Surfboard design, an old Buggas thoughts.
When I started surfing , and like most of us then, knew very little about shape and design . Whatever Nat , Midget or Glynn Ritchie rode, we rode ,but in a few short years with Mctavish and Co. hurling out different bottoms , plan shapes and shorter lengths , an education and experimentation began and the culmination of it all is what you now see down at the beach. When everything went below 6' 5", rails and thickness at first were still related to bigger boards and the bottom shape was still the same , except for a few adventurous and very good surfers who could see that by changing the bottom shape to blend in with the planshape and rails , became wondrously faster with a maneuverability that had not been felt since the Plastic Machine days. Nowdays there is retro regeneration , and many a young surfer is discovering many an old style of board whether its long or short, personally its great to see it happening , and it is this that worries me with what some are riding , that is , boards we called dogs, cause they didn't work then, and still don't. Any wave under 3 foot you can get away with any kind of board ,but once it is over this size does your old school board excite you! na! Have a close look at all the short board shooters nowdays , they have very interesting bottoms , from channels to concave to dead flat bottoms and Flex, and combine this with the fin technology that has evolved .... its why they work . You can still have weight in say a longboard, but change the bottomshape and mix it with, what does work, and put a bit of excitement back into your surfing ,
Two different Dale Velzy shapes the first is a later model which he called THE PIG . It was restored by John Cherry in the States , the other is a 1957 CHIP style , and the guy that has had it since brand new Roy Meisel of Bare Nature is talking to Paul Joske at one of the Wood meets at Currumbin. There nearly 56 years old and they both still have a timeless shape, if ever you get the chance, have a close look, feel the rails, yep! beautiful boards.
It's good to get good days like we used to even tho more crowded
I make about 3 trips a year back up north nowdays and to get the days that I've had are a blessing, as the chances of getting quality waves with not too many people out are slim , but not impossible. My main concern nowdays is the greediness of a large amount of surfers,both, young and old, and then there blatant " WHO ME" look they give you after the event....... sadly I have to say its really bad here in Australia. Tell me youse people "Why do you surf" , didn't you have a good childhood, or are you just crippled inside.... whatever it is leave it at home, and leave everyone else alone , just be happy your alive and surfing, and when you get a quality day , enjoy,
don't annoy.
On the 6th of August 2013 , I TIKI, turned 65 and retired from my job as a Gardener with Gosford Council yaaay!, and I now will be pursuing my passion for making and designing surfboards and fins..... I will be away for the next 2 months and will be in Hawaii for the last month .. this will be the 8 th time there and I hope it wont be the last ... some pics of Backdoor 1992
I've put this up before and youve got it again ,its a Mike Diffenderfer solid balsa and 8 redwood stringers and she's hanging up in the roof of the Top Pub in Byron Bay 10'4" and the only one of her kind in Australia thanks to Rusty Miller when they first built the new Top Pub...go check this out next trip north...Beautiful!!
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