INLAND SURFER: evo SEATTLE’S DARREN LEARNS TO WAKESURF
By Darren Wells: Inland Surfer came to life on Lake Sammamish, WA with founder Jeff Paige looking for an easier way to surf than driving hours to the coast, to throw on his 5mm wetsuit, and paddle around for hours in PNW fog and inconsistent surf breaks. I first heard of Inland Surfer about ten years ago when they were just getting started, and I was just getting started as a “shop rat” at a local ski and wake shop. I had never wake-surfed, let alone surfed; but I was in love with the idea of surfing an endless, boat-generated wave. Recently, I was fortunate enough to spend a few days on Lake Sammamish with Jeff and Lance (his right hand man) testing out what Inland Surfer has to offer.
Wake surfing starts with the boat, and the guys at Inland Surfer have a Centurion Enzo SV244 (the is a fancy name for a boat) dialed in for regular-stance toe-side surfing. It’s wake is massive, with a generous sweet-spot appropriate for all skill levels. It’s swim-step and inboard propeller, provide safe and easy access getting in and out of the boat. Like any sport, safety should be your number one priority and wake-surfing is safest behind inboard boats like Jeff’s. Outboard or I/O (inboard/outboard) boats are generally un-safe because the propeller is generally exposed. The propeller placement on inboard boats is located underneath the hull which makes it virtually impossible to fall and find your-self trying to high-five a whirling prop!
There are two styles of wake surf boards; surf-style and skim-style. Surf-style boards are bigger, more buoyant, and typically faster down the line, and easier to generate more energy. Surf style is all about generating energy, airing out of the wake and getting pitted! Skim-style surf boards are smaller, less buoyant, typically twin-tip in shape, and their sharper rails provide a looser feel under foot. Skim-style boards are for riders who prefer technical tricks, less power, with more finesse.
First up, was the Blue Lake V2 Quad-fin. It was big and easy to ride; but still had great acceleration, tracking, and release. Next up was the Swallow V2 Quad-fin, faster down the line and more responsive than the Blue Lake, it created an amazing ride! The Swallow V2 incorporates Inland Surfer’s STEPtech which creates a release point at the tail of the board for the water as it flows through. This means more down the line speed and better release off the wake for bigger airs. The third board I rode was the 4-Skim Black Pearl Tri-fin. It is more forgiving than the Swallow V2 which made it feel a little slower with the three fin configuration.
Later, I rode the Black Pearl with a single fin, which allowed it to release smoothly and feel even looser under foot. My final and favorite board I got to shred was the Sweet Spot Pro Quad-fin. The speed that you can generate with the Sweet Spot Pro comes from the Vortex Channel (which speeds up water and pushes air near the tip of the board producing a faster board and helps avoid nose diving), and STEPtech. Inland Surfer’s Progressive Edge Technology provides superior edge stability by combining rail geometry and construction to hold the board close to the wake without creating unwanted drag. The result allows for a lot of power to be generated even for my intermediate wake surfing skills.
Next time I’ll be trying to get my hands on the newest board in their line-up, The James Walker Pro Model AKA The Flyboy. I have been looking at this board all summer in the store (evo) and I can’t wait to get this thing behind the boat. Inland Surfer celebrates a decade in the wake surfing business, and I like to credit Jeff with being the OG (original gangster) of wake surfing while still managing to stay at the forefront of the sport and create some of the most sought after wake surf boards out there!
Thanks for a couple great days on the water!
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