I challenge to Mike the 'Bonzer Nut' to a duel...
Peter Berkey
Wall.... bring yer Bonzer board, man ... I wanna see how fast you can sail.
Gorge is suppose to get some big air... like 50+ (??) Hey, I'm up for
it... let's see who can have the longest session without touching shore....
let's trade boards for a time so you can check out the new OO technology and
I can see what a Bonzer sails like.
How 'bout it, Mike ??
--Peter Berkey
Mike F
van, rig in the dirt in the wind, launch on rocks, sail under a cliff where
a (forecast) west wind turns to gusts from hell separated by dead air,
versus drive 30 miles to rig on sheltered grass, launch on sand, sail in
open terrain where -- we hope -- it will be steady? No-brainer. I also have
no interest in sailing a superlight board in sustained 40-kt winds. If you
can enjoy that, more power to ya.
Sorry, Peter ... some other time. I'd like to swap boards some time, but not
when it's so inconvenient. We don't get many days of wind this close to
home, so I want to take advantage of it while I can.
As for the longest session ... you win. I can still enjoy four hours, and
have pushed 5 as dark approached, but wouldn't attempt your 6+ hour sessions
even if I could. They're too detrimental to performance and I don't like
peeing in my steamer 4-5 times in one session. Ever get thirsty during or
after those marathons? By the time we feel any thirst, we're a quart low,
which impairs our performance measurably real time and our health in the
long haul. I sail a lot better -- and smell better -- if I come in every 2-3
hours, even if only for 10 minutes to swap fluids and shove down some food.
Mike \m/
"Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com> wrote in message
news:hJ3B7.40379$Zb.19...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...
WARDOG
Peter Berkey wrote:
> I challenge Mike the 'Bonzer Nut' to a duel... tomorrow, high noon at The
> Wall....
Sounds like you will have to "gun" for him at Roosevelt. L(©¿©)K for a
white van
with high top and a guy wearing a helmet and face shield with a "yella
belly".
(Getting the popcorn ready...;-)
WARDOG
http://www.surfingsports.com
Peter Berkey
Aw, come on Mike... where's your sense of adventure? And where the heck do
you live? 100 miles east of The Wall would put ya right about Pendleton.
Somehow I thought you lived and worked in the Gorge. No wonder you wanna
extend the boundaries of the Gorge.
You are right, better wind out there. Wish I had the time to get out there,
but it's a bit of a stretch for me out of Oregon City.
--Peter Berkey
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message
news:7W6B7.151181$DY1.5...@sjcpnn01.usenetserver.com...
Mike F
definitely not in the Gorge by anybody's definition. Da River flows
essentially eastward here, so our predominant SW winds are cross-grain and
down-current. The "lower Columbia" -- the part that flows westward through
canyons -- starts about half an hour south and a bit east, at Port Kelley. I
don't consider driving into the Corridor as an "adventure", especially after
living there in a van 3-6 months each year since 1988 chasing wind every
moment the sun's up. It's simply a longer drive. Work? ... shudder ... bin
dere, dun dat, decided windsurfing was more fun.
Just as you drive east from the west, I drive west until I find sufficient
wind and acceptable swell, then jump in the river. In spring and fall my
search might be as short as 25 minutes to (gag) Plymouth or as long as 140
minutes to Stevenson; in the summer it all too often ends up at the Hatch. I
wouldn't go past The Wall often, either, if I had to drive from south of
Portland.
We'll meet in the middle one of these days, more likely next spring if this
fall chills down as fast as last year did. I quit by the time the water
drops into the mid-40s or the air about 50, 'cause gloves suck.
Man, check that forecast. Every new one ups the ante. Now it's "35-50
gusting to 60" ... and that's the "CIVILIAN" forecast which does not take
the venturi into account. The last forecast like that ended up blowing us
off the water as liquid smoke coated the river even in flat terrain. Have a
great day.
Mike \m/
"Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com> wrote in message
news:0JfB7.42493$Zb.20...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...
Lois Stufflebeam
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote:
> Lessee ... drive >100 miles one way into a 40-kt headwind in a 9-foot-high
> van, rig in the dirt in the wind, launch on rocks, sail under a cliff
where
> a (forecast) west wind turns to gusts from hell separated by dead air,
Jeez, Mike, I thought this WAS the definition of a typical day in the
Gorge.....
Just kidding...but I prior to this summer, I did think of the Gorge in this
way. Now that I had a chance to spend a lot of time there, I have a whole
new view of the place.
Be sure to give that Open Ocean a try, I could not have sailed the big days
at Swell without it. You might just like it!
Lois
Roger Christal
"Lois Stufflebeam" <lasb...@home.com> wrote in message
news:RJjB7.20888$SF4.8...@news1.rdc1.sdca.home.com...
>
> Be sure to give that Open Ocean a try, I could not have sailed the big
days
> at Swell without it. You might just like it!
Could someone please explain to me why an OO is better than a Bonzer?
Having sailed a 7' 6" Bonzer since the first year they were offered AND
having sailed a couple of OO's, I really have to say I like the Bonzer
better.
So there...
Mike F
owns both and likes his OO better than his Bonzer -- in specific conditions.
He sails both the OR coast and the Gorge, and uses each board where it works
best. He says his OO's noticeably slower speed suits the coast better
because it doesn't outrun the waves, is well suited to luffing the sail and
surfing the waves, and planes a bit earlier in marginal winds. But when he
sails the Gorge and wants to crank up the adrenaline with superior control,
higher board speeds, tighter slashing, and bigger air -- especially in
higher winds and rough water -- he uses his Bonzer. He cited the very
differences I've always observed between the two and that pro sailors have
commented on -- greater speed, higher g's in the slashes and turns, better
pointing, more durable construction, better jumping, more precise tracking
at high speeds in rough water, and broader sail range -- among his reasons
for preferring the Bonzer in the Gorge.
Mike \m/
"Roger Christal" <roger-c...@home.com> wrote in message
news:dnCB7.45673$Zb.22...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...
Peter Berkey
makes. I think you need to look at each size in the Open Ocean boards
individual to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the brand... as well
as the weight of the sailor who sails it. Different sizes and different
weights bring different shapes and different responses to conditions.
Certain boards are optimized for certain conditions... you just have to find
that range that meets your needs. My 8.2 OO board has a very wide range in
sails, and it can probably point, slash, control, speed, etc, etc, just as
well as your Bonzer. Honest!!
There are so many combo's with custom boards, and this is why you need
someone to design the board in the size that suits your particular needs....
that's the magic of custom boards. Brian at Open Ocean is a good person to
talk to about this. One size will not fit all, however there are formula's
that Brian has developed after years and years of experience. The guy knows
his stuff... he can build the right board for what you ask for... with
options that the Bonzer's just doesn't offer (like removable thrusters).
I'm not knocking Bonzers, it's just that I think that you have a bias that
is based on an unfair comparisons.
Let's swap boards next spring, and I will give you and this newsgroup a very
honest opinion about what I think with the comparison. Agreed?
--Peter Berkey
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message
news:y4GB7.26486$6y3.1...@sjcpnn01.usenetserver.com...
Mike F
8-0, and 7-3 Gorge Animals, and they all sail differently. BUT the 8-3 is an
epoxy prototype with a fatter-than-normal tail and no Bonzer fins, which I
use for marginal winds due to its greater tail flotation. It slashes very
well, especially with a slotted wave fin, and is extremely fast with a
straighter fin. The 7-3 also has no Bonzer fins, because it was custom-built
for a lightweight guy who cruises swell luffed. It works fine for me at 4.2
and smaller if the wind is steady. My bread & butter board is my 8-0
Bonzer -- which has the same sail range and general feel my 7-11, 7-10, and
7-6 Bonzers had. So both size and design matter ... and don't matter. The
7-6 through 8-0 sailed more alike than the 8-0 and 8-3 do, because the
latter two are different designs and the major size difference between the
7-6, 7-10, 7-11, and 8-0 are in their nose treatments. The shapes and
performances have evolved in that series, but they all handle pretty similar
wind and sail ranges.
As for rushing to judgement, I think the only validity to that may be the
fact that I had to generalize the differences between the two brands based
on the individual boards I tested, and they may have been different sizes.
But the range of both boards was centered on a 4.2 sail size, according to
both their shapers and many unbiased testers. The OO performed best from 3.7
to 4.7, as Brian said it would, but began to get bouncy in solid 3.2
conditions and felt nose-heavy under a 5.2. The Bonzers, from 7-6 to 8-0,
did not feel overloaded until we put a 5.8 on them, and didn't get too
bouncy even when guys were on 2.5s or were hiding on shore under their 3.0s.
The many other differences we noticed between the two marques remained
fairly consistent over the several years we tested both brands of boards,
over several sizes. My preference (is a preference a "bias"?) is based on
those differences, not on karma or emotion or brand loyalty. What I do lack
is recent experience ON the OOs. I sail WITH them every windy day, but have
not strapped one on in several years now. I really should get on one just to
see how they have changed recently. But, of course, the Bonzers have
evolved, too, as neither shaper is sitting still. Les @ Gorge Animal also
shapes personally tailored customs (he and Brian have quite similar
backgrounds, both having been surfers, surfboard shapers, windsurfers, then
windsurfing board shapers since the 70s. (BTW, Bonzer fins are removable,
although I've never had a reason to remove mine because I don't sail my
sinkers in straight lines on flat water.) GA also offers the same
construction options OO offers, and is involved in the development of a
construction that may change windsurfing (I've pounded quite hard with a
hammer on unglassed 6-pound blanks with no damage). So neither shop is
sitting on its laurels.
I hope your OO will perform better than my Bonzer, with no drawbacks. I'd
love to have some options in case Les gets hit by a truck, falls off the
edge of the world (he sails and markets his boards world-wide) or gives up
sailboards for personal hovercraft or carbon tiddlywinks. I've tried MANY
other B&J and wave sinkers -- from $1,000 productions to $2,000 exotics from
15+ shapers for years (1992-1996 intensely and professionally, less often
since then) -- and have yet to find one that compares to Bonzers FOR MY
SAILING STYLE AND SKILL SET. Those caps are vital, as there is no such thing
as a single best board ... or mate ... or job ... or car ... etc. And
although I don't HAVE to restrict my choices by price, it IS nice that
Bonzer prices have not changed since 1992; they're still under $1,100 for
the polyester version and getting lighter every year. I've tried carbon
versions, but prefer the softer ride of polyester when the wind's up.
I'd be more than happy to meet and swap boards, for several reasons. I
seldom ride ultralight boards, because I just don't like the way they handle
and feel in the gusts when I'm rigged to be powered in the lulls. Most of my
OO buds have either older models or current customs, neither of which would
reflect Brian's latest street design. Of course, with Les as with Brian, the
off-the-shelf models must appeal to the average sinker buyer; either shaper
can build whatever a specific rider wants ... or thinks he wants. Brian
still markets a 7-7, for example, whereas Les found that his customers
balked at anything under 8 feet; the 7 scared them away, even though there's
nothing magical about a 7 vesus an 8.
May I make a prediction? We'll each like our own stick best. More important,
we'll both be right. I know for a fact that my sailing style changed the
first day I rode a Bonzer, because it immediately allowed me to do things I
could never do before. The OO did the same for me: just as I did the first
day I rode a Mistral Ecstasy, I carved dozens of jibes in a row (in days
when I generally planed through fewer than 50% on a good day) the first time
I ever rode an OO. I was powered juuuust right in very steady winds, and the
OO could do no wrong in the jibes, never spun out, pointed exceptionally
well for a sinker on a wave fin, and jumped well. The differences between it
and the Bonzer were matters of degrees, not night and day.
And, of course, I'd guess my skills have adapted to the basic Bonzer designs
since then. Neither Les nor Brian bows to fads, both preferring evolution to
revolution and both remaining true to their own shape philosophies. I have
applied some skills I learned on Bonzers to other boards successfully, but
usually have to work harder to do the same things on other boards. And, of
course, countless sailors can do more on a cardboard WalMart board than I'll
ever learn to do on a Bonzer -- or a Rutger, or Island Unique, or Fathom, or
Stealth, or Wind Obsession.
I notice that neither of us bothered to mention in this thread how that day
you challenged me turned out. I don't know what you encountered, but I had
my lunch handed to me via enema bag that PM, for the first time since about
last March. With my smallest sail (3.0) rigged tight and flat, my helmet
bolted to my skull, my smallest flexy slotted wave fin under me, and two
Tylenols, I spent about an hour hunting for an elusive moment when I was in
sufficient control to feel safe, let alone actually sail the swell. Never
found it, and packed it up and drove east (towards home) in an attempt to
get past the liquid smoke ... to no avail. That stuff just wasn't fun, and a
better sailor who outweighs me by >60 pounds agreed. The only thing I
learned that day was how far and how consistently I can sail with the nose
of my board almost blocking my forward view: hundreds of meters, easy. I
sometimes felt more in control that way, more relaxed, and safer, than
trying to actually SAIL. Water starts were a joke, as the board tumbled
end-over-end several times during each attempt. I'm as at home in tons of
wind as I'm sure you are, but, JEEZ, there are limits. I was right at the
edge of mine Tuesday -- able to get across the river in several tries but
having no fun to speak of. Patches of liquid smoke is fun; continuous spray
obscuring much of the river ain't. I'll always try it on those days, but
will expect less entertainment and more sheer work next time.
Hey ... if you wide-board guys are gettin' tired of seeing Peter and me
drone on about little pipe-dream sinkers and nuke winds ... it's PAYBACK
TIME!! ;-)
Mike \m/
"Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com> wrote in message
news:wDXB7.48684$Zb.24...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...
Rainman
I LOVE them !! :-)
R.
--
The war goes on....
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message news:4q4C7.82069$6y3.2...@sjcpnn01.usenetserver.com...
Peter Berkey
advertising business promoting Bonzers. Check out some of these ideas....
The Alka-Seltzer Bonzer...
"Pop, pop, fizz, fizz...Oh, what a relief it is"
The US Army Bonzer...
"Be all that you can be."
The Borden Bonzer...
"It's GOT to be good."
The Borg Bonzer...
"Resistance is futile."
The Budweiser Bonzer...
"This bonzer's for you."
The Campbell's Soup Bonzer...
"Mmmm mmm good"
The Captain Planet Bonzer...
"Go BONZER!!"
The Visa Bonzer...
"It's goes everywhere you want to be."
The Crest Bonzer...
"Recommended by 3 out of 4 windsurfers."
The Dr. Pepper Bonzer...
"Wouldn't you like to be a Bonzer too?"
The Energizer Bonzer...
"It keeps going and going and going and going"
The Extra Bonzer
"Lasts an extra extra extra long time"
The Frosted Flakes Bonzer
They're GGGR RRRRR EEEEAA AAATTT!
The Gillette Bonzer
"The best session a man can get."
The Juicyfruit Bonzer...
"The board is gonna move ya."
The Clint Eastwood Bonzer..
"Go ahead, make my windsurfing day"
The Lays Bonzer...
"Betcha can't sail just one."
The Little Caesar's Bonzer...
"Bonzer!! Bonzer!!"
The McDonald's Bonzer...
"Have you had your session today?"
The Magnavox Bonzer...
"Smart. Very Smart"
The Maxwell House Bonzer
"Good to the last gust"
The Mazda Bonzer...
"It just feels right."
The Milk Bonzer...
"It does a body good."
The Nike Bonzer...
"Just do it."
The Nyquil Bonzer...
"The coughing, sneezing, runny-nose, itching, burning, so you can sail
board."
The Secret Bonzer...
"Strong enough for a man, made for a woman."
The Snickers Bonzer...
"It satisfies you."
The Star Wars Bonzer...
"Use the Bonzer, Luke! "
The Timex Bonzer...
"Takes a lickin and keeps on tickin"
The Toyota Bonzer...
"I love what you do for me"
The Rolaids Bonzer...
"It spells relief"
"Rainman" <winds...@optushome.com.au> wrote in message
news:3bd90285$0$8347$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
Yo Dude
"side effects may include, drowziness. dizziness, and sexual
disfunction"
On Fri, 26 Oct 2001 16:40:51 GMT, "Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com>
wrote:
Mike F
The Chevy Bonzer: "One Tough Board" Notice I didn't say, "Like a Rock".
The Army Bonzer: "It does more in one reach than you do all day"
The Air Force Bonzer: "Up we go, into the wild blue yonder ..."
The American Express Bonzer: "Don't leave shore without it"
The Doublemint Bonzer: "Double you pleasure, double your fun ... double your
fins"
The Milk Bonzer: "Got Fins?"
Mike \m/
"Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com> wrote in message
news:nmgC7.2998$sR2.5...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...
Peter Berkey
The Detrol Bonzer...
"Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!! "
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message
news:DnjC7.103718$6y3.3...@sjcpnn01.usenetserver.com...
Mike F
without sunshine".
The Brylcream Bonzer: "A little fin'll do ya".
The Clairol Hair Color Bonzer: "If I've only one life, let me live it on a
Bonzer!"
The Coca Cola Bonzer: "It's the real thing."
Hey, Peter ... this is a neat idea you started:
The Johnson Baby Shampoo Bonzer: "No more fears."
The American Airlines Bonzer: "Something special in the air."
The GE Bonzer: "We bring good things to life."
The Delta Airlines Bonzer: "We love to fly and it shows."
The Bud Bonzer: "When you say Bonzer, you've said it all"
The BMW Bonzer: "The ultimate driving machine"
The Buick Bonzer: "Wouldn't you really rather have a Bonzer?"
The Federal Express Bonzer: "When there's no tomorrow"
The Crest Toothpaste Bonzer: "Look, Ma .... no cavitation."
And, of course, there's "Bonzer; it's what's for launch."
Mike \m/
Peter Berkey
"Built Gorge tough"
The Burger King Bonser...
"Sail it your way"
The Charmin Bonser...
"Don't squeeze the Bonser!"
The Folger's Crystals Bonser...
"The best part of wakin up is a Bonser in your cup."
The Kix Bonser...
"Kid tested, mother approved."
The Payday Bonser...
"Its almost totally nuts!"
The Coco Puff Bonser
"you'll go cuckoo for Bonser's."
--Peter Berkey
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message
news:DnjC7.103718$6y3.3...@sjcpnn01.usenetserver.com...
bsinclair
My Bonser sore.
bs
"Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com> wrote in message
news:8XqC7.6337$sR2.1...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...
Peter Berkey
1. How interesting.
2. Ahh, it's cute.
3. Maybe if we water it, it'll grow more fins.
4. I never saw one like that before.
5. Does it come with leather seats?
6. It looks like a shark.
7. My 8-year-old sister has one like that for the pool.
8. But it still works, right?
9. What will they think up next?
10. Oh, I get it... sorta like all-wheel-drive?
--Peter Berkey
"bsinclair" <bsin...@hawaii.rr.com> wrote in message
news:kSuC7.84285$OW.20...@typhoon.hawaii.rr.com...
Lois Stufflebeam
Thanks for the laughs, I really enjoyed this!
Lois
"Peter Berkey" <pete...@home.com> wrote in message
news:8XqC7.6337$sR2.1...@news1.sttln1.wa.home.com...