 170-175 pounds who wants a cruiser that will catch waves but won’t sacrifice performance! Works great at Seal Beach, Bolsa Chica, or San-O! $1120 with fin!

This is a 7’6″ Super Revolver that also just came in! Board #30342. This one is ideal for someone 175-180 pounds who likes to ride mid-range boards but can drive the board down the line to get their speed. If you can crank a decent bottom turn or cutback, this one is for you. Sure , it’ll cruise, but if you don’t turn this thing, you aren’t utilizing its’ full potential. Lay it on rail and turn it! Works great for waves up to a couple feet overhead. $700 with fins!

The new “1966 Banana” and How it Compares

Jake — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:41:13 +0000

We have a couple 1966 Bananas that we just got in stock that are looking..well, check them out for yourself! Now, you’re probably wondering what’s the difference between a “1966 Banana” and a “Classic.” I was wondering the same thing so I had Rich give me a little feedback on this “1966 Banana”. Here’s what he had to say…

1966 Original Harbour "Banana"

We took down the 1966 Banana that was hanging on the ceiling in the shop, spent a half a day taking some measurements and made a 9’6″ and a 10’0″ for stock as seen below.

9'6" "1966 Banana" Board #30301

Here’s the 9’6″ 1966 Banana we made for stock. Board #30301. It has a 1″ Balsa stringer, a tail block, and some color on the hot coat to give it that old school vibe.

Dimensions:

Length: 9’6″

Tail: 15″

Wide: 22″

Thick: 3 1/4″

Nose: 17″

Price: $1,305.00

9'6" "1966 Banana" Board #30301

10'0" "1966 Banana" Board #30300

Here’s the 10’0″ 1966 Banana that we made for stock. Board# 30300. It has a 1″ Balsa stringer, a tail block, and some black and red color on the hot coat.

Dimensions:

Length: 10’0″

Tail: 15″

Wide: 22 1/4″

Thickness: 3 3/8″

Nose: 16″

Price: 1255.00

10'0" "1966 Banana" Board #30300

"Classic" VS. "1966 Banana"

The blue “Classic” on the left is 9’10″ and the “1966 Banana” on the right is a 10’0″ but it’s close enough for a visual comparison. Notice the “Classic” has a more pulled in tail, smaller tail block, is wider at the mid-point, and wider through the nose. The “1966″ Banana has a straighter/narrower outline.

The “Classic” at 10’0″ is:

Length: 10’0″

Tail: 14 1/2″

Wide: 22 3/4″

Thick: 3 3/8″

Nose: 17 1/4″

SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON…

“Classic” Dimensions:

10’0″ x 14 1/2″ x 22 3/4″ x 3 3/8″ 17 1/4″

“1966 Banana” Dimensions:

10’0″ x 15″ x 22 1/4″ x 3 3/8″ x 16″

What can I expect out of these boards?

The “1966 Banana” is literally that…a Banana from 1966. These boards tend to have a pretty narrow and straight outline and a flatter rocker. This one will definitely set trim pretty easily. Breaking that trim, or in other words, turning this board, will be a bit more challenging than any other board in our lineup at the same length. If you have a sense of humor, then you’ll have fun on this one. And yes, it noserides but not as well as our “Noserider” model.

The “Classic” was designed in the 80′s using all of the knowledge gained through the longboard years of the 60′s, this board has the glide that was so important, and a turn that rivals the best design from that era. This one has more curve in the outline than the 1966 Banana.This is a great board for someone who wants the best of everything from those golden years.

What kind of rails do these boards have?

Both boards have 50/50 rails that are full. These boards are stable.

Where do you see these boards performing the best?

Both will perform well at San Onofre, Cardiff, or Bolsa Chica on a peaky day. Maybe Rincon, Malibu, or Trestles with nobody out! Lot’s of people in the lineup means more maneuvering around them while going down the line. These boards will not maneuver very quickly so good luck dodging the crowd at first peak, Malibu on these.

Who would benefit most from this board?

A “1966 Banana” would benefit a better-than-average surfer looking for something different and challenging.

A “Classic” would benefit an average to better-than-average surfer looking for a novelty ride that is challenging but not as challenging as the “1966 Banana”.

Basically…

Think of surfing the “1966 Banana” like driving an old Cadillac from 1966 without power steering. It’s going to take a some effort to crank a turn, it’s heavy, and you’ll probably pearl it if you take it into any waves that are fast and/or steep. However, once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun!

The “Classic” is for the person looking to ride an old school log. It’ll be easier to turn and maneuver than the “1966 Banana” but it still won’t turn like a contemporary cruiser. Don’t worry, it won’t bite you!

Feel free to give us a call at (562) 430-5614 or e-mail us at contact@harboursurfboards.com and we’d be more than happy to assist you with any questions you may have.

“There may be something to be had with riding equipment that doesn’t make surfing easier. Surfing ancient equipment that is difficult to ride is an achievement in itself.”

Let’s Take Back January!

Jake — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:57:16 +0000

Hmmm…ahhhhhh! The crisp smell of January! The morning is chilly, I can see my breathe in the air, I’m constantly rubbing my hands together, waiting for my engine to warm up, I’m scrolling through the Guns n’ Roses station on the Pandora app. at the red light, and I can’t help but notice the sudden increase in people jogging in my neighborhood…again. It happens once a year, right around…well starting exactly on January 1st. Sitting at the signal feels like I’m at a Nike runway show looking at the 2012 running line. All these people in bright new Nike shoes, socks, and spandex…haha, awesome.

Every morning, I get a Quad Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks on PCH and Westminister Blvd. It’s basically 4 shots of Espresso, milk, and a little Caramel. The name sounds girly-er than it really is, but it really gets the gears moving and puts a smile on my face.

“Quad Iced Caramel Macchiato for Jaaake!” the barista says and I am out of there with 400 calories in a cup in my right hand and guilt-free! As I walk out, I pass a group of women all in brand new Nike running shoes, socks, and spandex…They’re everywhere! haha, awesome.

I feel like I’m one of only a few people that can honestly say “Yes, I’d like to start a diet January 1st, but I will not stick to it…so why bother?”

My point is, why do we spend January of every year spraining ankles, starving ourselves, and wasting money on new running shoes when we know all too well, that we’ll give up on or work out plan or diet? We complain that last year went by in a blink of an eye. It did. And you know why?? Because you spent last January, last year, doing the same thing! And also…

we spend in a year:

-2,920 hours sleeping (assuming you get 8 hrs sleep/night)

-300 hours commuting (this does not include running errands, vacations, etc.)

-1,812 hours watching tv

-2,037 hours eating

So what am I getting at, Harbour fans? I’m a fan of doing things correct but in a way that is completely against the grain…So, how about we take back our January! Let’s not loose a whole month to the pursuit of goals that, Dr. Oz may recommend, but deep down, we don’t want to pursue! We already spend almost 3,000 hours sleeping and 2,000 hours eating. let’s not waste another minute!

Instead, dedicate more time to your friends and family. Don’t just go surf by yourself on Saturday morning, wait till the family wakes up and make it a beach day! Make memories! Go DO things instead of talking about doing things! Eat the same un-healthy food we’ve been eating all year, sleep-in like we’ve been doing all year and don’t feel guilty for it! This is January! It’s a new year! Let’s keep our goals but let’s be more realistic.

Let us be realistic with our finances, realistic with our career moves, realistic with our health, and most of all, let us be realistic with ourselves.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sticking to my “Whole milk and extra Caramel, please” …for now.

Thanks for reading,

RIP Sean Collins

Kuch — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:01:55 +0000

Sean Collins was a hot little gremmie surfer from Surfside when he first got on my surf team in the seventies. Sean’s dad had a sailboat and he and Sean would sail together, many times along the Baja coast. Sean would talk him into investigating possible surf spots that looked good on charts. Sean ended up surfing spots that were basically inaccessible by car and obviously, all to himself. But looking at charts was not the only thing he did. He figured that the best swells in the summer came from the southern hemisphere and he spent endless hours on the short wave radio trying to get information. He finally figured it all out and was able to predict when a south swell would arrive.
He also mastered when the swell would arrive whose origins were in the ocean off of Alaska. I’ll never forget when one winter day early in the week, Sean came by the shop. He said that a huge swell was on its way and would hit Seal Beach around noon on Friday. So typically, we surf hungry surfers got up at dawn Friday morning to be the first ones out. But it was flat as a lake – not a wave in sight. Everybody split grumbling things like, “Sean doesn’t know crap about wave forecasts.” So I was going home for lunch, and this Friday I just happened to take the long way home and check out the surf anyway. And what I saw was HUGE. Sean predicted it to the hour of arrival. I was so impressed and stoked. I got my board and got some big South Side waves in Seal Beach almost to myself.
Sean turned this talent of forecasting into a very successful business. Some people credit today’s crowds in the water that no one likes to Sean – too bad. Forecasting was inevitable, and I feel it’s stupid to blame him. He was just the Maverick that blazed the first trail and I admire him for this more than words can say. There were no books or knowledge about wave forecasting. He figured it out all by himself.
His passing on Monday, the day after Christmas was a great shock to the entire world of surfing. He was too young and athletic to succumb to such a sudden end to his life. I will miss him greatly. – Rich Harbour

Sean Collins, Trusted Forecaster for Surfers, Dies at 59

Sean Collins, who created Surfline.com, whose forecasts and real-time views of beaches reach 1.5 million surfers a week, died on Monday in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 59.

While playing tennis, he had a heart attack, his business partner, David Gilovich, said.

Before Surfline, dedicated surfers would hang out on the beach for weeks at a time, dropping everything, including work and relationships, when the surf came up. Mr. Collins’s forecasts meant surfers could use their time more efficiently. It allowed them to continue to chase swells through what he termed “the responsible years,” and gave rise to a breed of plugged-in surfers who make their living through high-dollar contests or by chasing monster swells.

“Sean was a renaissance man,” said Bill Sharp, director of the annual Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards and a longtime colleague. “He could see something that was needed long before anyone else. From looking at an isobar line on a weather chart to having a sense of how people would want their information delivered decades down the line. He was surfing’s Leonardo da Vinci.”

Mr. Collins’s forecasting prowess was self-taught. He scrupulously logged daily surf conditions, studied obscure National Weather Service archives and used a short-wave fax machine — stringing antenna wire across Baja cactus plants — to receive weather reports from New Zealand and understand how Antarctic storms could send waves across the Pacific. His predictions astonished friends.

He joined a telephone forecast venture called Surfline in 1984, and two years later began a rival service called Wavetrak. He bought out Surfline in 1990 and five years later started Surfline.com.

Forecasts were refined with the help of Jon Chrostowski, a NASA scientist who hacked into data streams broadcast by weather buoys, and William C. O’Reilly, an oceanographer with the Scripps Institute who modeled the interaction of waves with the sea floor.

Mr. Collins was born on April 8, 1952, in Pasadena, Calif. He sailed the coasts of California and Baja, Mexico, with his father, a Navy lieutenant, and developed into a talented competitive surfer, following waves to Hawaii and financing his surf addiction through magazine photography.

He explored the Mexican outback extensively. “We’d spend months camping out and waiting for swells,” he said in an interview in 2002. “You can’t do that and live a normal kind of mainstream life.”

He is survived by his wife, Daren; two sons, Tyler and A. J.; his mother, Gloria; and his siblings, Whitney Jr., Gloria Burdette and Robert.

The way Mr. Collins’s friends and colleagues relied on his forecasts could be stressful — particularly when he became a go-to forecaster for California lifeguards, Navy Seals, the Coast Guard and major surf competitions.

In 2008, Mr. Collins phoned his friend Mike Parsons to demand that he and five friends abort an attempt on Cortes Bank during one of the worst Pacific storms on record. But Mr. Parsons had already left on an expedition that found waves a hundred feet high.

“Sean worried about us,” Mr. Parsons said. “If you were a loyal friend, there was just an incredibly strong bond. I learned so much about the ocean from him, but he was the authority. Now when we launch a mission, we’ll just sort of never know for sure.” – Taken from NYtimes.com

Penny skateboards now in stock!

Kuch — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:56:23 +0000

We are please to announce that we are now carrying penny skateboards. These skateboards are so colorful and fun that you must have one or else youre missing out! They come in several color options and are perfect for those quick skates to the donut store or to check the surf.

About

From a young age skateboarding has inspired me and influenced every area of my life. Here I am at the age of 5 on my first ever plastic skateboard. I asked dad to move the Kingswood out of the garage so I could make this kicker ramp. I got my board second hand, and painted it blue with gold pinstripes. I thought it was the badest thing ever. Once I conquered the garage, I started bombing hills. It was terrifying, it was exhilarating, it was bliss. Almost 30 years on I realized it was time, time to bring that little plastic board back, and back for good.

Penny Skateboards

12 years experience in skateboard manufacturing has given me a strong appreciation for what it takes to make great quality skateboards. I’ve channeled everything I’ve learnt in manufacturing and design to come up with a high performance, long lasting, ultra fun plastic skateboard. From looking at any skateboard you can see whether its fundamentals are balanced. You can see it as each component comes together to make the final product and you can feel it under your feet and in your hands. And, it’s what sets Penny Skateboards above all the rest.

Each Penny Skateboard is built with the highest quality raw materials and fanatical attention to detail. Penny Skateboards are designed and built to look good, perform well, and exceed all your expectations. Penny Skateboards, since forever.

Happy Thanksgiving

Kuch — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:41:45 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us over at Harbour Surfboards. Just a reminder that we will be having our black friday sale from friday november 25th thru sunday the 27th. Everything online will be 20% off and in store 20-50% all items excluding surfboards.

Go Pro HD2 now in stock

Kuch — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:43:51 +0000

We officially received our go pro HD2 cameras this past week. The improvements on this camera are insane! They give you double the mounting accessories, a floaty backdoor incase your go pro camera were to ever fall off your surfboard, it shots twice the megapixels, and the go pro shoots double the amount of photos per second. The staff is really excited about these and we took out our gopro the other day to bolsa chica state beach. The waves were very small around 1-2 feet, cloudy and cold but we all had fun and got some funny clips.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Go Pro now in stock

Kuch — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:48:29 +0000

We are very excited to announce that we are now carrying Go Pro HD cameras. Order them while you can because these things are flying off the shelves everywhere! Watch the video below to see what kind of cool shots you can get with one of your own! Watch for staff updates soon as we will be filming stuff in the shop and surfing with these as much as possible!

Halloween Log Jam!

Jake — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:29:57 +0000

Congratulations to our newest staff member, Scotty “Foreman” Sousa for taking first place in the Open Men’s Longboard Division at the Halloween Log Jam this weekend! Lloyd Vanvorce also took 1st place in the Senior Men’s Longboard Division! A solid finish for the Harbour Team!