Fountain of Youth surfboards

Here's a classic shot of a "Hot Curl" board in action. Looks like a real trim master.....

The New Std. is a design tweak offering a similar, yet different ride from the Plain Jane/VM matrix. A smidge more rocker is carved into each end of the board with additional design modifications. The tail section still has vee but it is advanced, meaning. more vee is placed at the side fins transitioning to a flatter bottomed tail block with a nudge of rocker. What this tweak does is reduce the amount of "resistance" that is incorporated into the v machines for a more definitive long railed turning experience. The flattened tail block allows the rider to swing or pivot more vertically up or off the wave face. The other modification is reduced deck & rail volume akin to what I have previously termed "Winter Foil". This modification in foil reduces the amount of bulk fore and aft of the rider's stance. The reduction in bulk creates more lift while reducing the amount of resistance a rider experiences when applying weight in turns and cutbacks or while making subtle weight changes when trimming on the wave face. The most obvious visual difference is in the aft section of the outline aka planshape: the tail area has increased curve while reducing the tailblock width allowing for easier turning. This reduction in tail area reduces tracking and increases overall quickness in rail to rail maneuverability The end result is a quick, lively, more vertically inclined board that still paddles well, trims fast, and has increased lift more like a flyer than a bottom driver. At the time of this writing the boards pictured here are available at Mollusk Venice in a variety of sizes with some others available at Wave Front Ventura. One new 6'10" Standard was included in the shipment headed to France for Pierre Lespes, who has been riding my PJ/VM's for the last couple of years. The aqua resin tint board pictured here is 7'4". There are also clear models in 7'6" and 7'9". The bottom pix is your typical Plain Jane aka V Machine.

Coming soon: the return of "The Original" (Fountain of Youth). The design that ended up launching the label of today. A full blown high performance surfboard scaled up for experienced surfers that don't want to be relegated to a funshape or longboard...... this is THE ONE. Even your dog will love it!

Tod Diamond enjoying retirement on his 7'2" BF East Cape, Baja del Sur.

How things start - usually just a pile of blanks, a planer, some hand tools.......... and an idea. Outlines cut out & trued after careful scaling using a combo of templates ranging from 10 to 45 years old. Then shape them up while respecting the history. What is that history? Santa Barbara surfers have long been known for our "spears" ridden @ Rincon & other local spots along our coast. Being born & raised here, I grew up in that tradition from the 1st time I climbed on a surfboard in 1959. What many surfers from other areas don't realize, is that the boards developed here ride looser, & are far more maneuverable than what they appear to be. These cut outlines aka "planshapes" are steeped in that tradition. "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS, IT'S ABOUT THE CURVE" - I said that.... Shaper pictured: the L8, Gr8, John Bradbury, friend & my strongest influence for what a magic surfboard should be. His "Creative Freedom" label said it all!

Everything comes around and goes arounds and comes around and... There are many creative and/or imaginative things created in this world, but at the end of the day, most of life is a "re-run".... very FEW things are truly original or firsts..... Surf Line Hawaii by Randy Rarick 5’9 | All Original (1973)

Greetings! I am a new member and this is my first Sways post. I ordered and took delivery of a V8 and wanted to provide a review. 8'2", 10.5 single fin, cut lap Volan. First and foremost, I love this board! Love it! I bombarded Bruce with a ton of questions about the board, sizing, etc. and he patiently answered all my questions and provided so much additional information. As I told Bruce in our email exchange, he is a true professional. Due to some sickness, vacation time, and other circumstances I haven't had a lot of time on the V8 but the sessions I have surfed I can say this board is fun and fast. I completely agree with Cyril Huddy's review that it paddles like a longbard. My other ride is a 9'6" log and the V8 glides beautifully. I have the fin placed completely forward and consciously told myself to pop up in a more centered position with no issues. The V8 jumps into the wave like a hot rod, its awesome. Step back just a bit and she will give you a shapely turn but also trim with soul. For me, surfing is encapsulated in Shawn Tracht's 'Soul V8 Style' pic sequence on page 20 and this board is all that. I like my lb, but I love my V8. If anything happened to it I would immediately be on the phone with BF for another one. I am not a great surfer, but an athletically strong, decent intermediate. I can't provide nuanced details about board design like many of you, but with the V8 I have found the board I've been dreaming about. Its has glide, speed, rocking trim, with the true 1960s era vee bottom. Classic! Thank you Midget, and Thank you BF! P.S. Australian Open and Indian Wells - Well done Roger.

Thanks for the kind words and nice review..... I wish more folks would share like this. Word of mouth is the best advertising a board maker can get! Ditto on Fed's big win....... he's on a roll for us 'old guys'..... lol. In the meantime, here's another gray bead kind of inspiration: Bruce Hosmer on a 7 ft EPS/Epoxy Speed Egg I made him not too long ago.......... definitely pushing the envelope! A study comparing SB screw foot styles: Top Bruce Hosmer, Bottom: BF. 2 Bruces under the Pacific curtain.....

As if Geoff Shidler didn't already have enough paddle power & glide on his half dozen or so quiver of BF's.... this 7'0" is EPS & Epoxy with his "Pantone Shidler Green" - this time with the bottom, top rail & "Tommy Band". The thing is LITE and REALLY STRONG!

Surfing keeps you young. No matter what you choose to ride....... get out there!

We are now officially into spring in the northern hemisphere, and summer is around the corner. Pull those swim trunks out of your drawer and see if you still fit in them.

Doug Butterick took the long drive from Lucerne Vally up to my house in Solvang to pick up his Platypus yesterday. He brought a 12 pack of Corona Beer for a tip which was a nice thought and thank you. His new Platypus is a pig shape, wide point well behind center, with the distribution shifted aft with a 'soft' step deck making for less swing weight up front. This design is a turn machine that gives the rider the unique sensation of standing on water with no surfboard in front of you. The added curve from shifting the wide point behind center combined with a 2+1 fin box configuration allows the rider to ride the board as a classic single fin or to try, among other options, a more vertical pivot main driver fin with larger side fins to make for a RIGHT CLUSTER thereby shortening the turning radius while maintaining a ton of hold & drive. Doug opted for a Red cut lap resin tint with deck and bottom patches and a sanded gloss finish. The board is 8'0" 23"x3" for his weight and individual preference. This board complements his current 8'6" BF FOY 4+1 Round Tail that is somewhat along the lines of a Rusty Desert Island (only better... lol).

Well the resin is curing on the first batch of what I'm now referring to as the "'Original" .... some 25+ years ago I went to the drawing board and developed these for the good, but older surfers I knew that kept trying to get a board that they were proud to put under their arm and could realistically compete in the lineup filled with younger aggro surfers. That meant the boards had to have paddle power yet not feel bulky or corky. They had to be able to hold a high line to get around the corner at Rincon, and they needed to carry speed over flat spots at the Indicator and hold in tight barrels thru the Rivermouth. Guys also wanted to be able to throw them around in smaller Cove waves, beach breaks and other less than perfect surf spots. These boards needed the ability to make tighter radius turns & cutbacks than their actual nose-to-tail length be lie. As I have said before. The age old problem was with the shapers not making what the customer was asking for. For some reason, the shapers would be drawing up the plan shapes and just have a MENTAL BLOCK against what they would allow the MAXIMUM WIDTH. To make a long story short (or at least shorter) the boards would invariably require a much BIGGER WAVE to start working than what the customer wanted. I kept hearing over & over "I DIDN'T ASK HIM FOR A GUN........ YEAH, IT LOOKS GREAT, BUT IT DOESN'T START WORKING UNTIL IT'S DOUBLE OVERHEAD." Once I started drawing plan shapes aka outlines onto some blanks, it was just readily apparent that the MENTAL BLOCK thing was a strong deterrent from creating the curves needed to do what guys were seeking. One of my age old strong points is to be able to SCALE surfboards into different sizes. There is an age old, albeit generalized RULE OF THUMB that for every inch you gain in length, you add about 1/8" in width. Now this works to a fairly large degree, but there exists another HARD FAST RULE" that you have to use your EYE & GUT to compensate or adjust to get what will truly be right and have the ability to sing on a wave! At the end of the day, after taking one of my 6'4" HPSB'S and scaling the curves to longer sizes, things started looking & FEELING RIGHT. 25+ years ago...... this design taught me a nugget of wisdom: IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBER, IT'S ABOUT THE CURVE". To emphasize this point further, just let me say, that when you are looking for looseness, THE ALMIGHTY CURVE has to come from somewhere. You have to ADD somewhere, or TAKE AWAY from somewhere else.......... or............ DO BOTH. That is the YIN & YANG of SURFBOARD DESIGN.............. THERE IS NO GETTING AROUND IT. If you are templating a CIGAR, you needn't worry about any of this, but if that kind of surfboard is your predilection, then I guess we are on different planets. These first 'Originals' appeared to be gunnier than they actually are. They will turn plenty loose and hold well in waves ranging from waist high to well overhead. The rocker is complemented with an extremely sophisticated bottom that has been described as a "magic carpet ride" while still offering early wave entry, late takeoff forgiveness, vertical ease, high line trimming, and dreamy smooth cutbacks. Maybe "Magic Carpet" is a better name for these puppies....... if you get on one, you'll know what I'm talking about. The widest point is only the PEAK of the curve for a tiny portion of the overall outline. Don't let a number limit the curve you create. The curve dictates the ride, not a number....

If you have a board you love but like to travel, take the board. Either that or leave one (or a quiver) at the destination you annually or frequently visit. John Chimples schlepped his BF down to Costa Rica and was glad he did. CHECK OUT THIS 2017 LIST OF WHAT AIRLINES CHARGE FOR SURFBOARDS: https://wavetribecompany.com/2014-airline-surfboard-boardbag-fee-guide-f...

We are ON it! uh.......... well, we're ON something! But what the hell, maybe this thing will work! The price is right.

We are turning the corner toward summer. Some rubber will get shed, some pounds may too...... or maybe they'll get added..... any which way, the water will warm and it's a good time to head for the big blue horizon! Foto grabs: A Wave Storm moment.......... and subsequent reincarnation. 1 of 2 packed and headed to Montauk A trio of fun ships....

As of late, this has become my favorite surf movie.... I really love the shaping segment! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_H2cSOMcDo

A replacement is in progress. Need I say more?

Madeleine T. gave me a call last week wanting to order a 7'0" for small to medium SF waves.......... I shaped it up that day and the boyz went to town on it the next day. She was thrilled it would make it for the week end....... when in doubt, think pink! lol.

The 6'8" & 7'2" came thru with flying colors. The 7'2" is a 3rd addition to Daniel B.'s quiver and the 6'8" is for his GF. They like to take regular surf trips and wanted good looking durable boards. Both of these are triple layered S Glass decks with double 4 oz. S Glass on bottom. Full Gloss & Polish using the FCSII systems. Boards feel light but are bullet proof!

Hilarious......... I've known a few guyz like this. https://vimeo.com/48631493

Post this up in the General discussion forum. Too Funny. The same guy did a video on an obsessive surfer. Very Funny.

Here's a new stick for Larry Sell. He wanted to add a step up board in addition to the board I made him last year..... something he could ride in juicier bigger surf. He asked for more float with old skool type distribution, winged pin with some double concave and vee....... the rest was up to me. I kept the rails fuller and more foam in the forward section of the board for float and easier paddling. She's 7'8"x20"x3" per his instructions.... single winged pintail that has vee in the nose entry to help cut chop 'n ease the drop..... it transitions to a slight single concave midship feeding into full double barrel concave with vee forward of the wing and some into the fin cluster exiting with a slightly flatter panel vee at the tailblock. This bottom contour is something I've used for about 25 to 27 years with good feed back. This board will be ridden in California & Hawaii. Enjoy.

Here's a fresh new 6'8" for Michael "I am Torquato" Di Nichola......... ex pro surfer and artist extraordinaire. Can't wait to see it after he paints it!

More of Larry's finished stick.

I like happy endings........ it's always gratifying to get an appreciative customer. Owning & operating a small surfboard company is challenging enough in this day and age of cheap offshore labor, corporate owned labels, internet brands funded by idle rich folks that always wanted to be in the surfboard business. There are millions of surfers world wide, yet I'm told in the last couple of weeks a few long time established glass shops have closed their doors citing not enough work to keep going....... dang! Still, surfers want good dependable service and a quality product at a fair price. They also want to be treated as a valued customer when ordering the ever increasingly rare "custom" surfboard in a world of pop outs. I value my customers and work hard & smart for them...... so it is very rewarding to get words like this coming my way! ---------------------------------------- :-O ---------------------------------- Paul T. 11:32 AM (11 minutes ago) to me Hi Bruce -- I've had the V8 for a few weeks now and it's the only board I've ridden in that time, the latest being a five-hour session today. I've ridden wide-tailed boards before, fish, mini-Simmons from 5'10" to 7'. Really enjoyed the Simmons but found it's true you need to keep them short, the single concave between the fins (at least on the Simmons I owned) made rail-to-rail transitions difficult and created a narrow performance range. Only so much you could do, So it's been amazing how easy the V8 makes those transitions. Break-in period was about half a dozen waves. I'm not a big fan of cliches, like the one "paddles and catches waves like a longboard," but, by God, this one does. (I actually sit outside some longboarders.) All I need is a little slope and I'm in. Off to the races. I'm 59, been surfing since '72, owned more boards than I could count. This is one of the best. Thank you. Paul ...

Duke Kahanamoku, Corona del Mar, Newport Beach ~ circa 1921

Happy Memorial Day......... another has passed. R.I.P. John Severson, "Surfer Magazine" founder, prolific artist, film maker and purveyor of stoke. Long may you ride in the infinite ever after. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mr0mH095jQ

Kevin Fisher touched base from NZ: Bruce Fowler added 3 new photos. February 17, 2015 · Let's try this sequence of Kevin Fisher again! (DID NOT WORK - I'LL DEAL WITH IT LATER...... BACK TO THE SHAPING ROOM! ;-O Fountain of Youth Surfboards Like Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry CommentShare Top Comments 7 Monique Portanger, Kevin Fisher and 5 others Comments Fountain of Youth Surfboards Write a comment... Kevin Fisher Kevin Fisher Still love that board to death Bruce--though I've gone to the dark side and ride it as a thruster now. In fact it's the only tri fin I ride. Like Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

HERE'S AN ARTICLE THAT MENTIONS SOME OF THE PRIVATE LABEL BOARDS HITTING THE BEACH. Foto here is for Sunset Surf Shack in Montauk. Article is Aviator Nation. Some eye candy, etc. . http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-aviator-nation-20170528-htmlstory.html

Packing a surfboard for shipping 101. Rule #1 - there's no such thing as "over packing". The most vulnerable spots on a surfboard are: Nose, Tail & Rails. The foam shown here is 1/2" thick. I put this on the entire perimeter of the board that has already been slipped inside Bubble Wrap Tubing. Noses & Tails are double foam layered along with the bubble wrap, then taped so there is an air chamber impact crush barrier in case box is dropped on end, or worse. The packing material I get is from U Line & figures out @ $30 per board including a shipping box (I can never pay what my time is worth to actually perform the work of packing them!). Not cheap, but it is a helluva lot better than someone ordering a custom surfboard only to have it show up on your door mangled or at least 'pre-dinged'. The Atlantic Northeast is notoriously hard on handling surfboards, as is some other destinations on the globe, but this method has worked well for me, and it took me a few years to really develop a systematic method I feel secure in doing. Especially in light of shipping worldwide to places like Norway, France, Portugal, Australia, Hawaii, New York, Japan, Canada, Florida, the PNW, Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Greece, and other destinations.

They say death comes in threes''s....... not sure why that is, but another iconic figure within the surfing world has passed. Jack was 94, and I remember back to when he would pick me up from the O Shop (which I managed in 1980-81) to have a once a week lunch with him and just talk about how things were going. I recall one day he was driving along a road in town and he pointed down to a house and said "as a young man I traded a sailboat for that house"....... he had done well for himself........ I believe I was told the building leased out at the Santa Cruz Harbor was his, among many other properties in, and around Santa Cruz. My association with O'neill preceded coming to work for them; at Surf 'n Wear we exclusively sold O'neill wetsuits makinig us the #1 dealer for them for many years. Pat & I became fast friends and he would stay at my house when in SB or I would stay at the O House along Pleasure Point. His sister Shaun became a really proficient sailboarder who I judged during the surf sailing part of a World Cup held at Waddell Creek. Timmy worked under me at the O Shop while I interacted with Bridget & Cathy as they set up a new computerized system for the retail stores. I did all the management, buying and worked with Drew Kampion on advertising for the O Shop. Jack told me he made a point to get into the water at least an hour per day. He always did his best to do this unless he was traveling out of town on business. He developed "The Supersuit" based on his own personal needs as a hot air balloonist. He told me that he wanted a "survival suit" that he could inflate should he descend in his balloon over the ocean and have to be rescued. To be fair, Bev Morgan shares the distinction of being a founding father, along with Jack, of the modern day wetsuit. It was during WWII that the U.S. Navy developed neoprene, paving the way for the wetsuits we wear today. With that being said, O'neill was the leading edge American company for water sportswear. Jack is survived by his three daughters, Cathy, Bridget, & Shaun, and his three sons, Mike, Pat and Tim. My sincere condolences to his family.

America's Cup in full swing! We used AC racing strategies back in our windsurfing days, and in turn, they used what we were designing & learning in their approach...... hulls, fins, sails, masts.... ......i's called crossing over of information that can be applied from one sport to another. Over the years I've incorporated design concepts from windsurfing into my surfboards to create a faster, more versatile experience when riding waves. https://www.facebook.com/Deadshaper/posts/1429958227043085?notif_t=like&...

Pierre Lespes - happiness is a new surfboad in Bordeaux France.

Washington D. hails from the East Coast but gets around. He recently contacted me and added a 5'10" FOY aka VM and a 5'3" Fish to his BF quiver. He got them all ready for a week end surf and sent me these pix...... looking good. The surfing foto came with this caption: "And here's an old one from costa on the 6'1 you made me a while back.."

A crew of guys got together and ponied up some coin to buy Joshua, who is graduating, a new stick. Josh is an experienced surfer that started surfing at age eight and wants more of an old skool single fin pintail for maneuvering in tight barrels, lots of drive, and relaxed rocker for easy paddling and early entry into waves. He weighs 145 lbs. I shaped him this 7'2"x20-1/4"x2-3/4" with a 13-1/2" Nose and 13" Tail. The board has a flat bottom to about the last 1/3rd of the board then has some vee in it. A 10" fin box (with leash hole) will be positioned 7" forward of the tail, and it will come with a Greenough Stage IV-A fin. He also wants it glassed with Cut Lap Volan lay ups with some weight versus a super light stick. I love the outline that I worked up, and looking at it early this morning over coffee, I realized it will also make an absolutely killer PIG when I flip the template around the other way! Enjoy.

While quite a few of my friends in the industry are singing the blues about not having enough work, or they are spending a good amount of time crying in their beer about how China took all the work away...... okay guys, yadda, yadda, yadda........ I just look at them and figure I'm not gonna join their pity party. The fact remains that growing a successful business IS a challenge, but it is also a fact that there are literally MILLIONS of surfers in this world, and a good amount of them are willing to pay for surfing equipment they really want. That has me packing and shipping all over the globe. Some guys are not lucky enough to be close to a shop like SPYDER near Bordeaux, or SUNSET SURF SHACK in Montauk, or SATURDAY'S in NYC, Japan & OZ, or MOLLUSK in Venice & SF....... or even have access to my super glitzy private label sticks at AVIATOR NATION in Laguna, Venice, Malibu, Manhatan Beach and SF...... Okay okay....... so here's a little info showing what things cost to get 4 longboards & 5 shorties to Montauk (Invoice at the bottom). Then there's also a lengthy run down on what it costs to get ONE surfboard to Lisbon Portugal. In the last few weeks, my shipping agent has run quotes for Norway, Greece, Germany, and Hawaii among other places. So the bottom line is......... instead of crying in my beer, I GO OUT AND GET IT......... that is how you succeed.... you EARN it! Hi Bruce, Here is the LIS breakdown to the LIS airport. DESCRIPTION BASE 39 KGS RATE Total PPD Air Freight Min $250.00 2.89 250.00 Screening Min $15.00 0.12 15.00 Handling Min $45.00 45.00 45.00 Inland Min $85.00 85.00 85.00 Transfer Min $25.00 0.65 25.35 TOTAL USD DOOR TO LIS AIRPORT ONLY 420.35 Portugal 9506.29.0000 Duty 2.70% Tax 23%

.....or busting it loose applies too.

Here's some closeups on the finished Private Label for Sunset Surf Shack located in Montauk NY..... these ship out today, and will take about a week to arrive. the pintailed on is a Mini Noserider with pretty deep nose concave that is blended out the back. They wanted some Plain Jane/VM styled shortboards, longboards, and some mid range fun shapes to round out a group of 14. The lighting on these came out kind of weird..... makes them look like the tail end is yellowing..... I took the shots in my living room & I guess the lighting in there "pre-yellowed" them for me...... gee, thanks, lol. The other Fowler labeled one is my "Original" - which is the 'original' formula I called Fountain of Youth Model some 27 years back that has prompted my current label.... Enjoy.

If it's slow here, it's busy somewhere...

I sent a 6 footer to Norway about a month ago....... wondering how she's doing and what kinda rides she's had with her new owner. I think about 'my babies' going all over the place and having diverse & interesting lives. ....if boards could talk! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoGVZkwXb18&feature=share

Joshua's 7'2"x20-1/4"x2-3/4". The board has cut lapped Volan glassing for that 70's retro vibe. A timeless shape for an accomplished young surfer wanting a solid barrel rider with fast trim and smooth glide. I opted for a 7.5" :L Flex pivot fin, which is ideal for full pintails. This Volan fin has the perfect flex for Joshua's new stick! A Greenough IV-A was a consideration, a good one at that, however, when I compared them for this board, the more vertical, less base L Flex was the call.

Lately I've had more interest in the Diamond Tail as surfers look to add to their quivers. Instead of the board just being a v machine/plain jane with a different tail outline, I have evolved this board into a distinctly different design. What if a "V8" and a v machine had a baby? So that made sense to me..... something that would fit in between a "V8" and the "PJ/VM" collection. This is Rick P.'s new 6'8"x21-3/4"x2-11/16". He rides Quads a lot, but also 3 fins. I shaped a sharp, defined, deeper vee thru the tail section. Like the "V8" I foiled out the panel vee that meets the tail rail & deck line for maximum release of water coming off the tail block. The front end is very flat with a nudge more nose rocker for late take offs and vert maneuvers. The exaggerated diamond tail snips a full 2" of rail length off the board's overall wheelbase. I can feel how fast this board is going go!

When we were little we used to dream about flying cars...... then everyone had one on the cartoon show "The Jetsons". Some day we thought, had to imagine, but some day. That day is HERE! (Be sure to click on the VIDEO) What's next? Pigs? http://sfglobe.com/?id=17499&src=share_fb_new_17499&t=fbad&k=ip2a4g1t1&s...

It's all a matter of perspective...

I Am Torquato added a new photo. 7 hrs · Fowler Twins - similar yet different — with Michael Torquato DeNicola and Bruce Fowler.