PS - If you’re ever in Morro Bay check out the new Wavelength’s Surf Shop. > Mike (the owner) bought several of George Greenough’s original boards > ranging from his first balsa kneeboard to Velo to carbon fiber edge board. > They’re all hanging in the ceiling and they are BITCHIN. He also has many > old collectable longboards that are worth a look. Mike definitely has a cool shop and bitchin’ collection.The last time I visited the shop the spoons were displayed up in the rafters.(hard to really check out. However, he does have a spoon, (green)that Paul shaped,that might be more readily available to check out, hands-on.(for all i know he might have sold that one or put it elsewere)Anyway, it’s worth asking about.
Flo - Last time I checked with Liddle about the possibility of shaping a longboard it was basically a thumbs down. He didn’t do them for a number of reasons involving material availability, shipping problems, etc. I like a single box in most of my longboards and keep a quiver of fins to play around with. For a typical 2-6’ day a board I might ride is a 10’ Skip Frye with a 10" Liddle flex fin moved pretty far up and it seems to work OK. I’m a bit skeptical regarding tiny changes in fin placement and even board design in general as I’ve never been out on a day when any two waves broke exactly the same. For me, it’s often been a matter of figuring out where the “buttons” are on a board and learning to ride it in different conditions. The longer I have a board (years if possible) and the more fins and waves I sample the better I can figure it all out.
Hey Flo, John, and Matt- I’ve got a mid 70’s 6’6" Liddle w/flex fin etc… and I think that they are slow and useless in anything but perfect point waves like Bu’. After riding Boss (What?) boards, everything else feels slow-mo. But don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my Liddle and have been offered mega bucks for it by rich clowns at Bu’. My Liddle is one of the more prized of my 80 or so shortboards from the OG era when boards were f-in’ made to last! All you guys on the mushy-railed, slowflexfinned Liddles and Andersons are gonna be bummed watching me fly by everybody doing big fast switchy rap-arounds at Bu’-If you have’nt already! I’ll be the guy with the hugest smile on my face! Late. DavO > Flo - Last time I checked with Liddle about the possibility of shaping a > longboard it was basically a thumbs down. He didn’t do them for a number > of reasons involving material availability, shipping problems, etc. I like > a single box in most of my longboards and keep a quiver of fins to play > around with. For a typical 2-6’ day a board I might ride is a 10’ Skip > Frye with a 10" Liddle flex fin moved pretty far up and it seems to > work OK. I’m a bit skeptical regarding tiny changes in fin placement and > even board design in general as I’ve never been out on a day when any two > waves broke exactly the same. For me, it’s often been a matter of figuring > out where the “buttons” are on a board and learning to ride it > in different conditions. The longer I have a board (years if possible) and > the more fins and waves I sample the better I can figure it all out.
Flo: I believe John is right about not being able to get a longboard from Greg these days for the reasons mentioned.It’s always worth a try though.My all-time favorite longboard was a 9’1" spoon made by Greg years ago.Man that thing would just take off!Very fun to surf.I still have it-been restored twice now but the life has finally left it.Anyway, you may want to contact paul gross via Blast Kneeboards Hawaii.He seems to be back in the groove so catch him while you can!
Hey John I am going to san luis on sat the 25th, will probably surf pismo am matt maybe also look for gray haired goofyfoot.
Hey - I didn’t have my computer going so I missed your message. Would like to hook up some day though. Maybe you can contact me via E-Mail (check my retro gun entry under boards) and we can keep in touch. Thanks!
Hey John nice board,surfed pismo am it was fun.I surfed a 8’1’'balsa semi gun similar to that template,more of a roundtail. marc andreini shaped it all chamberd nice hull s deck,next time kirk.
kirk, haven’t seen you in a while. wanted to say thanks for returning that board in great shape. send me you email if you get a chance. gene
Hey Gene whats up . I got a good day at malibu on that board very nice it told me what I wanted to know,your boards work unreal. I really like the stuff you have been doing. Im always drooling at the beachouse. I will get my email to you at your website.aloha KP.
Hey Flo, John, and Matt->>> I’ve got a mid 70’s 6’6" Liddle w/flex fin etc… and I think that > they are slow and useless in anything but perfect point waves like Bu’. > After riding Boss (What?) boards, everything else feels slow-mo. But don’t > get me wrong, I LOVE my Liddle and have been offered mega bucks for it by > rich clowns at Bu’. My Liddle is one of the more prized of my 80 or so > shortboards from the OG era when boards were f-in’ made to last! All you > guys on the mushy-railed, slowflexfinned Liddles and Andersons are gonna > be bummed watching me fly by everybody doing big fast switchy rap-arounds > at Bu’-If you have’nt already! I’ll be the guy with the hugest smile on my > face! Late.>>> DavO In response to DavO. Yes the 6’6" and shorter boards made by me in the early 70’s were very unrefined and needed perfect waves to make them go, particularly when they were in that mid six foot length range. As the boards were extended to 7’ and into the mid 7 foot range, along with bottom design changes, the boards began to trim along with very little energy. The boards I build now are very unlike the boards of the mid seventies, with a different volume profile and bottom and move along with very little effort. cgliddle
In response to DavO. Yes the 6’6" and shorter boards made by me in > the early 70’s were very unrefined and needed perfect waves to make them > go, particularly when they were in that mid six foot length range. As the > boards were extended to 7’ and into the mid 7 foot range, along with > bottom design changes, the boards began to trim along with very little > energy. The boards I build now are very unlike the boards of the mid > seventies, with a different volume profile and bottom and move along with > very little effort.>>> cgliddle the waves i typically surf are no where near malibu perfect – new york beach break – sometimes good, sometime horrible, most of the time somewhere in between – i can say that the 7’6" greg shaped me works really really well in anything waist high or better – the better the wave the better it seems to go – but it def works in basically anything rideable
DavO — Tell me more about Boss Longboards. There seems to be very little info out there. Saw the Hydroglass website (which basically has no info) and your postings (which help somewhat about the S-deck info). How long has Bob-O been shaping and selling these? Any other info about the boards and BobO would be helpfull. How do they hold up,with the flex factor and all? What else? DavO/BobO any relation?
In response to DavO. Yes the 6’6" and shorter boards made by me in > the early 70’s were very unrefined and needed perfect waves to make them > go, particularly when they were in that mid six foot length range. As the > boards were extended to 7’ and into the mid 7 foot range, along with > bottom design changes, the boards began to trim along with very little > energy. The boards I build now are very unlike the boards of the mid > seventies, with a different volume profile and bottom and move along with > very little effort.>>> cgliddle Hey Greg! the 7’4" roundtail is blowin’ my mind!I’ve been riding it in every type of surf, from foggy,ugly,1’ crap to head-high point surf and it just goes!
In response to DavO. Yes the 6’6" and shorter boards made by me in > the early 70’s were very unrefined and needed perfect waves to make them > go, particularly when they were in that mid six foot length range. As the > boards were extended to 7’ and into the mid 7 foot range, along with > bottom design changes, the boards began to trim along with very little > energy. The boards I build now are very unlike the boards of the mid > seventies, with a different volume profile and bottom and move along with > very little effort.>>> cgliddle Hello- Very cool to hear from you Mr. Liddle…like I said in my other post, My 6’6" Liddle is one of my most prized possessions and really only turns on when the surf is on. I was wondering if you had made the fin that was in the box when I got it-it’s one of those see-through flextip high aspect Greenough fins-seems to be the only fin that works correctly with the board. Thanks and good to hear from you Greg. DavO
Greg - I finally got the 23 year old #1904 in the water and “the bugga” still goes! My first wave was a head high glassy right beachbreak wave and everything went fine right through the kick out. I’m using the 10" flex fin that I bought from you recently and it provided plenty of drive. After mostly riding a 10’ Frye longboard it was a real treat to get back on a “shortboard.”
Hey John good to here you got that board out.My wife is going to school in San Luis every other weekend for a year and half or so. I will be surfing up there a lot with Marc Andreini he shapes under his label and Owl surfboards.You seem to be on the same track in your surfboard design .Look forward to surfing with you at some point. KP. aka. the pool guy.
Hey John good to here you got that board out.My wife is going to school > in San Luis every other weekend for a year and half or so. I will be > surfing up there a lot with Marc Andreini he shapes under his label and > Owl surfboards.You seem to be on the same track in your surfboard design > .Look forward to surfing with you at some point. KP. aka. the pool guy. John: Beware of the pool guy-he’ll con you into letting him ride your newest or most cherished board;he’ll con you into buying a board you generally wouldn’t consider( he does this knowing you won’t like it thus, he’ll get it from you either for free or dirt cheap)The sad thing is I still haven’t learned any better…ha!ha!ha!
I’ll definitely be on the look out for these and other scams! Might be fun to hook up some day. Re: OWL Surfboards - I have an old 10’ 2" with a step-BOTTOM he might be interested in checking out. I haven’t seen one like it even down at The Beach House. It has a gunny template with an offset glass on fin (black lexan?) that is set to the side of the stringer rather than directly on the stringer.