Hippyos Clothing
If you want to talk about an innovative surf clothing company than talk about Hippyos Apparel. If you want to talk about stylish clothing, hand crafted and reasonably priced than you should talk about Hippyos Apparel. When I think about Hippyos Clothing one word comes to mind – Original. I stumbled upon Hippyos Apparel a few years ago and have loved there products and how each item was hand crafted.
Hippyos Apparel has dedicated their whole company to making hand crafted beanies with the surf culture in mind. Each hand crafted Hippyos Apparel beanie sells for $14.99 with free shipping. Talk about quality and pricing. They know that surfers do not want to wear the simple and plain beanies which larger clothing companies make. So they have done their best to create simple, yet unique products which fit perfectly with the surfer’s lifestyle.
Bio
Welcome to Hippyos Clothing. We are a young and exclusive surf/skate/snow clothing company. We believe in quality rather than quantity. We also try our best to keep our prices low to benefit you, the customer. Most of our products are natural so we don’t harm the environment. We are located in Orange County, California. We are surrounded by great beaches and surfing which explains why our few employees surf. Often times we will take breaks mid-week to go surfing and to discuss new products. Our main goal is to make a good quality product at a affordable price for everyone’s budget.
Hippyos Beanies can be purchased by clicking here: Hippyos Apparel
Some of their beanies:
Ron Jon Surf Shop
What was purposed a few years ago was a Florida’s surfers dream come true. It was also every other surfers dream coming true. A state of the art surf park with two sperate wave pools. The facility would feature kiosks to try out new surfboards and other surfing items including fins, wax and leashes. This would be one of the first large scale facilities dedicated completely to surfing. Every surfer was on the edge of there seat with every announcement and report from the investors who were continuing to refine and build the arena. But these days you hear nothing about the advances or a final design of the building. Thats because the project got sucked over the falls and the Ron Jon Surf Park will never be completed.
Many wonder what went wrong and it can not be pinpointed to one problem or hurtle. One of the many challenges that they were not able to overcome was the wave pool itself. It is not easy to create a perfect wave and manage all the currents and water. Making a consistent and durable wave machine was also a concern for the design team. All of these problems can be solved but the project has lost and used up all their funding.
So the big question is whether we will ever see a wave pool facility decicadted fully to surfers. I think only time will tell. A well functioning surf pool costs money and a large investment. It will take the right people and the right place to run a success full and profitable surf pool. Hopefully within the next ten years we will find someone who can pull it off.
See ya at the Beach,
The Surfboard Man
Catching Steep Waves
One of the most difficult things to make yourself do is to catch steep and fast waves. They are hard to catch because you have to catch them in such a cruical spot on the wave. You have to commit to going otherwise you can catch the wave even if you stop paddling and then get sucked over the falls.When catching steep waves you want to catch the wave near the bottom, rather than near the top. Take at least 3 extra strokes to make sure you catch the wave. It won’t hurt you to do it and it will make the takeoff a lot eaiser. Also angle your board slightly towards the shoulder so you do not have to do a bottom turn once you pop-up. Thats it, just go charge it and have fun.
How much $$$
How much would you pay to live and surf at this wave?
How to Build an Alaia
“Whoa, I can’t believe you guys sell alaia’s here. Do these things really work?” This is a question that surf shop around the country are getting who are carrying alaia’s. Alaia surfboards and wood finless boards, which are very thin. They look so out of place into todays surfing world, yet many people are anxious to try them. These were some of the first boards that surfers ever rode. But there is one question that everyone wants an answer too – “Can you really surf these boards.” I think after watching the video below you will be able to answer that question for yourself.
I have read a lot about how to build and shape an Alaia and it had been an interest for the past few months. A few weeks ago I finally said enough and started the process. Below is a step by step guide to building your own Alaia -Enjoy!!
Tool List:
Circular Saw
Jig-Saw
Circular sander attachment for a power drill
2 Saw Horses
Clamps
Wood Burner
Step 1 -
I went to Lowes and bought a cedar plank with the dimensions of 92″ x 20″ and 3/4″ thick. This was pre-gluded and ready to be shaped.
Step 2 –
Draw your shape on the board or you can use a template. I went for a simple square tall and fully rounded nose. Using a ruler measure your dimensions and then snap a chalk line. For instance my board is 18″ wide and 7’4 Long so I measure and snapped the line with a chalk line to make it easy.
Step 3 –
Draw the nose. I used a “poor mans compass” which consisted of rope and some tape. Hold the rope at different lengths from about 5″ from the nose in the center of the board. Find the length of rope which gives you the shape that you want. Tape the rope and wrap the pencil then simple draw it using the rope.
Step 4 - Using a circular say for everything but the nose cut out the shape that you have drawn. Go slow and take your time, this is very important.
Step 5 –
Using a Jig Saw, cut the nose out. This is the most important part…do not rush through this.
Step 6 –
I choose to router the rails to help get the rails shaped a little before I hand planed them. It helped a lot. Use a 1/4 bit to get the right shape.
Step 7 –
Use a hand planer to shape the rails to your likings. I went with a rolled deck and a sharp rail. This is just personal preference, i just went back and forth with the hand planer till i got the right roll that i liked. For the nose you want to roll both sides to help with the flow of water.
Step 8 –
Once you have shaped the rails then move onto the nose with a hand planer. I used one saw horse as seen in the picture to make it easier to shape. I made the nose very thin and rounded on the deck and bottom to help the water flow.
Congradulations you have made it past the hardest part – Make sure you do not rush through the final steps though.
Step 9 –
Sand like crazy. I used a circular sanding attachment for a power drill which worked very well. Just make sure you sand it very well to make it very smooth. I sanded all the way up to 220 grit.
Step 10 –
Wood Burn, make it your own, have fun. Take pride in what you have made and woodburn your name or a cool design. I went with “Alaia” in the deck. I did this with cheap plastic stencils but it made the difference. For a wood burner i went to a local craft store and paid $20 for a little kit.
Step 11 – Oil it up. This is the important part. The mixture which I used is 1 Part Boiled Linseed Oil, 1 Part Gum Turpentine with some added shaved bee’s wax. I figured i would use the same combination as Tom Wegner in the hopes of completely sealing my board. You want to do at least 4-5 coats per side to ensure your board will not soak up water.
Step 12 – Now all you have to do is start riding yours!!!!!
If it sucks still paddle out….
I have experienced countless times when i head down to go surfing and when I get there the surf is horrible. This situation usually happens when there is really nice weather, but no swell. I always paddle out for at 30 min. because it is often better than it looks and at least i will get a work out. Even on some of the worst days i get a few decent rides you just have to be patient. Surfing when the waves are bad will also help with your wave selection.
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