Simon Anderson to be honoured at Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo

This year marks the 30-year anniversary of legendary Australian surfer/shaper Simon Anderson's seminal Thruster surfboard design. On August 14 & 15 Sacred Craft will honor Simon Anderson during the Tribute to the Masters Shape-off presented by US Blanks at the Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo in San Diego this August 14th and 15th.



"Simon Anderson's surfing suited single-fins, but the events at the time were all being won on twins. Frustration led him to consider a weird-looking mix -- three smaller fins, one set three inches from the tail, the other two set 11 inches up and on either rail a la the twinnie," explained surf historian/writer Nick Carroll. "The first Thruster, made in October 1980, went with Anderson to Hawaii that winter, then on to California, where he convinced Nectar's Gary McNabb to make a Thruster model. Back in Sydney, he went to work at his own factory, Energy, and made two more Thrusters. On one of his boards, he won the Bells-Coke double again, and surfing history took its biggest turn since polyurethane foam. Simon never took full commercial advantage of his Thruster concept. "I'm too lazy" was his judgment, but perhaps closer to the truth is that it was never in his nature to deny others a chance to enjoy their surfing."

The six shapers, which will include defending champion Pat Rawson, will be asked to replicate the Thruster that Anderson rode during his legendary 1981 Bells Beach victory, an event that featured the largest waves ever ridden during that historic contest.

"I'm very stoked to have the Thruster's 30-year anniversary honored at Sacred Craft," said Australia's Simon Anderson. "It'll be good fun to get back to the States and see some old friends and see what is happening with board design over there."

“US Blanks is once again proud to be a part of the Sacred Craft Expo and the Tribute to the Masters Shape-Off honoring Simon Anderson. We feel that Simon is the perfect honoree for this year’s Tribute as his contributions to design and innovation have certainly left a profound and lasting mark on the industry.”

The Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo is open to the public and takes place August 14 & 15 at the award winning 'Sail Pavilion' in the San Diego Convention Center. Sacred Craft includes live shaping, laminating, art, music, film, book signings, legends, and hundreds of world-class surfboard shapers, designers and lovers of the craft.












Above is my recent find. A simple, beautiful, clean, original Energy Thruster with unique angled channel bottom design and classic subtle hips and fat rounded square tail. Simon experimented heavily with the use of channels even trying 'nose channels' at a later point. According to my research the angled channel bottom was used for for only one year, 1982, when Simon competed on the design at Burleigh. Evidence of which I will post when I fix my scanner!

Boardcollector at Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo San Diego

I have been invited to sit on the panel of 'expert' apraisers at Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo in San Diego on Saturday August 14th.
I hope to bring my own insights into 'innovation period' surfboard design and perhaps a unique Australian angle. I am stoked to be sitting with the likes of Steve Pezman of the Surfers Journal and I cant wait to meet some of my American followers of boardcollector in person!

SACRED CRAFT CONSUMER SURF EXPO:
Collectable Surfboards and Vintage 'Paper' Highlight PBS Style 'Antique Roadshow' presented by Primo Beer.
"Experts want to see your treasure".

The upcoming Sacred Craft Consumer Surf Expo has something for everybody -- even antique collectors. The Vintage Surfboard & Surf Memorabilia "Antique Roadshow" presented by Primo Beer is modeled after PBS TV's highly successful "Antique Roadshow" series. The Sacred Craft version of "Roadshow" invites the general public to bring collectable surfboards and memorabilia to a panel of experts for appraisal. The panel assigns a value to the items, but more importantly they often uncover the provenance, or story, behind the value of the item.

"The power of the "Roadshow" lies in the 'buried treasure concept,'" said Scott Bass, Expo Director. "Many of us possess, in our garage or attic, or perhaps under the house, a collectable surfboard; a board that for whatever reason holds intrinsic value above and beyond the value of a regular or 'normal' used surfboard. If the board has a strong provenance, well, this generally increases its value. Perhaps it was on the cover of a surf magazine, or Skip Frye crafted it for G&S back in 1971; whatever the case, our appraisers want to see it."



But 'roadshow' isn't just about surfboards. Surf 'paper', as the experts refer to it, is also of import to the collectors and appraisers. Maybe you possess an old Rick Griffin surf movie poster from the La Paloma, or a San Diego World Contest program, or perhaps a business card from Bob Simmons or signed photo of Duke Kahanamoku. Any item that you think may be worth something, the appraisers would love to see it, and to help you better understand its provenance and possible market value. The more information you can bring to the discussion, the more accurate the appraisal.

We all probably have a bit of buried treasure; we just may not know it! The vintage Surfboard "Antique Roadshow" appraisals presented by Primo Beer will visit the Sail Pavilion in the San Diego Convention Center one day only, on Saturday August 14 from 10am-4pm as a part of the 2-day Sacred Consumer Surfboard Expo. Expert appraisers will be on hand for surfboards, surf 'paper', surf posters, surf magazines, surf art, surf books and surf memorabilia. Please bring out your surf collectables for appraisal -- and a great time.

Why collect these old surfboards?

As I watch my new custom order, triple fly, swallow tail, twin fin, come to life I ask myself, "so why do we collect all these old surfboards?" "what is that we are chasing?"

I feel what we are really collecting are the tangible remainders of a fleeting moment in time, in culture, in art, in sport.

I dislike a cliche but I cant help but think that surfing is like an evolving ballet set against the ever changing back drop of the ocean. Collecting a revolutionary surfboard that was part of this evolution, part of this performance is like collecting one of Rudolf Nureyev high kicks from a performance of Swan Lake, or its like owning one George bests goal scoring kicks, or keeping hold of the sound of the ribbon breaking when Usain Bolt breaks a world record.

Perfect condition is only a small part of the desirability of a collectible surfboard. George greenough by his own admission was a pretty rough shaper and poor quality glasser. Yet his board shaped for Chris Brock sold for $40,000 in Hawaii recently. For owning a 70's Greenough is to own part of his dream where the spacemen told him to build a boat that looked like a car. It is to own part of the scientific revolution that produced the high aspect ratio fin. It is to own a piece of sculpture, a piece of art, a piece of culture, a piece of history.

This is why reproductions will never do. It's the difference between seeing the Sex Pistols play the 100 club in 1977 and seeing 2005 reformation tour. Even when done by the original shaper they still feel like an expensive Elvis impersonator.

photos by Dustin Humphrey from Deus Bali Blog

Tarp Surfing

Is this the most re-blogged video on the internet?
If its not it should be!

Let me know if your the only person in cyberspace to have not seen it....

Gerry Lopez 6'4"

Clément wrote-
Sorry for my english, it's not my natural language.
I'm a surfer living in Peru. One month ago, in Peru, I was lucky to find an old single surfboard with the inscription "Gerry Lopez". Passionate about surfing in the 60's & 70's (congratulations for your beautiful blog!), I wish to know more about the history of this board because always it's an amazing feeling to surf an old surfboard with his own history. I found some pictures of Gerry in Java between 1973-75 with surfboards of same type and similar decoration.
The surfboard is an 6'4. There is only one inscription on the board. It's the number 5451.
Do you have some ideas o information about the fabrication of this board (shaper, etc...) or his history ? Any information will make me happy.

I can wait to try the board in the waves of Chicama!










Wow! What a fantastic find.
This board looks a lot like the boards Gerry took to G-Land in the movie "Storm Riders" where he famously surfed the long hollow left hander alone in nothing but a pair of sky blue speedos.
I understand when Gerry split from Lightning Bolt he started his own label, Pipeline, and started shaping under his own name, still does to this day.

Unimpressed

I pulled my unrestored, 1973, Hawaiian built, Ken Bradshaw shaped, single fin gun out of the shed today and said:
"Wow, what an amazing, beautiful board"
My wife said:
"ummmmmm........no its not"

I understand what she means, and I'm sure many of you agree with her entirely.
Let me explain.
Lightning Bolt single fins dominated the collective surfing consciousness of the 70's and filled my magazines.
Amazing beautiful magazines that featured pictures of places far away from Australia, magical places with exotic names I had no chance of going to and had only heard of in Beach Boys songs like Ha-wa-ii and Cal-i-forn-ia.
Lightning Bolt single fins may be common in the Islands and So-Cal but they don't exist in Sydney.
As far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong, Gerry Lopez has only visited Australia a handful of times when he shaped a few boards in the Bennett factory in Brookvale and surfed the maxing bommie outside White Rock near Long Reef.
Lightning Bolt single fins from the 70's are impressive.

When I was in California recently my friend asked me:
"Have you ever seen a Kangaroo in the wild?
I said "Yes"
She said "that must be amazing!"
I said:
"ummmmmm........no its not"
I had the chance to move out of Sydney for year to a spot on the south coast that had a little right hand reef break out the front and a heap of damm Kangaroos on the lawn every day. They were standing in the middle of the roundabout outside the post office in the middle of town!
Do you get where I'm coming from?

Mick Mock's Surf Auction of Vintage Surfboards & Memorabilia

Saturday, September 26th, 2010
Public viewing of lots from 3pm to 5pm
includes registration

Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Public viewing of lots 9am to 10am
includes registration

Auction commences 10.30am sharp.
Harbord Diggers Club
Cnr of Evans st and the Drive Harbord
Sydney NSW Australia.

Mick will not be listing on the Internet or taking Internet bids.
He is strictly old school.

Wilmington Mono Hull Part 2.

Rohan wrote-
This board of Cheynes (image also from Swaylocks) is the most interesting and beautiful looking shape I think I've ever seen from this era - shaped by Terry Fitzgerald supposedly.



Anonymous wrote-
As I recall... Cheyne "drafted" various shapers to shape "hulls" for the "winged keel"; he seemed to fully believe in the fin and its concept but was open to "other" interpretations of surfboards. This one is obviously a Linden, and I believe that Terry Fitz may have done some as well. I know that a Florida shaper (I'm sorry- I forgot his name) made some good ones too. Check the "boat" nose super soft rails up front, and the razor sharp rail-line at the tail, the funny thing is... if you tried to "make" it look like a surfboard "should" (relatively) the board didn't work, but if you stuck with the concept above... it is/can be a pretty fun board to ride. NOT recommended for "kelpy" environments as the fin is rake-less. I like to think of it as a "single-fin fish", a thick,wide,short board designed to "skate" on smallish/powerless waves. Remember the pro tour wasn't always going to the "dream spots" it does these days. Cheyne had guts to break away, to try such a wild concept (if you doubt it worked- check the Bells finals results against Tom Carroll) while pressing for a world title.

Much respect.


Gary wrote-
Here's a hot buttered zap with a slightly ridged keel in good
condition I spotted at the Bondi single fin meet last november. Could
be original though couldn't tell

MARTY MC FLY!!

Today is the day that Marty McFly arrives from 1985 after hitting 88mph in the pimped out Delorean.

I wish he had a freshly shaped twin fin on the roof racks for me.



It seems I've HOAXED.
Marty actually travels to 2015, after briefly setting the date at 2010.
Its 5 more years till we get hover boards.

Wilmington mono hull.

Rohan kindly sent me a link from Swaylocks surfboard design forum on the board Cheyne Horan was riding at the 83 OP Pro Wilmington (not Atlantic City).


This explains away a few mysteries as to why there were no McCoy logos on Cheyne rainbow serpent boards and why the nose of the board look like a boat.