BING

Stopped by BING to pick up 2 boards and check on a double stringer balsa blank that took a month to make.  Thankyou BLAIR foam!  10-2 dual balsa stringer blank with a 26.5 width.  Matt Calvani and Jim Phillips truly are masters of both wood and foam. They Added a 2 inch center foam to get the desired width, and now just waiting on a CNC cut to save a lot of time.

While I was there I saw some unbelievable nose and tail blocks that are just insanely intricate.  Foam is tough, but wood is tougher.  Jim Phillips does unbelievable work.  Also the guys Jorge and Javier in the back are super nice.  They are some of the best glassers in all of San Diego, but they don't surf which is crazy to me and even crazier that they don't swim.  Gotta get em swimming and surfing.  They dont know what they are missing.  

5'10''  1960's Lissy Fish with Partch Keels



1970's Gerry Lopez GUN
7'0'' Single Fin

Cardiff

http://otisdesigns.com/includes/gallery/index.php?level=picture&id=117

Love seeing this man out at cardiff.  Almost always on a retro log and ripping.  

You are the man Haffey!!  

My first Shape

So last month I finally decided to cut apart an old beat up longboard I bought for the Tudor fin it had in it.  The board had a weird ripple to it, almost like the blank reacted to the resin.  But I was able to get a 7'4''x23 blank out of the board (A Recycled blank).  I planed the ripples out, and shaped a board that was based on a Bob Simmons design.  I made a few changes to the design however.  I put a bat-tail on the board, which combined with the concave deck are the most noticeable changes.  Also, I left a slight channel down the center of the board, which allowed for a little rail to rail maneuverability.  The Daniel Partch keel fins are just perfect, and pushed forward a little bit to add to the looseness of the board.
To date, I have ridden the "SIMBAT" in both waist high and overhead swells both and can honestly say, the board thrives on a 5 foot+ wave.  It is super fast, but also super loose at the same time, the perfect mix.

Thankyou Moyer for the board which inspired me
Thankyou Daniel Partch for the knowledge and wisdom of shaping both fins and boards
Thankyou TR down at Ropers for doing one heck of a glass job

                                                               Larry with the display
          
                                                                         JH and JW

The Jump to San Diego

In December of '07 I made the biggest change of my life.  I moved across the country, from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to San Diego, CA.  It was a big move and an even bigger lifestyle change living downtown.  However, without doing so, I would have never met some of the best friends that I have.  While living downtown, I traveled the coast several times searching for the perfect board.  


While traveling I would start in OB and drive to Oceanside and I realized San Diego had a LOT of surf board Shops and even more SHAPERS.  I stopped by the Pure Fun Shop in Leucadia and visited Mr. Hank Byzak where he sold me a 9'0 5 fin Modern.  It was my first board, and I thought I had a longboard. 
 In florida I had 1 board I bought for $100 when I was 17 from a buddy.  (that board so happened to be a G&S 8'0 Midget Smith shaped thankyou liebs and austin)
When I finally bought the modern, I was living 4 blocks off tourmaline and finally I had a board to surf with.  I went out that same day I bought it and within a week I was surfing.  


Since then I have been hooked, trying to learn about the history of the sport, the original designs, the designs that work and the designs that don't.  I have learned that every board is unique, however the stoke they give you is the same.  Glider, Noserider, Simmons, Fish, Twin Pin, Simbat no matter, THE STOKE THE SAME!


I have recently began shaping my own hulls and will be posting some pics soon.  


Surf Wise!!!Be Wise!!!