Boozers & Thermalution Surf Shirt Review

After yesterday's failure to surf primarily because it was too cold (39° wind chill factored air temp and 54°water temp) I decided to face down my inner wimp and commit to a morning surf.....no matter what. For me, the only way this was going to happen was for me to leave the house and arrive at the beach in my wetsuit. 

Fortunately air temp was a few degrees warmer this morning and there were no high clouds obscuring what was going to be maximum solar gain. Regardless I looked at it as a chance to go with my full winter warmth wardrobe.

Photos may not be the exact rendering of the location surfed

Boozer's was the spot call. This place is a kind of beach break/sand point that sits on a long arc of coastline that runs for a couple miles in either direction. It's unusual in that the waves break in a fairly consistent place on the point although you'll get waves bouncing around from here to there as beach break waves do. The water was full of wildlife. At least a dozen seals were leaping and diving, revealing their long, sharp canines as they barked at each other. Great whites inhabit these environs too, but...what else is new, besides the surf shirt that is. 

Surf this morning was smaller and less consistent than yesterday, with steady offshore wind. Waits were fairly long which was a good test for the heated shirt. It's easy to get cold when you're not generating body heat paddling or surfing. I managed to grab seven waves in a little over an hour, three of which were very good. My third to last was the biggest wave of the morning and it was just what I like...a late drop with a very steep takeoff into a long fast wall all the way to the beach. Stoke! I thought I was in the perfect takeoff spot, a bit inside cuz the waves were pushing water and rolling some, but as I turned and stepped on the gas I saw the top two feet start to feather. I started my drop down the face and quickly accelerated, digging the feeling of free falling with speed and hanging by a fin in the steep face. I had a solid connection. A millisecond later that pitching wave top slapped me hard in the side of the face and threw me off my board for a tumbling beat down spin cycle in the froth. Arghhhh! Bitch slapped! But while I was bummed, I was stoked. It could have been an epic ride. You don't know until you go and it was a great opportunity to test the wetsuit ensemble and surf shirt. Also, every once in awhile we need to remember that OMO is in charge.

My Winter ensemble from head to toe: 2mil Excel Quick Dry Cap (not an integrated hood, they make my neck feel stiff and sore); 4/3 O'Neill's Mutant wetsuit; 0.5mil O'Neill Hyperfreak (that's me alright) neoprene/skins long sleeve top; Thermalution heated surf shirt; merino wool boxer style undergarment (surprisingly warm); O'Neill Heat 3mil split toe booties.

If you haven't noticed yet, up there under the blog title is a word that you, dear Reader, should note. Septuagenarian. Definition: A person who is from 70 to 79 years old. At 72 (73 in 11 days) I fit nicely into that category. And I might as well admit that I take great pride in that I'm still surfing fairly well into my seventh decade. In order to do that I really need to be warm. Thus the full winter regalia especially when the temps are in the 30's.

I've owned everything on that list for at least two or more years except for the Thermalution surf shirt which I added this season and it has made the difference between me surfing in the winter and having to give it up during the cold season. It's what keeps me in shape so when I return to Maui I can surf every day. But...it comes at a cost. They're retailing right now for $429 on the Thermalution website. Yeah, it's a hefty price to pay, but if it keeps me warm and surfing, it's worth it.





The Thermalution shirt (linked here is a lot more information which  I've found to be accurate, no hype) is essentially a short sleeve rash guard with built in heating elements that rundown your back from your neck to your lumbar spine. This full coverage allows the suit to heat your entire spinal column and the major muscles of your back needed for paddling and surfing. This alone can keep your back more relaxed and limber as well as keeping you warm and in the water longer. The heat source is two slim lithium batteries that fit snugly in two side shirt pockets. When pulled over your head (like pulling on a regular rash guard) the batteries are situated far enough under your armpits and above your hips and are practically unnoticeable. The shirt is very comfortable to wear and has been well designed and engineered.


The surf shirt has a pigtail cord that attaches at the back of the shirt, with a switch which supplies heat to the heating elements. The switch has three toggle positions starting with the coolest setting, the green indicator light; then orange; and finally red, the warmest setting. Heating is very efficient and I haven't yet had to move from the green setting to anything higher. But it's comforting to know that I've got a lot of heating to pour on if and when I need it. When buttoning up my wetsuit in preparation for a surf I pull the cord out over my shoulder so that it hangs in front of my chest. I tuck a section of the cord into the front of the wetsuit, leaving about 6" to a foot hanging out. I then pull the neck flap over my head (the Mutant is a front zip suit). Before zipping up, I place the cord and the switch between the body of the wetsuit and the flap so that when I zip up, the switch is sandwiched in between the neck flap and the body of the suit. It is then easily accessible and out of the way. I usually turn on the shirt when I'm ready to leave the car. The shirt heats up very quickly and I'm nice and warm when I hit the water.


Apres surf, I leave the batteries on to exhaust the charge. The shirt keeps you warm as long as you have your wetsuit on, or some other insulating clothing, like a jacket. You won't stay warm in just the shirt alone, you need that neoprene or outer garment. I peel off the shirt and drape it over the rails of my boards, stored on edge in my van. When I get home I place the shirt over the edge of a padded chair, unplug the battery connectors from the shirt's heating elements and plug them into the charger. Charging takes a couple hours. Then I put the whole thing back together and hang the shirt on a hanger, ready for use.

Caveats: The heating elements are quite noticeable and are subject to damage if treated roughly. You can't wad up this shirt and throw it in a bag, the back of your pickup or your trunk. If you break any of the connectors the shirt won't heat anymore so you have to be careful. Also, while I rinse all my equipment after every use, I only rinse out the shirt every three or four surfs. When you do wash it, be careful and gentle. The second caveat is the connectors on the battery, surf shirt and charger. They are surprisingly small and fragile. Always use caution when connecting and disconnecting the wires. Damage to the connectors will render the shirt unuseable for heat. The connectors come with caps so the moral of the story is to never leave the connectors uncapped. They should always be plugged in to the shirt wires or capped. If you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you. And WTF? You just paid over 400 bills for this thing!

Overall I give the Thermalution surf shirt a five star (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) rating. On a couple occasions the shirt has been so effective that I've actually had to turn it off. But when it's cold out, don't leave home without it.

Designing A Board With Kirk McGinty on Paddlewoo

Eric at Paddlewoo.com is currently running a series with Kirk which will end with Kirk designing a new board for Eric. This is a really interesting and informative podcast/web post, and if you're interested in L41 Surfboards, The Original SIMSUP and it's successors as well as the creative genius of Kirk McGinty, or just the modern cutting edge evolution of the surfing SUP, this series is for you.

Board Review: Original SIMSUP S3/S5 Hybrid (The SNAzY)

UPDATE: (please see below).

Dimensions: 7'10" double winger (toeside), 7'8" asymmetrical (heelside) by 29.5" by 4.5" by 122L

From the minds of creative, knowledgeable and imaginative people come innovations that always precede, then exceed expectations. Bob Simmons begot the modern planing hull, while years later, Joe Bauguess & Richard Kenvin begot the mini-Simmons. Staying with the surfboard genre Dan Thomson built upon Simmons original premise and proffered the current era planing hull as found in the Vanguard and Vader. And in the SUP world Kirk McGinty burst forth with the Original SIMSUP series of boards. Starting with the S1 through S3 series, he continued his creative juggernaut with the S4 and S5 editions. These innovations have led to the birthing of an utterly unique amalgam of modern SIMSUP hybrids, blending tradition with modern hydrodynamics and always based upon his core values of maximizing speed and maneuverability without loss of stability. The board you see here which I have dubbed the SNAzY (Shovel Nose Asymmetrical simmY) is the vibrant result of my latest adventure with Kirk and the Original SIMSUP.

I picked the board up Sunday afternoon and had it in the water at my local beach break at dawn Monday morning. My initial impressions of the board are as follows: generally, it paddles like a bigger board, and surfs like a smaller board. It took some getting used to the shovel nose. It just doesn't look "right" and makes the board feel like a much bigger board when in fact it's the shortest SUP I've ever ridden, and at 29.5", narrower than what I usually ride. Not only is it the shortest at 7'10" on the toeside (double winger side) but it's only 7'8" on the asymmetrical (heel side). That should feel short in the water but it doesn't at all. Happily, I did not even notice a difference standing on, or paddling the board between my current 8' S3 and the SNAzY. Well that's not quite true. The SNAzY is slightly more tippy than my 8' S3 at 30.5" wide, but I didn't really feel any greater effort was needed to paddle, sprint, surf or maneuver the SNAzY. The sea surface was pretty glassy with some offshore wind ruffles, but there were rips moving around as well as some backwash from the beach which was sending some diagonal humps back through the lineup, especially after big sets washed through. Even on the areas of uneven sea surface I never fell off the board standing, paddling or sprinting for waves or rushing to get out the back and over set waves. The board paddles through foamy breaking waves better than any board I've ever ridden. The accelerated rocker in the shovel nose smoothly lifts the board up and over the whitewater and the landings are stable.

The unique plan shape that you see is deliberate and purposeful. The general specifics of the design and dimensions were made in collaboration with Kirk and with the indirect help of Michael Marina who had the first SNAzY I ever saw and graciously allowed me to ride it. It only took one session on the board and I was committed to this unique plan shape and the asymmetrical design.

The toeside wings are more pronounced than on my other Simmys and I was worried that they would somehow make the board slower or stiffer than my other double winger (S3), but no worries. The SNAzY turns and holds off the bottom without hesitation and there is no drag or lagging at all. The SNAzY rides the high line and goes fast, just as fast as my S2 and S3. Turnbacks/cutbacks are sleep walking. The board changes direction on the 7'8" asymmetrical tail like a hot knife cutting through butter, just as we'd planned. The board banks off the top and is steady and stable re-entering from the crest at the steepest part of the wave. Wider and heavier surfboards (think SUPs) have a tendency to catch the outside rail in the trough of the wave before the rider can put the board on rail and accelerate "around the corner" and into the clean wave face. This was an issue we specifically addressed with the SNAzY design by the 29.5" width and the slightly accelerated nose rocker. It works perfectly. While making the transition from the steep drop re-entry into the bottom turn, the nose stays well clear of the acute trough angle. The combination of the the k-rail and the double concave planing hull provides for nearly instantaneous speed with little (if any) noticeable deceleration. When the board has the occasion to ride the foam line it does so with no slowing, catching, jerking or loss of speed. In those situations it was almost too easy to slide the foam and turn up into the clean corner for more up and down action, or to flick out and paddle out the back for more.

Another important design element in considering a short, fast and maneuverable SUP is weight. The SNAzY is protected by a state of the art glassing application emanating from the Stretch factory in Santa Cruz CA. This process utilizes Technora Fiber seen via the unique crosshatch pattern inherent in the material known as Vectornet. It is defined as follows: "Aramid fibers are a class of strong, synthetic fibers. Improves flex memory on the bottom of surfboards, and core-crush and point-load impact resistance on surfboard decks. Also used in aerospace, military applications, body armor and ballistic composites."(1) In truth Vectornet has been around for a while and has been coming into greater use in the surfboard/SUP industry because of it's high strength to low weight ration. (I also dig the way it looks, especially on the SNAzY. Sexy!)

So, why did I go from a 8' X 28.5" X 4.5" X 119L S2 to the SNAzY S3/S5 hybrid? The primary reason is that I'm just not physically strong enough to keep from getting quickly exhausted when out on the board. If it was just surfing there would be no issue. The board surfs better than any SUP I've ever ridden, mainly because of low volume and the narrow width. But those two elements require more strength to balance on at rest and when paddling and catching waves. I like surfing beach breaks which typically have more chop and roll than point breaks protected from the wind or by land. It was just too much work to paddle and balance at rest on the board. Consequently my sessions were always shorter due to fatigue. I just wasn't having enough fun. SUP boards, paddling and surfing are like flying. It's a constant process of adjustment. Looking for that perfect balance between stability and surfability is part of that never ending process. That's (in my opinion) why we call them "custom" boards. They are custom built to the SUP surfers desires, needs and perhaps most importantly, abilities.This is self evident for those who have been SUP surfing for a while. Are you still riding the first board you bought when you started? I'll bet not.

Kirk and I collaborated to build a high performance surfing SUP that would surf as well or nearly as well as the S2, but would be less tippy and more stable in rougher conditions. The SNAzY is the result of that collaboration and although I've ridden it only once, I think we went a long ways towards resolving the issues I felt needed improvement. The shovel nose design allowed for more board width overall without compromising surfability. We kept the wide point at 29.5" (a compromise between 28.5" (S2) and 30.5" (S3) which is still excellent for putting the board on rail and therefore enhancing maneuverability.The asymmetrical tail was designed for ease in cutbacks. Not only did the overall plan shape allow for more maneuverability, it allowed us to go shorter, from 8' to 7'10" toeside/7'8" heelside, and still maintain acceptable volume (122L vs. 119L (S2) and 125L (S3). We were able to do this with minimal loss of stability. This is my fifth SIMSUP and each build has been an adventure as well as fun and exciting. Each new board aims for a new balance with the goal of extracting as much fun and pure joy from the SUP surfing experience as possible.

Over the last four years Kirk has invested significant amounts of time and energy into researching and developing the SIMSUP. (His design knowledge also includes building surfboards through L41 Surfboards, which he has been doing for years.) His high performance S4 and S5 models are built upon the plan shapes of the original S1-S3 series but they are incredibly advanced compared to those early boards. He has incorporated his knowledge and design innovations and continues to make products that the SUP world simply has never seen before. They say the highest form of flattery is imitation and there have been those who have tried to imitate the Original SIMSUP. But Kirk is the original, the creator. He's a genuine son of the Santa Cruz surf culture and the history of surfing and stand up paddling.

Update: My first surf on the SNAzY was March 24th, this year. I've had plenty of surfs on it in multiple locations, multiple situations and conditions from beach breaks to point breaks to reef breaks as well as summer surf on Maui. It is the most exciting and the funnest SUP I've ever owned. In a word, I "love" this board. I continue to be amazed and pleased by how fast and maneuverable the board surfs. It is also stable in almost all conditions including strong wind and bumpy, back washy seas. The SNAzY is 100% my "go to" board in all waves up to head high/one to two feet overhead at all spots where I surf. Even though it's short, even though it's got a funny looking snub nose, it can handle any kind of wave in that size range. Soft, steep, barreling, it takes 'em all.

The primary limitation in this board is me. I am too old to push this board as far as it can go. Under the feet of a younger and more skilled SUP surfer, this board would astound. I am slowly ridding myself of the notion that the SNAz is a small wave only board. I recently rode well overhead, 17 second, high energy south swell waves at high tide with significant backwash from shoreside cliffs and a lot of water moving. Six guys out, two on SUPs (me and a longer 9'-10' standard shape SUP) and the SUPs were the only boards capable of consistently paddling into the fast moving high energy waves. Drops were ledgy as you couldn't get in early...too much water. The loose maneuverability of the SNAz in small waves is almost a liability in large waves of consequence because it doesn't take much to move the board around on the wave. Making this adjustment in the mind of the surfer is important, especially if you don't ride big waves (think double overhead as a start point here) very often. I felt insecure and skitterish on the board for the first couple waves until I got my bearings. After that it was just pure adrenaline fun.

Contrast that day with the next in dropping swell at a different point break in 1-4' waves. Some were lined up with long fast walls and some were just teeny 1-2' barrels too small to tuck into. Those would just break into my legs as the SNAz just blasted down the line and onto the shoulder. Bar of soap, super slippery, kept coming to mind.

I took the board with me to Maui last Summer and surfed it almost every day for six weeks in small warm water waves. I'm going back for the month of November and my dilemma is which board to take. The surf will definitely be bigger and packing a stronger NPAC punch. My SNAzY or my S3? I still haven't decided.

This update is finished, but the story isn't. If I take the SNAz next month, I'll update again. Either way, it's going to be a SIMSUP adventure full of good waves and a ton of fun.
(October 5, 2014)

About me: 67 year old retired firefighter in pretty good shape. Live next to the Monterey Bay. Been surfing on and off since 1963. Paddled my first SUP in Hawaii in August 2007. Started SUP surfing in September that same year. Collaborated with Kirk (he's the one with the know-how) to build the first SIMSUP S1 which launched in June 2010. The SNAzY is my fifth SIMSUP. Hope to be able to SUP hard 'til I can't.

Simmy3 At The Cutters

Sunday October 2, 2011
The next design iteration of the SIMSUP series is complete and the file's been emailed to the cutters. There are now three in the series: The Original SIMSUP; SimmyD (for Deuce as in #2); and the obvious next step, Simmy3. Each new board has yielded an increase in performance and a step forward in reaching the goal of creating a better board than the last board. The truth too though, is that each board is really an excellent stand alone SUP in it's own right.

The original SIMSUP was an idea I had after researching hull shapes and surfing craft that could provide speed and maneuverability in combination with stability. Stability could only be achieved by using a wider outline, but this usually at the expense of performance. Studying the early Simmons boards and the Baugess "mini-Simmons" boards, along with paipo boards which have been around since the beginning of surfing made me wonder if a SUP could be crafted using similar dimensions which would deliver what I was looking for: speed; stability and performance.

In collaboration with L41 shaper Kirk McGinty, the original SIMSUP was born. No SUP like it had ever been made so we didn't really know if it would work. This first SIMSUP was really all about plan shape. Would the paipo like, Bob Simmons inspired hull work on a short, 8 foot SUP? In spite of it's weight (resultant from it's overbuilt glassing schedule) the board was a huge success. It worked! The most important combination of criteria had been achieved, high performance maneuverability and stability.

After a number of months surfing the SIMSUP, I was anxious to move forward with the next version, SimmyD. Where could we take this design? How far could we move up the performance aspect of the board, and still maintain stability? We speculated that we could tweak the board in a couple ways and make improvements. One was weight. A lighter board would be more maneuverable, but would it lose drive and speed on down-the-line speed runs? I vacillated with this question, unable to decide between vacuum bagging or a conventional epoxy glassing schedule. In the end I took the half-step and went with a new and improved SUP glassing schedule Kirk's glassers had come up with. Materials were a consideration too. Instead of using two lb. eps, we went with one pound stringerless eps. The weight savings was substantial at four pounds. Kirk gave the design an update by adding more vee in the bottom and creating K-rails (s-rails) in order to reduce rail volume, making the board more hydrodynamic and more flexible transitioning rail-to-rail. Total volume shrunk by three liters (127L), an acceptably timid downsizing in my book. SimmyD was a major leap forward in performance with only a small loss in overall stability. Turning moved from a bit sluggish with the SIMSUP to quick and responsive with SimmyD. Perhaps most noticeable was the ability to slash turnbacks and re-entries. 180 degree hacks were no problem.

The primary volume savings was achieved with the k-rails which enhanced performance. There was though, some cost in stability. The reality is that there is always some cost in stability when you go smaller on a SUP. But the idea is to minimize the loss and maximize the gain. With reduced flotation at the rails, SimmyD is a bit more tippy than the SIMSUP, but the performance gains far outweigh the loss in stability which has been easy to overcome with time spent on the board. It's amazing what open mindedness, enthusiasm, commitment and adjustments in technique can achieve.

Simmy3 is what SimmyD could have been had I been a little braver. Being conservative by nature, I am most comfortable with small steps instead of recklessly gambling with a big leap. But who knows what we'll learn once Simmy3 is in the water? We've continued our fine tuning efforts by adding in several more performance characteristics and going even lighter. This time around we'll vacuum bag in an effort to achieve the lightest and most durable fiberglass shell available. We're pulling out another two liters of volume (125L for SimmyD) via the double winger tail re-design. Each wing will take off 1/2 inch, but total width at the tail block is only one inch less than the original plan shape. Again we're hoping this has minimal impact on stability, but prompts another maximum gain in performance. Kirk has also designed in a tad more vee in the tail, making it even easier to roll the board over on rail. I'm now convinced that the lighter in weight a board can be, the better it will paddle and surf. Simmy3 will forgo the conventional SUP deck pad in favor of a surfboard-like waxed surface. This board should then be "state of the art" in weight savings re conventional production.

Creating the SIMSUP and fine tuning the design in versions 2 and 3 has been exciting and fun. It's also satisfying to imagine something, then see it become reality. I would urge anyone who wants to give this board a try to contact me and we'll set something up. If you like it half as much as I do, you'll love it.

The L41 High Performance SUP Interviews

The second generation SIMSUP, SIMSUP2, came back from the cutter's and was ready for final sanding/shaping on Saturday April 16. I took advantage of the situation to make a five-part video series on that process which includes on-the-job interviews with Kirk McGinty (L41 Surfboards owner/shaper/designer). Each piece is about five-six minutes long and not only includes the final shaping process, but a lot of good info about progressive SUP design, CAD designing and shaping, EPS cores especially stringerless blanks and some other stuff thrown in. Kirk is an open and honest guy, always a gentleman. His candid insights are refreshingly free from self promotion, and will have value for everyone, from the beginning SUP practitioner to seasoned riders and shapers. Enjoy.

The L41 Performance SUP Interview - Part 1 from Srfnff on Vimeo.

The L41 Performance SUP Interview Part 2 from Srfnff on Vimeo.

The L41 Performance SUP Interview Part 3 from Srfnff on Vimeo.

The L41 Performance SUP Interview Part 4 from Srfnff on Vimeo.

The L41 Performance SUP Interview Part 5 Final from Srfnff on Vimeo.