The evolution of the surfboard was driven by performance.  From wood boards to lighter wood boards, like balsa wood, to foam core.  From heavier foam cores to lighter foam cores, lighter and thinner wood stringers etc.

Take two long boards shaped the same one built to weight 16lbs and the other built to weight 25lbs you'll will find the lighter of the  two to be more maneuverable.

Something that may be over looked in the evolution process aside from boards becoming lighter is the way fins evolved too.

In the early 60's virtually all surfboards had a "D" type fin. And the fin was placed right in the tail. We all found out over time that less fin area made for better performance and well as moving the smaller aspect fin up from tail made for better turning ability.

D.R. 

The above fin was  typical of early 60's designs.

The below fin was one of many more performance fin designs from the mid 60's and later.

The process of designing a surfboard is basically an intuitive process.  For sure there is science behind why surfboards actually work, but the guys that design and shape surfboards aren't scientists... or engineers, at least I don't know any to be.

Wait.... I think Tom Morey may be an engineer, whom I've worked for.

Anyway, as an example, when Blinky got going on his Mega Fish it was an idea he got in his head and tried it out.  At first he messed around with fin placement and changing the rails a little but that's how you do it. Intuitively you get the idea and go after it testing and making changes as you go.

So I've completed the Mega Fish blank Blink gave me and took it for a test drive this past Friday.  I'm not a fish guy... that is I've shape plenty of them but never kept one for myself, until now.  I'll definitely be surfing my new board and working through the particulars. The surf on my first go out was about shoulder high and not real clean but the board worked great. Pretty much as I expected really.

My new years resolution is done.

D.R.

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. 

It's been at least a couple years now that Blinky has been making his longboard fish, what he calls the Mega Fish.

I remember when he first started making these boards and how stocked he was.  There's nothing better than getting into something that gets you excited about surfing and that's what happened with his Mega Fish. He'd come into the glass shop with another one and start talking... "these boards are working so good"! Trying a different fin placement or coming in with a new fin set to try. He kept saying "you've got to try one... you've got to try one. " then one day he walked in with a cut Mega Fish Blank and said "Ok Dennis this one is for you. Finish shape this with your own touch and you'll see, the board just works". I said 'ok, I'll finish it up and see how it goes.'

Well, you know how it is, one thing leads to another and before you know it almost 2 years go by and that cut blank has been sitting in the corner and never touched.  Then just after Christmas I'm talking to Blinky down at the beach the same day I see Joe with the board I made that was his Christmas present from his friend Johnny.

I say to Blinky 'Some friend Joe has yeah? gives him a new custom surfboards for Christmas.... I never had a friend like that!'  Blinky says "I gave you a blank and you never even did anything with it...what?"

So my new years resolution.. finish Blinky's blank, glass it and have a go at his Mega fish.

D.R

 Blinky briefing me on the Mega fin layout

 

 

Seeing my friends old surf footage

 

Between the holidays I visited with some friends for a BBQ get together during which we watched some old surf movies of 4 or 5 guys I knew in high school. The footage was from '65-'66 mostly shot at Hobsons I think. 

 

The thing that I took away from the footage aside from how well my high school buddies surfed was how flat the rockers were on the boards they rode.  I knew that back in the day the old boards didn't carry much rocker, after all I made them back then too, but I didn't think it would be that noticeable watching guys surf those boards in the film.. at least it was to me.

 

Of course the boards were long boards....  those boards left us, and when they returned the long board had more rocker.   I'm not sure why, well actually I do know why. The new long board was about maneuvers, turning up the face, turn backs and tight turns in the pocket not the old trim and glide stuff from the old days.

 

You might wonder how long boards would have evolved had they not left surfing for a dozen years by the masses but instead followed a parallel path along side the evolution of what we call the short board. Would the  contemporary long board look the same as it does today?    

 

D.R.  



New with the old school curves

 The last day of the year.... the surfer goes surfing.

 

This year for the Ventura area anyway was mostly flat since summer.  There usually isn't that much surf in the summer anyway but this fall was very small until Thanksgiving day. The Thanksgiving day swell had some size but it was only surf able for a few hours in the morning before the weather got to it. But since then we've had a small swell come through about once or twice a week.

 

So we've had some surf with very nice conditions for the past 4 days. So why not surf the last day of the year? Who knows maybe I'll surf the first day of the new year as well.

 

The thing about not having much surf is that when it does come the crowds show up too. And, when the weather is good... and warm, like it's been here the crowds don't hold back. When I was in the water today I saw the daughter of an long time friend. She said her dad doesn't surf anymore because of the crowds. Sad.

 

Now that I don't live a few blocks from the point I don't get the chance to check the surf at a moments notice or know when conditions turn favorable and get to the beach before the crowds can. So the last few times I've surfed when the surf was good and so was the weather the crowds were pretty healthy too.  I can see how the old timers would be temped to give it up.

 

I'm not ready to give it up. So here's to a new year and hopefully a year full of good surf and lots of it!

 

Happy new year!

 

D.R.

 



 

This board was made for a Christmas  present... nice.

When you are in the water when there is surf with size especially when you don't get in sizeable surf to often it can be a bit hectic. It will keep you alert, moving, thinking and sometimes a little on edge. It can take a fair amount of water time in good solid surf to become more relaxed and confident.

 

I read this article on Surfline this week about Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater going into the Pipe Masters.  What was needed for Mick to win the world title and how Slater would play into the event.

 

In the article was this picture. I did the five finger discount by taking a picture of my computer screen, hopefully the picture police won't come after me. You can read the article and see the picture in it here.

 

What this picture captures is 2 pros in the field. Both guys just a couple seconds outside at least a 6 foot (Hawaiian) wave...maybe larger. Mick is stretched at the top looking at what's out side and coming at them. Kelly is maybe 8 feet away and slightly inside of Mick but looking ashore, most likely looking at the score board, reading the numbers to figure out how the scoring has progressed. 

 

Both guys know what they are doing and have done it enough to be in control of their environment at that instant. What you can't see is what is on the out side of the wave in the picture.  As close to the pitching lip of this wave as they are a wave on the out side of this one could be larger and ready to give the both of them a beating, maybe not.  But either way they are alert, moving, thinking, contemplating their moves and positions. Totally immersed in their element.

 Only a surfer knows the feeling.

D.R.

I've been working through picture files this past week and came across the below pictures.  The file date on these pictures is 15 Feb. 2008... so over five years ago now.

 

This is a 9'8 Imperial that I did a special abstract rail and blue tint bottom inlay on... just for fun.  All the color work was done in the lamination. A one step at a time process that took 5 separate  lam set ups.  Then the board was hot coated, sanded, pin lined, glossed and finally polished.... as usual.

 

After I took these pictures the board went to the store and a few days later was sold... I only got to enjoy looking at the board during the short time I had it to take pictures... well yeah, I saw it through the time I worked on it like any other board, but after a board is completed they go on their way.

 

Reminiscing.

  

D.R.

 



It's hard to believe it was 5 years ago when I did this blog post about Blinky coming into the shop and asking if I'd ever thought I'd be making surfboards when I was 60.

My birthday and Blinky's birthday are 6 days apart and Blinky is 5 years older than me.  Blinky's 70th birthday bash was last night, 60 is gone now, for the both of us so try this....William Dennis is now 135, our combined ages.  When William Dennis was founded in 1967 our combined age that November was 43.

Ok, now my head is spinning.  We were either really young, crazy or both back then starting a surfboard business. And now? We certainly aren't young and we both still make surfboards and we both still surf.

When you really like doing something, in my case surfboards, and it becomes a job as time passes that job can become hectic. Sure you're doing what you like but with the responsibility of doing your job it's easy to lose that feeling of enjoyment for doing something that you like. After all these years it's really nice to be able to say I still enjoy making surfboards. I know Blinky does too.

Life is different now. I can make a surfboard in short order but now I can take my time and enjoy the process. When you're young and learning everything is new. The excitement of trying and doing new stuff is very enjoyable and fulfilling. When you're older knowing what you're doing is enjoyable. Knowing when you're finished with a project that you can hold in your hands, see and take in the thing you made is very fulfilling.

Something Blinky said last night... "hearing positive things about a board you made is the best thing".

Here's a note I got this week that made my day....

Here's a quick report on the new stick. Have ridden it twice, both times in 2-3 ft waves. Once at C St. when I picked it up and this morning at Pismo. So far I really like it. It performs as I hoped it would. Reasonably loose on the tail, and can get more so with a different fin I'm sure.  And then a quick cross step or shuffle  towards the nose and a nice squirt of speed, and it is fast and maneuverable from 1/3 back from the tip, as I had hoped. Also, catches waves really well, better than any of my other boards and floats me just right. Stoked and looking for bigger waves!

Thank you Jack!

D.R.

 

Still having a good time after all these years.





My story post 57

 

The first time I saw it my head spun around for a double take.  I think it was on it's way down Thompson Blvd.  Wow! I thought that was one of the coolest things I'd seen on the road.

 

After that first sighting every now a then I'd see it again, maybe down town or somewhere around town or mid town.  I never saw a surfboard sticking out the back and don't remember ever seeing it at the beach, but I thought if I did it would be the coolest thing ever.

 

Then  one day it happened, while I was out and around it went by with a for sale sign in the window.  I couldn't help myself.... I had to follow along until the driver got to his destination. When it stopped so did I.... went up to the driver and asked "how much do you want?" all along thinking even if he wanted all the money I had in the bank I would buy it.  When he told me what he'd take I said OK and  we made arrangements to meet up in the next couple days and do business.

 

I was so stoked the day I handed over my money and got a signed pink slip and the keys to the car of my dreams.  And, I'd like to say that it was all wonderful after that.  The car looked pretty darn good but there were some undisclosed mechanical problems that needed attention and would sometimes get me stranded.  But the real problem came when I went to transfer title.

 

The previous owner signed the wrong line on the pink slip and then erased his signature and rewrote it on another line. The DMV would not  except the pink slip and said I needed to get the previous owner have him sign some other paper work and return with a fresh signature and authorization stating all was honest and well.

 

Problem was the previous owner  was moving away.... one of the reasons he was selling his car, and the few weeks between the time I bought the car and went in to the DMV to change title he had moved and was nowhere to be found.  I was stuck looking like I had stole a pink slip doing some dishonest changes to a legal document and made off with someone else's property.

 

There were ways to fix my problem but I didn't know of them and at 19 years old I was not smart enough with these things. So after a few trips to the beach with my surfboard sticking out the back like a true surf guy I ended up parking the car thinking maybe one day I'd figure out a way to get it legal.

 

It did finally get legal a couple years later.  Not by me though, but by the guy I sold it to. He said he didn't care that there was a problem with the title. He knew how to take care of that and took my '47 Ford woody off my hands.

 

D.R.



So what has been lost with the development of the beach in Ventura, or it's actually the redevelopment of the beach?  How has it affected the surf scene?

 

Originally the point had your typical sand and cobbled shore line. Typical for the coastal area from Ventura pier up to Figueroa St on to stables, pipe and the Ventura river.  At low tide it looked similar to the way low tides look now. But at high tide the water line was much more gradual because the shore line was not disturbed by development but was natural. When we had big winter rains sand from the river would spread out from pipe and begin it's migration down the point and on down the coast. 

 

Initially the 7 jetties were installed to hold sand and keep the natural beach erosion at bay. One of the first surf spots to disappear was the San Jon Rd . beach break south of the pier. Because of the jetties bottom sand stopped forming favorably for surf.

 

To stop beach erosion along the point a revetment of large rocks was deposited just inside the high tide line from the pier to Figueroa St.  These rocks are piled from sea level to about 8 feet above sea level. Fill dirt was dumped on top of the rocks and then the area from California St. to Figueroa St. was graded from that level back to Harbor Blvd.

 

Those big rocks under the promenade keep the beach from eroding. As well, combined with the first jetty hold sand from the jetty on up the beach well past "C" St. 

 

The first change to the surf from the revetment was the inside point or old "C" St break.  No more would the south swells peal way down the point but instead began to wall off and close out.

 

The second change was to the south side of the pier. Actually it's the east side but it has always been called the south side.  No longer, or at least very seldom do you see the old south side peak.  Once a regular spot for the local crew. My son surfed there regularly. 

 

Yeah, the pier used to be a regular spot. When all we had was long boards, shooting the pier was a common move. I've shot the pier from the south side and then caught another wave on the west side and gone back through.

 

The old picture below, taken from the pier, shows the south side peak in action.  I'd say on a pretty good sized winter swell.  Back in the early seventies some of the local guys would take their boards and jump off the pier to surf the bigger swells.  As well, there was a rope tied to one of the pilings to hold on to so you could keep your position....the current on big swells is really strong. 

 

D.R.  



 

 

 

Here are a couple more pictures of "C" St.  You can click the pictures to enlarge 



 

The house from my last post has those real tall palm trees in front of it. The picture is from the 1940's I believe judging by the old cars parked in the old beach parking area. Also I'd say the picture was taken in the winter because of all the cobbles on the beach.  If it was in the summer months there would be more sand visible.

 

Keep in mind,  this house was demoed in 1967.  That year was when everything in the above picture was removed and the beach revetment was started.  The big rocks you see under the Promenade in the picture below and dirt was what was installed after the last houses were destroyed.



 

This picture is what you see now from about the same spot on the beach.  I don't know what time of year this one was taken but you can see how much sand is now on the beach. Even in winter you'll see this much sand.  The revetment that the Promenade is built on and the first jetty south of the pier keep the sand from eroding.

So, here comes the population explosion.... from a hand full of single family homes on the beach to a hotel, condos and apartments.  The huge increase in population of the town of Ventura out the east end. As well as the neighboring towns of Oxnard and Camarillo with a nice 4 and 6 lane Freeway to make drive time short and comfortable.


The Ventura surf community inherited a general population expansion from the 1960's a casual 50,000 or so in the city of Ventura to over 100,000 now. Plus the over 100,000 in each of our neighbor cities.

 

When the surf is good and the lineup is full of 100 surfers there are still guys in the water that know what the old days were like and all about.  And, also in the line up on any give day are the old core guys kids.

 

I may not surf with some of the old core, because they don't surf any longer, But I do surf with their kids on a regular basis.

 

As Wayne Rich would say, the underground lives.

 

D.R.

What was " C " St. like back before there was a freeway that connected LA with Ventura?

In a word... different. In 2 words... very different.

 

The core group of surfers from the early days before the beach got developed in Ventura is what made or gave the local surf community it's personality.  The collective mind set.  Watching the  beach change and the surf along with it... not for the better, can have an effect.

 

Watching single family homes being demolished for a three level parking garage to accommodate the patrons of a large hotel that was also erected right on the beach. Then seeing a large condominium project build out and a 100 or more apartments go up, again right on the beach may have had a hardening effect on that local mind set.

 

Sure we changed or as one friend of mind has said " I've evolved ". But that memory of what was and how things were is still under the surface... And that mind set is passed on to the newer younger guys as well.  So the local surf community mind set lives on and most likely will for some time.

 

It's hard to articulate but maybe this picture will help.  And the question is... what would you think the feel and atmosphere of " C " St. would be like if when you came down California St. to the beach and instead of turning right and going on to Paseo de Playa or up to the free lot at the point or the 2 dollar lot you went straight down to the sand and stopped in front of this house to look at the surf?

 

D.R.

 



Click on the picture to enlarge and note the street sign.

The beach was directly to the left.

Sadly, I watched the wrecking ball go through this house.

Is history important?  Is getting the story right important or does it matter?

 

After the Surfline thing from a couple weeks ago I got to thinking about the story of surfing or at least the surfing story of Ventura.  How the little mission town then oil town of Ventura found surfing through a few young guys and how the young surfing community made up of kids from the towns working class grew to what it is today.

 

During the 1960's when surfing first started to grow Ventura was a pretty isolated town. My first trips to "C" St were spent in a car on the then 2 lane highway that connected San Fernando Valley to Ventura. This 2 lane road of at least 35 miles had one traffic light, at Victoria Ave on the very east side of Ventura.  For perspective, the current path the old road followed is now a freeway. It's run from Ventura stretches  all the way to down town L.A and beyond, as well, goes up the coast past Santa Barbara. The Ventura Freeway is no less than 6 lanes and as wide a 10 in places now.

 

Because Ventura was a pretty serious destination stop the local surfers didn't see that many visiting surfers.  There weren't that many people surfing in the early to mid sixties in Ventura so if you did make the day trip to surf "C" St. you may not even see anybody at the beach.

 

I remember my first surfing visit. I came with a couple friends via one of the guys dad who happened to have business in the area so he brought his kid and 2 buddies and dropped us off at the beach while he went off on business.

 

It was a cool overcast day with some small surf peeling down from the point, maybe about waist high to us.  As the day progressed  and some of the fog lifted I could see the bigger surf up the point and a few guys up there surfing. Granted I was young and not that experienced but looking up the point and seeing bigger surf and a vacant beach in the fog seemed un inviting and spooky.

 

Those guys I saw up the  point surfing that day were the locals.  They were comfortable surfing a spot that was out of the way and not crowded.  Maybe overcast and cold, not pretty and some what out of the way.  When the surf was good there was no one on the beach to see their great rides.  If they took some knocks while in the water they suffered on their own. 

 

The 2 or 3 dozen guys and gals that made up the local crowd at "C" St.  back then were the Ventura surf community.  They knew who they were and knew that the surf in Ventura was what they had. The good days, the bad days, the wind, the fog, the sunny days, the cold water, the cut feet from the rocks as well as the damaged boards.  The mild summer days and the heavy winter currents... it was all theirs.

 

So what happened when getting to Ventura became easier?

 

D.R.   

 



 

There has been plenty talk about shapers and the soul that goes into shaping and crafting a surfboard.  Now days we have surf media, both in print and online.  What about the soul the goes into what we see and read or view in the surf media?

 

This past week I received a phone call from someone at Surfline, the online surf web site. I'm told they are doing one of their Shapers Alley features on Ventura County and want to take some pictures and do a short interview with me for the feature.  I oblige and set up a time the following day to meet and do the short interview.

 

I'd had read a couple of the Shapers Alley features in the past so thought I'd go check them out and get an idea of what questions might be asked to get an idea of what to say.  To my surprise the Ventura County feature was already published, up and online for their readership.

 

Though Blinky, my founding partner at William Dennis was mentioned in the cover story  he did not have an entry in the shapers section, nor a number of other established shapers from the area including my self at that point.

 

Blinky and I have been making surfboards in Ventura longer than anyone by a long shot.  How is it that a publication can totally miss that, print a feature and make it look like we don't even exist to the out side world? Is it because they need to get something in print by a certain time and just can't get to everyone? Or is it because they just don't take the time and make the effort to get things right from the beginning?

 

When I make a surf board I put my heart into it. All my knowledge, experience, ability, research and even my history goes into every board I make. It's the effort, all the effort from our early beginnings that is most likely what we in surfing have come to call soul.

 

The surf media isn't new, though the online versions are some what young. Even still, the surf media is pretty much the representative of all things surfing to the surfing and non surfing world. Because of that it is important for what is published to the world be put forward with all the knowledge, ability, research and effort available.

 

Possibly Surfline will up date the shaper entries with the guys they unfortunately missed. The problem is... the damage has already been done. The feature has already been published and if it hasn't already, it will soon drop off the Surfline home page and will then be an old story.  Currently the piece has  received a little over 28,000 views. The Santa Barbara Shapers Ally feature was published over a year ago in June 2012 and has only about 10,000 more views than the current Ventura feature... Catch my drift?

 

D.R.  

 





 

Wipeout!



One of the surf reports I follow had this for an opening line a couple days ago...'Are you tired of this yet?'  Why?  Because it's been pretty much dead flat for about 2 weeks now.  

 

I think I've said this before... 'Welcome to Southern California in the summer.'

 

I've also said I like summer, but, it can go flat for a long stretch sometimes. Even once or twice between May and September. So we're in one of those right now and from the looks of the forecasts it's going to continue. Sad but true.

 

With the forecasts saying there's still not much on the horizon means there is time to do the things you always put off when there is surf to be had, and at the same time not going to the beach or worrying that you're missing something.... like for me, working on my house and getting surfboard work done. Geez, I don't think I've even stopped to look at the surf, or lack of surf for over a week. But then again I was out of town for a few days this week.

 

So when the waves are thigh high at best you've got to have the small wave gear. Something like the Tip Tool works just fine.

 

D.R.  



 



Shawn at Malibu, small wave Tip Tool dance.



I’ve gone digging into my outline archive… sorted through a half dozen of my Hull outlines for a new sub 7 footer.

 

So here’s The New Hull… albeit with an outline that is 44 years old.  The curve is more full forward and  I’ve thinned the foil out some over all.

 

D.R.

 





 

I’ve talked about my mom some but maybe not about my dad.  Actually I’ve had 2 fathers, paternal father and step father.

 

When I was about 7 or 8 years old my parents divorced. A couple years later my mother remarried.  With the remarriage not only did I get a new father but my 2 sisters and I inherited 2 brothers. We all became one big family… and in the process I didn’t see my paternal father until I was 18.

 

I still remember seeing him for the first time after all those years. And then over the years after that we got closer.  He liked camping and had a nice motor home just for that.  So When I’d set up surf camp trips he’d sometimes book a site and spend time camping with me and the family. 

My dad moved up to Sacramento during the time I was living in Hawaii. When we returned to Ventura we never got to visit until last year.

 

Last June was when my mother passed. Now 1 year, 1 month and 3 days later my father has passed away.  Even though I was not around my father during my formative years we were able to reconnect and have good family time, work time and recreation time together since we first said hello again some 47 years ago… and now it’s hard to say good bye.

 

RIP dad, you will be missed.

 

D.R.    

 



 

On a surf outing in summer of '92

Me on the left acting like a clown,  which is why my dad on the right and son in the middle are laughing.