Just got back from Noosa where I had the privilege to meet Stuey and Woogie. I've ordered a 14' board from Stuey and was up there to talk it through and finalise details. What a pleasure it is to order a custom board and have the ability to work out exactly what
you want, rather than a generic clone.
Sure there is the risk factor of not knowing exactly what you will get but the only other time I have done this was with a windsurf board from Mark Stone in Geraldton I was astounded at how good the end result was. Mind you I would put Stoney right up there with Stuey at the rare genius end of the shaper spectrum.
And the crazy thing about all this in Australia is that usually these boards are cheaper than production boards.
Had a few days there and Tully StJohn lent me his 14' Penetrator to use.
Unfortunately I don't have detailed photos of the 14' (brain fade) but I will give you my impressions. I'm 69kg and 5'8.
First time I stood up on the board got these weird little high speed correction wobbles, really just a matter of telling myself that it was all OK, didn't need to do that and it stopped! Paddled out across the river for about ten strokes on one side the on the board. It just tracked dead straight and so fast - completely different to anything I had ever experienced!
But how am I ever going to turn.....well it was as simple as tilting the board with each stroke, no weird push out paddle technique. If you want to go left you press the right rail down with each stroke and the thing really turns - for old windsurfers just like jibing an original Windsurfer depress the outside rail in the turn. Suddenly the initial tippiness gives a huge benefit because the depression of the rail is achieved so easily, it's just a subtle weight shift more than anything else.
Feel a bit like I'm driving a hotrod with a big block, global warming has been proven a myth and I've got free petrol - stupid grin on my face as I do two laps of the Noosa Canal then head straight out through the river mouth.
Well the waves weren't too big but the old reflected chop made them come from three directions at once - so first fall. The water is very shallow so I walk it out anyway, I guess it has filled up with sand from the cyclone and I don't want to do a "Woogie" and go over the handlebars at high speed (that's my version of high speed - not Woogies). Woogie did the fly over the front thing in the race a couple of days before, hitting that bar hard with the fin, probably costing him a couple of places.
Out through the waves and into Laguna Bay, have to admit I'm still not relaxed and it does feel pretty tippy in the open water but boy does it crank along. Up to the race area grab a burger and a drink then a couple of laps of the Bay. Interestingly some guys are paddling back from the bar on their knees on wavier SUPS cursing the wind, of course I'd noticed it but it just wasn't a problem, keep the stroke rate up and the thing just rips upwind tracking straight.
Caught a couple of small waves at the bar, nothing dramatic just catch it super early and set a high speed course across the face, the thing that amazed me here was that at one stage I was sure I was too broad to the wave as it started to break but somehow the wave just eased the nose of the board around without tripping me and I got away with it. I guess the fact that there is no real rail as such so it doesn't catch - I was in fools paradise!
Paddle back in, another quick lap of the canal and back to the apartment - almost four hours of paddling and I'm mentally and physically completely stuffed.
Next day I do an early canal lap and quick trip up the river, saw the most amazing sight, a tiny bird is flying just above the water catching bugs I guess when suddenly a small ray (18" 450mm) leaps from the water, back in then leaps out again. Probably at least 3 or 400mm into the air - bird flies off fast - ray still hungry. Wonderful.
Today the 14' feels super easy, somehow my brain has got it sorted and I can get much more power into my paddle strokes and turning has become intuitive. Pack it up and back to Tully with the board, have a chat to two very nice polite German girls in the car-park in a Wicked van with "We stop for pussy" on the back - oh dear..
Grab the 12-6 in the afternoon, pissing with rain but who cares! While the guys are battling it out in tiny waves out the front I'm having a blast.
Thought I'd come to an untouched paradise - better not fall off.
Warning - Water Contaminated With Sewage
First impression is that this board is stable, really stable, like 11-2 Starboard stable, hang on I thought Penetrators were supposed to be tippy. Start paddling, just as fast for me as the 14' because I can put so much power into the stroke. Feels like I'm standing at water level - of course I'm not because my feet are dry. Trying hard not to break into hysterical laughter because of all the people around, I power off up the canal. Rain stops and I get a shot of the perfect ripples off the nose, still gliding after I stop paddling, put down the paddle, kneel down, get out the camera, turn it on.
Still moving so I get another shot, this time of the tail.
So off we go, up the river and another couple of canal laps, end up close to the mouth where the power boats speed up just a bit early so there is heaps of boat wake. This thing is just so stable I'm hitting wake at stupid angles just trying to tip it, rock solid - when you look at the hull shape it makes no sense. This board is a revelation for me, so fast, so stable - amazing.
But later on Stewie explains that this board probably had too little volume for 90kg 200lb Woogie, he was just dragging the tail a little deeper whereas for me it was just sitting nicely clear of the water. I think that it was the low volume that really helped stability for me, while the 14' was riding really high in the water with my weight on it so I was really just on the fully curved section - no wonder I did the tiny little death wobble dance when I first got on. And in reality I probably had the same waterline length in the water riding the 14 'high' as opposed to the 12'6 'just right'. Maybe the volume (not length) is more critical for different weights in a board like the Penetrator.
Side profile
Nose detail - note the goretex breather valve....detail, detail, detail.
Handle detail - hole goes right through for draining.
Tail detail - WOW
Bottom detail
Rocker detail
Bottom shape - Mid point
Bottom shape - 1 metre from tail
Bottom shape - 1 metre from nose
So, how happy do you think I was heading back to talk through my new board with Stuey, it will have the pin tail and the two 'exhausts' will come out just before the tail like tubes cut off on an acute angle..cool. Here are a few photos of the early stages.
That's Woogie in the background of one of the photos. Stewie, working with the most basic of equipment in a small space creates wonderful boards. Amazing what an open mind, acute observation, passion and 20,000 boards under your belt can do.
ive stood and watch stuey on many occasions in his shaping and glassing bay,he does it all,hand shaped race boards right thru to colour,this guy is creating the pace in downwind racers and people still want chinese crap no matter who designed them.buy australian from australian shapers.
.. I know you will love it.. 
