When I left australia this summer I had to ditch my trustiest surfboard, Siddartha (my original yellow v.Bowls), due to a $350 board bag fee that I juuuust couldn't swallow.  I knew i'd have to replace it as I can't be without a v.Bowls, its just wrong; Yesterday I cashed in my chips and finished up the new 8'er i've been waiting for.  I went for the roundpin this time, though.  After shaping so many of them in NJ and France last month I couldn't resist; it's unquestionably the best tail template for Santa Barbara and the curves just look oh so right meshed with the widepoint-backness of the v.B.I've been getting pelted with emails with orders for v.Bowls for the past few months and the reviews keep pouring in; I've heard many times now that people struggled the first handful of sessions until they stopped trying to ride it like a hull, and stepped back on the board; THATS the key to most of my shapes. Work them from the wide-point; I foil all of my boards in a very specific balance that puts all of the speed and control around the widepoint. So if you've got a v.Bowls and you're figuring it out, take a step back and hang on..."...Then, about a month ago, while enjoying a family day at the beach, Itook a break from building sand castles and paddled out.  For whateverreason, I found myself standing a little bit further back than I hadpreviously, and the thing just took off.  It set itself in effortlesstrim and glided through and arround sections just like I'd wanted fromthe beginning.  Turns and cutbacks are dreamlike.   I have sinceridden it almost exclusively (except one day when my arms were justtoo tired from a previous V.bowls session, and I could only paddle the11'er).  It works in so many different conditions-- I don't miss myhull anymore."-S.W.