I was asked last week to have a conversation about a board I shaped in 1967 when I worked at the Morey-Pope surfboard company.

I really like talking surfboards. So, it was an easy yes for me, even on camera no less. https://www.instagram.com/p/DcRyRBChCFl/ . And this past week end Jesse Towbridge  https://penetrator.surf/ came up to check out my new shaping bay and talk surfboards. All fun stuff.

My wife stumbled across and has shown me a vintage film reel of surfing that was dated 1906. Most likely shot at Waikiki That’s 120 years ago. We don’t think about it much if at all, but surfing has been around for a long time. The interest in surfing has grown so much that now you don’t need to live or go to a beach to surf.

While talking with Jesse the other day the conversation circled into wave pools. How they have developed, gotten better and that they are growing in numbers. I remembered during the late ‘60s the first wave pool, or at least the first I’d heard about was completed… In Tempe Arizona.

From an internet search;

Big Surf was a historic waterpark located in Tempe, Arizona, at 1500 N McClintock Dr.  Opened in 1969 and financed by the Clairol Company, it featured the Waikiki Beach Wave Pool, recognized as America's first inland wave pool and designated an ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 2013. 

The park closed permanently after the 2019 season, with its property sold in 2022 for $49 million to a California-based commercial real estate group.  Following the sale, the iconic facility was demolished, leaving the site as a dirt lot.  Today, Big Surf is remembered as a 50-year desert icon that pioneered artificial surfing technology and hosted major cultural events and films.

Films…. like the Classic flick “North Shore”.

I was out Tempe way in the early 70’s with a friend and we went there a couple times and surfed. I think the water slide there was better. But that was then, wave pools now come with real waves. While looking for a place to move I thought maybe we should leave California and go to a place with a wave pool.

One would need to go to the area check out the wave pool as well as the area. Maybe stay for several months to see if you fit the place, or it fits you etc. The way the surf has been here in Ventura this summer season you can begin to wonder if you’d be better off around a wave pool. There has been surf, but the conditions have been poor continually.

Just a thought, and this is just a question. Are the waves in a wave pool really waves? Ocean waves are energy. Created by wind that blows over the ocean surface for a distance long enough to produce waves that can travel thousands of miles before they reach land.

The waves in a pool are generated artificially with mechanical devises. The pool structure and bottom contours are made to enhance the wave shape etc.. Which is all fine. And the development is quite impressive. The ocean waves have their moments and sometimes those moments can be life threatening. Wave pools not so much. But they do produce some really nice-looking waves.

Maybe someday I’ll ride one of those really good waves. Instead of waiting for the perfect conditions to ride some really good wave right here in Ventura.

It’s been a while, but it can happen.

D.R.

Jesse at Surf Ranch

What's in a Shaping Bay?

I typed that question in a web browser and got this AI generated answer….

A surfboard shaping bay is a dedicated workspace designed for the manual or CNC-based construction of surfboards, providing the necessary dimensions, lighting, and ventilation to handle foam blanks, resins, and dust.  Ideally measuring 15' x 10' x 11', the room typically features blue, green, or black walls to enhance visibility of the white foam and is equipped with fluorescent lights positioned 4–6 inches above the board to highlight surface curves. 

Key components of a functional shaping bay include:

·                        Ventilation: Powerful air conditioning and exhaust systems to remove harmful fumes and micro-particles from fiberglass and resins.

·                        Storage: Wall racks for holding blanks and completed boards, along with shelves for tools like rasps, planers, and sanding blocks. 

·                        Safety: Protective measures such as masks, eye protection, and often a shower or drain system to clean up dust and chemical residues

Of course, I know what a shaping bay is but I thought I’d ask the question.

I made my first surfboard in my early teens in the family garage.

 That’s where my lifelong endeavor of making surfboards began…over 60 years ago. 

Having shaped boards for a number of surfboard labels over the years I’ve worked in some 18 different shaping bays. Some labels you may have heard of like Morey-Pope, William Dennis, Wilderness, Hawaiian Blades, Dick Brewer. Included in the 18 bays I’ve had 7 of my own. 

The bay at Hawaiian Blades, like most I’ve worked in, was part of a larger facility for making surfboards with a laminating room, sanding room, an area to paint in etc. Which is typical of what we call a surfboard factory, the shaping bay being part of a larger facility.

15 years ago, I was putting together the shaping bay at the property where we were flooded. That was a container. A one room set up for shaping and making surfboards. I said in a blog post back then that it may be the last one I ever have. https://drsurfboards.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-first-shaping-shack-was-lean-to.html 

Well…. that one was destroyed, and my wife and I lost our home and property due to major flooding and debris flows starting January 2023.  Three and a half years later we finally found and moved to a place we now call home. 

We moved into the place this past December. On the property is a small barn that will be the location of my new workshop. We've been doing things to the new place since we moved in and the last six weeks, I’ve been putting together my new workshop and shaping bay.

I've got some cement work done and framed up a couple walls. Dry wall and sound board and painting done. I’ve tested the shaping stand set up, lighting, and have been positioning some of tool locations etc. It’s a process, for me at least, because I like everything to have a place and be in its place. So, the complete set up takes time and effort. 

The Shop will have a separate work area alongside the shaping area. So, I’m pretty stoked having it completed soon and spending time doing what l like to do…. Making surfboards.

D.R.