My long time friend and former business partner was inducted into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame this month. 

Bill “Blinky” Hubina along with 6 others from various parts of the globe were inducted this year. Not many from the Ventura area are noticed in the surfboard industry, but Blinky was noticed and makes the 6 degrees of separation for me pretty close,  Blinky being the William and me being the Dennis of William Dennis Surfboards.

So I jumped at the opportunity to go to Huntington Beach for the ceremony with a few friends and see Blinky get celebrated and inducted, a very happy event. Right at the Huntington Pier where you could sit and watch the ceremony and watch the surf at the same time. The weather was nice, overcast sky and not to warm. We would have been scorched if it was sunny. There was no wind either which was nice for the surfers in the water that we could see form where we were seated.

Each inductee had a story to tell of how they got involved in surfing and making surfboards that was very interesting. How each person in their own way got interested in surfing and then making surfboards. The International Surfboard Builders HOF says that each one of the inductees are responsible for making surfing what it is today and without them there would not be surfing as we know it. As well how surfers could go to them and talk through the surfboards they were riding and work out details of how to improve and advance their abilities.

I know Blinky was happy to be a part of that. This past Sunday he threw a party at one of the local breweries to celebrate. He even had a special brew made for the event for everyone that attended… what fun. All Sunday afternoon people came to congratulate him and hang out, the guy has a lot of friends, which not only was a celebration but became a reunion. So many people from all the years gone by in attendance made for the best of times.

Blinky knew the various stages of surfboard building and pretty much got started shaping in late 1967 after we started William Dennis. Personally the guys that shaped boards through the evolution period were, or are the hard core board crafters. There are very few left and Blinky is one of them. Here is a quote of Blinky from this local paper about the surfboard evolution, “There was no one to copy, so every board was an original. I would ride it, learn from it, then sell it so I could make another one.” He’s so right on that, I’ve said pretty much the same thing somewhere in the pages of this blog. Not to discount those that started shapeing after that evolution period. When it all started we had a blank design page and had to find our way through the process.

That’s one of the reasons Blinky is deserving of being on the list of contributors to surfing at the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame.

D.R.

The crew from Ventura that attended the ceremony

L to R

Lew Morris, Wollybear, Steve Huerta, Johnny G, Blinky, Me, Stan Fuji, Malcolm Campbell

 

Congratulaion!

Bill "Blinky" Hubina

What’s the difference between surfing in the tropics and surfing at least where I am in Southern California?

Having grown up in So. Cal. and surfing around So. Cal. from 1962 ‘til now I pretty much know what the prevailing conditions are like for surf and pretty much surfed in every condition. As well know what conditions I prefer, always looking for days with surf that also have my preferred conditions.  Also living on the Island of Kauai for just shy of 10 years I’ve got a decent sample size of tropical conditions in surfing experience as well. 

The easiest condition to note would be water temperature. Here in Ventura Ca. the warmest temps sometimes reach 70 to 72…. Coldest? Mid to upper 50’s. Kauai water coldest may be low 70’s but will be low 80’s quite a bit of the time. I still remember the first time me and a friend, also from Ventura, jumped in the water at a Oahu south shore spot one August morning. We both laughed at how warm the water was compared to what we would usually get into at home. 

Prevailing condition are made or broken with wind. I’m sure it’s been motioned in other posts here that knowing what the local wind condition are can make for a fun surf or not fun at all surf. For Hawaii the prevailing winds are trades, east winds. Where as in Ventura east winds are fine for some of the spots but not the points. Ventura point, Pitas point and Rincon can get pretty junk with east winds.

On Kauai the trades are good for most spots and not for others. The nice thing about Kauai is there are spots you won’t surf in the trades, but, if the trades die down, or winds turn light variable those spots can be quite good. May not happen too often but it does happen.

I remember one day while working at Hawaiian Blades there was a day when the winds went dead calm. That after noon the call was going to the east side… maybe a 15 minuet drive from the shop to surf where you hardly ever get a chance for. Turn off the highway go down a dirt road to the beach. At the beach, the road turns and runs along the beach that you can’t see from the highway. What you do see though for a good distance is only nice peaks of clean clear water surf and very few if any other surfers.

Another memory is of a spot on the south side that will hold size very well with south swells. I only got to surf it a couple times when the trades had backed off. I was at the park there for a small get together with family one time when again wind conditions were in the dead calm category. There was a decent sized south swell in the water and a few guys were out on the reef getting towed into some pretty good ones. It wasn’t like monster winter surf but I’m sure being towed in was easier than paddling in. Then maybe the guys were getting prepared for winter and the wave there, and conditions were good for that.

Anyway, was thinking about this because I wasn’t paying attention to the local conditions yesterday so missed this morning’s surf. In Hawaii the prevailing condition are almost always good So you don’t have to pay attention so much.

The water temps are always better too.

D.R

 

 At this writing tomorrow is the first day of September, only 3 weeks ‘til the official end of summer and first day of Fall.

As is not uncommon for September in my neck of the woods is hot weather. And as it goes a decent heat wave is in the works right now. Looks to be maybe the next 5 days are going to be pretty hot. The temperature on the deck in front of the house was hovering at 90 degrees at 10:30 this morning. I won’t be able to do any resin work until this evening when temps cool to the mid 80’s.

So what’s a guy to do? If there was surf, I’d go to the beach…. too hot to work so? But currently here there really isn’t much to surf. It’s not 90+ at the beach even though I’m a 10-minute drive from the Surfers Point; temps on the beach are easily 20 degrees less than my place. When temps touch 100 where I am think 80 on the sand at the point. That’s what summer days are all about. The warm lazy days at the beach and away from the hotter days a few miles inland.

In my book hanging at the beach surfing on warm summer days is the best.  Get in some surfing, hang on the beach until you’re ready to cool down. Then go back in the water for more waves and a cool down. Get out of the water for something to eat and a cold drink. Warm up again and then paddle back out for more surf.

That’s what my son and I did on our annual camp out at Leo Carrillo. But there was a big fire what??? About 4 years ago and Leo was burned out. If I remember right the campground was fixed and open 2k19. Then Covid closed the place, so our little outing has been undone, but not the memories.

Good memories keep us coming back for more. Nobody says “I had a terrible time surfing the other day. I think I’ll go surfing to see if I can have another terrible day” Yeah like I want to get scooped up by one of those set waves I got lucky enough to get in the crowd last month during a decent swell only to get to me feet and see 3 guys right in my line that was close to impossible to work around and end up missing the wave of the day.

I ended up barely tagging one of the guys and fell. Didn’t notice until I got out of the water later that the fin that nicked the tail of the guy's board pushed the fin box into the foam and separated from the lamination. Not a good memory. Fortunately, I was able to replace the box later in the day so I could catch what was left of the swell the next morning.

The longer we surf, that is in time, months, years, the more we need the good memories to keep us coming back.

D.R.

Speaking of Leo.... Me and my son with big smiles. We had the place to ourselves.

It was a small day, but we got any and all the waves we wanted.

Just read the first few posts to my blog… maybe it’s reread the first entries from September 2006. That story of getting started in surfing how many years ago? So what am I doing right now?

Thinking about what the surf will be like tomorrow and the next few days. You see off Baja there’s a Hurricane right now in the SoCal window sending surf our way that most likely…. According to forecasts, will start filling in late today into the night.  Which means tomorrow there’s going to be surf. That makes the next question, what will it be like?

Well, we won’t know until tomorrow… dah. But that doesn’t stop us from dreaming about what could be. And reminiscing on what the last swell was like or any other summer swell for that matter. I don’t recollect any real memorable swells last summer. The one day I do remember from last summer was a not swell. A not swell is surf that just shows up unannounced.

Because we have forecasting these days, we’ve got people that spend their time looking at weather around the globe to see where the ocean storms are and calculating if any waves will be generated that would move in a favorable direction to the shore of wherever you want to surf or do surf regularly. The forecasters don’t always get it right. Sometimes the forecast is off by a day or two. Let’s say the swell shows up a little before or there is an unexpected pulse after there’s been some surf. So, when the forecast is off, or something is missed we can get a not swell.

Anyway, there was one morning last summer that the surf was supposed to be around waste high and had been for a day or two. But this one morning there were pretty consistent sets in the head high plus range, the condition where good too. And because there was no real announcement the crowd was nonexistent. That’s what made the day memorable. There was a small happy crew in the water, and I was one of them. The nice thing about living close to the ocean… sometimes you catch it! Nothing planned other than the typical surf check run seeing surf and going out.

So, a swell is on the way, and you think of other memorable swells with the ideas the coming swell will be memorable too. The other thing about forecasts is sometimes they call for a coming swell to be in the head high range. I guess you could say they are right if you see a head high wave every half hour, but the typical set has waste high waves. Then again maybe there were head high waves and consistent at that but, just not when you are in the water.

Yeah, you know when you’re talking to a friend and they say the surf was really fun in the head high plus range. And you say  “that’s an exaggeration I was there and it was about waste high and every so often maybe a head high wave would come through”. They say “What?” and ask what time you surfed, and of course you surfed in the morning and they surfed a little after noon. Which was when the tides and surf connected to dish out a bit of size and consistency that you didn’t get. Even the time of day can make a difference in surfing a new swell.

Here’s to looking forward to another new swell and the memories it may bring.

D.R.

 

It was last month I believe on the day I was writing Mays Blog entry that Dick Brewer passed away. I didn’t know it at the time and found out when I saw a posting on Surfline   https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/rip-dick-brewer-1936-2022/152995  first of this month. Earlier this year I had heard that Dick had been ill and not doing well. Very sad to know he’s past.

Dick Brewer is one of the most influential figures in surfing history and surfboard design. When I worked at Hawaiian Blades Surfboards there were times when a few of his Guns would come through to be laminated. Usually for some industry name that would seek Brewer out for a board…. I’m guessing here. What I would hear is “if you wanted a really good board for waves of consequence you would get a Brewer if you could.”   Certainly, if you’re going to surf waves that can kill you it’s best to have the board that gives you the confidence needed for the situation I’d say.

Here’s a decent timeline history of Brewers story and some of his contributions to surfing.  https://brewermorgansurfboards.com/dick-brewer

Of course, after hearing he past you become filled with memories. What I remember of Dick Brewer was an easy-going guy, unassuming and comfortable to be around. Not that I was around him much. But I did work for him all totaled probably 3 years or so. Sometimes boards were delivered to my shaping bay at Hawaiian Blades in Lihue and sometimes I’d drive out to his place on the north side and shaped boards in is bay at his house. When I’d go out to his place it was an all-day gig and I’d usually do a dozen boards or so.

It seemed he liked Formula One race cars… at least one of the days I was out at his place had finished the boards I was there to do, it was getting late in the day and was asked if I’d like something to eat. I said sure and went upstairs for a frozen dinner and Dick was focused on a Formula One race that was on TV. My stepdad liked Formula One racing too so that scene stuck.

One of the last times I spoke with him…. which was maybe 2002… He called to ask if I could come out and get some boards done for him. I was on TDI at the time for a nerve problem in my left arm. I had to turn him down because even though physically I was capable to do the work, if the insurance company knew I’d done some work while on TDI? Not so good.

Here’s a fun story about one time I went out to get some boards done for him…. https://drsurfboards.blogspot.com/2011/10/    the last line, for me, tells what he was like.

R.I. P.  Dick Brewer.

D.R.

Nice pic of Dick below…

 

While searching for pics of old 1960’s era wood fins today I came across an ad from Morey-Pope with Bob Cooper promoting his then new model the Blue Machine. There was a quote from the ad that caught my attention.

Cooper was really into surfing and surfboard design. It may be hard to see now days that some guy in 1967 at 29 years old had that much going on because after all the boards of that era were big. You know, what we call long boards now. Vintage, old logs, traditional long boards and the guys that rode them were?? Well didn’t know much ‘cause look at what surfboards are like now’.  

Here’s the quote…. “I’ve been totally encompassed by this sport or art or whatever and I see that the limits are not even in sight. I see that the wave is just out there happening. It’s for you for whatever you want to make of it”.  Considering when that was said I’d say it’s pretty profound. Cooper is pictured in the ad with his arm around a Blue Machine that was close to 24” wide and 9 ft. plus in length. So what was he thinking?

Back then I know what I was thinking and no doubt Cooper was thinking pretty much the same thing. Cooper went on a three month promotional trip in the fall of 1967 and I left Morey-Pope to start William Dennis surfboards with Bill “ Blinky” Hubina.

The first board I shaped at William Dennis was 8’6”.  Short for those days. By the fall of 1968… one year later I was riding a  7’6”  BTW, when Copper came back from his trip he made some boards at William Dennis and they were much shorter and different from his Blue Machine.

By the fall 0f 1969 The surfboards I shaped for Wilderness Surfboards were in the low 6 foot range. Cooper had moved to Australia by then and was most likely making boards in the 6 foot range too. That’s only 2 years after the above quote. Did he have a crystal ball and see the future? Even though those boards were not like the advanced short boards of today no one could have guessed we’d see what we saw, and rode for that matter.

When that ad went to print Cooper had been surfing for 17 years. So he got started surfing in 1950 at the age of 12. By 1967 he’d already seen some significant changes in surfboard equipment and the design changes that came along. Some of the boards that were ridden back then where long narrow hollow boxes of plywood. The balsa boards were a big improvement. Then came foam and fiber glass. 

And the shapes of the boards from the 1950’s were different from the board Cooper had under his arm in that ad. I can vouch for the Blue Machine of the day…. It was a good performance piece of equipment.  Yet he still said the limits of surfing aren’t even in sight. I’d say surfing is still evolving.

Do you think we see limits yet?   

D.R.

 

I’ve been learning how to do something that is very difficult. Its performance based, not physical, but very mental. And it’s a probability thing. Learning and then finding the greater probability of one thing happening over another.

So, I got to thinking… surfing is a probability thing too. It’s said and I think true that every wave is different. Even surf spots that produce really well-formed waves that may look perfect, every one of those waves are different one from the next.

I surf the waves at Ventura Point. Sometimes the surf can be really good there. Other times no good at all. On any given day what are the probabilities there will be good surf. Well, it depends on any weather system that’s out in the middle of the ocean. Will it get strong enough with winds blowing in the direction needed to send waves to the beach in Ventura? Then, if waves are generated what are the chances that local weather and wind conditions will be favorable when the waves generated hundreds of miles offshore reach the beach?  

With seasons changing storms generated in the Pacific Northwest are waning and storms in the South Pacific are starting to be produced.  The Southern Pacific waves take days to reach California. Because of the forecasters everyone knows when a south swell might reach Ventura. So, when one of those south swells are forecast what are the probabilities the local wind conditions in the Santa Barbara Channel will whip up and cross up the well-formed south swells that have traveled over 4 thousand miles to reach us and of course make for what could be good surf not good at all?

I’m a real nut case when it comes to south swells and local channel winds. Knowing a south swell is on the way from south of the equator with an anticipated arrival day I’ll be watching the Santa Barbara buoy readings for the wind conditions. Be totally disappointed when winds pick up in the channel a day or 2 before swell arrival days and stoked when the winds are calming down or light before swell arrival days.

So here we are, south swells are starting to show in the forecasts and I’m on the lookout for what the local winds are going to be like. Yes, I like south swells.

Back to the probabilities thing. What are the probabilities of good surf coming our way with good local conditions compared to poor local conditions? If you’re close to the surf ok, but what if you’ve got to drive even a short distance? I’ve got a receipt from a gas station from 3 weeks ago…. Price per gallon? $6.10.  If you’ve got a 20- or 30-mile round trip drive to surf and the probabilities are low that the surf will be any good, is it worth the trip to find out?

I wonder if Surfline subscriptions have increased for the very reason of gas prices and people not wanting to take a chance that the surf won’t be good enough to warrant the expense in gas? Even though having access to Surfline wave cams costs dollars, you might save money over the year by not going for a surf because you can see from the camera that the surf is junk.

I’m pretty sure the probabilities of decent surf tomorrow are low. But next week? We just don’t know for sure. We could take bets on it though.

D.R.

 

What was it like to make a surfboard some 60 years ago? Or what were surfboards like some 60 years ago?

Recently I had a conversation with a friend about one of his favorite surfboards from when he was a kid, and how he’d like another one. We old guys dream of revisiting our youth, I think.

I remember my first surfboard; it’s the one I learned to surf on. Had it for maybe 4 or 5 years but don’t remember what happened to it. I must have sold it to have the money needed to make another board. It would  be interesting to see it now, if it was in the condition it was in when I had it anyway. But what I remember is it was heavy, had a ¾ inch redwood stringer with orange panels and a wood fin.

Were those early 60’s boards any good? Well mine was great; it was what I had to surf. I could take it to the beach launch it into the water and struggle paddling through the surf zone. Then I could sit, look and then go after catching a wave and struggle to get to my feet before I fell. And after I fell go do the same thing over and over again. Totally beat after a few hours and only think about doing the same thing the next time I could go to the beach.

Yeah that board was great. Eventually overtime I learned to surf on that board. Though I’ve got to say once you get proficient at getting to your feet and can maneuver the board on the wave without falling to much you still continue to learn and develop your abilities. And do it for years. And the same thoughts about wanting and thinking about going surfing never really goes away. For me especially after not being in the water for a time.

Making one of those early sixties boards? It’s hard and fun work. As much as I know about surfboards I can’t do a reissue that’s just the same as back in the day. They may look the same but won’t be as bulky. The word is refined. Outlines the same, though the numbers are slightly different. Rockers are very close to the same. The materials?? The same. Stringers the same, fin the same. And just like the ole days, they are handcrafted.

So the Model 50 is about 10 years old now. The old board is older, but still the same. They can be dressed differently… like different colors or stringers, with our without a wood tail block etc. Fun to have to hold and to make.

The real question is if you ride one will it be all you remember? I can say this though. The other sixties reissues I do have had very happy customers even if they are guys that aren’t old enough to have had one of the originals. 

D.R. 

 

I got to writing a little about the surfboard design process I would go through I believe last February. Thinking of that, a story came to mind… about riding a new designed board for the first time.

I’ve written about test riding the board back in 2k7. But one part of the story I’ve never told here. The board? My quad long board, The PSQ.

So, the quad thing was coming on strong and I wanted to put together a quad long board. Had an outline from some long boards I made while living in Hawaii and decided it would be good. As well, what rocker line would be good. Perimeter stringers were starting to come out too. So, I thought that could be incorporated to add a different flex pattern. So, I put that into the board.

The Fins took a fair amount of time to ice down. I should say fin placement. I consulted a couple sources for input, sat with the board after it was shaped and held fins in different locations for some visual confirmation etc. I must have spent a couple weeks thinking about what would be best, came to a decision and moved forward getting the boards finished.

Then it was time to take the board to the beach for a surf. I was excited and apprehensive all at the same time. Nothing like having a new board to surf but what if I have a hard time figuring the thing out? The fins may be poorly positioned, or the stringer set up may give the board to soft a flex…. What if???

Detour…. Some time ago I made a rule for myself about surfing in foggy conditions. If I can’t see the surf from the beach because the fog is too thick, then I don’t go out. The rule came about from surfing in some pretty good-sized surf in thick fog. Fog so thick you couldn’t see the waves while sitting in the lineup… or where you thought the lineup was. Then hear braking waves you know are outside but can’t see them. Or paddling over a wave and a guy rides out of the fog and almost runs you over. You can’t see him, and he can’t see you. End detour.

So, the day I take my new quad long board to the beach for the first time it’s foggy and you can’t see the surf from the beach. My thought? Cool I’ll take the board out and if I have trouble trying to figure the board out and look like a kook…. No one will know because I can’t be seen from the beach. After all, there was a lot going on with this new board. Perimeter stringers, High density foam rails and a quad fin set up that had slightly different positioning.

The thing about that board. It worked really well right out the gate.

I was stoked!

D.R.

 

What’s with the numbers? Usually on the bottom of a surfboard? Like 7’2 x 19.5 x 2.625 and then the one that represents volume.

The volume of foam that is rapped inside fiberglass… before cnc and computers that number did not exist, and who would care? When I was a kid if you wanted to know how a board floated you, you’d take the thing out in the water sit on it with your legs dangling off the sides and look to see how far above the water your knees were. Or, when boards became short and still weren’t cut with a computer aided machine you could sit on your board and see how much water was above your waist.

Needless to say, the board I judged where the water was from my knees or waste told me only how much float I got from the surfboard.  This is fine when you want to compare how a board floats compared to another but, it tells you nothing about how the foam rapped in that fiberglass is distributed. Neither does the volume number you might see written on your surfboard.

I had a guy ask me… with concern, why of the 2 laminated and finished boards he’s just picked up from the lam shop the one 3 inches shorter than the other was heavier? These boards were in the upper 6 ft to lower 7 ft range. I mean really how can that be? One word… Volume. Yes a 6’10 can have more volume than a 7’1, if the 6’10 has a wider over all outline and is 3/8 inch thicker than the 7’1 it can calculate out with more volume. More volume means more fiberglass fabric to rap around the foam and resin to saturate that fiberglass than one with less volume. More fiberglass and resin adds weight even if the board is shorter. That tells you something if you’re interested in surfboard weight but still nothing about how the volume is distributed.

How foam volume is distributed through the length of a surfboard is pretty critical to board performance. Not just on a wave face but how it moves when paddling, including catching waves and wave entry.

You might think on a 5’11 is it possible to even know how it effects anything? Ok, what’s the performance difference in a 5’8 fish and a 5’11 tri fin? You might see similar volume between those 2 boards. Or, what about how foam distribution effects a 9’6? I’d say you may be very concerned if the 9’6 is a long board compared to a 9’10 board for heavy or big surf. You might see similar volume in those 2 boards as well.

The numbers on your surfboard give you information. It may be only for comparing the numbers you see on another board. It’s a personal thing. You have a board that you really like but want it just a bit longer or shorter but would like about the same float? Work the numbers in the computer to get a longer or shorter board with the same volume. The CNC machine will do a good job of cutting what you’d like.

But also knowing how foam volume is distributed in a boards length? That’s what will tell you how a board may respond under your feet… and weight.

D.R.

As an example...

 How foam in distributed in a Hull is quite different from other surfboards.

With its crowned "S" deck.  

Making surfboards is inspiring. Surfing is inspiring too. Though for both there can be some not so inspiring times.

Like right now where I live the weather has been poor.  Quite cool or cold and wet along with. Most days haven’t gotten much warmer than 60 so making surfboards in a room with no heat is limited. Shaping, sanding or polishing is ok because you generate your own heat via the physical activity. But resin work is not very physical and working with resin in cold temperatures is not the best practice. I’ve gotten little to no work done on surfboards in the last couple weeks. Having the last 10 days cold with a number of wet days with the cold… not inspiring at all.

So go surf right… not much surf either, as well cold water. And not a good idea to surf after rains because of local street drainage contaminating the surf zone. Again, not inspiring.

Hopefully the new year will bring in more inspiring days. Weather forecast says next week may be dry though not much warm up.

Thinking back on this year… had some happy surf days and new boards to get acquainted with. Happy surf and new surfboards are definitely inspiring. Though today I started thinking about some of those in surfing that we’ll not carry over into the new year which is sad.

During my time growing up with surfing there have been iconic names that were inspiring. We’ve lost some of them this year. Seems more this year than in past years. 

I’ve written about a few… Greg Noll, Rich Harbour and Tom Morey.  And just this month Hap Jacobs passed. A half century ago these names were a big inspiration to surfing. But still others have left us too. Ben Aipa passed in January. Phil Becker, Mike Eaton and Joe Quigg have all passed on this year too.

I will remember them all and how they inspired surfing and surfers like myself. For me inspiring for the surfboards they made as well. I’ve only known one of these guys personally but have memories of seeing them and their work from when I was just reaching my teenage years. Looked at some of the boards they made and thought through the design elements for ideas and inspiration.

I like to think that all those memories get put into the surfboards I make. Part of the process of crafting my boards. That may be a lofty notion but as the new year gets started, I’m inspired to continue to make the best boards I can for as long as I can.

Happy New Year!

D.R.

 

You might think that a guy that makes surfboards would be making a board for himself on a regular basis. That might be true for someone else. Me? Not so much.

Earlier this year I sold a few boards I had. Two reasons for that…. I was thinking of making a couple new boards for myself so room was needed in my board locker. And those few boards were sold for the room and the extra bucks to pay for the new boards I wanted. Believe it or not guys that make boards have to pay for the materials and any labor that goes into making the boards… they aren’t free. I really didn’t want to unload any boards but a guy’s got to do what a guy’s got to do.

Even though I sold the boards earlier in the year I didn’t get to make my new boards until later in the summer. I put together a 8’0 Gadget … quad, and a 10’6 T & G, the longest board I’ve ever had.

The Gadget was very familiar, I’ve had one before and has been one of my favorites. The T & G I’ve never had. I’ve surfed a couple different ones but not had one of my own. The Gadget is very maneuverable, fast, paddles well, easy wave entry and is good for waves chest high to overhead. The T & G is a guilder. Great for really small stuff or bigger waves too. I like it for the smaller waves. Sit a little outside paddle in early and coast into the wave, get to your feet and cruise. It’s all about “relax”.

Got to thinking how long it had been since I had a new board. So, I checked when the last 2 new boards I’d made were done. The first…My Dream Cycle was made in November 2015 and then a 70’s Single fin was made in October 2016.

Time flies yeah? I didn’t realize it had been some 5 and 6 years ago. No wonder I wanted something new. Now the Dream Cycle I surf all the time and will continue that. The 70’s Single is one I let go. It was 7’8, didn’t get surfed that much so made the determination the Gadget would replace it.

It’s hard to let go of a surfboard. Well… if you don’t particularly like a certain board ok but I really haven’t had that problem. Imagine if you kept all the boards you had over the years…. For me like 60. You’d need a pretty good size warehouse for sure. So many surfboards and so many stories they could tell.

If your surfboards could talk, what would it say?

D.R. 

 The Gadget and the T & G 

Do we all have people that have influenced, or impacted our lives in a significant way?  Maybe through friendship or through schooling or work. You may not be around them that much but none the less what they do, say and how they live reaches you in a way that has meaning.

For me it started when the guy gave me a job. He actually hired me twice, I worked for him about 6 months then left for about 6 months then went to see him again about work and he hired me again. All totaled I worked for the man around 3 years.

I’m not sure what he saw in me but what ever it was had impact. He was my boss so I looked up to him and at the same time I don’t remember ever feeling uncomfortable around him.

He was one good jazz drummer and found out that I was studying jazz guitar so invited me to his place to jam with him. He knew what he was doing with his drums, me…. I didn’t really know what I was doing. He said “just start playing something”. I did and he stepped right in and brought it all together. It was fun.

Just for fun we rode motorcycles in the hills above Ventura once. And once he invited me and my girl friend to his place for dinner. He, married with a couple kids and living in a nice house in a desirable area. Me in my late teens with my teenage girl friend.

At work he figured out a pantograph could be used to make a surfboard outline scaled larger or smaller. I got to see how that worked… long before there were computers to do that kind of stuff. The man’s designs were unique and different than anyone else. I could see that and the influence he had on surfing.

That Man was Tom Morey. October 15 I got a message from a friend that said he passed away the day before. That was a sad day.

Here is something I wrote about Tom in this post from 12/18/2011

Seeing Morey in the water heads would turn. He was a good surfer, not really a hotdoger, but had great wave knowledge and would draw nice lines with causal style. He never fell and would make every wave. Inspiring to watch. I was young, he seemed… old, smart, knowledgeable, like he had a plan and was executing it. He was my boss so at work, I was at his command. In the water? He was more than my boss, he had the respect of everyone. He was the guy in the water, I was just a guy in the lineup, stoked to be out there, but just a guy in the lineup… and watching Morey like the rest.

Morey did what no else did in many ways. And, he introduced surfing to thousands and thousands of people all over the world via the Morey Boogie. 

R.I.P. Tom Morey

D.R.

Tom...casual on the nose and in the pocket

Another time with Tom I will remember forever.

 

It was last summer when a guy dropped in on me and took me out at the shins. I still remember the split second thought I had when I saw the surfboard slide down the wave face in front of me.

There was no way for me go but right at that board but I saw it was a foam board and immediately knew getting hit by that foam board was not going to do me damage. Isn’t the common saying about a foam board is that they are safe? You don’t have to worry about getting hurt when using a foam board?

Well a few weeks ago I learned differently…. I got run over by a foam board. Some how when the board and surfer went over me my right hand little finger got torn open. I didn’t feel anything but while paddling back to the line up I notice blood on my surfboard and in the water around me. Looked at my hand and saw the damage.

My finger wasn’t cut, it was torn open and deep. The guys around me were asking what happened and looking at my finger as I was holding the wound closed so as not to continually bleed. I had to paddle in. Got out of my wetsuit, had one of the morning crew guys help me get a bandage around my finger to contain the bleeding and headed home. When home I cleansed the wound and put a new bandage on then went straight to Urgent Care.

Because my finger was torn open it couldn’t be stitched. Instead the doc had these narrow pieces of tape the she could pull the wound shut with by wrapping the half dozen pieces of tape around my finger. As my finger began to heal over the following 3-4 days the tape started falling off.

So docs orders… stay out of the water for 10 days. Until the finger is healed.

I missed out on a little bit of surf but, not much. After 10 days a decent south swell shoed up and I got some of it.

After all the gory details what’s the lesson… you actually can get hurt from a foam board. No doubt I’m not the only one that’s taken a hit from a foamy.

Accidents happen and usually can be avoided but avoiding them in real time doesn’t happen. It usually only happens in the instant replay. You know the one that plays through your head constantly… If I had done this then that wouldn’t have happened. At least the replay can help us to remember and possibly avoid or repeat the same thing again.

D.R.

 

What do you do when you’re ready for a new surfboard…  By new surfboard I mean brand new never been ridden kind? There are options.

Go to your local surf shop and check out what they’ve got. Go to the not local surf shop but has the label surfboard you’d like check out what is available, or order one to be made just for you. And when ordering one, do you order one from the store or go direct to an individual that makes them. Some of those individuals have their own glassing facility and some just shape boards and have those boards laminated at a contract lam shop, so choices there too.

Any way you slice it there is always that excitement of getting a new board. The anticipation of getting it in the water for the first time. Yeah! The next step in your surfing experience and all the fun that comes with it.

 Here’s a fun fact… I’ve never bought a new surfboard in my life. In fact I’ve only owned 2 surfboards I didn’t make myself. One was a Hobie Phil Edwards I got used from someone in High School and the other was a broken in half Donald Takayama I picked up from a friend and put back together. You can search the archives for posts on both those boards if you like.

Even though I’ve never bought a new surfboard I know the feeling of getting one, that excitement and anticipation. Getting it in the water for the first time, how it’s going to ride and feel under my feet. Yeah! I’m going through that right now because I’ve got a new board… just short of being finished.. to get in the water.

I’ve wanted to replace the Gadget I had and sold maybe a decade ago with a new one. Finally got to it…. It’s been 6 years since I’ve made myself a new board. The excitement started the day I shaped the board and has continued through the process of making it.  

The mundane stuff like, ok should I put some color on it? Or, setting fin boxes, dressing it to laminate. All the normal things you do to a surfboard. But each step ends with the thought of getting it finished and in the water.

Speaking of individuals that you could get a new board from, here are some words about Rich Harbour… from an article on Surfline.com. Sadly he passed earlier this month.

 Rich Harbour, who died on Sunday, July 11, as could any posthumous tribute to a man who made making surfboards not only his life’s work, but his life’s passion. And did so out of the very same shaping room, in the very same shop, at the very same Seal Beach address, with the very same phone number, from 1962 to 2019, when he shaped his last board: number 32,680. Each, no doubt, crafted with the same exacting care and commitment that he afforded his top team rider back in 1969, yet provided with equal enthusiasm to each and every customer who found themselves walking out of the venerable Main Street shop in Seal Beach with a new Harbour under their arm.

Over 32 thousand new surfboards someone somewhere was excited to get in the water for the first time. Impressive.

R.I.P. Rich Harbour

D.R.

My new 8'0 Gadget

 

I saw my old friend Richard today, hadn’t seen him in awhile. It’s always nice to see an old friend and catch up on things.

Toward the end of our get together he asked if I had heard that Greg Noll had passed. We got to talking about the old timers and shared a couple personal stories of Greg Noll before we said good bye.

I’ve got a couple of posts here and here in my blog of meeting Greg Noll when I was a teenager and when my wife and I went to see him at a  book signing in Santa Barbara some years ago.

The man that was in the surf movies I’d go to. Seeing big screen sequences of him on giant waves with the whole auditorium hooting as he took on those monsters. A part of many surfers lives over the years.

His passing makes for a sad day but also brings up some happy memories… R.I.P Greg Noll.

D.R. 

 This is what Greg wrote on my Greg Noll poster after I told him about getting blanks from him.

After graduating High School I sold my little surfboard business and with the proceeds I bought my first car. Being a surfer what car would I get? Well the ultimate surf car… a VW bus.

I loved that thing. Aside from the freedom of having your on vehicle I could keep my surfboard in it and run off to the beach anytime I got the urge. Which, most likely is why that drafting job I got the summer after graduating didn’t last long? I don’t remember if I quit or was let go. But I do remember running off to Secos a few times during working hours.

One of the cool things I remember was the heater. Hot air was fed to a tube to the front under the dash board between the driver side and passenger side. After surfing on cold days you could idle the car to get some warm air on your frozen toes to get them unfrozen.    

It got good gas mileage but was a creeper on the Freeway. Especially going up hills. But with a decent 4 track tape player listening to music made road trips a little less tiring.

It’s the car I had when I moved to Ventura. Surfboard in car music on tape, run to school run to the beach and back, I was in heaven. Oh.. with the price of gas back then 2 bucks was all you needed to fill the tank. This was enough for a whole week of back and forth school and surfing.  Or, running up the coast to Rincon or how ‘bout Hammond’s Reef. Didn’t take much in gas

After landing the Morey-Pope job I was set. The perfect vehicle for after work surfing. Me and one of the guys I worked with off we’d go to find waves to ride. Great during the long days of summer getting off work at 3:30. You could surf until 7 or 8 in the evening. Sleep in the bus at Hobson’s and go back to work from there.

So what happened to the bus of mine?  Thinking back sit seemed like I had it for quite some time but in reality not that long. I bought it round June of 1966. 

After leaving Morey-Pope to start William Dennis my financial situation began to change. Starting a new business can be difficult. It can take some time to get the cash flow going all the while working through any money saved to buy materials, pay rent etc. Things got a bit tight. And the ole bus was handy then too. When I moved out of the place I rented I was able to sleep in the bus at night. Be at the shop all day, maybe surf after work was done and be hanging at the beach until dark then sleep in the bus. Start a new day from there.

Well, eventually I ran so low on money I decided the easiest way to get some needed cash was to sell my car. So I did. Thinking back it was a sad day when I let go of my first car. The best surf car a guy could have. That was late fall of 1967. So I had the car for about a year and a half.

There are a lot of great memories stored in that year and a half. From back in the day.Like when I was going to be introduced to Dick Brewer the VW go me there  https://drsurfboards.blogspot.com/2020/06/  

And when I got into some huge surf at Morro Bay.. The bus was waiting for me when I made it to shore. https://drsurfboards.blogspot.com/search?q=morro+bay

How ‘bout my first surf contest the VW got me there.                  https://drsurfboards.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-story-post-40-my-first-attempt-at.html

D.R.

Here's a real clean version of the VW I had.

It’s Spring time… which for me means early morning surfs when we get a south swell in the water.

This past Monday there was a south swell running up the coast so with fingers crossed I headed down to the point just before first light so I could get a parking spot and check the surf for a go out.

Well, there was a nice swell hitting us here but the conditions were junk. That was due to winds that had blown the whole night down the Santa Barbara Channel. It happens more times than not this time of year spring through summer months. Can be frustrating for sure. Down south, L.A. and  Orange County will be fine but above Point Magu the situation changes because of the channel winds.

South swells generated in the southern hemisphere take a number of days to reach California. You know they are on the way and forecasting can estimate arrival days. I monitor the channel buoys to see how the winds are behaving, and generally know when the channel gets roughed up with winds when a south swell is coming our way. This past Monday was no different.  But like I said… fingers crossed… I went down with magical thoughts that the channel junk wouldn’t over take the swell… no such luck.

So I walked up the promenade to the Fair Grounds. On the way back I stopped at the free lot on the point to see the new pay machines that have been installed. Yeah, the free lot is not free any more. Which means all the beach parking areas in Ventura are pay to play. The free lot cost $1 per hour with a 4 hour max. And if I remember correctly no parking after 10 p.m.

It’s so odd to think back to a time when the free lot area at the end of Figaroa St. was dirt. And the time me and a couple other guys with VW vans circled the wagons and spent the night right there on the point. Never to be bothered or harassed… shoot, we wouldn’t even see another soul until morning when the morning crew would come for a surf check.

Back then you had to know something was up with the land from the Fair Grounds to the pier. All the houses were razed, big giant rocks were brought in and stacked along the mean tide line, back filled with dirt and graded flat all the way back to Harbor Blvd.  Nothing but dirt from California St. to the Fair Grounds.

With the satellite pic of the beach at the point imagine this… From Shoreline parking at the left of the pic to the pier on the right there was nothing but dirt. No Shoreline parking… the free lot. No Beachfronter apartments, no Paseo de Playa, no Crown Plaza, no Aloha Steak House, no parking structure or Harbor Blvd parking for that matter. Just dirt from Harbor Blvd to the ocean and the Fair Grounds to the pier. Of course no Promenade either.

If you weren’t there you really missed it.

D.R.

Ventura Point

 Enlarge for detail.

What is it about a fresh coat of wax that seems to make your surfboard….. better? Happy? More appealing? Or like, lets get this baby in the water!

I’ve had my Dream Cicle in my surf shed for a week or so collecting dust…. Making surfboards is a dusty business. The dust complemented it's dirty wax but, not in a good way. So today while I had a little time before an appointment I decided to clean the dust and dirty wax off the board.

This board has a nice story. It’s one of the first two Dream Cicle boards I made to introduce the model. This one went under my feet. The other went to Wave Front Surf Shop for sale. They were made the first week of November 2k15. So I’ve had the board for 5 years now and have surfed it more than any of my boards. Or put another way, I’ve surfed it a lot.

Dirty wax can hide stuff you may not want to see, revealing foot wells, or heavy dents from a fall you took spazing out like a kook and putting your elbow into the deck. This could be a good reason not to clean your board up. Out of sight out of mind. You just don’t want to know what lies beneath.

Well… I went after it anyway. Thinking as I got started “ wonder what the deck is going to look like after all the times this board has been in the water”.

Clean boards look so much better than dirty ones. After cleaning the Drean Cicle was a happy surfboard again. And I was happy that the deck was in such good shape as well. There were some dents but nothing liked I thought it might be.

I lost the board one day at the point when the tide was up on the rocks. By the time I got to it the board had done some battle with those rocks and suffered a half dozen shatters along one rail. There is one repair spot that has discolored up by the nose. That’s the only unattractive element really. I could fix that… but will I??? Time will tell.

What I can say is most likely the board will not get a new coat of wax for awhile. The board will stand in my board locker with the others. I will forget about the needed new wax job. Then get excited about a new swell that shows up with good conditions and warm weather. Grab the board for a surf and go… “Oh Man, There's no wax on the darn thing”. Grumbling about the time it will take and the sets missed in the mean time. Or thinking heck with it...just take The TipTool.

I can see it now…. I’ll pull the board out, get a bar of wax and gently start rubbing it down. All the while saying to myself “what the heck did I take the wax off in the first place”

D.R.

My 9'6 Dream Cicle after 5 years and loads for surfing.