My Story Post 35

My first long board right when it started to be OK to have one again.

If I remember right it was 1981 when one of the local guys here in Ventura bought a Takayama long board and of course began surfing it… one of the first guys to start riding long boards again here.

I don’t think he had that board more than a year when he got nailed by a small wave in just the right place and busted his board in half. We got to talking one day after his mishap and during the conversation I asked him if he’d like to sell me the busted board. We came to a price of 30 bucks.

At the time I was riding a 6’3 hull and hadn’t gotten into longboarding again… I may have barrowed a long board once or twice for a couple waves but didn’t have one of my own. I thought for 30 bucks, a little resin fiberglass and work I’ll have myself a tanker to cruise on.

We made the transaction, I let go of 30 bucks and got a surfboard in two pieces in exchange. I’m not sure how long it took before I got around to the repair of that board but I did and when it was complete I had myself a single fin long board. It wasn’t the best looking board having been through some major surgery but it was fit and water tight. And when it was ready I took it down to the beach on a nice sunny summer day with small summer surf to get it wet.

It was a day just like what I wanted the board for, and when I got down to the point there were a couple of the local guys looking at the surf contemplating a go out…. There wasn’t much to go out in but I had this tanker that would make up for the small surf. We got to talking and I showed them my repaired board and said that it was perfect for days like that day. “So, I’m going out and I’ll bet you guys 5 bucks I’ll hang five on the first wave I catch” … I’d never ridden the board before but what the heck…. We all laughed and off I went.

Well, I’m sorry to say I lost the bet…. I’d didn’t hang five on the first wave. No, I hung five on the second wave. Oh well, I had plenty fun on the board. I'm not sure how long I had that board, at least a couple years, and surfed it when the surf was small and fun for a tanker.

You know, I hadn’t thought of this but I mentioned in a post from 11/19/06 that the only board I ever had that I didn’t make myself was a Phil Edwards. I need to correct that, I forgot about the DT. Though I had to rebuild the DT, it was a board I didn’t make myself so, of all the boards I’ve had there have been only 2 I didn’t make myself. The Edwards and the DT.

D.R.

Pic 1.. the boken board
Pic 2.. being put back together
Pic 3.. the boken board in the surf