The OBX Dirty Dozen

The OBX Dirty Dozen from Freaky Born Wings on Vimeo.

The Collapsible Surfboard...uh...Revolution

It seems everybody I know has had moments of idle daydreaming about schemes never likely to see the light of day - mainly pertaining to ways to circumvent the abusive board fees major airlines charge ($150 each way, thanks AA). Ever imagined sawing your board in half and putting a hinge on it? Well, how about this design, surely cooked up by Q on a slow day at MI6:

Twinzer

Fins came in. The ghostbuster is officially a twinzer!

OBX, April 2011

25 tornados

12 righteous bros

9 single fins

7 thrust-ers

3 quads/a twin

2 custom vans

and a broken board in the drive-way...!

(photo: John Aaron Frank)

Larry Mabile 5'3" GHOSTBUSTER

Today my obsession got the better of me and I bit the bullet. I get a call from my man at Mollusk that some Larry Mabile boards just arrived so I went on down to check it out. I left with this 5'3" Ghostbuster in collaboration with hydrodynamica. Just waiting for the other fins to arrive to make this thing a twinzer. I love this board and can't wait to take it out! Check back in a month or so for a report.

Great outline.

Hydrodynamica!

Larmo!

Itching to make this a twinzer.

The wings are sick. Crazy bottom turns coming up!

Scooped nose.

More wings.

Damn.

Glass-on Larry Gephart fins.

High aspect fins on the Mini Simmons + the flex in the wood = crazy turns.

Yep, time to dial this thing in.

Board Exchange

There were may good boards to be had! The second one from the left is a Fineline with a Greenough fin. It was gone in the time it took me to try on a wetsuit.


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More on the Mini Simmons

I'm completely obsessed with adding a Mini Simmons to my quiver. Here are two links with more info. It's Rusty Preisendorfer laying down his extensive knowledge of history and design.

Read part 1 and part 2 of his blog posts on Talking Design on Surfline.

Richard Kenvin on a Simmons-inspired model. Photo: Scott Sullivan

taken from BOB SIMMONS AND HULLS, PART ONE by Rusty Preisendorfer

on Talking Design on Surfline

like peanut butter and chocolate

my two faves, brazilian jiu jitsu and surfing together:



also look up:
 Joel Tudor, surfer and black belt

Florida Summer Surf

I grew up in Florida and learned to surf when I was 11 at New Smyrna Beach.

I was instantly hooked and for the longest time all I ever wanted was my own surf board. It would be a few years before that would happen so in the mean time I had a bodyboard that kept me stoked. I got my first surfboard as a birthday present when I turned 14. It was my prized possession. When I couldn't go surfing I would read through my old issues of Surfer Magazine and pretend that I was in California or some exotic location. When I was desperate I would lay the board on my bed and stand on it imagining that I was flying through a huge stand up barrel.

I was never a hard core surfer, it would come and go in and out of my life but it was always there. When I would come home from college for summer my brother Kyle and I would do an early morning dawn patrol every Saturday like it was our religion. The waves were never good but we were getting our stoke regardless. I moved to California in 2002 to attend graduate school. It was a time of intense work and development for me as an artist so surfing did not fit in but I did skate which is another story. I retuned to the east coast moving to New York City in 2007 and in 2009 took a summer vacation to go back home to Florida. We planed to stay in New Smyrna so my first thought was of surfing. We packed the old boards and went for it. Just walking down to the water with my board under arm I knew I missed the water and that from then on I would never forget. I caught my first wave and it all came back. Granted I was a little rusty but I felt like I was flying and paddled back out for another and have continued since. This post is of images form that trip and the follow up trip in 2010.

2009 Sunset

2009 Sunset

2009: Kyle and I walking to the water for the first time in many years.

2009: It was small and windy but if you waited, something ridable would come through.

Riding a 6'6" thruster.

2009: Going on my back hand practicing for Rockaway.

Riding a 7'8" egg.

2010: The waves were small and breaking close to shore so I thought the best option was a bodyboard. Kyle opted for his Steve Forstall 7'8" egg. AKA the Nugget.

2010: If you wated a nice little peeler would come rolling through. Early morning glass!

2010: Look at that nice little wall.

2010: At the end of the trip the waves got even smaller. The only option was to body surf. It was nice to be in the water without a suite on!

2010: Underwater shot!

The Tyler Warren Experiments

Stoke

These films are what's keeping the surf flames stoked.

Single Fins & Safety Pins: Japanese Motors

Surf Badger

Board Exchange

Who is coming with me? I'm going Saturday and Maybe Sunday.


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Quiverito, Mexico

Meet MariLee and Joshua (not pictured), a friendly couple who run the shed-sized Quiverito in Sayulita, Mexico. In a local ecosystem largely dominated by soft-tops, SUPs, and mass-produced longboards, they're committed to only dealing in retro, weird, and handmade shapes. Stumbling across this place was like walking into a time machine.

Being something of a board history dilettante, I can do little more than present some evidence.

From left:

Skip Frye 6'6 tri-fin

Bruce Jones 5'8 twin fish

Bing 5'4 twin fish

1980 Fibrecraft 5'6 twin

1980 G&S 5'9 twin

Pearson Arrow 5'10 Stubie twin. Dang, what do you call that tail?

And check out this fat tail! Who's got the 411 on this vintage KR 5'8 twin?

Now the last bit of board porn, which I somehow forgot to photograph, was this fat old school Town and Country single fin shortboard that looked like some Larry Bertleman joint. I would have loved to take that for a spin, but the waves didn't seem like the type you'd want to ride it on. Maybe someday I'll get on that.

The best board I actually rode down there was a San Miguel, a Mexican shaped quad fish I rented from Surf&Roll. I'm new to that species, but it was seriously like trading in a Cessna for a fighter plane. It was like meeting a friend I knew in a past life. It was like crack. I can't sleep until I get more.

Tigers on Surfboards

Tigers on Surfboards! Yes!

Simmons

Big Kids on Little Simmons by Note Surfboards

As seen on The Alley Fish Fry.

Big Kids on Little Simmons from Note Surfboards on Vimeo.

Short film on Hand Boards.

Looks like fun to me! What do you say Justin :)

As seen on Korduroy.tv

Filmmaker Adam DeWolfe

My hand boards from GotSurf.ca on Vimeo.