Two boards delivered this week for a father and son.  A custom 7'10 Hull and  6'6 New Hull.

D.R.

My son went out looking at new cars this past week.  So he got to see some of the latest technology that these new cars are equipped with... like the parallel parking assistant, not sure what it's called but, if I understand right the car computer guides you into a parking spot.

If you have a hard time parallel parking no need worry now, the car will guide you.  I remember parallel parking being included in the practical driving test when I got my license. Don't know if that's still in the test, if it is everyone should pass that part with computer help.

I think the car tells you when you're too close to the vehicle in front of you and various other stuff as well.  Me question is what happens when the computer fails?  If you're dependent on the computer will anybody be able to drive on their own.  Or maybe when the computer fails the car won't run. And I guess with technology we won't know how to drive a car because we'll be dependent on computers to do it for us.

That's what happens when the shaping machine fails you know?  When the computer fails or a part goes bad then the machine doesn't shape.  Then what?  Of course if you aren't dependent on a machine to shape your boards then no worries. 

One day last year when I was driving out of the parking lot at Fiberglass Hawaii, after picking up some supplies, one of the local shapers was driving in and we both stopped to say hello. He told me that the local machine had broke down. He get his boards machined, and for good reason, he makes a lot of boards.  So he was stuck. I said "time to dig out the planer!" He looked at me like I was crazy.

When the machine stops shaping then production stops.  Heck, go surfing! I think the technology is here already for surfboards, use a computer or don't shape.  I'd guess that some shaping bays don't even have a planer in them, just sand paper and finger planes.

D.R.

Do you realize that if you don't surf for awhile but stay in shape physically enough to be able to handle the physical demands of surfing you can surf after a long lay off?

 If you've learned how to surf and are good at it you'll have developed the muscle memory to surf, and after a lay off will have the ability in memory to continue your pursuit with little trouble. You may have some timing issues and foot placement adjustments to work out, but it will come back pretty fast.  The big problem with surfing after a long lay off is losing out physically.

 Surfing is very physically demanding and it's the physical part that is lost when you don't surf for a long time. If you're not up to it physically it will be much more difficult.

 Muscle or motor memory is amazing... like, once you've learned how to ride a bicycle you can always ride a bicycle. If you've done something enough it sticks, you do it with out thinking about it. If you can surf and have paddled into a wave you get to your feet without a thought.

 It's also the same with making surfboards. For the most part I don't think about what I'm doing when working on surfboards.  I just do it.  For the longest time I didn't shape any Greenough type hulls. Then when I was asked about making them again I simply ordered a blank the way I needed it to be for a hull, pulled out an old outline and went at it.  When I was done I looked at the finished blank and thought... wow! where did that come from?

 The motor memory archive. 

 The one thing that sucks about motor memory and working with out thinking about what you're doing is sometimes  you screw up in the process.... you stop and look and say " dang, what did I do that for"?  You may not be thinking but you've got to be paying attention.

 D.R.