It's Wednesday night, I've had a few wines and got to thinking, why do I surf.

Surfing defines the person I am. I probably look as if I surf, I talk the talk, I do it , it consumes my consciousness and all that other stuff.

When I read all the posts it usually consists of complaints, bragging about how good I am ( I'm OK) and all the rest of the incidental stuff.

I SURF BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I WANT TO KEEP GOING UNTIL I DIE

I started surfing nearly 40 years ago and I'm still hoping to get it right. I've gone from short 5'6" in the early 70s, through to 6'10" single fins in the late 70s, twin fins, thrusters in the early to mid eighties ( got a bit disallusioned in the late 80s with the thin boards on offer) and the mini mals and now a 9'3" Mc Tavish Fireball. Throughout it all, all I ever wanted to do is surf. Didn't want to play golf, lawn bowls, footy or anything else.

I know a bit of the history of surfing and I am interested in other people who surf.

So, come on tell me your story.

By the way, I'm not interested in how good you think you are, talk from the heart.

Grew up in the Pacific North West in Canada and I started surfing 4-5 years ago but I’ve always done some sort of board sport growing up -

I had started seeing a girl (current partner) who had come back from Aus and we decided to go on a vacation in December. We got a deal on tickets to Costa Rica ($500 return each from Vancouver) she said she wanted to go down and go surfing blah blah blah I was like ok sounds good but I want to see the culture and the people and maybe surf a couple days. To make a long story short 3rd day in Costa Rica we where in Tamarindo and I rented a board and was hooked, the next day I had a lesson and then of the next 20 days I (we) surfed 19 from Tamarindo to Dominical. I was surfing from as soon as I could get her in the water till dark or when I thought I'd drown because I was so tired from paddling. One of the first good waves I caught happened to be on a 7’ single fin retro shape – actually it was probably just an old board but it was fun as hell. I also remember one of the best waves I’ve ever caught it was the last day we surfed in Dominical (and of the trip) I was at the north end of the beach by the river mouth a wave peaked up and I was the only person sitting there would have been shoulder high or so but it felt huge at the time.

We got home from that trip and then spent Christmas with my family on the West Coast of Vancouver Island where most of the surfing is done in BC. I went from surfing in 25° water to being in a place with an air temp of -2° and guys where out surfing. I spent 4 days looking at the waves but there wasn’t a place that I could get a board and a thick enough wetsuit from so I sat there and drooled. The plan was hatched to go on another surfing trip the following year.

The bug reared it’s head again 6 months after going to Costa Rica my partner had the opportunity to transfer down here so we moved. It took us 4 days to buy a board and get in the water when we arrived in Sydney. We ended up on the Northern beaches and I surf as often as possible.

As with all things I’m involved in I took an interest in the technical aspect as well - why some shapes work, fin styles, how to make them and that kind of stuff. I can blame my dad for that I built a boat with him when I was 2 and I was always making something with him be it skimboards, skateboards, furniture anything made of wood really. I also tend to go overboard and immersed myself in it so now I have 2 long boards, 2 shortboards, and a fun shape (to be replaced by a single fin).

Why I surf – I don’t think there’s really away to describe it. I don’t look at it as a man against nature or man harnessing nature. It’s more a harmonizing life thing, no matter what’s happening in life I know I can grab a board head out and not be accountable to anyone or thing but the ocean, no question, no answers what it is, is what you get. Plus there’s that feeling of euphoria when your riding down a wave the seems to go for ever just gliding along.

Yes I know I’m a kook but I’m a happy kook.

I vagely remember back when my folks were still together in the early 80's, Dad pushed me into my first wave on a "surf mat" on Bribie island. I was probably only 5 or so.
Next thing I know Im riding this foam "lid" as thier known as these days.
Mum tells me tonight that she took us to the beach most weekends up untill I was in about grade 6 .Eventually I scored a job on a Family friends farm in Permona (outback Noosa) where I worked soley for the purpose of my first board.

Apparently I worked 25 hours for my first board- A Mick Crowther twinnie with channels. At the end of my weeks work Mick (the farm owner) took me down to first point Noosa where I clearly remember my first REAL surfing expierence.

After being out there most of the afternoon somehow I ended up on the face doing this bouncy/trim sort of thing and remember hooting my own very first wave.
That is still to this day one of my most early preciouse memories.

Soon enough Mum realised the boy could surf and started sending my bro and I to Surf camps at Currimundi for school holidays with Ian Portingale.WHat a great way to palm off the kids for a week .........

I spent my teens "playin up" anywhere between Noosa and the goldy, 1000 paddles accross the Southport seaway, a few random chicks,30 or so roadtrips over the border, coupla spews and maybee even a fight or 2. oh yeh- also survived an apprentiship as a Fitter machinist.
Next thing I know Im 21 and on a solo Surf trip around OZ, made it as far as WA and have been living the dream ever since.

Surfing is my life. WHen I dont surf for more than a week or so I get anxious or a little grumpy even.
As the saying definatley goes-" Only a surfer knows the feeling".
If only my Miss'z could understand..........

After watching part 2 tonight of the history of surfing on the ABC Im clear and proud of the life I live. Its a sheer priviledge to be a surfer...

God bless the fkin lot of us

Long summers from the age of 6 spent down south or on Cott beach. Remember the first wave I caught and stood up and the feeling that I had discovered something that would stay with me for life - as if it was yesterday.

What also stays with me is the people that you meet and the understanding amongst them that you are sharing something great.

Staying in contact with a friend of 35 years and still talking about waves, boards and trips south, both stoked when we are out in the line up catching waves and not having a care in the world.

Now loving passing it on to my 5 year old daughter who insists on a paddle when I come in from a surf.

Australians who surf are the luckiest people in the world.

Great thread, it forced me out of the lurker woods.

I was a westy kid of the 50s & 60, out Parra way, it was far too far to get a log to the beach even if I knew what surfing was all about or could afford one. My lucky break came in about 1963 when we started going on holidays to visit an old friend that Mum used to work with during the war. The friend had married a repatriated soldier from a town called Woolgoolga.

For a 10 year old who never ventured further than the western suburbs of Sydney, it was like going to another planet for 2 or 3 weeks every year, I loved it, I still do. Endless days spent body surfing and on rented surf-o-planes for a shilling an hour or just old tractor tyres that someone had pinched out of their dads shed. Nights spent up at what they euphemistically termed “The Picture Theatre” but in reality was nothing more than an old WW2 Nissen Hut or down at the rickety old termite ridden beach hall peering through the cracks to watch the older kids doing the twist and later the stomp. Then going back to our tent with my mate and trying to do the same steps without any music and without disturbing the grown ups.

To this day, I still can’t work out how Mum & Dad managed to get all our Christmas presents hidden away in that old Vauxhall Velox and box trailer so that we didn’t see them until Christmas morning. Back then they didn’t even have television up there, and I didn’t miss it one little bit. We always knew the holiday was nearing the end when we started to see the grass growing through the Hessian we used for a floor. Even now the smell and feel of a Hessian bag is sensory delight to me.

It was all so innocent, these days the imagery reminds me of one of those schmaltzy Norman Rockwell paintings, the most outrageous thing we could do would be to raid a Banana Planto or the strawberry patch at night to steel fruit. The memories alone are enough to put a lump in my throat as I type this, 45 years later.

This went on each summer until my seminal surfing summer of 66, my brother had bought a board, this thing was huge maybe 10ft plus and heavy like you would not believe. Two people usually had to carry it for any distance and the thought of a 12 or 13 year old like me riding it was out of the question. But that year he did bring along one other very important item, his girlfriend Tup, she was called that because she was as big as tuppence, a very small coin worth half a penny.

Best of all, she had a board that was only 9ft and best of all by far, her and my brother spent almost every day hidden up in the sand dunes doing whatever it was they were doing. I didn’t give a tinkers cuss about what they were doing because while they were busy doing it, her board was fair game for me and I was on it from sun up to sun down whenever my brother was on her.

They knew I was borrowing it but they didn't know to what extent I was using it.

There must have been a point where I had to learn to surf this board, there must have been, I know I’m not a natural at surfing or anything else, try as I may, I can’t remember the learning but my’o’my, do I remember the real surfing that magical summer. The memories are so clear I even recall the faces of the guys years older than me standing there beside me on the waves and pulling out before me while I would ride every break all the way and gaze in wonderment at those beautiful green walls and wispy white lips gently caressing face as I crouched to scoot along its face. All this after no more than a couple of weeks of steeling rides wherever and whenever I could.

Then the crunch came, my brother for some unknown reason had grown tried of Tup one afternoon, or vica-versa and he had gone looking for her board when he found it missing. Of course, he didn’t need to go much further than the beach before he found it out in the water with guess who riding it. I knew nothing of his search until much later when I returned to the tent and Mum asked me what a “flickout” was. I told her "it’s what you do when you are finished with a wave and you want to paddle back out". She said my brother had come back after finding me surfing and said to her, “he’s doing flickouts!” ‘flickouts on Tups board!!!” , “I can’t do flickouts and he’s doing flickouts!!!!”.

The story now becomes very short; I never got to use the board much after that day and I never surfed again for 30 years but I always considered myself a surfer at heart, sure I tried short boards a couple of times but I didn’t have a chance on them and when long boards came back and I finally got one, it was like I had never surfed in my entire life. Learning was just so incredibly hard and although he spirit was willing; the flesh was, and is, oh so weak.

But as bad and as useless as I am, there’s still one thing that remains unchanged as I sit there out the back waiting for my wave, I still think the same thoughts I did 44 years ago……… “why can’t every day of my life be like this”

All the best in surf’n

Oby

Ok,I didn't mention my first wave and I really can't recall it! I do remember catching white wash and wishing I could catch what we called a greenie!
One day I did,the same place I surf today Greenmount,only because of the sand pumping I surf Snapper into Rainbow Bay!and still look a Greenmount and remember the day's!
I did mention the playroom in my last post,the playroom was a surf live band type venue.On a Sunday night they had a dollar night (entry) bands such as Inxs,Midnight Oil, Hunters, Chisel and all the Australian bands at the time.Back then we wore white sand shoes (no socks) pink tee-shirts with five bucks in your pocket and you came home with change! I do remember my first pay packet of 53 dollars for working a hard 40+ hours per week[}:)]
This has been a fantastic thread and as rune said a great read!I'm not much of a writter but obct story is outstanding and glad to hear your still into it!

I was thinking the other day if this longboard forum was a good idea,after this thread
glad it started.

mac

Does anyone remember the first board they lusted after?

I do, and since it was just after that unforgettable summer of 65/66, you already may know that it was a case of unrequited love.

There were no surf shops in my suburb, Merrylands, and the only place you could go to see any boards was at the local sports store. It was called Dick Devisons (I think) and it was a sports store in the true tradition.

First thing you saw as you entered were the guns, this was many years before Port Arthur and any form of gun control so anyone could walk in off the street and pretty much buy whatever took their fancy.

As you ventured further into the recesses you passed all the ball games starting with golf and working your way through football, cricket tennis etc.

A couple more steps further in and the water sports would come into play, scuba gear, fins and whatnot.

Then on the left after water sports you had the Barbershop chairs probably as many as 4.

I’m not actually recalling this from my post 1966 memory bank these recollections are specific to my pre 66 memory bank because Dick Devisons is where my Mum dragged me every month for a haircut.

“short back and sides, not too high” is the instruction she would give to the barber before he mounted his attack on me. I didn’t know what “short back and sides, not too high” meant at the time and still don’t know but it must have something to do with the Three Stooges because I used to always come out looking like Moe.

After 66 a couple of things changed, firstly, I was calling the shots regarding my coiffure, Moe was out and the Stones were in. Secondly, I started to notice what they had standing upright all around the barbershop, boards, boards beautiful boards a forest of them. An oasis of strips diagonals, pigments. tints, brands and logos in the otherwise barren wasteland of my landlocked suburbia.

From that year forth, nothing in that shop mattered other than those boards and the most resplendent of all was a luminous blue Scott Dillon, the object of my desire.

About the only reason I continued having my haircut was because of that board and the fact that one of the barbers was a surfer. He must have got so sick of me talking about that one stupid board, but it was special.

I really hope I’m not wrong about this but I’m pretty sure it had an aluminium stringer, it really stuck out like dogs proverbials compared to all the wooden stringers in the shop. And it was obviously around the time that designers were starting to push the limits just that bit harder.

It was thinner than all the others, the nose was squarer and had more kick plus the fin was different. All the others had variations of the D fin but this was further up the front, I wouldn’t say it was a Greenough fin, they were still a year or so away, but it was taller and narrower than the others.

In hindsight it’s probably a good thing that I was never able to buy that board because if it was an aluminium stringer then it was obviously a failed experiment because I’ve never seen them since.

Just the same, that there board sure was purdy.

Does anyone know if aluminium stringers were ever tried?

I’m a bit concerned about my recollections regarding that Scott Dillon board I wanted back in 66, however, I think I could have got most of it right.

Today I saw this in a local surf shop, it’s a 10’2” Dillon from 66 and although it’s got a big hardwood stringer, the plan shape, nose, thickness & rocker were just as I had remembered.




What wasn’t right was the fin, I don’t recall it being this long and narrow.






By my recollections it was more like this fin from a 63 Jackson.






Oh well, at least I’m happy that I got some of it right, I do know that boards used to sit in that old sports store for what seemed like years before they were sold.

It's comforting to know that those boards are in that shop because it's one of those mall surf shops that only have the most tenuous link to surfing one could ever imagine. I think it's called City Beach.

You know the ones; just fashion and skate gear from floor to ceiling, itsy bitsy teenie weenie bikinis and overpriced brand name thongs of no better quality than a 4 buck pair of single pluggers from woolies. Then up stairs you'll find a small board section with no stick over about 6'4", a few wetties and the odd accessory, staffed by some spotty pre pubescent with an unruly bleached main that would much prefer to be riding the boards rather than trying to flog'em.

I learnt my lesson about the shop a year or two back when I wandered in and asked if they had a 9'+ knee rope, they looked at me as if I had two heads. There was not a thing over 6' or 7'.

That's why it's so unusual to find this wealth of history to local shapers, although I'm not sure how they define local because I thought Jackson was always a southside make and even Dillon started out in a shed at Bondi. No sure about GW and Gordon & Smith, they were also represented on the wall.


P.S. I guess most of you are already aware of this site, I can waste hours just pouring over the old decals and pics stirring up old memories.

www.surfresearch.com.au/00000000.html

62mac said...

Fashion store only,IMHO!
I don't walk inside as they cater for non surfers who
want to look the part,sorry I just load fakes I would
rather walk through foam dust anyday,at least the staff
have a insight into what they are selling! I know firsthand
both my girls worked at CB selling boards to people without
knowing a thing! Oh every birthday they would cut their hours
back (to save wages) and once you hit 19.its game over,the
15 year olds start and it all repeats its self!
Anyway this is not POSITIVE SURF TALK!

mac

I remember in my early days, it does still happen sometimes today, when you could walk into a surf shop and talk to surfers about the type of boards that you were after.
The people who worked in the store usually owned it and probably shaped the boards or if they didn't, they at least knew what they were talking about. They were interested in you and what you were after which meant I usually went back to the same place when I needed a new board. The shops of old (am I really that old? yep) became a meeting place where you not only bought your supplies but were part of a community.

Anybody out there remember particular surf shops or even other places where you could meet up with others who were on the same wavelength as you. This was particularly important in the 60's and 70's as being a surfer in those days was viewed as being a "bit out there" and not mainstream. I actually miss the feeling of being a part of something other people didn't understand.

Way before some known brands hit the big league,I would hitch a ride on the back of a mates trail bike and head up to a place called Mt.Woodgie,back in the early day's when Nick would make the boards under this really old farm house which had views from Staddie to the north and cooly to the south,now Bede and other great surfers ride Mt.Woodgie and they now have at least a couple of stores (real surf stores).
My son is 16 and has been riding Stuart surfboards for a few years now.Stu owns shapes every board and works 5 to 6 day's a week and is such a cool guy to talk to and alway's deliver's the best advice,oh and his boards are smoken shortboards!

mac

obct said...

I was over at mums today going through some old pics and I found this, it's a pic of that board my brother had from 1964. The one that was way too big for me to ride, or anyone else for that matter, especially him

The back of the pic says 1964, I'm 11 and on the right so my brother must have been 14 and I reckon he would not have been much shy of 6ft by that age because he was always a bit taller than me when we stopped growing and I got to 6'1".

I figure that based that scale, the board may well have gone 10ft plus, crikey, no wonder I couldn't ride it.

When I talked to my mum about how I learnt to surf in just that single short summer of 65, she came up with a theory that I had completely forgotten about.

Before I went away that summer, my favorite toy was a skate board I rode it all the time on the short section of cement out the back of the house, I loved that skate board, I even remember the brand "Surfer Sam" with a really cool looking logo. Mum reckoned at the time that it was all the time I spent of the skate board that helped me when I got on a real board.

Maybe I should go out and buy another one, because I sure need some help now

All time classic story and pic,gee how times have changed and wish I still lived the simple life mac

There was nothing I could handle in Sydney on the weekend so I never got into the water, and you're probably wondering "well what's so positive about that?" .

As I was down on the beach late yesterday having a read of the Sunday rag and sucking down a very poor quality coffee, I managed to find the front section of a broken board.

I took it home to strip the glass and save the foam because I use the foam to shape molds for glass car pars and it's also useful as an alternative reinforcement to wood in molds.

So I feel good in 2 way.

I'm cleaning up a beach

and

I'm recycling.

I take my positive surf talk wherever I can get it

Not really VWs so much as buggies, back in 1967 my dad bought home the the February edition of Popular Science from work, it had a story on the Manx. I knew about buggies for years before that but for some reason the Manx just appealed to me and all my life I wanted one but life got in my way for the next 3 decades.

I had a Beetle as a family car and I had a Baja on the road for a while, even had a very rare Country Buggy for a very short time until the missus found it and made me get rid of it ASAP.

Exactly 30 years after I got that Mag of my dad, the so called inventor Bruce Myers visited Australia in Easter of 1997 and I took that same tattered and torn old mag to him to have it signed.

After that I vowed to have one of my own so I bought a rusted out donor bug and started building my buggy in September of 1997 and got it regoed in February of 1998.

Since then I've discovered that I really should have built a LWB buggy, they're far more versatile than a SWB buggy because you can carry more gear and that's what I like to do with it, go camping in the bush. I hate just poncing around the streets in it like a showpony.

I also like visiting Stockton occasionally, well at least I did before the NPWS took it over.

This is a vid we made on Australia day in 2007, you won't see my buggy just my mates Sharpbuilt GS limo. I was doing the driving and the filming from my buggy. If you're wondering why the headlights are cover in tape, it's so that the chrome headlights won't show the glare.

Hell that was and unreal arvo, best session we ever had at Stocko and my mates editing was superb.

Sorry about this off topic rave and vid but it is positive vibes, well kinda and you will see a bit of the ocean.

www.sharpbuilt.com.au/Aussiedayfriday.wmv