Who am I? I'm a 48 year old guy who is lucky enough to be making a living doing what I love to do. I'm originally from Idaho, and first got my feet wet (pardon the pun) as a teenager paddling a cheap rubber raft down class 5 sections on the north fork of the Payette River. I moved to California in 1983 and have been "living the life" ever since. I am an expert river kayaker and have logged over 30 first descents. For the past 20 years I've been teaching kayaking at Humboldt State University. In 1993, I won the World Kayak Surf Championship. I have been in the top four at four different World Titles. I have 6 U.S. Wave Ski titles and 5 U.S. Surf Kayaking titles. In 2003 I took 4th in the World and in 2004 I took 4th at the U.S. Nationals. In 2005 I took1st place at the U.S. team trails earning me a spot on the U.S. Men's Surf Team for the 18th consecutive year. All of these titles have been won by surfing my onw designs. In 1987 I started making custom wave skis and surf kayaks. My Wold Ski Custom product line has allways been a leader in the sport. At the 2005 Santa Cruz contest 3 of the 4 kayaks surfed in the High Performance class where designed by me. Rusty Sage surfed my newest design the " Super Nova " to a 1st place finish. At the 2005 World Kayak Surfing contest held in costa Rica, I placed 2nd in the Masters HP and 10th in the Open HP surfing the Super Nova. My 1st place performance in my Masters Open team event, helped the U.S.West team take 1st in the world.
For those of you who want to know about the boat-building, here is a brief history on the evolution of Wold Ski Custom:
In 1986, I started designing and manufacturing wave skis. Throughout the years I continued to upgrade the product toward better performance and control. It was the improved design changes which, I believe, allowed me to win numerous wave ski contests, including the 1991 and 1993 U.S. Open Wave Ski Championship and the 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 U.S. Seniors Wave Ski Titles. Since there has not been a U.S. Titles after 1994, I have not had the opportunity to add more titles to the list!
In 1989, I designed my first "surf boot," and seven models later came up with the most successful early design, the Das Boot.
In 1995, I decided to challenge the world with the "Terminator" International Class surf kayak. This boat had all the design features I needed to help defend my 1993 World Surf Kayak title.
In 1997, I introduced the Surf Machine. This surf boot is a high tech toy designed to spin, slash, and tumble in both the river and the ocean. This kayak helped me to earn a spot on the High Performance category of the U.S. surf kayaking team that won the World's in Brazil in 1999.
In 1998, I designed the Big Machine, specifically because I wanted to produce a high performance surf boot for the larger paddler.
In 2000, I added the Dream Machine to Wold Ski Custom's high performance line. This surf kayak combines all the latest rodeo moves and the hottest surfing moves into one boat. I used the Dream Machine to earn a spot on the High Performance category of the U.S. surf kayaking team that took 2nd in the World's in Santa Cruz, CA in 2002. Both Jeff Burlingham and I surfed the Dream Machine and won all of our team heats.
In late 2000, Wold Ski Custom added the "T-2" to the International Class surf kayak line. This is a cutting edge design that can easily double as a high performance kayak. In 2002, I surfed the T-2 to my 15th consecutive year as a member of the U.S. kayak surf team that will compete for the world title in Ireland 2003. Being the five-time U. S. Surf Kayak Champion, I am secure in my belief that this is the best International Class surf kayak on the market today.
New for the 2003 season, is the Epic. This model is an upgrade of the highly successful Dream Machine with a shorter, wider, more forgiving and maneuverable model. Jeff Burlingham, a three-time member of the High Performance U.S. Surf Kayaking team and currently ranked #1 on the West Coast, will surf the Epic in Ireland 2003. I placed 4th at the Worlds surfing the Epic.
In 2004 I introduced the Nova. This design is the most user friendly surf kayak I have made since the Das Boot. The Nova has lots of foot room and a very forgiving hull design. I took 4th the Nationals surfing the Nova and Matt Radis took 1st at the 2005 team trails surfing the Nova.
In 2005 I designed the Super Nova. I took the best of the Nova and the Epic and added a faster hull with a new school bounce. I brought the 1st Super Nova out of the mold to the 2005 Santa Cruz contest and with a bad back surfed it into the quarter finals. I lent the Super Nova to Rusty Sage and he won his semi- final and went on to take 1st in the final.
In 2007 I designed the Stellar. As much as I love the Super Nova, I was missing the easy stern squirt take-offs and the cartwheel tricks of the Epic. I also wanted to add a little more speed than either boat. So I made the Stellar. This surf kayak has everything I wanted. It is fast, yet forgiving. The Stellar can bounce, cartwheel, loop, flip and twist all without losing speed. This is my favorite surf kayak ever!!