I paused as I removed the sock from my 9'2". It was my first longboard. I bought it from this very shop when it was still a small operation in the heart of the Goleta industrial district by the airport. A recent C Street run had left it short one of its little side fins, and with the approaching spring doldrums it was time for a repair run.

"What do you mean," I asked, "a longboard to sell here on commission or something?"

I ran a hand over the hard down rails and inspected the board's rocker. A 'modern longboard...'

Sitting on the floor of the Carpinteria Women's Club after a day's worth of surfing perfect Rincon for the Clean Water Classic, I watched a rag-tag assortment of pro longboarders attacking 2-3' Canary Islands surf with the frustrated abandon of a big happy dog chasing butterflies on a very short leash behind a slow-moving owner. Floaters, off-the-lips, and roundhouses were being carved on heavily rockered 9'+ boards, and while the guys were managing to pull off the moves, the limitations of their equipment were obvious. The phrase "nervous, chaotic surfing," first put to paper by Dora during one of his legendary rants-in-print, was later used by Parmenter about 8 years ago to indict the "New School" of pro shortboarders and the legions following them onto potato-chip shortboards. As I watched another surfer hop his longboard by on the big screen, I put down my sandwich and left. The same phrase could well have been used to describe what I was watching.

Doug shakes his head as I lay my board down on the floor of Surf Country, two (2) fins up to expose the damage. He starts checking the integrity of the cloth that was formerly under my missing fin. "No, I need a board. Got any to sell me?"

It's a good board, with down rails throughout, hard and thin towards the tail with a mix of rocker and vee there and a little concave into the slightly flipped nose. Turns well on a rail and holds strong on a steep face, but do I really want to put a 9'2" log onto a rail in a hard cutback, or try to cram it into a barrel? I'd rather do that on my 6'6". Every time I ride it and do a power turn the thought of my shortboard is there, nagging me with visions of a harder turn, more spray, more g's.

Maybe what I need is a good dose of old-school soul. Throw out the down rails, concaves, and fancy rocker for soft, eggy 50-50 rails with a simple, flat bottom and even rocker. Old school. One fin. Names like Velzy, Jacobs, Hobie, or Yater. Soul arches, smooth trim, and noserides. Yeah...

Glide on to Part Two.