I brought some sample fins back from California from Rainbow Fin Company. RFC are doing some really cool one-off stained glass fins that look the part and surf well. I've also got a couple of sets of bamboo and glass Canard quad fin sets. Going from the feed back so far we'll be bring more over so keep an eye out for them.
I wasn't expecting too much today, maybe I should have had a look. Water temp's around 16 degrees which is 3 degrees better than what I was surfing in while in California last week. My full wetsuit saved me but my hands and feet were freakin freezing.
I had the opportunity to attend the Sacred Craft in San Diego this year, a trip well worth doing again. The Bing booth was busy with plenty of familar faces calling in. Had the chance to have a look at some of the other local board builders fine crafts.
I spent a few days at the Bing & Jacobs factory while I was in California. These guys have got everything running like clock work.
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Thought I'd better post a couple of pics of Stephen Ward's new board. I like the angle of the shot in the bottom photo how you can really notice the stepdeck, the step is actually quiet subtle but in the photo it stands out like dogs genitals. Stephen pointed out a really cool blog called vicloggin.blogspot.com check it out when you get a chance. 9'10" Bing Elevator with a black foam t-band stringer, finished in gloss/sand.
I got a nice bunch of boards in this week ranging from a 6'4" single fin Bing OT Lotus all the way up to a 9'10" Bing Elevator that will be heading down to Vic for Stephen Ward. 4 of these boards have sold but I've still got the 6'4" OT Lotus and the gold 9'8" Elevator in stock. The black foam t-band on the Elevators look the part.
I called in to visit Shorty from Vintage Surf & Skate at Anna Bay, Port Stephens. What a great trip back in time in the history of surfing. Surfboards, skateboards, books, anything surf related squeezed into one room.
I'm sooo looking forward to going to Sacred Craft in August. I'll be helping out with the guys from Bing Surfboards and drooling over all the fibreglass creations. With a bit of luck we'll stumble across a contact for board bags and leashes that we can bring back to OZ and offer to our fine customers. The rest of my trip will be spent at the factory watching the masters at work. Damn I love my job.
FUEL TV, First Hand with Chris Delo Moro. Bing team rider Chris Del Moro made his debut last week on Fuel TV's, The Daily Habit and First Hand season 12.
This is a carbon copy of how I used to draw pictures of waves when I was at school. Mmmm shows how much I listened to the teacher. Can't you just picture yourself tucked in the shady part of this wave??
I love days like this. Cool winters day with light n/w winds puffing all day long, water temp still around 18 degrees and not to many people out. The crowds will be a different story next week with school holidays starting. Thanks again swellnet.com
If your looking for something a little different check this out. Matt's made a 5'7" 2-stringer (cedar) Twin-Fin Fish with glass-on wood fins. Love the colour of this seaweed tint.
Got a couple of Bing NR Slims in for Oceanstyle Longboards in WA. The top one's for shop owner Toby and the bottom one belongs to Raoul. These are the first Slims that we've got in and they feel mighty fine under the arm. I'll wait and get some feed back on the boards for the guys in WA, but we may add this model to our stock list.
I'm loving these single fin OT Lotus. We've got them in stock from 6'2" to 6'6" with a burnt orange 6'4" on it's way over from California. Perfect for those small to head high waves.
Adam 'Lucky legs' Cap calls himself the 'assistant manager' at the Bing factory, he knows his boards and it looks like he can surf them all. Click here to view these pictures larger
Super crisp morning with a colourful sky. Something I like about getting up for the early surf is the array of colours we get to see as the sun pops it's head over the horizon. It's the best part of the day. Pic courtesy of Swellnet.comThis movie has got some interviews with the legend shapers we all respect. Names like Dick Brewer, Greg Noll, Hap Jacobs, Bing Copeland, Mike Eaton, Matt Calvani, the list goes on. Below is part of the blurg from the BoardRoom website.
BoardRoom features the greatest legends of modern board shaping. We hear first hand on how they got started, who gave them a break and how they changed surfing history forever. We hear about the transition from balsa to foam , from long board to short board, from California to Hawaii. Get ready for a trip back in time to the beginning of modern day shaping.
Lincon's always had some yanky in his blood. Now he's living in California, married to a Californian and driving an American icon. Even his name's American. Do you like the old log with the offset twin stringer??
We got a nice delivery of Bings in this week from a little 5'10" Synchronizer up to a 9'10" NR-2. The yellow/green Silver Spoon looks amazing along with the maroon Pintail Lightweight. Some of these boards will be heading to our dealers this week so keep an eye out for them.
Mike and Kim from Sandy Feet Surf Co have moved their shop up the road to Port Macquarie. The new shop has the same feel as their old one at North Haven but they've now added some new brands like Ando and Friends, Hippy Tree, Gatho Herio and Critical Slide and of course Bing Surfboards. They've always got a nice selection of vintage boards on offer as well. Call in and say hello next time you're in the area.
From time to time Matt shapes a Classic Pig and there's one available on this weeks inventory list. This ones 9'4", 3/4" cedar stringer, 3-colour, deck & fin patch, resin leash loop and has a dirty big glass-on wood fin. I'm tempted to get one shipped over, if you're interested let me know.
Heritage Surf have got this neat Elevator heading their way. Love the look of the vintage yellow tint and the black foam t-band stringer.Here's a clip of Bing team rider, Harry Gale. Check out how he has to trek through snow to get to the beach. Freeeezzzzing.
Liquidsaltmag.com has done a great interview with manager/team rider Margaret Yao from Bing Surfboards. It was a privilege spending time with her and Matt while they where here in March. Margaret's a great person to be around and super patient, you'd have to be to be around 5 guys for two weeks. http://www.liquidsaltmag.com/2010/05/margaret-yao/
Bing team rider, Hanalei was born in Tahiti, her parents are from France, she now lives in Manly, surfs for Bing Surfboards which are made in California and thanks to Ripcurl she gets to travel the world. Talk about multi cultural.
