Please welcome Bill Barnfield to the Swaylocks Shaper's Hotseat.
Remember the rules: In this capacity, Bill is our guest. We all ask the questions and only Bill gets to answer them. Our ablitity to remain respectful and polite will have a lot to do with our ability to attract future guests.
OK, ask away
all the best
Hi Bill,
It's great to have you participating in this forum. In your opinion, what has been the greatest design advancement in surfboard building on the North Shore? Who were your board building influences? What still motivates you to build boards today? What is your greatest board building accomplishment? We have a million more but we'll stop at those four for now. Thanks!
Fiberglass Hawaii Inc.
"Providing Fine Fiberglass Materials Since 1966"
http://shop.fiberglasshawaii.com
Aloha fiberglasshi
If you don't mind I will answer multiple questions in individual posts.
Off the top of my head, there was only one "design advancement in surfboard building" that was fairly specific to the North Shore. This would be the advancements in boards that could surf bigger waves, and by bigger I mean everything over 6'-8'. Simply because bigger waves were so easy to comeby here. Once we hit the short board revolution, the refinement of gunnier boards for bigger waves was rapid and significant. Spilling from the North Shore, all around the world. Additionally, in the early days it wasn't near as easy as it is today to get to and stay on the North Shore. Those who did, tended to be the very best surfers and board builders from all around the world. This pool of talent was like the early days of Silicon Valley or Hollywood where the friendly comradary and competion drove advancements in boards and surfing at an unbridled pace, unmatched by anywhere else in the world.
This isn't as easy to answer as some might think. I never officially "studied" under or was "taught" by anyone.
I was always a quick learner that had good hand and eye coordination. I was curious about how things worked to the point that I dismantled most of my toys to figure them out. Then bicycles, motorcycles and cars. If there was anyone in the neighborhood that was working on something, I would hang around and watch or help. I was facinated by science and the adventure of life and creativity and was luckly gifted with good artistic sense.
This gave me a huge respect for people who created stuff and the tools, talents and techniques they used to create things. In my generation, it was common to work from an early age and this taught me proper diligence and the neccessity of being thorough in my craft. All this stuff trained my mind to easily connect diverse activities with various techniques and tools to figure out how to make stuff and not to be intimidated by any task. I became pretty good at teaching myself, embracing failure and moving quickly to what works!
I was around many industry people but wasn't taught specifically by any of them. They all made contributions to the pool of knowledge that led me down the path to where I am today.
When I worked at Hobie's the strong influences were, Micky Munoz (who got me the job there), Terry Martin, Jeff Logan, Ronald and Bobby Paterson. They never knew it but they taught me how to be a Pro at one's craft and to do it under heavy load. I first met Bill Thailkill when I worked there. Phil Edwards was mostly involved in the Catamarans then and the R&D facility was next door. It was off limits to most but I got to hang around there when I had time.
During my time in Santa Barbara I got to hang around the Wilderness shop got to know Greenough and was impressed with the very different things they were doing there. This was an interesting contrast to the design philosphies of Yater and Bradbury of that same time. I also met Bob Haakenson and through him the Mirandon Brothers down in La Jolla who were extremely creative! These were very inspirational times! I am probably missing others and for that I appologize.
Bill,
in your quest to make better boards what percent is the fin/fins equation and why ?some of your favorites fins for single 3,4, fin boards,3 known favorite shapers and why? 3 unknown shapers and why? Raining all day,,,, always enjoyed your boards Aloha.....
So Sorry. I missed your question
Aloha Privateer. So sorry but I seemed to have missed your question and passed you right by. Your question is great and I want to answer properly as you have brought up a subject that is going to require posting some photos etc. Hang in there in a few days I will be caught up on my projects and will be able to devote the proper time to your question.
Aloha Privateer
I just spent the last couple of hours answering your quesion and the whole thing went POOF!!. I will try again later, if I am still alive after I shoot myself.... ARRRRRGH!!!!
M
In the beginning there were no fins on boards and none were needed because the waves ridden then were smaller rollers rather than cresting waves. Additionally, they were ridden straight into the beach for long distances. As surfers desired to ride larger waves, the larger waves would not just roll on as gentle swells. These larger waves were the cresting type swells that couldn't be ridden staight into the beach because cresting waves disperse all their energy upon breaking leaving only a weak, foamy, soup ride to the beach.
On a cresting wave, one has to ride down along the swell line to get a long enough ride. This meant negotiating irregular sections in the breaking swell line requiring the rider to vary his speed to match the wave and increase it at times to make it around falling sections. As surfers needed more speed they also needed to ride steeper and steeper parts of the wave. This greater need for speed and need to direct it, required more control of the board and FINS were a very simple solution to all of this. As surfers grew to ride bigger and steeper waves the fins beccame more and more important to the task at hand, the best example being them growing from ZERO fins into MULTIPLE fins per board.
So in answer to your first question, fins are everthing. Contemporary surfing would be hard pressed to exist without them. Proof being that, in spite of all the attempts to achieve the mythical "finless surfboard" they never work on a par with normal surfboards.
My Favorite fins are well........ MY fins.
Most notably my standard Tri Fin Template that I developed shortly after tri fins came out and I needed to adapt them to Hawaiian waves. My template is now about 30+ years old and is regularly copied by some of the biggest names. None of them have given me credit for it, especially those who know exactly where they got it from. Here it is below. Print it out to scale 4 1/8" Base x 4 5/8" Depth, and compare it to the fins you like and see how it measures up. If you have access to enough fins, you will be amazed at how many are near exactly this template. Keep in mind this image is of a glass on version. If it were a fin system version, it would have a slightly wider base to better match the glass on fillet. See what you come up with and we will continue this discussion.
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Fin BB GlassOn .jpg
Bill,
3 known favorite shapers and why? 3 unknown shapers and why?
I am not sure of your question or how to answer really. I don't have any "favorite" shapers, known or unknown. Maybe it is just the language you used. I respect the talents and craftsmanship of several shapers. Leaving anyone out, doesn't mean they aren't great shapers of course but naming a few favorites may create all kinds of complications. I will think about your question and answer if I can figure out a way to do so and not bruise any relationships or feelings. These things are delicate enough as it is let alone teasing the issue with a popularity contest!
As I get older that question pops up in my own mind all the time! Why do I keep doing this?
I am not sure what motivated me in the fist place..... maybe saving some money by doing it myself. I never had a big dream or burning desire to be a famous surfboard maker or shaper. It never seemed all that marvelous to me. I liked being crafty and making things work better and since I was surfing it just made sense to play around with making surfboards and making them better.
Maybe that is still the reason. Or maybe it is just a lingering habit that I can't break. I like the craft. I like making things that work. I like making customers happy. Surfboards that are done well are beautiful pieces of Engineered Art. They warm my heart when I see them, regardless of who makes them. It is a seductive craft.
I don't know if there was a single "greatest" but here are 3 that come to mind.
1. Introducing my Measurement Controlled Shaping System to others and watching their success with it. It quantified the art of shaping allowing greater precision and the repeatability neccessary to advance pro surfing.
2. Developing the Rescue Sled for the City & County of Honolulu when nothing like it existed. Nothing better then saving lives.
3. Training hundreds of friends and employees over the years, providing increased incomes and better lifestyles for them and their families.
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