When I was a kid, most surfers owned only one surfboard and rode it in everything from waves barely big enough to catch to those so large that you might wish you had never paddled out.
My first surfboard in 1962 was a Wardy, handmade in Laguna Beach by the man whose last name graced the sticker, Frederick Wardy.
My second and third boards were Hansen’s. They were followed by two Gordon & Smith Surfboards by Mike Hynson: a Mike Hynson Model “red fin,” and a Hynson HY II.
In 1967, a brief stint in the Islands put me on a Chris Green Buddha Board. This was followed by my first shortboard, which was shaped in Maui by Dick Brewer.
Upon returning to the mainland in 1968, I began making my own boards with materials purchased through Mitch’s Surf Shop in La Jolla for less than the current cost of a bag of groceries.
Aside from my own boards, I rode a few Sunset’s shaped by Ed Wright, a Music Surfboard made by Rusty Preisendorfer, a Bahne or two, a couple of Takayama’s, and a Skip Frye.
From 1972 to 1974, I endured a two-year stint through the South Pacific. I rode a variety of Australian and New Zealand-built surfboards.
From then on, it was a blur of mostly good surfboards built exclusively by San Diegans for San Diego surf.
My current quiver begins with a “Flex Plane,” a hand-held body surfing device built by Cardiff’s Finn Madsen.
If you want to make the best of closed-out, whomping beach breaks, this fun wave craft could be the tool for you. I also have a bodyboard, an Alia, and two kneeboards, one, a Rusty four-fin, gifted to me by my friend Mark Lauman.
I have only used the Rusty once, but keep it in mind for days when my senior citizen feet want to run from steep ledges.
The other kneeboard is a 5’6” “Rubber Soul” shaped by Arctic Foam’s Marty Gilchrest.
Being wider, this board works like a longboard, gliding effortlessly over the slow, flat sections often encountered during North County summers.
Whenever I want to stand up, I break out one of my four favorite boards: a 7’6” Carl Ekstrom asymmetrical, an 8’0” Frye Fish, an 8’8” Frye Gypsy, or an 8’10” Hynson and Company single-finned pintail.
This covers the two- to six-foot range I am primarily interested in. Some believe I should round out my quiver with a Frye glider and a big wave gun.
I see no need for either since waves with the power to drown me and those small enough to be generated in a puddle do nothing to attract my interest.
Anyway, I have a board capable of handling everything from knee-high to head-high. Good enough.
Whenever the waves lack shape, or I lack motivation, I’ll paddle my kayak out of the harbor to face the vast blue water horizon.
Then, I paddle and drift peacefully, maybe casting a line in hopes a fish will strike.
Eventually, I return home, wondering when the next good swell will arrive and what sort of surfboard will best enhance the joy of riding a wave or two.
Columnist and surfer Chris Ahrens is working on an upcoming book, “Windansea: Life. Death. Resurrection.” Anyone interested in helping fund this project is encouraged to visit www.givesendgo.com/GB6US.
