My story post 33, the lost files…

My long time friend Bob told me a couple months ago he had a board he’d like me to look at and tell him if I thought I shaped it. It was a board from the early seventies under the Pure Fun Flyers label. I remember the name but… So, this past week Bob came by the shop with his seventies board and the story of how he got it.

One day a guy went by Ventura Surf Shop looking to sell the board. When Blinky saw it he bought it, and got Bob to come by and give it a look. Bob being the guy who had a small shop on Front street in Ventura back in the day, the boards he had made and sold were the Pure fun Flyers. He was of course interested in seeing the board. When Bob saw the board he was stoked and bought it. Really who wouldn’t? it’s in such good shape and besides it’s part of his history.

Bob brought the board to the shop so I could see it and determine if I had shaped it as well, to give it a little touch up work. He has a spot on the wall of his pool room, or is that billiards room, where the board will look nice.

I see the board and think ‘wow that is really clean’ and Bob asks “ do you think you shaped it?” I say ‘ well judging by its looks I suppose I could have but, I don’t remember ever shaping any boards with this label’ Bob says “ what are you talking about? You shaped a bunch of boards for me under this label. Blinky says if you did you would have signed it but there’s no writing on it except the number on the tail 529.”

‘Well, I tell Bob, I didn’t always sign boards back then. As a matter of fact I hardly ever signed board back then. So that doesn’t matter. But the 529 very well could be my writing.’

As we continue to talk some of the pieces begin to fit together for me. I did shape boards for another guy at the time under the Natural Motion label and Bob would have me do his boards too. Since the number is in ink and the board has an ink pin line on it I start thinking I may have laminated the board as well.

Man, how can I have a void in my memory like that and not remember shaping boards with that label. Are there any others out there? Lets see, Ryder Surfboards, Morye-Pope, William Dennis, Wilderness, Natural Motion, a few for Con, Hawaiian Blades, Dick Brewer, John Perry, JD… who am I missing?

I got to thinking about the Pure Fun Flyer and remembered an outline I saw in my archives. I dug it out yesterday and sure enough I think if I lay that outline over Bob’s board it will fit.

D.R.