Daily Photos: Tracht | Surf Wanderer

What does it mean to be a Surfwanderer?

What It Means to be a Surfwanderer

rabbits foot: Ryan Lovelace/ Shawn Tracht

Ryan Lovelace with the Rabbits Foot finless surfboard Photo: Tracht

By Shawn Tracht

What does it mean to me to be a Surfwanderer? Well considering at this exact point in my life, as a surfer, I have two small kids and a full time job teaching, Surfwanderering for me is much different than my friend here, Ryan Lovelace. Where Ryan is traveling the world, surfing and shaping interesting surf crafts, like this finless Rabbits foot here, my family life has me surfwanderering a different way.

Like many of you, just trying to fit in a surf session everyday is not easy. So varying our surf spots becomes even tougher as our time does not lend all day beach days anymore. For me, to be a Surfwanderer is about the metaphysical journey as much as the corporeal one. By challenging myself with board design, I continue to stay highly motivated to surf the same ‘ole spots everyday…and I love it. See figuring out how to ride different surf crafts is the challenge that keeps my smile pure and grom-like. I would love to follow the surf around the world, never having to surf a shitty blown out day again. However, being a good father to my kids is ten times better than following the surf, so in that, staying home is just fine.

Being a Surfwanderer to me is having perspective of your whole life. Even though this time of my life maybe that of a one wave guy with a ten surfboard quiver, I know that as my son and daughter grow up and become surfers, which they must, my quick assault surf missions to the same beach everyday with a variety of surfboards to choose from, will become full day and full summer long (remember I’m a teacher) surf trips with a crazy quiver that I know how to use.

Lovelace hands Tracht is new Surfwanderering Vehicle

Many of you are probably more in this predicament, the job guy and girl, than the magazine dream, being a daily world traveler for waves. So to answer the question why I ride so many weird surfboards all the time, well, it’s for the ability to surf wander while staying at home.

In that, happy Surf wandering. If work is king, and you need some new surf stoke, go get funking with your next board, and continue Surfwanderering right at home!

Leave a comment

The Rally Racer by Shane Stoneman

Shane Stoneman shapes surfboards on the Central Coast, way, way up in the hills overlooking the ocean. Photo: Tracht

The Rally Racer by Shane Stoneman

Just the other day, Surfwanderer had the chance to meet up with Central Coast shaper Shane Stoneman to have a new board, The Rally Racer, shaped for the staff. We decided on this shortboard model that is a hair shorter than your normal shortboard, yet adds a little width and volume to help catch waves from 2ft to 2ft over head. This board can also be ordered on the longer side, which helps it become your step-up model.

Notice also the rounded tail, which is pulled in from the forward outline of the surfboard. That pulled in, more narrow rounded tail is built for sticking to the wave face on very critical bowly sections. This is Shane’s main go to surfboard right now for a couple reasons: one, the width and thickness help the board catch a lot more waves, and two, the pulled in round tail helps the board hold its line on steep bottom turns in bowly and/or sizeable surf.

In final, if you like a surfboard that is more on the performance side, yet you can only afford one surfboard, then the Rally Racer by Stoneman maybe a really good choice for your next board. Stay tuned for pictures of the crew riding this board in the coming month or so once it’s glassed and bestowed upon us.

Shaka,

Surfwanderer

See more from Shane Stoneman on his website at shanestoneman.com

Leave a comment

Offshore and Beautiful

By Shawn

Fall is back. Enjoy the offshore winds and beautiful sunsets with a little swell.

Photo: Tracht //stsurf.com

Leave a comment

From Behind the Wave: Jonah Pierce

By Shawn

Photo: Shawn Tracht

Jonah Pierce, about to huck another one of his three thousand air reverses in his hometown.

Leave a comment

True Dat!

By Shawn

Surfwanderer.com Surfboard Design forumns

Photo: Shawn Tracht // stsurf.com

This here, is a planer, if you didn’t already know (which you probably did). And this here, is one of the single most important tools ever created in my life. Do I use it…? No. However, without it, my life would be half as good. The family half of my life, solid, but without the planer in the hands of a good shaper, the surfing half of my life would be little to no good, and, consequently, surfing may not exist on the heightened level that it does today.

So what do I say to this photo of one of the greatest tools ever created in the life of a surfer…simply, “True dat!,” which equals my Pure Surf Stoke.

2 Comments

Photo Showcase: Shawn Tracht

By Brian

Photo: Shawn Tracht // Stsurf.com

Photo: Shawn Tracht // Surfer: Scotty Swenson

This night was, and still is, and always will be special to me. It’s the night I finally did it, I finally bought my professional surf photography rig and committed to myself that I wanted to be a professional surf photographer for the rest of my life. Earlier that day I slapped the money down on a Canon 7d and a water housing setup that I had been eyeing for sometime. Don’t think equipment is key? Think again. Try surfing Pipeline on the wrong surfboard and you may not come back. Try entering into the professional photography scene with less than pro equipment, and be prepared for rejection.

I’ve read stories in surf magazines, one in particular in Slide magazine, about the two guys who quit their legit careers, said screw it, and ran off into the sunset of waves and oceans and fat barrels with their photography rigs and built a famous water photography company. That was so bad for me! Seriously! I have a family and a job that supports us and won’t leave that, but this photo, and my new camera set-up give me a taste of freedom and allow me to dream, and maybe someday, when the kids are out of the house, I’ll take that chance and give up the day job and just shoot photos, surf, and get sun burned for the rest of my life! This is just the beginning.

This photo now hangs on the wall of a friend’s house and has been featured on Surfline, and to think it was from my first session out with my new camera setup. I am so surfer stoked. And I am sooo in! There is no way way out from here, and it’s right where I want to be!

Camera Gear
Canon 7d
SPL Water Housing

Camera Lens
24mm lens

Camera Settings
F.2.8
SS 800
ISO auto

To purchase this photo: Click Here to Contact Shawn

To See This Photo Full Screen: Click Here

Use of this photo without the expressed written consent of the photographer is prohibited.

3 Comments

SW Photographer Shawn Tracht-Featured on Surfline! Please Vote for Him!

By Jeff

Surfline Photo Challenge-Surfwanderer.com

Surfwanderer photographer Shawn Tracht’s photo featured on Surfline’s homepage!

Hi all, Surfwanderer Editor Jeff Pfost here. Just wanted to let you all know that our Senior Photographer Shawn Tracht just scored a photo on the Surfline Photo Challenge for June ’12!

Please Vote on the image below and support our Photographer.

Click the link to get to the feature and at the bottom of the picture, click Vote on this image to go to the voting page. Then drag and drop his picture for your vote.

Click Here: to Go to Surfline

Stoked,
Surfwanderer