This has got to be the place that I can get an answer. Anybody know any thing about this guy? Where he made boards, history etc. I have a Bud Cravens step-deck (flexer). I’ve heard of one or two other guys on the Cal. Coast that also have similar boards. Nobody seems to know much. I have heard that he may have been from Texas/Gulf coast. The board I have has to be a very late 60’s era. Thin stepped nose, pinched rails, twin spruce stringers down the middle, foam tailblock. Great noserider! the nose definitly flexes. I bought it in Santa Barbara at the Beachhouse. It’s a little worse for wear, but overall pretty good. I found it in the back room. I knew it was a rider because someone had installed a finbox and leashplug. It looks like it did the rock dance a few times at the “Con”. The other boards I’ve heard about sounded pretty much the same design. State of the art 1968 Flexer. So this is another if only that board could talk. Anybody know anything about Bud Cravens Surfboards? McDing
I had a Bud Craven Stepdeck- it worked really well. Now lets see- if I remember correctly: He was a surfer and shop teacher from the San Fernando Valley(Ganada Hills?). He must of made more than a few boards 'cause I still see some around. Maybe call Glenn Kennedy at his surf shop in Woodland Hills- he’d probably know more. Like I said, the one I had worked really well- very knifey rails and a wonderbolt fin.
Steiny-------- This is all starting to make perfect since. I’ve always thought that the design looked very late sixties California, Knifey rails, stepdeck. I never tought this type of board would have suited the mushy beachbreak of the Gulfcoast. It looks more like something intended for Malibu. It does surf very well. I’ve ridden it alot. Thanks for the info. McDing
Bud cravens was a physical education teacher at Cleveland high school in Van nuys California in the seventies. In the summers he had his own surf school where he would pile 12 to 14 kids in a Van and 12 to 14 surfboards on top of the Van and take us to La Conchita beach in northern Ventura just south of Rincon Point to teach us how to surf. I was 12 years old in 1974 when I took surf lessons from Bud Craven’s.
He also shaped surfboards and was a semi professional contest surfer. He also had a Honda 754 outfitted with a surfboard rack.
Nice to know. Have heard the same story. Need to break it out. It’ts Been sitting in a rack on the side of the house up here in Oregon growing moss(literally) . Had it out at Tourmaline quite a few years ago before Larry Gordan passed. All the good old boys were complimenting me on the way I rode it. Got a lot of comments in a free surf at the “Big Stick” in SC as well. i will clean it up and see if I can get a few pics posted. Lowel
Boy that is a name from out of the past, along with Danny Tarampi, Ernie Tanaka, Bob Holfer etc. Always saw Bud at County Line or La Conchita with a van load of kids teaching them how to surf and more importantly surf etiquitte (so sadly missing today). Always friendly, good guy.