The Mule Surfboard Transport is a simple yet useful accessory to help transport your longboard or stand up paddle board using your bike or by towing it yourself. The Mule consists of a durable fabric for nose and tail pieces which strap your board to the two tube tires. Assembly takes about 5-10 minutes (I did have a little accident **see below) and it took me a bit to figure out how to assemble it the first time but once you figure it out, it should only take a couple minutes to strap your board in the future.

The Mule Transport is perfect for people who bike to the beach and works best with larger longboards. I think a stand up paddle board would be too bulky and heavy for bike racks and if you live a ways from the beach, the Mule is perfect. We all know how heavy those stand up boards can be…I dread carrying my SUP from the parking lot into the water let alone carrying it on my shoulder for several blocks and windy days are a whole different story here in Hawaii. You’d be surprised how much easier it is being able to tow a heavy board compared to carrying it over your shoulder and having to stop every five minutes to rest and let the blood flow back into your arm.

You’ll want to be aware of where you take your Mule as you won’t have anyone watching it when you’re in the water. I’m not sure how it is where you surf but here in Hawaii, people will steal anything you leave on the beach even in popular areas like Ala Moana and Waikiki. I’ve had people steal my shirts, $3 rubber slippers (flip flops), and I’m sure if they had a chance they would steal the Mule. If you live in an area like this, make sure you have a good hiding place or as an extreme you can try locking up the Mule with a bike cable lock.

Caution: Problems Assembling the Mule

I ran into some problems when I tried to add the nose and tail straps to the axle bar. I didn’t know it at the time, but the axle bar is made of fiberglass and for some reason the wheels were stuck and I couldn’t get one of them onto the bar to lock it in place. I kept trying to push the wheel on the bar and before I knew it I had a hundred fiberglass splinters in my hand. Ouch! As I was pushing the wheel, it had scraped the end of the bar and began shaving off the edges of the bar. It didn’t take much for those splinters to become lodged into my hand and I spent the next three hours trying to get all of them out. Mule Transport told me this had never happened but be careful not to jam the wheel on if it isn’t fitting properly. If you do get splinters, use duck tape to gently remove loose splinters. You can also use Elmers glue (wait for the glue to solidify and peel the glue from your hand) and use tweezers for the ones that don’t come out. Be careful not to lodge them into your skin.

The Mule is a cool and nifty surf accessory but I would recommend they change the material of the axle bar to heavy duty plastic or anything that doesn’t have the potential to splinter.

You can buy the Mule Surf Transport online for $89.

I know this isn’t really a surf product but I know a number of surfers suffer from neck pain, especially those paddling small boards, myself included. There have been times this year when my neck has been so sore that it would wake me up at night. Most of this pain originated from paddling tiny boards which required me to arch my back and neck (probably didn’t arch my back enough) and surfing way too long and every single day. That’s when I started getting some pretty bad neck pain.

My mom had a Phiten necklace and decided to try it with a very skeptical outlook that it would help with the pain. I definitely wasn’t going to pay for a new one but luckily I was able to try one for free. I’m probably one of the most skeptical people when it comes to necklaces, bracelets, magnets, titanium, and all these other gadgets that supposedly reduce pain and increase motion but after wearing the Phiten necklace for a few days, I noticed my neck pain slowly subdued and then went away.

I wear my Phiten necklace everyday and it has kept my neck feeling great. My neck still gets a bit stiff when I surf long sessions several days in a row but I don’t experience the discomfort I did before wearing it. I recommend the Phiten necklace for surfers experiencing neck pain. You have to try it to believe it.

Price: Starts around $22 depending on which model you choose

Website: http://www.phitenusa.com

The cool guys at GoPro Camera were cool enough to send me their new wide angle GoPro Surf Hero digital camera. These are the same guys that made the original GoPro waterproof camera that straps to your wrist. I’ve been using a Pentax WP Optio camera for a while now but those only work when someone’s willing to take photos of you It took a while before the Surf Hero was released but it was well worth the wait.

website: www.goprocamera.com

I stuck the GoPro camera base plate on my 9′2 Kimo Greene longboard and surfed in tiny knee high waves in onshore conditions (see video above). Definitely not the most idea conditions for photos/video by any means but I was dying to try the camera out. I got home and downloaded all of the video and I was stoked to see how good the quality of the videos came out. For a tiny little camera that’s reasonably priced ($150), I wasn’t expecting a whole lot in video quality but was impressed for what the GoPro camera could do. I have to say that the video quality is better than my Pentax WP Optio which always turns out cloudy/blurry in the water.

Purchase the Surf Hero online

Screen grab of GoPro with suction mount

Here are a few specs of the GoPro Surf Hero Camera:

• 170 degree wide angle lens
• 5 Megapixels
• Comes with stick-on base plate and FCS plug mounting system
• Takes 56 minutes of video or 5 megapixel photos every 2 seconds for 65 minutes (with 2 GB SD card)
• Waterproof housing
• USB cable
• Works on both longboards and shortboards
• You can purchase extra base plates for other boards

GoPro Tips:

1. Make sure you scrape all the wax off your board and clean the surface where your mount will be with acetone…any residual wax will weaken the adhesive.
2. On longboards (9′0+), you can position the base plate anywhere from the tip of your nose to a foot below. I made the mistake of sticking the base plate 2.5 feet below the nose on my other longboard and while the shots/video came out fine, the camera ended up being directly under my chin while paddling.
3. I would stick the base plate as close to the nose as possible (needs to be wide enough to completely adhere to the deck on standard shortboards). The camera also works on fishes (I used it with my 5′10 fish). Again, the shorter the board, the better it is to position the baseplate as close to the nose of the board as possible. You want to make sure the camera can fit your entire body in the frame as well as the wave.
4. The camera works best in larger and steeper surf. I think it’s best to take a straight line and try for the barrel. Any type of pumping or aggressive turning looks weird (when the camera is facing you) and makes for dizzying video. If you look at the GoPro website, you’ll notice that barrels make for the best shots.
5. Be sure to buy rechargeable NiMN or Lithium batteries (costs around $30 for batteries and charger) as GoPro advises against using alkaline. The camera takes 2 AAA batteries and you also need to buy your own SD card (2GB max).
6. You can also use RainX on the housing lens to keep water drops to a minimum.
7. For Mac users, when deleting video/photos off your SD card, be sure to empty your trash can. If you don’t, your camera will think it’s SD card is full and stop taking photos or videos. I struggled with this for 3 days thinking my camera was broken or something was wrong with the batteries.
8. Be sure to keep the rubber seal in the housing free of dust, hair, particles, etc to keep it waterproof. GoPro doesn’t warranty against leakage so you’ll want to pay extra attention. You can remove the rubber seal and wash it with water to clean it but be sure to fit the seal back properly.

GoPro Suction Mount

I recommend that longboarders invest in the suction mount. The problem with the base plate is once you stick it on it’s next to impossible to remove. I took a couple off and had to cut it up like a pizza with a hacksaw. The adhesive is so strong that it’s difficult to remove it without segmenting it into several pieces.

You can use the leash tie stick on (little piece that you string your camera leash to) from your base plate set and use that to tie down the suction mount. The suction mount will come off if you eat it on a bigger wave so I do recommend you tie it down. If you mount it to the tail of your longboard you can simply tie the suction mount to your leash plug.

Improvements:

This camera is definitely worth the money but it would be nice if GoPro could add a few more features:

• Provide SD card and increase storage space
• Provide rechargeable battery pack
• Provide preview screen so you can playback video while you’re surfing to check the angle of your shots

I know I’m being super picky with the requests above. On the whole I highly recommend photo enthusiasts to get a Surf Hero camera. GoPro will be selling a helmet cam attachment soon. You’ll be able to strap your GoPro to a helmet and take video or photos of your friends from all different angles. I’ll be sure to write more about that when I receive my helmet expansion kit.

I’m planning to move my base plate to the rear of my board and see how that angle looks. Hopefully removing the base plate won’t be too difficult.

Stay tuned for more video/photos in better surf!

The good guys at Sea Specs were nice enough to send me one of their surf sunglasses for me to try. I surf here in Hawaii during the middle of the day and for me, those surf sessions have always been extremely painful on my eyes. I really hate squinting and was excited to try these surf shades out on my next surf.

Surprisingly I tried my new Sea Specs during a mid-day stand up paddle board session. The surf shades fit comfortably on my face and the convenient non-removable strap secured my Sea Specs in place. The smoke tint was perfect for our strong sun and the polarized lens significantly reduced the glare. These surf shades worked really well stand up paddling and I could see fish, reef, sand bars, and every crevice with amazing detail. I can’t believe what I had been missing this whole time without shades! Best of all, I got great UVA & UVB protection as long exposure to sunlight can cause serious eye problems like glaucoma (which leads to certain blindness). Most of us put sunscreen on to protect our skin from the sun…why not protect your eyes? You only got two of them!

These may even be better than the Oakley surf shades as they’re 1/5 of the price ($49.99 vs $250)! Sea Specs block out all the bad rays, reduce glare, and stay stuck on your face. If you’re one of those surfers like me who hates glare or want to protect your eyes, I really recommend Sea Specs.

Buy these for only $49.95 at www.seaspecs.com

Here are a few details on these surfing sunglasses:

• Non-removable secure strap
• A variety of lense shades/tints
• Prescription lenses available
• Full wrap around frames
• Ventilated frames
• Sea Specs float
• Variety of frame colors
• Soft nose bridge
• Free shipping world wide
• Buy 2 get 1 FREE
• $49.95

SurfCo Hawaii, the Oahu based surf company that produces nose guards, diamond tips, quick fix ding repair, and Proteck fins has created an interesting traction pad. Launched earlier this year, Surfco’s Hawaiian Hot Grip traction pads are the first ever clear molded traction pads which feature a CAD-designed one piece clear traction pad. The CAD design helps with streamlining the traction pad and the ergonomically designed air cushions provide a unique and comfortable fit for surfers.

The interesting aspect to this particular traction is the pad is manufactured out of the same material as Surfco’s noseguards, which provides a non-abrasive surface. If there’s one gripe I have about all the surfboard traction pads out there (Dakine traction pads, OAM, Xtrak, etc) is that those things rip my knees up pretty good when I surf every day. Last time I checked the pads had ripped all the hair off my knees so now I have bald spots!

The Hawaiian Hot Grip pad also directs water toward the back of the board due to the channels in the grip pad yet still provides an area for comfortable foot placement. The heavy duty peel and stick adhesive combined with noseguard primer (included) makes the application of the pad quick and simple. Don’t you hate it when your traction pad has 6 pieces and when you finally try putting it on your new board the pieces don’t fit and aren’t aligned properly? What a waste of time.

I’ll be getting a new custom surfboard soon and I’ll let you all know what I think of the Hawaiian Hot Grip traction pad. Stay tuned for a full review.

I’m sure all of you have seen various ads in Surf magazines claiming that the funky looking fin called Turbo Tunnel provides longer noserides and smooth powerful turns. I was curious as ever and tested the company’s 9.5″ fin as a single on my 9′0 Kimo Greene Honolulu model. I tested the Turbo Tunnel fin at one of Oahu’s popular town spots, Queens in Waikiki, which produces perfect slow and rolling waves that sets up perfectly for noseriding. Conditions were clean and the waves were in the waist to occasional head high range. I was pretty excited to see how much of a difference this fin would make in my noseriding ability and on the first few waves I got to the nose without much problem on my Kimo Greene. The Honolulu model in itself is quite easy to noseride but after testing the Turbo Tunnel throughout that session, it appeared that the fin didn’t feel any different than the standard 9″ Proteck Superflex fin I have been using.

The Turbo Tunnel website claims that the fin basically improves all aspects of performance in your current longboard providing longer noserides, quicker turns, and extra speed. There are also numerous testimonials on the site with customer claims of more noseriding stability and overall improvement of the surfer’s performance. In my opinion, the Turbo Tunnel felt like any other fin and the results weren’t as significant as the company has claimed on their website and various magazine ads. While I don’t doubt that their customers are stoked on the Turbo Tunnel, perhaps the actual measurable difference is minute and is more of a mental state where the surfer thinks that the fin is really pushing their performance to a new level.

I will test this fin again a few more times to find a definite conclusion on the Turbo Tunnel fin.

While we’re still talking on the topic of safety, I feel the need to recommend Surfco noseguards. The great thing about this product is that it does not affect performance in any way, yet can greatly reduce the risk of losing an eye. The pointy tip on shortboards creates an extremely dangerous hazard especially when getting rolled around in turbulent whitewash or when the leash causes the board to spring back toward the unsuspecting surfer.

Surfers have shared their horror stories with Surfco and all of them explain that if only they had used noseguards, they would have avoided major injury. If you visit the Surfco shop in Pearl City, Hawaii, there’s a book with testimonials complete with uncensored photos of surfboard doing plenty of damage. A California surfing rep pulled into a closeout barrel one day and as he was getting rag dolled, the surfboard snapped back towards him and the tip punctured through the side of his jaw all the way through his tongue! You could see all the stitches required to sew his jaw closed and the sickening image of a tongue resembling a shredded doughnut.

I wish more people used noseguards for the safety of themselves but more importantly for the safety of others. I recall one incident when a shortboarder snaked a wave from me by dropping in behind me and as he was flying down the uncontrollably and ended up colliding with me full speed. The tip of his shortboard stabbed my butt but miraculously I didn’t surfer any gashes. A few inches to the left and we would have been talking about a slightly different version of Gerry Lopez’s colon bag story. If that guy who collided with me had a noseguard it would have substantially decreased the risk of serious injury…kamikaze surfers like that should be required to use noseguards in all of their boards.

If you’re one of the macho types and don’t like people knowing that you use noseguards, Surfco offers noseguards in white or clear colors to help match your board and they also come in a Super Slick formula which doesn’t stick in your surf bag. Noseguards are available for the following types of boards:

Shortboards (Flip nose boards)
All other Shortboards (Retro/Older style boards)
Longboards
Funboards

This week we tried Surfco’s Proteck X-Foil regular flex fins. The Hawaii based company offers high performance fins which feature urethane edges providing surfers with fluid flow and more importantly, reduce fin-related injuries. These are not cheapo fins for beginners and while the trailing edges are flexible, they provide a loose and forgiving ride for advanced surfers.

Proteck fins thruster fins come in both 4.25″ and the standard 4.5″ templates. Surfco also offers fins in a variety of colors and fin systems including FCS, Future, Lok Box, O’Fishl, and NSP. The fins also come in three flexes: regular, stiff, and carbon flex.

We tried both the 4.25″ and 4.5″ templates with great results. What we found was that the 4.25″ fins work well with a smaller board (we tested it with a 5′9 TORE Rocket Fish). These smaller templated fins can help loosen your board up in smaller weaker surf (head high and under). Just remember, it wouldn’t make sense to use 4.25″ fins in your 7′6 funboard. On the other hand, the 4.5″ Protecks worked great in a standard 6′2 shortboard and felt just as good if not better than stock FCS fins. The Protecks provided a lot more confidence in hitting the lip without worrying about putting a gash in your head with a mis-timed lip smack.

The stiff flex fins work best in overhead and larger surf and also work well for the larger/heavier surfer. The Proteck Carbon Fins are extremely stiff and provide the least amount of forgiveness but work well in larger surf (overhead plus) and are designed for the better surfer.

Overall, we highly recommend Proteck fins. They provide surprisingly great performance and even more importantly, reduce the risk of fin-related injuries. With an unprecedented number of surfers crowding line-ups these days, we wish that every surfer would use these fins and improve their surfing and make it safer for everyone else.

I just recently tested Surfco’s 9″ Proteck Powerflex longboard fin in our Kimo Greene 9′0 x 22″ x 3″ Honolulu model. I had been using a regular flex 9″ Proteck center fin as a single in the Honolulu model but we had a few days of pretty small/slower surf so I decided to give the flexible Powerflex fin a go. The main feature about the Powerflex fin is that it actually flexes in your turns and releases coming out. I have to say that this fin worked extremely well in the smaller/slower surf and gave the Honolulu model a smooth feel to it. Turns and cutbacks felt like butter and I could really feel the fin flexing just the right amount helping to smooth out my turns. The regular flex proteck fin felt a little too stiff in the slower waves and was slightly less forgiving in the smaller surf.

The only downside to this fin is that it only works well in shoulder/chest high surf and under. I found that in head to overhead plus surf the fin flexed too much and lacked enough drive to really generate sufficient speed but in the smaller surf it provided the perfect blend of flex and drive.

Surf Safer

The other great feature of the Powerflex fin along with all Proteck fins is that they protect you from nasty fin cuts. The Powerflex fin features a flexible core along with softer urethane edges which can save you and your fellow surfers a trip to the emergency room. Proteck fins perform just as well if not better than carbon and fiberglass fins. Research has shown that 66% of all surfing injuries are caused by the ultra sharp leading and trailing edges of carbon and fiberglass fins. Using Protecks gives me the confidence to attempt maneuvers without worrying about getting skegged. I’ve been hit by my Protecks numerous times and the worst I’ve received was a minor bruise. Had I been using fiberglass fins, I probably would have had 20 stitches in my leg. Many surfers have been making the switch and surfing smarter.

One of my Dave Parmenter fishes originally came with FCS triple plug keel fins. I’ve never seen keel fins on modern/hybrid fishes before so when I saw the fins on my fish I was somewhat skeptical. I’ve heard a few shapers say that keel fins are needed for retro fishes with wide tails. That being said, the FCS keel fins looked like a bit too much fin for my narrow tailed 5′9 fish. Another note worth mentioning is that the FCS keel fins are quite heavy and made my fish feel extremely tail heavy. I’m not exactly sure if that has any negative effects on performance but I think that lighter fins work better.

These fins weren’t working very well and the board was totally unresponsive without any speed. It was basically a dead duck in the water and a total dud! I decided to replace the heavy keel fins with the FCS MR Twin fins iand all of a sudden, the board had life again. The MR Twin fins created a unique blend of drive and looseness inn the turns which made this board a terror in smaller surf. The MR’s trailer fin (included in the MR twin set) created more drive in the Parmenter fish in larger surf. The MR fin with trailer is a very versatile system which allows you to change the dynamics of your board for a variety of conditions.

FCS MR Twin Fin with Trailer