Endless (rat) Summer

Bunsen, Harry, Curly and Chopsticks may be the stars of the next surf classic. But unlike Bruce Brown and Bruce Irons, these guys are rats. No, not low-lifes...they're literally rats.



After burning up You Tube with a clip of the rippin' rodents (2 million hits and counting), their trainer and owner, Shane Willmott of Queensland, Australia, is planning a documentary.

It took only a few training sessions to train the rats to ride, according to an article in Britain's metro.co.uk. Shane said he has also started a sideline selling framed photos of the mice with copies of their surfboards to fans for £80 each. He is also planning to launch a Radical Rodents website.

Stand up paddle company picks new COO

C4 Waterman, innovator of stand up paddle surfing equipment and accessories world-wide, today announced that Bob Rief has joined the company as Chief Operating Officer.

Rief has served as President of Nike Golf, Vice President of Callaway Golf, CEO of Reef, and, most recently, CEO of Sanuk. Rief will operate from C4 Waterman's new Mainland USA headquarters in Cardiff by the Sea, CA.

"It is the waterman element of C4 that first attracted me to the brand," said Rief. "The opportunity to join with reputed watermen and businessmen like Brian Keaulana, Todd Bradley and Mike Fox in a business that is dedicated to the development of innovative waterman's tools is very appealing."

C4 Waterman was launched in January, 2007, and has played an integral part in the revival and perpetuation of the sport of stand up paddle--or "beachboy"--surfing. The sport originated in Hawaii in the 1940s through the creativity of Waikiki's famed Beachboys, who combined their two passions of surfing and canoe-paddling.

C4 Waterman was founded by partners Brian Keaulana, Todd Bradley, and Mike Fox, all out of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Wallin snags deal for new line of Playboy surfboards

A "passion for the Playboy brand" earned Wallin Surfboards the right to market the first-ever line of Playboy surfboards.

It also got Wallin president John Levandoski a great piece in the Money section of the OC Register. The boards will sell from between $600 and $2,000, and will be on the market in the next couple of weeks.

Read more here.

Styxtrader.com launches classified ad site for board sports

Styxtrader.com, of Port Hueneme, CA, announced the launch of a new web site they hope will become the search engine of choice in the world of extreme sports. They are a classified ad site for surf, skate and snow sports where users can advertise new or used equipment such as surfboards, kite boards, skateboards, art, clothing, or whatever.

Customers can get online and fill out a form, upload pictures of the items they're selling, and have people all over the world looking in no time. The site was specifically designed for companies, shop owners, manufacturers, artists, photographers, surfers, skaters, and snowboarders. Shops can have their products seen by the public, and will also be able to redirect traffic from Styxtrader.com to their own sites.

"We are dedicated to keeping our site pure and visually beautiful to inspire use of the site," a Styxtrader press release said. The site was "specifically designed to be in the spirit of the surfing and sport community."

Styxtrader.com does not warehouse any products. For a flat fee, the user can list the product, and the buyer deals directly with the advertiser with no middle man. Banner ads in different sizes are also available for those who want greater exposure of their product or business. Now, instead of having to sell used surfboards by displaying them in the shop, owners can reach the surfer down the street or on the other side of the world. Items can be categorized by region, by the type of merchandise or service, or by sport.

For more information, visit the site, or call John Doeppl at (805) 201-0611.

Greenlight Surfboard Supply markets kits for ProBox-compatible hand-made bamboo fins

Greenlight Surfboard Supply of Philadelphia has teamed up with ProBox Fin Systems of Torrance, CA to offer kits that allow surfers to make their own bamboo fins that will fit into a ProBox Fin box.

With a kit and some basic hand tools, surfers have the option of creating a quiver of various fin designs to maximize the performance of a single surfboard.

The kit includes bamboo fin panels and comprehensive instruction on how to create any fin style. Bamboo fins are strong, light, and easily shaped with standard tools found in most household toolboxes.

You should be able to get at least six fins of any style from the bamboo panel supplied in the kit.