In the mid sixties when I was a teenager making surfboards I'm sure the industry guys would have questioned my motivation. Though when I met Greg Noll to see if he would sell me blanks for my surfboard endeavors, I don't remember anything but positive interest.

Did I know what I was doing? No not really, I learned the old fashioned way, trial and error and learning as you go. A lot of thinking and intuition added to the process. If an opportunity had presented itself for a chance to work at a real surfboard shop no doubt I would have jumped on it. I was not that fortunate, until I moved to Ventura anyway.

After moving to Ventura in the mid 60's I got my first job working for a company that made surfboards in which the owner of the company didn't surf. In the 90's I worked for a surfboard company that the owner didn't make surfboards, that is, actually work in the surfboard craft... at least at first.

The owner of the company in the 60's simply made a surf product and had a way to market what he made all over the US coastal areas. At first the surfboards where generic but eventually he did a licensing deal with some well known surfers to make boards with their name on them, even though the surfers didn't necessarily ride the boards,

On the other hand, the company in the 90's.... the owner was a professional surfer. He may not have been able to make one of the surfboards he sold, but knew what a good surfboard was, not just if it was built well but if it surfed well... and he could surf the boards that had his label on them and input design recommendations.

To one it was a business that sold a product. To the other it was much more than a business that sold a product.

You know what? Now.... whether you know anything about surfboards or making them, it's pretty easy to make surfboards, and ones that a surf shop would be interested in putting in their store. Actually you don't have to make them, You can pay other people to make them for you. Wait... if other people make your surfboards then you aren't really making them are you?  OK, maybe who makes them isn't important... it's the end product that's important. After all, the end user is the one paying for and surfing what they buy.

Here are two words..

Authentic = an author or maker, one who does any thing by his own right.

Genuine = real; natural; true; pure; not false or adulterated. actually produced by or proceeding from the alleged source or author.

When it comes to surfboards do those two words mean anything or matter? Is a surfboard just a product or is it much more than that?

D.R.