For me it began with conversations with Wayne Land, shaper and big wave surfer, circa 1958. This was rapidly followed by discussions with Walter Majcan, an aeronautical engineer, about fluid movement/behavior, as well as discussions with Delbert Cannon, a renouned shaper/surfer. By 1960 the methods and principles taught me by Del, while I was shaping for Velzy, and my breakthrough ‘‘tutorial’’ discussion with Phil Edwards, jelled my understanding of board design, fin design and function of both. My boards I created made a quantum leap in performance, from what I had built before. By early 1965 I was shaping at Hobie, next to Phil, and several months later had a more attractive offer to shape for Hansen. Where I settled in for almost five years. All along the way there were other influences. Guys I surfed with, Jim Fisher, Al Nelson, Pat Curren, and Buzzy Trent, all made contributions to my thinking and understanding of surfboards. Who were the fellows that influenced your thinking and understanding of surfboard design and craft?
For me it started around 1999? Greg Loehr decided to retire and move to Arizona to be with family. I had been buying boards from him for years and occasionally watching him shape. He was very generous with time and information. When I realized he was really going to leave, I asked him where I should buy boards. His reply was build your own. So I bought resin and blanks from him for years out of his factory in Cocoa Beach. He gave me a few pointers and told me to get on Swaylocks for a good education. Greg and other luminaries were very active here at the time. Sways was in its infancy. There was so much good information being shared. I was drinking from a firehouse. Some the contributors were hiding behind avatar names but were offering up all the secrets. Greg of course used his real name. As did Jim Phillips and few others. Jim had produced his DVDs about that time and it was a great time to be a garage builder.You could build anything you wanted and I did. No need to try to explain to an established shaper. Just plan it out, “borrow” some outlines, and start throwing foam dust all over the neighborhood.
I really miss those times. Sold every board I made to fund the next ones. Everyone an experiment in some fashion. Good times.
Sways has gone through several cycles over the years. The fish cycle, the epoxy arguments, the PE/PU vs EPS cycle, the balsa vac-bag cycle, then timber tech (GL’s contribution), and more. Best we always seem to revert back to enthusiastic new kids coming on and asking basic questions and having the old dogs help them along.
The only thing I can claim was the “Hot-Seat” series. Most here aren’t aware of it. But there ya go. My eyes were opened.
All the best, boys (and girls)
Chapter 15 in this book (1967 edition) inspired me to build my first surfboard (7’6") in 1969 with a Clark Foam blank and W.a.v.e. Set finbox I bought at BJ’s surfshop in Houston, TX.
My father was a childhood friend of East Coast Surfing Hall Of Fame member Dan Heritage. Shortly after I began surfing my dad took me for a visit to the Heritage Surfboards factory to visit his old friend. I was in awe and fascinated by the process. I was 13 or 14 years old at the time of that visit.
My father had/has an awesome garage with every tool imaginable and lots of raw materials and I was always making stuff ranging from turning baseball bats on a wood lathe to making archery equipment and hockey sticks. My actual first attempt to make a board was in 1985 or 1986. My dad had left over 3" thick poliurethane foam roof insulation sheets from a job site. I glued them up and shaped a board using that foam but never glassed it. Up until a few years ago that board was in the attic of the garage but I think its been thrown out. Fast forward to 1988 and I had gotten my hands on a Clark Foam catalog and ordered a couple of blanks. I shaped them and glassed them in my parent’s driveway. If you look closely you can still see the outline of that board in the concrete where the resin dripped off the rails. I cought hell for that one. LOL. Made boards off and on ever since.
Bob Moore did it for me. Bob was from South Bay, grew up in the Redondo Beach area. I met Bob when I was 17 and he was 10 years my senior. His lifestyle was bohemian.Usually had an old step van that he would keep at the shop he was shaping at and sleep in it or in the shop itself. It was not unusual for him to pull cabbage or a carrot out of his pocket and start eating it. Bob could shape anything you wanted. He did a lot of R/D type stuff for himself. I still have a lot of his personel boards with so many channels in them they were a nightmare to glass and sand. He taught me how to glass and all the boards he shaped me throughout the years was an enlighting process. Always stayed in the shaping bay until my board was done. Bob had been a production shaper. He had a lot of stories in him.Years back we were at a contest at San Onofre walking around and a couple of guys called out Bobby. Never heard that before, these were guys that knew him when he was younger. One of those guys that day was Henry Ford. Anytime we were at San O we would occasionally stop at Vely’s house. We would go to the side gate, Bob would yell out for Dale and we would spend !5 to 30 minutes there and head home. The Shaping Tree that was published I think in Surfing has Bob listed right off of Velzy. Dale and Bob’s dad were life guards together at one time. I saw Greg Noll setting up to sell some books one day and stopped to get one. I think it was The Art of the Surfboard. I asked if he remembered Bob and he got pretty excited asking about him. I got home and there is a story about how Greg signed Johnny Fain to his surf team and took him directly from a contest to his factory in Hermosa Beach , put him into the shaping bay with Bob and came up with the Fain Formula. Still have so many of the boards he shaped me. Bob passed a number of years ago and I still miss that guy. I will add his hand written resume.
Wow. Thank you for the history. Beautiful story well told.
Rather than edit I thought I would just reply to my own post. As I wrote earlier Bob could shape anything, very creative. He enjoyed R&D and testing what he made. This particular board shown is about 7’8". Knowing Bob I believe this was going to be tried as a double ender because of the two leash plugs. He probably tried it without fins on one end and or was going to add a fin box to the nose. The pictures of the bottom of the nose does not really show the triangular lines running to the center grooves. I have ridden some of his more traditional double ended boards with that triangular set up on one end and they rode rather well. He put grooves on deck along the rails for added strengh.He made the little rudder like center fin which really flexes. Bob was never much about the aesthetics of his personal boards but did if somebody else was getting one. These types of boards he just wanted to make them and surf them.
That’s pretty interesting. Have heard of Bob Moore. A lot of guys that were in the industry like Bob, didn’t get a lot of publicity, kind of underground. Maybe the other leash plug was intended for a wrist leash, used to swing and pull the nose around? PS – Low Rail for sure. What year do you guestimate that he shaped that board?
The thumb grooves in the deck make me think of Stretch. i wonder if there was any connection between Stretch and Bob Moore. Thanks for posting those pics. Really jogged my thought process. Lowel
Refined “low or down rail theory” and any shaper who shaped 'em. Mike Diffenderfer, Michael Hynson, Dennis Ryder/Tom Morey, Ron Cunningham etc. Rennie Yater for overall purity and tradition. A seldom mentioned Tom Hale. My time in Santa Cruz left me under the influence of Doug Haut and John Mel. The last few years an old dog has learned “new tricks” from being around one of the best “Custom Shapers” still at it; Master Terry Senate. Lowel
“Really jogged my thought process”, comment really puts a smile on my face because Bob was often all about that without trying. Don"t know Stretch. Knowing Bob as well as I did, he more like an older brother. The leash plug on the nose was intended I’m sure for that end to have a single fin.He did some different things. I have his longboard which he often rode at PV Cove that is a double ender with channels. Nothing to look at aesthetically but its a fun rider. Still have around 6 with channels that need to be glassed. Bob used to enter the US Surfing Championship contests in Hunington Beach and won a few of the paddle board races I believe in the early to mid 60’s. I have one of his paddle boards he shaped in 1969 while working at the Greg Noll factory with a Noll laminate on it. The board pictued was probably late 80’s or early 90’s.