QUEST: SURFINGS HOLY GRAIL

Long before the phrase ‘‘One board quiver’’ was part of Surfing’s lexicon, I was searching for that one surfboard that does it all.       I’m sure many others were too.      I wanted a board that would function well, in ANY wave I was interested in riding.      So, what was I interested in riding?     Nothing in the one to two foot range.      But, at three foot and up, I’d expect to have some fun.       It’s the UP, that I was most interested in.       Home beach, on the mainland was WindanSea.       On Oahu, I had lived at both Sunset, and on the point at Makaha.     So, that was my general target range.    Three to four foot mainland waves, up to 15 foot Hawaiian size.      All on the same board,     Did I pull it off?      Yes I did.      Waves 20 feet and over, I still would ride a classic big wave gun.      The one board for me, that did it all, was 7’ 10’’ x 21’’ to a 7 inch square tail.     Weight, 12.5 pounds.      Low rail, all around, and hard and sharp in the tail.     The general design was a classic big wave gun, that had the tail chopped off at 7 inches wide, and the nose chopped off to the finished board length.    Redraw the nose, to a 14 inch width, and true up the outline.     That final layout and design was completed in the summer of 1969.     I rode that board for the next 15 plus years, it was that good.     Ultimately it was donated to S H F.    Now aka   S H A A C.     The foregoing, is just a bit of personal surfing history.     I hope it gets you thinking about your next surfboard building adventure.

Hi Bill, I think you have provided the dims to that board to me and a few others, and I think built one for my pen pal, Warren.  It is a great concept, and an all around good performer.  7-6 to 8-0 is pretty much where I am now with my go to boards.  I still ride a 5-8/6-0 asymm mini sim on occasion.

I may ping Warren to see if he will put up a pic of his board.

Anyone else out there have a OBQ?

all the best to you Bill.

Looks like I’ve got another topic to bug you for advice on, Bill! 

I’m always available.

Y’know, I think about all the ‘models’ the industry came out with in the 15 years from 1969 on. Which, for the most part, didn’t work, though they sold a lot of boards, so I guess they worked for the industry. They had their pros using them, though few if any others could make them work.

And then they finally got around to a variation on your board, tinkered a bit  to work, sort of, in the size range you mention

So, what was I interested in riding?     Nothing in the one to two foot range.    

A little belly in the nose, a little wider, whatever. For what I call ‘grovelling’.in the ankle-biters. There are those who just have to do it, though me, I’d rather go fishing. 

They called them ‘fun shapes’ because they were fun for pretty much everybody in pretty much anything.

You didn’t have to have crazy skills, you could just take your board off the rack pretty much any day, paddle out and have a good time. The board would work. 

They still do. Glass 'em strong enough and they will last a good long time too. I liked selling them, as I didn’t have to hear complaints. Though instead of selling a lot of boards and eating up my inventory budget on those, I was selling wax and wetsuits and shirts and such…which ( unlike boards) I actually made money on.  Damn. 

And you only need the one board. And you can keep it for a while.  Rather than buying pro-inspired ultralight weak glassed strangely shaped things every year at least like the cool kids. 

After all, it’s supposed to be fun, right?

doc…

Steve Mussinger(sp) shaped that board for me in 1980, but improved it greatly by adding a rounded pin.  It was a take off on a Yater 7’2.  I got a couple of boards thru CCS that Steve shaped while he was in SLO County.    Wish I still had them.  Big Squares are alright for  " squat and drive" surfing.  Narrower squares, squash and RP’s for climbing up into the pocket and tube.  Gives you the speed you need to come out.