Earlier this month I met up with Mario and his MP Stradivarius. A surfboard I shaped some 56 - 57 years ago.

The Stradivarius had a very brief run from late 1968 to early 1969 between the end of the Tracker and beginning of the Camel production run that got started in Ernest in ’69 when Morey-Pope moved their work shop from Front St. in Ventura to a much larger facility in Saticoy, a small town about 9 miles east away from the Front St. shop. The Front St. shop turned into their sales shop only.

I’ve always remembered the Stradivarius model. And thought it was one of the better boards that MP made during that short period through the few months before moving to Saticoy.

Mario lives up north and mentioned he was coming down my way with his board and we could meet up while he was visiting. We met at Ventura Surf Shop which gave me the opportunity to put the board in the shaping bay and give it a good look over. 

What a nice surfboard! Built during what we now call the transition period when surfboard design was moving from the long board era to short boards. Mario’s board was most likely one of the early ones made being 8’8” in length. I envisioned seeing a shorter board maybe 8 foot or so. I didn’t remember making the Stradivarius in a longer length, as the Trackers were being made in the mid 7-foot range at the end of its run… but there it was.

In my head I still see the board as I walked up to it set on one of the short worktables in the covered outside area of VSS. And ran my hands over the board, gave it a look over, picked it up and carried it into the shaping bay. In the bay I checked the rocker and put one of my rail profiles over the rail. I didn’t know really what to expect the rocker would be but was happy to see it was nice and neutral. Similar nose rocker to its predecessor the V Bottom and a bit more tail rocker than the V Bottom.

The rail profile fit quite well over the rail with just a small, short discrepancy of maybe a 1/16 of a inch in part of the half curve off the rail apex. That same profile fit very well over on old Tracker I had in my workshop before it got flooded. And is the same profile I use for a majority of the boards I do now.  

What would I do different if I made the Stradivarius now? Not much…. I didn’t get a chance to map the board but from memory maybe just a slight change in the board profile below center and put an edge in the tail up about 18”.

I’ve seen a few of the old boards I’ve done over the years. There are a few one offs that stick in memory that I think if I say now, I’d be embarrassed if I saw them. But for sure The Stradivarius was one of the boards from my past that is really nice. I can’t take credit for the design that was a Tom Morey thing, and a good one.

I’m stoked to have had a hand in bringing it to fruition way back when. And a big Thank You to Mario for taking the time to meet up and give me a chance to look into the past.

D.R. 

Mario's Stradivarius also posted a couple of posts ago.

This one was pulled off the Web. A shorter version with nice lines and color.

There weren't many of these made so are a rare find. Not few images on the Web.