HERE'S A SWEET DEAL for someone in Florida or thereabouts.
I mistakenly shipped a tri fin 6'3" V Machine to a customer that was supposed to be a 5 fin. It's a brand new stick and I'm asking $600 with fins included. It's better for me to offer a deal @ $600/OBO than to have the board shipped back. His new one went out today and he will be posting this on Craigs List for the Jupiter FL. area. This is from my files, and board has the same layout as this one.
Johann wants a V8 with gray resin tint, cut lap Volan Cloth, deck and fin box patches and full gloss & polish...... he had seen an SVM I had done awhile back and sent this nifty piece of foto work over to me so I would get it right for him.
Board is going thru glass and should turn out a real beaut....
Just gotta tell you I love your shapes- can just SEE how functional they are; the eye knows- and while graphics are a matter of taste, you consistantly do exactly what I like best on a surfboard (especially the "v" shape. it's just right). Love it.
Hope I can get one of your boards someday. Keep the photos coming!
Currently shaping a whole group of V8 'Lean Machines'....... these are the deep deep deep vee bottoms meant to be ridden far forward toward the middle of the board. You fudge your foot back a little at a time for a looser ride until they go squirrley then finally spin out if you are too far back....
I tell people I intentionally designed the boards that way to offer up something enitrely different for more creative surfers. The old vee bottoms would spin out which ushered in that era of huge ass wide based fins as deep as 13". Some of those fins were full twanger flex fins.... it would feel like a dog wagging his tail when you were hitting the lip or in other dicey wave positions, esp. when using one of those Greenough Stage 3 polypropelene fins! G&S came out with their Hy (Hynson) Performance high aspect fin, Wilderness in SB would layup 30 or 32 layers of volan glass and foil them out by hand saying that the perfect flex was attained when you could flex the fin tip 1/8" or so using only your little finger.
Everyone was turning on, tuning in, dropping out... or dropping in on their latest vee bottom concoction... those were the days I remember!
Chris, Lockerbie, Randall Rostoker & myself circa 1972. During that period, I revived Jeff White's (rip) 1960's "Owl" label eventually handing it off to Marc Andreini when I expanded the store to a 4 store chain and no longer had time to exclusively do all the boards. Marc and I collaborated on the boards thereafter and he was making some terrific stuff. It was a great time that will always be fondly remembered!
OK back to positive energy and the task at hand. This is an email I rec'd yesterday from Tod D. who is living & loving the dream down in Todos Santos. He's surfing so much that I told him I'd beef up his glass jobs to keep his boards more durable for all that enviable surfing he gets to do! He's one of a few ex-pats that I'm supplying with equipment down in Baja. Feedback is always critical and very much appreciated. ----------------------------------------------------
"NW swells have given way to SW swells down here and given me some time to think about the 7' FOY I've had the pleasure to ride this season. Got lots of comments saying that I was riding the best guys here had seen. I chalk it up to having more movement with the smaller, rounder tail. I can still catch the waves but unlike on the Stoker I have so much more powerful movement. I can drive the board rather than ride the board. So, thanks for a great FOY. I have watched the good, older, respected crew here and while they all have their tried and true boards they all ride longer in order to get into the wave easier and quicker....especially on the big and more critical days. On those days my 7' was more challenging to get into the faster/bigger swell and has me contemplating something to complement the 7' by going as long as 7'8" and maybe also get a 7"4" to cover all options. I would be able on bigger days to get in quicker but would still have a board with drive. I am 61 and the small crew I reference above range up to almost 70 are committed. I'd like to keep it going as long as possible and think the longer FOY's might do that with the 7' as my daily go-to. Let me know what you think". Thanks... TD
Here's my thinking on this: You gotta catch 'em to ride em, and not just catch them BUT CATCH THEM WITH CONFIDENCE. I know personally from my own past history of riding and 'conquering' respectable Sunset Beach, it was ALL ABOUT THE TAKE OFF.. If you get in early & with confidence, you stand to shine rather than whine. I had a guy say "you must be local?" and I responded "nah, I'm JOJ" (just off jet).... for all my humility, the guy dropped me on the very next wave! He was a haole too! Faced with the choice of "the older I get, the better I wuz"... you have to adjust your surfing equipment accordingly. To do otherwise is basically..... d-e-n-i-a-l, and that is not going to work to your advantage.
I'm ON YOUR SIDE.
Bottom line, how you ride is more important than what looks good under your arm or on top of your car. If that's all you care about, get a drill and bolt the board down to your car racks. My job is to be your "shaper shrink", make you a hero rather than a zero and get you to embrace it. ;)
Tip: Laugh at life, we all f-ck up, and the more you realize it the better friend & more lovable you become!
Yesterday was the annual fundraiser for the Wildlife Care Network held at the Montecito Country Club. WCN worked hard with other agencies to balance the complex and fragile ecosystem while preserving the island fox species on our nearby Channel Islands. They rescue over 3,000 animals of many different species each & every year. Here are some pix of the event which included many vacation getaways, the surfboard I donated (my wife and I have donated our Cabo timeshare & other surfboards in the past) and some other silent auction items along with pix depicting the overall feel of the event. It's a worthy cause and well worth supporting.
We are on the cusp of summer. The V8 'lean machines' are starting to catch fire with orders coming from NY, Florida, Oregon & Japan .... as well as Cali.
I'm currently shaping about 20 of these ranging from 6'6" to 8'6" in length. The ones shown here in front of the glass shop are 7'2" & 7'4" they run 23-1/2" x 2-5/8".
Here are some pix of Hawk laying up one with Vinylester resin before & after the resin cures. Efrain is also shown working on another batch of regular UV polyesters. The cured Vinylester has that 1960's longboard look to it and the stuff is really strong. Renny (Yater) has been doing quite a few of his Spoons with the stuff.
These boards go really good and absolutely haul ass in 1 to 5 ft. crap soft surf and can ride even bigger facey waves with no push. I'm supplying Volan Hand Foiled Greenough fins with these boards.
When Huck created this thread, I think he did it right from day one. By that, I mean he posted it in the Surfshop Section of Sways. What that means is there will be information that may or may not help viewers toward purchasing one of my boards, or copying one for themselves. That's okay, it's Swaylocks after all.
This thread will be as open & honest as possible to anyone asking questions versus building a story just to try to sell you something. Still, just remember this isn't the Industry or General sections of Sway's, and I do make my living from building surfboards.
So in that spirit, I have been asked numerous times about where the Stoker V Machine came from and what's the difference from other models. That's a tall question with the answer being that EVERYTHING comes from SOMEWHERE or SOMETHING (see links at bottom).
I still give lots of credit to Randall Rostoker for popularizing (not to be confused with, designing) a utility design over a good twenty year period, and I wish him all the success in his continued effort to enjoy sales from his version. I give kudos to whoever the early day G&S and other shapers that created a good, solid, go to design that has influenced me along with many others to offer up practical surfing equipment. However, it's somewhat difficult for me to specifically define what an SVM is because I have seen so many different takes on the general design idea during the past six years that I was involved. If we say that it's a wide squash tailed board with a flat bottom & some vee in the tail, then we are including hundreds if not thousands of different boards that have been shaped over the past 40+ years. We could narrow that down if we insist that all SVM's are only tri fins as originally intended by Stoker.
In that sense it is ironic that my stuff ever got called an SVM, as I changed the rocker and put far more vee in mine than any I have ever seen. I changed the rail profiles esp. in the tail section from what I had quantified with racing sailboards, as well as the volume distribution. I offer mine in three different foils and widths. There is a Tri Plane Hull version. You can get a Single or 2+1 version. You can order mine with a 3-4-5 fin option to ride them as tri's, quads, quad keels, or fivers. Even the vee panel itself is different, which Alan Gibbons once remarked that I was "doing something different" from other boards he's seen. Alan is a highly regarded shaper that worked many years for C.I., and is extremely talented in his own right. Ironically one of his very first surfboards was a little dovetail I made way back when he was a grom. I never heard anyone bitch or moan as long as they were getting their $50 bucks per label?
To add to that, many guys that worked with Randall in the past still make their own versions of SVM's albeit they may call them something else. Steve Talley's "Flash V Machine" version is different from John Chayes "V Shapes" version as are BJ's to W.R's to Curtis Stoddard's, Holly's, Tustin's or Anderson's. Oh, and me too.. and Stoker, and anyone else out there doing some version or knock offs of earlier day designs .. which is more the rule than the exception in the real world of surfboard business.
So now that you are thoroughly confused, I suppose it's best to assume it's technically about the logo on any given board whether or not it's the real McCoy.... uh, better not use that name as an example! lol.
At the end of the day it should just be a case of ride what you like and like what you ride..
As far as where the design descended from, this is what I've been able to pull up to date for the Sway's historians amongst you.
In that sense it is ironic that my stuff ever got called an SVM, as I changed the rocker and put far more vee in mine than any I have ever seen. I changed the rail profiles esp. in the tail section from what I had quantified with racing sailboards, as well as the volume distribution. I offer mine in three different foils and widths. There is a Tri Plane Hull version. You can get a Single or 2+1 version. You can order mine with a 3-4-5 fin option to ride them as tri's, quads, quad keels, or fivers. Even the vee panel itself is different, which Alan Gibbons once remarked that I was "doing something different" from other boards he's seen. Alan is a highly regarded shaper that worked many years for C.I., and is extremely talented in his own right. Ironically one of his very first surfboards was a little dovetail I made way back when he was a grom.
To add to that, many guys that worked with Randall in the past still make their own versions of SVM's albeit they may call them something else. Steve Talley's "Flash V Machine" version is different from John Chayes "V Shapes" version as are Wayne Rich's to Curtis Stoddard's, Holly's, Tustin's or Anderson's. Oh, and me too.. and anyone else out there doing knock offs which is more the rule than the exception in the real world of surfboard business.
segway
Bruce Moncreif is a career lifeguard that found love & adventure in Ecuador. He gets boards from me and from Ace, another Swaylockian on this site. He has been building a quiver of my boards over the past year. I've been providing him with details on the boards & helping him give guidance to some young guys wanting to learn how to shape and put together balsa blanks for us down in Ecuador. In the meantime, Bruce is getting a lot of Ecuadoreans on his boards for their first ride ever. This new one is 6'9" glassed with epoxy & S Glass for maximum strength. I painted a light color deck arch to keep the wax from melting in the warm waters off Ecuador. He's just ordered a 6'3" MiniMAX to add to the quiv..... pix later.
A new stick for Zach Geleb. Zack did the carpentry work for Saturdays NYC's West Village store then headed to Japan and did their sound system in the Kobe and possibly the Tokyo store. I love the glossed & polished color combo look he designated. This was a nice way for the owners to thank Zach!
Here's a new V8 lean machine for Stede Gaehler. He's adding this to his current quiver which includes a 7'6" V Machine and one of my Ten Over longboards. This one is 8'4" and has the classic 60's look being glassed with Volan & Vinylester resin. Stede & his wife spend half the year in Oregon and the other half in Sayulita. Not a bad way to go at all!
Feedback rec'd from Florida first go out on Jeff's 7'9" V8....
"Jeff Thomas
11:15 AM (18 minutes ago)
to me
Drove up coast.Rode the V8 in waist to occasional chest long period swell.Mostly backside.I remember you saying it's loose,pivoty,etc.So I'm like going to need a leash
have no long ones ,so I grabbed my wife's SUP leash that's like 20 feet long.Board is fast as hell and will come under you so quick in a turn it will embarrass you! On a rail too.
I had the fin almost all the way up and once I got the hang of it,it was nuts.You can flick it up into a floater so fast,with control it's crazy.More tight turning radius than loosey slidy feeling.
If you put your foot back when landing floaters or foam bounces it doesn't catch.Very easy to control and reset your rail. Only problem I had was doing backside top turns into a cutback
re-directing off the foam.It just goes on a rail so fast in the last transition I had trouble staying on.Will move the fin back a tiny bit. Had one frontside bottom turn buried to the stringer.
Can't really describe it ... Any way really love the board. First impression is it's a giant wide longboard,but it's so different than what you think it will be. Had some guy compliment my surfing today so
it must be working.
Some pretty good denting on deck,but it's foiled out and poly so you have to expect that.Heavier glass may impede it's performance. Need to get a leash for around crowds.It forces you to really go for
it on some crazy turns so you will be swimming.Can't wait to surf it here at home!
Thanks again for a really sweet board. This one is special."
Another go out from Jeff in Fl........ 7'9" V8 lean machine... he has the 15" long box as I make this std. on all the ones over 7'6".
"Got the V8 out in some 1-2 south swell.Moved the fin to 12" from tail. Went crazy.Way more tail control.Faster and nose rides well.Can still slide the fin out on a turn but way more drive.
Fast as hell in tiny waves.Catches waves super easy with that wide tail.Hooks up in the pocket and trims really well. Rail turns have much more drive. It will pump and twist down the line from the middle,really trippy. Doesn't like the fwd rail buried like a hull,just have to initiate speed then bury it.
Love it! "
More feedback from Florida.... this one is for a Fountain of Youth tri fin:
"By the way, man, I had an insane two sessions on that board and did things that I haven’t done except for a few times in my surfing career. The thing is intuitive, had me in total control of the wave and blasting sections open. It stood up like a pony and then galloped like a stallion and maybe I’m a bit silly, but it seemed to know what it wanted me to do on the wave and then made me do it. Body mechanics were way better, hand placement was styling and it is like a pit bull when it paddles. It has soul. Never ridden a board with a life to it before.
Thank you Bruce. Made me want to get several – probably will once I get this biz up and running."
Sister ships pictured here. One on left is 6'9' for Bruce Moncrief, who I am working with helping guys in Ecuador on their shaping aspirations. In return they are helping us with the eventual supplying of balsa blanks for me. The board is glassed with S Glass & Epoxy for durability. Both are Arctic Foam blanks.
The other board is a 5'10" slotted for Saturday's NYC and will ship out with a group to them next week. My screen printer finally supplied all my new logos that I had ordered eliminating the white square backgrounds that were too similar to the SVM logo. Shifting gears takes time to learn how to work the clutch. Peace.
Newest crop out of glassing...... the V8 lean machines accounted for nearly 70% of the total.... summer is coming and the things are going off in one to five foot surf. Real fast with all that tail area and fun to maneuver with the deep V Bottoms.... this group ranges from 7'0" up to 8'6". Next week the 6'6"s to 6'10"s go into Hawks. The Greenough Volan IV-A's are going well with these.... 8" & 8-1/2" for the ones up to 7'4" and a bit deeper for the longer ones. "L Flexes" are a good option. As you can tell from some of the guys providing testimonials & critiques, these aren't displacement hulls nor funshapes or eggs...... they're just a manifestation of my whacky creative brain looking for something new to play with....... thank god the result is entertaining other people too! ;-) (a couple round pins are thrown in for good measure, with the aqua one going to a custom order for Mollusk Venice & the other a direct order for one of two going to Frankfurt Germany).
The surfing lifestyle is all around us in Southern California..... this guy maybe decided to pick up some boards for the family to all be surfers for the week end then return them for credit and head back to Topeka where he could use a credit slip at "his" Costco.... maybe to buy that BBQ grill for summer and some beer with the left over proceeds?
I snapped the other shot while leaving LAX after dropping off my wife to go visit a GF in Spain.
Here's a 6'6" V8 lean machine...... the longer boards over 7'6" are currently being carved out of big behemoth longboard blanks just like we did in 1967. The smaller ones are a major retweak shaping from a file I currently have for consistency and to save time & grunt labor..... feedback has been very good on ALL of them...... what a blessing...... the design keeps getting more refined and can only get better from here on out.
All I can do is my very best for anyone wanting one of these..... so far, so good.
These are not a displacement hull, not an egg or a tail riding funshape....... just my modern interpretation of a design during the short lived "transition era" and what I call the "Possibilities of the In Between".
I lay no claim to being "original" or claiming this to be a first in design.... my inspiation comes from shapers that came before me that had an idea and aspired to create what was in their mind's eye....
I am inspired by those transition era shapers and strive to do my best in furthering our art & craft...... nothing more, nothing less.
Shaped a 6'10" from an 8'0" and the board inside the board pattern really became apparent. The 6'6" having the speed and drive of a 7'9" and the 6'10" an "inside jobbie" of an efficient 8'0"....... yet both lacking the restrictions of previous nose & tail lengths of their longer predecessors.
The late Bob Krause once said to me "if you want to cruise, get a canoe, wanna go fast, chop it in half".
By that thinking a 5'10" will be 'inside' a 7'0" and a 6'2" inside a 7'4"....... initially I was only offering these from 6'6" to 8'6", but now I know they will go smaller..... probably to 5'6"....... the 6'6" & 6'10" have a lot of board for the length.
It is a formidable challenge reading foam of an already milled blank intended for other use, just to avoid distorted bottom or deck rail lines, not to mention the foil. But I've also seen merit in doing it this way versus building a board from scratch on the computer. Ironically, the result that I've gotten now, would work even better for a file than had I done it another way..... I've realized that to make versatile files for scaling, this is one helluva good way to do it! The primary reason I'm saying this is because the fullness of curve that I've been able to create can now be proportinately scaled down into much narrower widths while maintaing the fullness of the orginal curves.
I've developed a mathematical formula based on percentages that works in conjunction with the release aspects of the deep vee (1" to 1.5") panels and bottom rocker while allowing all the boards, regardless of length, to offer fin positioning of at least 12" forward of the tailblock. I've explained to people that these are NOT tail riders.... I can't say that enough because conventional thinking has people wanting to place a big fin back further..... wrong! That will just make the board spin out and squirrley..... fin placement on these is in reverse of conventional designs. They aren't displacement hulls, but you need to think that way if you are riding one of these.
In essense, the board's "wheelbase" is determined by measuring from the trailing edge of the fin to the nose. Behind the trailing edge, it's all about release.... making it, in some weird parallel world, not totally unlike a stinger. I described it to Hawk yesterday as "a board I was looking to create that would have the speed of just before you spin out, except there is a fine line that you can control it. I want something for surfers to play with giving them a fresh perspective".
Clarificaton here: the spin out I'm talking about is from RELEASE not misplanned TURBULENCE aka WASH.
Everyone riding these boards have remarked about how fast they are in complete shit gutless surf...... which says a lot. Now you could say "well they have huge wide tails so they have to be fast, but even tho' they have such wide tails, they also have incredibly deep vee..... which normally is displacement, like a Naval Destroyer requiring a lot of power to trim..... because I'm using plane geometry concepts on these boards, the displacement is linked to maximum release unless trimming in a straight line which is pretty rare while riding waves. Actually, you would have to turn the Destroyer around backwards to make it a fair comparison.
So, thanks for putting up with a bit of long winded rambling, just trying to up the fun factor for willing souls in search of a good time...... a flood of thoughts keeps hitting me while shaping these boards today....... more is certain to come...... it's really fun being on this current design jag! ;-O
Yes, amazing what you can get done when you are 'home alone'....... lol.
These pix turned out pretty decent w/o too much distortion except for the tailblock on the burnt orange/brownish deck arch one considering I was standing on a ladder over the boards with my I Phone 6+ with the boards sitting flat on some dark gray carpet in my cabana by the pool.
...texting my wife right now who is on a train in Spain headed for Madrid so she can get on a plane home. Turns out her old GF lives in the boonies and it was a bit more adventure than what she really wanted at this stage of life. Although we are talking about going to Cuba ASAP before the influx of tourists impact their limited infrastructure and the old charm is gone forever. She is retired flight crew so her perks keep us traveling quite a bit.
No worries, I'll supply wave report from Pedro's fish taco stand in Havana! Pix of what the Floridian surfers are missing! Aye Carrrrrrrrumba!
I better go get my ass busy shaping then clean up the house...... esp. if I'm headed to Cuba. "Lucy, you got some e'splaining to do!"
....... at those prices, I can rent a penthouse, set up a board factory and supply my East Coast accounts with board prices that will go head to head with all those cheap China boards. Maybe I can get subsidized Yankee dollars?
Wow...... this could be good! I don't smoke cigars tho'.
On another note, this is a pic of a board that in all my misguided clueless design moments, people have been loving. This is a 6'6"x23-1/4"x2-3/4" for Nick Shamooilian. People say they are super fast & fun, but what the hell do I know?
In the meantime, I don't have the luxury of slowing down. This is today's group of the newest deranged manifestation of my twisted designer shaper mind. The good news is it includes a 7'4" for an Executive Chef who I am sure will give me a delicious meal at Gladstones in Malibu because that is where he performs his daily magic.
I have done many "private labels" over the years: Rocky Point, Northshore, Oregon, Viking, Owl, Z Line, Stoker, among others.
Here is a sample of one of five models I will be creating for Aviator Nation. They have stores in Venice, Malibu, Manhattan Beach and the newest store on Haight Ashbury in San Francisco. They want a 70's vibe and I will post some of these designs as they become available over the next few weeks.
Actually it will be 10'2"...... he wants a ton of float for under shoulder high surf............. it's a V8 lean machine & I explained to him to scale it up with the correct curve it will be close to 27" wide! He doesn't want a SUP recessed handle slot so I guess he will be carrying it Endless Summer style.
It is NOT an SUP, but someone could sure ride it that way if they wanted to.
The width & thickness demanded me getting a SUP blank from U.S. Blanks (he doesn't want EPS).
It's going to be a lot of mowing.......
I'm tired already!
The V8's are gaining momentum with a stack of orders for them from all over....
I Love the Airbursh work took me back to my days of when I had long hair or for that matter hair and I was free lancing doing airbrush for a lot of small shops..
like
0
According to Mikki Dora Malibu went to the Dogs in 1964. The Chumash Indians will tell you it was 1664.
"Bruce, Lovin your v8 design. Took no time to get used to. Fin is in the center of the box. Another great one, master. Three Fowlers in my toolbox now but the v8 is my fav".
Thanks. Stede
An every day reality: an email reply to a customer today:
How things work:
Board is whipping thru glassing tomorrow and this week.
Leon Fitchat of "Action Sports Express" does a Nor Cal run every two weeks which he just went thru last week so he's a bit off b4 coming thru again. Realistic time line using Leon would be another couple weeks.
I'm headed to see my son who now lives and works on Kauai.... leaving the 14th returning the 21st. If you want a personal guarantee that the board can get to you b4 that....... I can send Fed Ex "Home Delivery" for $99...... a deal considering it is fully packed & shipped and delivered to your door in one day from our factory just north of Santa Barbara.
Your call on this. It has always been my experience that there are the "haves & have nots" ..... as is all too true with my clientele, each having their own "realities": ranging from 28 yr. old. billionaires building skyscrapers next to Trump, Forbes 2nd most powerful Art Gallery owner in London & NYC, to music stars like Mike D. (Beastie boys), or working stiffs, and surf bums living in their vans........ I treat them all equally with total respect for each and every one of them, and I do their bidding as to what is comfortable and reasonable for each and every one of them in their individual lives and needs.
Please advise........ your wish is my command.
"I treat them all equally with total respect for each and every one of them, and I do their bidding as to what is comfortable and reasonable for each and every one of them in their individual lives and needs"
And now
your well being...
Price of sucess
Overtime
Pressure
I think your handling it fine...
Aloha...
like
0
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
All the good intentions in the world don't equal one kept commitment.
Hold yourself accountable: here's an example to another customer:
Matt M.
"As you know I shaped your "step up" board right away except for the tail config which, after discussion, you decided on the wing round pin like in the pic here.
Then I woke up a couple weeks ago with some mystery pinched nerve in my lower back and all progress flew out the window.
After rest, heat, ice, muscle relaxants, and a careful, wee bit of vicodin, I'm back to almost normal and in the shaping room.
The tail is finished and the board is heading into glassing now.
Sorry for the delay. I had such a typically Fowler efficient jump on this one then life happened along the way to making plans."
The 2nd generation of the V8 'lean machine' intensifies.
This is a 7'2"x23-1/2"x2-3/4" heavily foiled out with the thin wide tail allowing for "rocker on demand" while turning aka torsional flex. It's a 'Tale of Two Rockers'....center & rail.... this one is for SHAWN TRACHT and he will be testing it with a 15" center long box using an assortment of fins while running it as a single.... it's original design concept, but it is also being outfitted as a "4+1" to allow for quadramania and other possibilities.
The options DOES NOT include the design being used as a 'conventional' tri fin, typical tri fin placement on this surfboard would render it useless! The only reason I entertain the quad requests is because the leverage is out at the rail and may deliver yet some unexpected torque that complements the Panel Vee & Foil that promotes flex & twist off.
The glassing schedule is specific to enhancing the torsional flex, rocker on demand scenario, with the original inspiration coming from GG's (Greenough) flex spoons, yet in my own way.
This board is after a different kind of high performance in one to five foot surf, but only limited to what the rider is willing to subject it to.
That looks cool! Love to see pics from some other angles of that one.
Huck: The board is already into glassing as a swell is looming and we are hustling to whip this one thru to catch pix of it in action. there are about 20 V8's of various sizes ordered from lots of different sources, so I am up early shaping and will run more into Hawk's b4 leaving for Kauai Tuesday. I'll try to get some pix today of other angles for you and any other looky-loos. ;-P
72 hours later...... board is done thanks to Hawk....... looks great.
Shawn and Brent (Lieberman....... the man with the camera) called me early this morning as they barreled out of Central Cali headed to the swell down toward Malibu area...... caught some action and are now headed back to pick up the finished 7'2". Whipped some 70's style paint on another 7'4" for Gladstones Executive Chef, Jason Hanin and his board is in the pix with Shawns.
We wiil be getting still foto testimony from Brent's camera as well as some Vimeo depicting how these weired ass boards ride.
HERE'S A SWEET DEAL for someone in Florida or thereabouts.
I mistakenly shipped a tri fin 6'3" V Machine to a customer that was supposed to be a 5 fin. It's a brand new stick and I'm asking $600 with fins included. It's better for me to offer a deal @ $600/OBO than to have the board shipped back. His new one went out today and he will be posting this on Craigs List for the Jupiter FL. area. This is from my files, and board has the same layout as this one.
You can email Sal at: [email protected]
IMG_0602.jpg
IMG_0680.jpg
Johann wants a V8 with gray resin tint, cut lap Volan Cloth, deck and fin box patches and full gloss & polish...... he had seen an SVM I had done awhile back and sent this nifty piece of foto work over to me so I would get it right for him.
Board is going thru glass and should turn out a real beaut....
BOARD2.pdf
Deadshaper, your boards could not stay any better!!! Amazing art job also!!
Obrigado irmão.......... ;)
Just gotta tell you I love your shapes- can just SEE how functional they are; the eye knows- and while graphics are a matter of taste, you consistantly do exactly what I like best on a surfboard (especially the "v" shape. it's just right). Love it.
Hope I can get one of your boards someday. Keep the photos coming!
Currently shaping a whole group of V8 'Lean Machines'....... these are the deep deep deep vee bottoms meant to be ridden far forward toward the middle of the board. You fudge your foot back a little at a time for a looser ride until they go squirrley then finally spin out if you are too far back....
I tell people I intentionally designed the boards that way to offer up something enitrely different for more creative surfers. The old vee bottoms would spin out which ushered in that era of huge ass wide based fins as deep as 13". Some of those fins were full twanger flex fins.... it would feel like a dog wagging his tail when you were hitting the lip or in other dicey wave positions, esp. when using one of those Greenough Stage 3 polypropelene fins! G&S came out with their Hy (Hynson) Performance high aspect fin, Wilderness in SB would layup 30 or 32 layers of volan glass and foil them out by hand saying that the perfect flex was attained when you could flex the fin tip 1/8" or so using only your little finger.
Everyone was turning on, tuning in, dropping out... or dropping in on their latest vee bottom concoction... those were the days I remember!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retro ain't retro if you were there!
IMG_1790.jpg
Chris, Lockerbie, Randall Rostoker & myself circa 1972. During that period, I revived Jeff White's (rip) 1960's "Owl" label eventually handing it off to Marc Andreini when I expanded the store to a 4 store chain and no longer had time to exclusively do all the boards. Marc and I collaborated on the boards thereafter and he was making some terrific stuff. It was a great time that will always be fondly remembered!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=750553008288714&set=p.7505530082...
OK back to positive energy and the task at hand. This is an email I rec'd yesterday from Tod D. who is living & loving the dream down in Todos Santos. He's surfing so much that I told him I'd beef up his glass jobs to keep his boards more durable for all that enviable surfing he gets to do! He's one of a few ex-pats that I'm supplying with equipment down in Baja. Feedback is always critical and very much appreciated. ----------------------------------------------------
"NW swells have given way to SW swells down here and given me some time to think about the 7' FOY I've had the pleasure to ride this season. Got lots of comments saying that I was riding the best guys here had seen. I chalk it up to having more movement with the smaller, rounder tail. I can still catch the waves but unlike on the Stoker I have so much more powerful movement. I can drive the board rather than ride the board. So, thanks for a great FOY. I have watched the good, older, respected crew here and while they all have their tried and true boards they all ride longer in order to get into the wave easier and quicker....especially on the big and more critical days. On those days my 7' was more challenging to get into the faster/bigger swell and has me contemplating something to complement the 7' by going as long as 7'8" and maybe also get a 7"4" to cover all options. I would be able on bigger days to get in quicker but would still have a board with drive. I am 61 and the small crew I reference above range up to almost 70 are committed. I'd like to keep it going as long as possible and think the longer FOY's might do that with the 7' as my daily go-to. Let me know what you think". Thanks... TD
Here's my thinking on this: You gotta catch 'em to ride em, and not just catch them BUT CATCH THEM WITH CONFIDENCE. I know personally from my own past history of riding and 'conquering' respectable Sunset Beach, it was ALL ABOUT THE TAKE OFF.. If you get in early & with confidence, you stand to shine rather than whine. I had a guy say "you must be local?" and I responded "nah, I'm JOJ" (just off jet).... for all my humility, the guy dropped me on the very next wave! He was a haole too! Faced with the choice of "the older I get, the better I wuz"... you have to adjust your surfing equipment accordingly. To do otherwise is basically..... d-e-n-i-a-l, and that is not going to work to your advantage.
I'm ON YOUR SIDE.
Bottom line, how you ride is more important than what looks good under your arm or on top of your car. If that's all you care about, get a drill and bolt the board down to your car racks. My job is to be your "shaper shrink", make you a hero rather than a zero and get you to embrace it. ;)
Tip: Laugh at life, we all f-ck up, and the more you realize it the better friend & more lovable you become!
IMG_1809.jpg
IMG_0960.jpg
IMG_0653.jpg
IMG_0655.jpg
Yesterday was the annual fundraiser for the Wildlife Care Network held at the Montecito Country Club. WCN worked hard with other agencies to balance the complex and fragile ecosystem while preserving the island fox species on our nearby Channel Islands. They rescue over 3,000 animals of many different species each & every year. Here are some pix of the event which included many vacation getaways, the surfboard I donated (my wife and I have donated our Cabo timeshare & other surfboards in the past) and some other silent auction items along with pix depicting the overall feel of the event. It's a worthy cause and well worth supporting.
IMG_1854.jpg
IMG_1862.jpg
IMG_1852.jpg
IMG_1828.jpg
IMG_1832.jpg
IMG_1877.jpg
IMG_1879.jpg
IMG_1876.jpg
IMG_1873.jpg
IMG_1825.jpg
IMG_1859.jpg
IMG_1847.jpg
IMG_1845.jpg
IMG_1844.jpg
IMG_1833.jpg
We are on the cusp of summer. The V8 'lean machines' are starting to catch fire with orders coming from NY, Florida, Oregon & Japan .... as well as Cali.
I'm currently shaping about 20 of these ranging from 6'6" to 8'6" in length. The ones shown here in front of the glass shop are 7'2" & 7'4" they run 23-1/2" x 2-5/8".
Here are some pix of Hawk laying up one with Vinylester resin before & after the resin cures. Efrain is also shown working on another batch of regular UV polyesters. The cured Vinylester has that 1960's longboard look to it and the stuff is really strong. Renny (Yater) has been doing quite a few of his Spoons with the stuff.
These boards go really good and absolutely haul ass in 1 to 5 ft. crap soft surf and can ride even bigger facey waves with no push. I'm supplying Volan Hand Foiled Greenough fins with these boards.
IMG_1904.jpg
IMG_1906.jpg
IMG_1922.jpg
IMG_1923.jpg
IMG_1907.jpg
IMG_1910.jpg
IMG_1912.jpg
IMG_1886.jpg
IMG_1882.jpg
When Huck created this thread, I think he did it right from day one. By that, I mean he posted it in the Surfshop Section of Sways. What that means is there will be information that may or may not help viewers toward purchasing one of my boards, or copying one for themselves. That's okay, it's Swaylocks after all.
This thread will be as open & honest as possible to anyone asking questions versus building a story just to try to sell you something. Still, just remember this isn't the Industry or General sections of Sway's, and I do make my living from building surfboards.
So in that spirit, I have been asked numerous times about where the Stoker V Machine came from and what's the difference from other models. That's a tall question with the answer being that EVERYTHING comes from SOMEWHERE or SOMETHING (see links at bottom).
I still give lots of credit to Randall Rostoker for popularizing (not to be confused with, designing) a utility design over a good twenty year period, and I wish him all the success in his continued effort to enjoy sales from his version. I give kudos to whoever the early day G&S and other shapers that created a good, solid, go to design that has influenced me along with many others to offer up practical surfing equipment. However, it's somewhat difficult for me to specifically define what an SVM is because I have seen so many different takes on the general design idea during the past six years that I was involved. If we say that it's a wide squash tailed board with a flat bottom & some vee in the tail, then we are including hundreds if not thousands of different boards that have been shaped over the past 40+ years. We could narrow that down if we insist that all SVM's are only tri fins as originally intended by Stoker.
In that sense it is ironic that my stuff ever got called an SVM, as I changed the rocker and put far more vee in mine than any I have ever seen. I changed the rail profiles esp. in the tail section from what I had quantified with racing sailboards, as well as the volume distribution. I offer mine in three different foils and widths. There is a Tri Plane Hull version. You can get a Single or 2+1 version. You can order mine with a 3-4-5 fin option to ride them as tri's, quads, quad keels, or fivers. Even the vee panel itself is different, which Alan Gibbons once remarked that I was "doing something different" from other boards he's seen. Alan is a highly regarded shaper that worked many years for C.I., and is extremely talented in his own right. Ironically one of his very first surfboards was a little dovetail I made way back when he was a grom. I never heard anyone bitch or moan as long as they were getting their $50 bucks per label?
To add to that, many guys that worked with Randall in the past still make their own versions of SVM's albeit they may call them something else. Steve Talley's "Flash V Machine" version is different from John Chayes "V Shapes" version as are BJ's to W.R's to Curtis Stoddard's, Holly's, Tustin's or Anderson's. Oh, and me too.. and Stoker, and anyone else out there doing some version or knock offs of earlier day designs .. which is more the rule than the exception in the real world of surfboard business.
So now that you are thoroughly confused, I suppose it's best to assume it's technically about the logo on any given board whether or not it's the real McCoy.... uh, better not use that name as an example! lol.
At the end of the day it should just be a case of ride what you like and like what you ride..
As far as where the design descended from, this is what I've been able to pull up to date for the Sway's historians amongst you.
Lots of ideas are creative, less so innovative, rarely original or truly inventive: http://www.swaylocks.com/forums/gordon-smith-modern-machine-i-have-2-won...
https://instagram.com/p/ytwzbxuaWu/
http://shop.comparesurfboards.com/collections/misfit-shapes/products/mis...
A familiar Outline from the 70’s back by popular demand.
These are proving to be fun for people:
From Jeff T. : "V8 arrived safe and sound.Not a scratch! Love the thin foiled rails.Right up my alley.Will report when surfed."
Thanks again!!IMG_1957.jpg
IMG_1958.jpg
IMG_1961.jpg
IMG_1963.jpg
Bruce Moncreif is a career lifeguard that found love & adventure in Ecuador. He gets boards from me and from Ace, another Swaylockian on this site. He has been building a quiver of my boards over the past year. I've been providing him with details on the boards & helping him give guidance to some young guys wanting to learn how to shape and put together balsa blanks for us down in Ecuador. In the meantime, Bruce is getting a lot of Ecuadoreans on his boards for their first ride ever. This new one is 6'9" glassed with epoxy & S Glass for maximum strength. I painted a light color deck arch to keep the wax from melting in the warm waters off Ecuador. He's just ordered a 6'3" MiniMAX to add to the quiv..... pix later.
IMG_1966.jpg
IMG_1968.jpg
A new stick for Zach Geleb. Zack did the carpentry work for Saturdays NYC's West Village store then headed to Japan and did their sound system in the Kobe and possibly the Tokyo store. I love the glossed & polished color combo look he designated. This was a nice way for the owners to thank Zach!
IMG_1949.jpg
IMG_1948.jpg
Here's a new V8 lean machine for Stede Gaehler. He's adding this to his current quiver which includes a 7'6" V Machine and one of my Ten Over longboards. This one is 8'4" and has the classic 60's look being glassed with Volan & Vinylester resin. Stede & his wife spend half the year in Oregon and the other half in Sayulita. Not a bad way to go at all!
IMG_1934.jpg
IMG_1941.jpg
IMG_1945.jpg
It's segue, mon ami......
Plomb, suivre, ou de sortir de la voie
http://www.swaylocks.com/groups/stubbie-photo-thread
Feedback rec'd from Florida first go out on Jeff's 7'9" V8....
"Jeff Thomas
11:15 AM (18 minutes ago)Another go out from Jeff in Fl........ 7'9" V8 lean machine... he has the 15" long box as I make this std. on all the ones over 7'6".
"Got the V8 out in some 1-2 south swell.Moved the fin to 12" from tail. Went crazy.Way more tail control.Faster and nose rides well.Can still slide the fin out on a turn but way more drive.
Fast as hell in tiny waves.Catches waves super easy with that wide tail.Hooks up in the pocket and trims really well. Rail turns have much more drive. It will pump and twist down the line from the middle,really trippy. Doesn't like the fwd rail buried like a hull,just have to initiate speed then bury it. Love it! "More feedback from Florida.... this one is for a Fountain of Youth tri fin:
"By the way, man, I had an insane two sessions on that board and did things that I haven’t done except for a few times in my surfing career. The thing is intuitive, had me in total control of the wave and blasting sections open. It stood up like a pony and then galloped like a stallion and maybe I’m a bit silly, but it seemed to know what it wanted me to do on the wave and then made me do it. Body mechanics were way better, hand placement was styling and it is like a pit bull when it paddles. It has soul. Never ridden a board with a life to it before.
Thank you Bruce. Made me want to get several – probably will once I get this biz up and running."
S
Sister ships pictured here. One on left is 6'9' for Bruce Moncrief, who I am working with helping guys in Ecuador on their shaping aspirations. In return they are helping us with the eventual supplying of balsa blanks for me. The board is glassed with S Glass & Epoxy for durability. Both are Arctic Foam blanks.
The other board is a 5'10" slotted for Saturday's NYC and will ship out with a group to them next week. My screen printer finally supplied all my new logos that I had ordered eliminating the white square backgrounds that were too similar to the SVM logo. Shifting gears takes time to learn how to work the clutch. Peace.
IMG_2124.jpg
IMG_2160 (1).jpg
Newest crop out of glassing...... the V8 lean machines accounted for nearly 70% of the total.... summer is coming and the things are going off in one to five foot surf. Real fast with all that tail area and fun to maneuver with the deep V Bottoms.... this group ranges from 7'0" up to 8'6". Next week the 6'6"s to 6'10"s go into Hawks. The Greenough Volan IV-A's are going well with these.... 8" & 8-1/2" for the ones up to 7'4" and a bit deeper for the longer ones. "L Flexes" are a good option. As you can tell from some of the guys providing testimonials & critiques, these aren't displacement hulls nor funshapes or eggs...... they're just a manifestation of my whacky creative brain looking for something new to play with....... thank god the result is entertaining other people too! ;-) (a couple round pins are thrown in for good measure, with the aqua one going to a custom order for Mollusk Venice & the other a direct order for one of two going to Frankfurt Germany).
IMG_2102.jpg
IMG_2129.jpg
IMG_2099.jpg
IMG_2108.jpg
IMG_2097.jpg
IMG_2103.jpg
IMG_2100.jpg
IMG_2090.jpg
IMG_2088.jpg
The surfing lifestyle is all around us in Southern California..... this guy maybe decided to pick up some boards for the family to all be surfers for the week end then return them for credit and head back to Topeka where he could use a credit slip at "his" Costco.... maybe to buy that BBQ grill for summer and some beer with the left over proceeds?
I snapped the other shot while leaving LAX after dropping off my wife to go visit a GF in Spain.
IMG_2069.jpg
IMG_2072.jpg
IMG_2075.jpg
Here's a 6'6" V8 lean machine...... the longer boards over 7'6" are currently being carved out of big behemoth longboard blanks just like we did in 1967. The smaller ones are a major retweak shaping from a file I currently have for consistency and to save time & grunt labor..... feedback has been very good on ALL of them...... what a blessing...... the design keeps getting more refined and can only get better from here on out.
All I can do is my very best for anyone wanting one of these..... so far, so good.
These are not a displacement hull, not an egg or a tail riding funshape....... just my modern interpretation of a design during the short lived "transition era" and what I call the "Possibilities of the In Between".
I lay no claim to being "original" or claiming this to be a first in design.... my inspiation comes from shapers that came before me that had an idea and aspired to create what was in their mind's eye....
I am inspired by those transition era shapers and strive to do my best in furthering our art & craft...... nothing more, nothing less.
IMG_2161.jpg
IMG_2165.jpg
Shaped a 6'10" from an 8'0" and the board inside the board pattern really became apparent. The 6'6" having the speed and drive of a 7'9" and the 6'10" an "inside jobbie" of an efficient 8'0"....... yet both lacking the restrictions of previous nose & tail lengths of their longer predecessors.
The late Bob Krause once said to me "if you want to cruise, get a canoe, wanna go fast, chop it in half".
By that thinking a 5'10" will be 'inside' a 7'0" and a 6'2" inside a 7'4"....... initially I was only offering these from 6'6" to 8'6", but now I know they will go smaller..... probably to 5'6"....... the 6'6" & 6'10" have a lot of board for the length.
It is a formidable challenge reading foam of an already milled blank intended for other use, just to avoid distorted bottom or deck rail lines, not to mention the foil. But I've also seen merit in doing it this way versus building a board from scratch on the computer. Ironically, the result that I've gotten now, would work even better for a file than had I done it another way..... I've realized that to make versatile files for scaling, this is one helluva good way to do it! The primary reason I'm saying this is because the fullness of curve that I've been able to create can now be proportinately scaled down into much narrower widths while maintaing the fullness of the orginal curves.
I've developed a mathematical formula based on percentages that works in conjunction with the release aspects of the deep vee (1" to 1.5") panels and bottom rocker while allowing all the boards, regardless of length, to offer fin positioning of at least 12" forward of the tailblock. I've explained to people that these are NOT tail riders.... I can't say that enough because conventional thinking has people wanting to place a big fin back further..... wrong! That will just make the board spin out and squirrley..... fin placement on these is in reverse of conventional designs. They aren't displacement hulls, but you need to think that way if you are riding one of these.
In essense, the board's "wheelbase" is determined by measuring from the trailing edge of the fin to the nose. Behind the trailing edge, it's all about release.... making it, in some weird parallel world, not totally unlike a stinger. I described it to Hawk yesterday as "a board I was looking to create that would have the speed of just before you spin out, except there is a fine line that you can control it. I want something for surfers to play with giving them a fresh perspective".
Clarificaton here: the spin out I'm talking about is from RELEASE not misplanned TURBULENCE aka WASH.
Everyone riding these boards have remarked about how fast they are in complete shit gutless surf...... which says a lot. Now you could say "well they have huge wide tails so they have to be fast, but even tho' they have such wide tails, they also have incredibly deep vee..... which normally is displacement, like a Naval Destroyer requiring a lot of power to trim..... because I'm using plane geometry concepts on these boards, the displacement is linked to maximum release unless trimming in a straight line which is pretty rare while riding waves. Actually, you would have to turn the Destroyer around backwards to make it a fair comparison.
So, thanks for putting up with a bit of long winded rambling, just trying to up the fun factor for willing souls in search of a good time...... a flood of thoughts keeps hitting me while shaping these boards today....... more is certain to come...... it's really fun being on this current design jag! ;-O
IMG_2170.jpg
IMG_2174.jpg
Part of this week's fun.
IMG_2312.jpg
IMG_2340.jpg
IMG_2343.jpg
IMG_2333.jpg
IMG_2275.jpg
IMG_2375.jpg
IMG_2336.jpg
IMG_2384 (1).jpg
IMG_2410.jpg
nice stuff, you been busy!
Eh Brudda Bruce!
'Ow you ever git all dis done?
i wish my "mama" would go outta town
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
Thanks guys.
Yes, amazing what you can get done when you are 'home alone'....... lol.
These pix turned out pretty decent w/o too much distortion except for the tailblock on the burnt orange/brownish deck arch one considering I was standing on a ladder over the boards with my I Phone 6+ with the boards sitting flat on some dark gray carpet in my cabana by the pool.
...texting my wife right now who is on a train in Spain headed for Madrid so she can get on a plane home. Turns out her old GF lives in the boonies and it was a bit more adventure than what she really wanted at this stage of life. Although we are talking about going to Cuba ASAP before the influx of tourists impact their limited infrastructure and the old charm is gone forever. She is retired flight crew so her perks keep us traveling quite a bit.
No worries, I'll supply wave report from Pedro's fish taco stand in Havana! Pix of what the Floridian surfers are missing! Aye Carrrrrrrrumba!
I better go get my ass busy shaping then clean up the house...... esp. if I'm headed to Cuba. "Lucy, you got some e'splaining to do!"
;-P
http://www.galahotels.com/en/Destination/Hotels/Cuba_60/Havana_3903?gcli...
....... at those prices, I can rent a penthouse, set up a board factory and supply my East Coast accounts with board prices that will go head to head with all those cheap China boards. Maybe I can get subsidized Yankee dollars?
Wow...... this could be good! I don't smoke cigars tho'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lhgJX2U8zE&feature=youtu.be
Foil.
Riding instructions.
IMG_2428.jpg
IMG_2431.jpg
IMG_2433.jpg
IMG_2427.jpg
Bruce!
Your kidding, yeah?
I never got no stinking instructions on my Vee's
or any of my kids as a matter of fact.
Didn't do 2 bad with either
Where the hell is this world going?
;-)=
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
Huh?
Say what....... did I miss something, or maybe I've gone thru a worm hole and don't realize I'm shaping & living in a parallel world.
Everybody in my "original world" told me "vee's are slow.... it's all about single to double concave, paper thin, super rockered boards".
Everyone "knows" that pro glass slippers are the only surfboards that can "guarantee high performance surfing".
My response to the " our designs are driven by professional surfers" aka C.I./Burton Corporation dogma was.....
I get that, but in my world "pro's don't pay my mortgage"?
DON'T FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE.
It is obvious that I don't know what the hell I am doing.
I guess all that matters these days are the logos.
Just follow the guys with the big ads.
On another note, this is a pic of a board that in all my misguided clueless design moments, people have been loving. This is a 6'6"x23-1/4"x2-3/4" for Nick Shamooilian. People say they are super fast & fun, but what the hell do I know?
In the meantime, I don't have the luxury of slowing down. This is today's group of the newest deranged manifestation of my twisted designer shaper mind. The good news is it includes a 7'4" for an Executive Chef who I am sure will give me a delicious meal at Gladstones in Malibu because that is where he performs his daily magic.
IMG_2568.jpg
IMG_2552.jpg
Jus Funnin ya Bruce!
"in the day"
went Vee, mini gun and back to the vee.
Ah, I like to manuever
and slow???
rode a 6-6 Vee @ Overhead (in the day)
2nd reef good sized ( all I had)
I didn't have any lack of speed
Just had to nurse my bottom turns!
And still love em (V).
It makes my soul soar
Seeing someone continue and refine
Something historic.
Keep up the good work!
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
I have done many "private labels" over the years: Rocky Point, Northshore, Oregon, Viking, Owl, Z Line, Stoker, among others.
Here is a sample of one of five models I will be creating for Aviator Nation. They have stores in Venice, Malibu, Manhattan Beach and the newest store on Haight Ashbury in San Francisco. They want a 70's vibe and I will post some of these designs as they become available over the next few weeks.
A.N's branding is uniquely & abundantly colorful!
IMG_2737.jpg
IMG_2738.jpg
IMG_2735.jpg
IMG_2751.jpg
IMG_2754.jpg
IMG_2757.jpg
Some more eye candy. 6'8".
IMG_2879.jpg
IMG_2880.jpg
IMG_2889.jpg
IMG_2893.jpg
Wow, colorful!
Saw a few of your boards out in L.A. waters lately, one big guy on a big Stoker V says he's got a 10-6 on order, for the small summer days.
Also saw a round tail 7-6 that was very light! Guy said next time I caught him he'd let me try it.
Actually it will be 10'2"...... he wants a ton of float for under shoulder high surf............. it's a V8 lean machine & I explained to him to scale it up with the correct curve it will be close to 27" wide! He doesn't want a SUP recessed handle slot so I guess he will be carrying it Endless Summer style.
It is NOT an SUP, but someone could sure ride it that way if they wanted to.
The width & thickness demanded me getting a SUP blank from U.S. Blanks (he doesn't want EPS).
It's going to be a lot of mowing.......
I'm tired already!
The V8's are gaining momentum with a stack of orders for them from all over....
IMG_1989.jpg
IMG_2030.jpg
IMG_2565.jpg
Eh DS,
airbrush, yeah?
Really nice.
Looks like no trouble with lam
Great work....
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
I Love the Airbursh work took me back to my days of when I had long hair or for that matter hair and I was free lancing doing airbrush for a lot of small shops..
According to Mikki Dora Malibu went to the Dogs in 1964. The Chumash Indians will tell you it was 1664.
"Bruce, Lovin your v8 design. Took no time to get used to. Fin is in the center of the box. Another great one, master. Three Fowlers in my toolbox now but the v8 is my fav".
Thanks. Stede
20150623_125422-3.pdf
An every day reality: an email reply to a customer today:
How things work: Board is whipping thru glassing tomorrow and this week. Leon Fitchat of "Action Sports Express" does a Nor Cal run every two weeks which he just went thru last week so he's a bit off b4 coming thru again. Realistic time line using Leon would be another couple weeks. I'm headed to see my son who now lives and works on Kauai.... leaving the 14th returning the 21st. If you want a personal guarantee that the board can get to you b4 that....... I can send Fed Ex "Home Delivery" for $99...... a deal considering it is fully packed & shipped and delivered to your door in one day from our factory just north of Santa Barbara. Your call on this. It has always been my experience that there are the "haves & have nots" ..... as is all too true with my clientele, each having their own "realities": ranging from 28 yr. old. billionaires building skyscrapers next to Trump, Forbes 2nd most powerful Art Gallery owner in London & NYC, to music stars like Mike D. (Beastie boys), or working stiffs, and surf bums living in their vans........ I treat them all equally with total respect for each and every one of them, and I do their bidding as to what is comfortable and reasonable for each and every one of them in their individual lives and needs. Please advise........ your wish is my command.IMG_2565.jpg
IMG_2333.jpg
NEW FOWLER POC_resized.jpg
IMG_1504.jpg
"Your call on this"
Much respect and noting but good vibes
Better words that not the norm and are fresh!
"I treat them all equally with total respect for each and every one of them, and I do their bidding as to what is comfortable and reasonable for each and every one of them in their individual lives and needs"
And now
your well being...
Price of sucess
Overtime
Pressure
I think your handling it fine...
Aloha...
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
Be true to yourself.
Say what you'll do, then do what you say.
All the good intentions in the world don't equal one kept commitment.
Hold yourself accountable: here's an example to another customer:
Matt M.
"As you know I shaped your "step up" board right away except for the tail config which, after discussion, you decided on the wing round pin like in the pic here. Then I woke up a couple weeks ago with some mystery pinched nerve in my lower back and all progress flew out the window. After rest, heat, ice, muscle relaxants, and a careful, wee bit of vicodin, I'm back to almost normal and in the shaping room. The tail is finished and the board is heading into glassing now. Sorry for the delay. I had such a typically Fowler efficient jump on this one then life happened along the way to making plans."IMG_3428.jpg
IMG_2990.jpg
The 2nd generation of the V8 'lean machine' intensifies.
This is a 7'2"x23-1/2"x2-3/4" heavily foiled out with the thin wide tail allowing for "rocker on demand" while turning aka torsional flex. It's a 'Tale of Two Rockers'....center & rail.... this one is for SHAWN TRACHT and he will be testing it with a 15" center long box using an assortment of fins while running it as a single.... it's original design concept, but it is also being outfitted as a "4+1" to allow for quadramania and other possibilities.
The options DOES NOT include the design being used as a 'conventional' tri fin, typical tri fin placement on this surfboard would render it useless! The only reason I entertain the quad requests is because the leverage is out at the rail and may deliver yet some unexpected torque that complements the Panel Vee & Foil that promotes flex & twist off.
The glassing schedule is specific to enhancing the torsional flex, rocker on demand scenario, with the original inspiration coming from GG's (Greenough) flex spoons, yet in my own way.
This board is after a different kind of high performance in one to five foot surf, but only limited to what the rider is willing to subject it to.
Quickie color & design by yours truly.
IMG_3062.jpg
IMG_3063.jpg
IMG_3064.jpg
IMG_3065.jpg
IMG_3067.jpg
That looks cool! Love to see pics from some other angles of that one.
Board pictured here is sold & headed to Hawaii.
IMG_2948.jpg
72 hours later...... board is done thanks to Hawk....... looks great.
Shawn and Brent (Lieberman....... the man with the camera) called me early this morning as they barreled out of Central Cali headed to the swell down toward Malibu area...... caught some action and are now headed back to pick up the finished 7'2". Whipped some 70's style paint on another 7'4" for Gladstones Executive Chef, Jason Hanin and his board is in the pix with Shawns.
We wiil be getting still foto testimony from Brent's camera as well as some Vimeo depicting how these weired ass boards ride.
Caught a few different angles per Huck's request.
IMG_3075.jpg
IMG_3165.jpg
IMG_3171.jpg
IMG_3172.jpg
IMG_3174.jpg
IMG_3189.jpg
IMG_3192.jpg
Wow!
I'd call it the "Crispy Cridder"...
Remember the "fin out" rail turn ???
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
Pages