Just got a board w/ Buddy Kaohi Lahaina Surf Designs on the stringer... Google's failing me on this one. Bang it or hang it?
Personally I would hang it. Not surprised that Google is not giving much information. Lahaina Surf Designs (LSD) was an operation run out of Lahaina for a short time. Dick Brewer was the primary owner and shaper for the company. The money for the first order of blanks was put up by a Maui man who went by the name of Takeo, who had interests in a wide variety of things going on in those days on Maui.
Joseph "Buddy Boy" Kaohi was one of the premier surfers on Maui in the mid sixites to the early 70's. Buddy Boy was a real pleasure to watch, especially at the good days at Maalaea.
I believe that there was a Lahaina Surf Designs that sold at one of the Hawaiian Surf Auctions, but I do not remember which year it was in the auction. I was surprised to see one there, as the operation was short lived and I am sure not many survived to this day.
If you decide to "bang it", do me a favor and I will take it off your hands. Reminds me of my small kid days.
There is a section in Chasing the Lotus (2006) where Brewer talks about the history of Lahaina Surf Designs, LSD, and Buddy Kaohi with some archival footage of Kaohi surfing. The film is about Greg Weaver and Spyder Wills. Last year there was an LSD board on ebay here, but it didn't look to user friendly.
“The money man supposedly was of a dubious nature”. That is funny. To whom you refer is still alive and living on Maui. In the day of Brewer and Lahaina Surf Designs, the “money man” was one that people only whispered bad things about and were careful not to offend. “Big Chris” was his, for the lack of a better term, personal assistant. With only two Maui Police Department officers on the West Side in those days, the Westside was pretty much run by the “money man”. Think the Maui Belle, bar and fun spot of those times.
If I remember the story correctly, Dick Metz owned the Hobie Sports locations on Maui. One on Front Street in Lahaina, one in Kihei, and one in the Cannery Mall in upper Lahaina. He sold Hobie Sports to some USC Business School Graduates for some good bucks, some down and payments to be made. The payment schedule was not met, and they all went back to Metz, who then sold the Maui locations and they became Honolua Surf Company. Honolua was operated by them for some years and then sold to Billabong.
Back to the board. Definitely not a Brewer Lahaina Surf Designs. Interesting that it has the Hobie Lahaina Laminates. Don’t think that I have seen those used in awhile. I cannot make out what kind of boxes the board has, but looks to be a semi-recent board.
wow, the LSD and magic mushrooms concerning Brewer are revealing.
I don't see anything revealing about the "magic shrooms", thought that was common knowledge. Also the money man supposedly was of a "dubious nature". Hobie became Honolua Surf after the franchise was either withdrawn or bought out. Honolua surf now currently the property of Billabong. "Buddy Boy" goes back further than LSD ( Lahaina Surf Designs) and further than Maui. Picked a few brains to get this rather general info in the ten years I lived on Maui.
Boxes - O'fish'l front & Fins Unlimited center.
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Back to the board. Definitely not a Brewer Lahaina Surf Designs. Interesting that it has the Hobie Lahaina Laminates. Don't think that I have seen those used in awhile. I cannot make out what kind of boxes the board has, but looks to be a semi-recent board.
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The information on the boxes help determine that the board is more recent.
The lam on the bottom, behind the fin box, might I ask what that lam is? Could it be one from Gott Glassing? If it is a Gott lam, then it would be pretty easy to give a time frame of manufacturing.
Not Gott but "Surfglas San Juan Capistrano". The yellow-superlight & green-superblue logos on the frontside are all Clark Foam.
Not to veer off course but how did Mr. Kaohi get his nickname? Was it surf related?
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The information on the boxes help determine that the board is more recent.
The lam on the bottom, behind the fin box, might I ask what that lam is? Could it be one from Gott Glassing? If it is a Gott lam, then it would be pretty easy to give a time frame of manufacturing.
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Surf Glass was a Ron House company, Stewart’s, Hobie and a number of other labels, my pal was the sander there, I used to take Velzy’s there for lam’ing
Like I said "rather general info". I looked at the pictures of the board when it was first posted over on the Surf Shop listings. My thought was that the board is more recent and not of that era. Or perhaps someone added the fins later. Chances are it is not from Maui due to the Ron House connection. Did Buddy shape on the Mainland. I don't know. If you were looking for something from that era and place(Maui) for sentimental reasons or whatevah and wanted something verifiable authentic, this probably isn't it.
PM the pope "PPK" Peter "Pope" Kahapea to get the low down on Buddy Boy Kaohi
I believe from an earlier post on Butch he said they were roommates on the mainland
PPK knows everyone from "the days"
and he weaves a great tale to boot..
maybe Kokua can get him to come back here and post agian as he ahngs put at the surfermag design forum
Howzit Bernie, Just PMed Peter about this thread and hopefully he will reply soon. How are you doing these days, I am doing OK and have been busy.Aloha,Kokua
HowZit! HowZit!
"Buddyboy" Kaohi...
Grew up with him small kid time in Waikiki. I also grew up and lived in close quarters with Barry Kanaiaupuni, who later on would just rip, Sunset Beach all apart on his 17 inch wide pocket rocket.
Barry's Dad, Elmo was the caretaker for some property on Kalakaua Avenue, where the Foster Towers now stands today. In the 50's, there were little one and two bedroom cottages for rent and my Mom had found one she liked and we moved in.
Barry built my first surfboard, a double ender, very thin rails, wide but it would float me.Cool. I had bodysurfed & paipo boarded at "The Wall", was good at it so I thought I wouldn't have any trouble picking up surfing. Small kid time, I ended up at "baby queens" for starters. ( groan) 2, maybe 3 years, I graduate to Canoes. Finally, I can go surf with the Beachboys.
During, those baby queens times for me and where I lived, in Waikiki, "Queens", the sweet ride handed wave, you'd find the cream of the crop of Waikiki surfers in the line up. Beachboy's, after they raked the sand in the early AM, washing off the sweat before they'd open the beach for the day. Guys catching a few before work or, the guys that maybe had a night time job or part time work.
Queens, would hold court to some of Hawaii's finest young surfers or well know local beachboys like Duke Kahanamoku, Rabbit Kekai, Jama Kekai, Rabbit's brother, Squiddy, "Doc" Paskowitz, Lord"tally ho" Blears, Buffalo Keaulana, "Blackout" Waley, Blue Makua and the young guns, Joey Cabell, "Buddyboy" Kaohi, Paul Gebauer, Barry Kanaiaupuni,Jackie Eberly, Donald Takayama, "Shoyu", a young, David Nuuhiwa, LeRoy AhChoy, Wayne Miyata.
Buddyboy was a cruiser, worked some, but cruised more. Hung with all sorts of folks. He had a very stylish way of surfing as did most of the guys during that time period. Riding longboards then ment style, a coolness, patients, a subtle flair, in your style of surfing. Buddyboy had all of that. Hanging with Cabell, you had to have style, Cabell reeked of it and still does today. Buddyboy surfed all over Oahu, was a well known individual. Buddyboy was "hapa", mixed, Hawaiian / Caucasian mix, kinda chunky, about 6 foot, but man, could the guy surf.
Makaha, Haleiwa, or Sunset, Buddyboy charged. South Shore of Oahu, you'd find him at Ala Moana, in the parking lot drinking beers or surfing. Maybe dawn patroling, queens, in Waikiki.
He later moved to Maui, early 70's and I lost touch of him for years, would hear stories of him killing it at Honolua with Paul Gebauer or Chris Green & Jackie Eberly. Then I heard he had made the move to California, somewhere's down South. I'd get little snippettes of him. Getting down on his luck, street sleeping, drugs, but that had seriously started on Maui and continued, it seems. Buddyboy seemed to have lost it finally. It was all catching up to him.
to help MAYBE settle something about him being in California and shaping, yes, it could very well be one of Buddyboy's boards. He may have dabbled in shaping some surfboards, to support his income. Brewer, Buddyboy, Chris Green were all on Maui, Metz came in with Hobie, in the shopping center that was outside of downtown Lahaina. Man, there was nothing around in those days.
He hung with Diffenderfer, Trent, Curren, Cabell on the North Shore or over at Trents house out on the Point at Makaha and drink all night in Trent garage while the Patterson Brothers played music. These guys were a tough, hardened surf crew. Fished and dove for food. Rice was a staple. Cheap rent in those days.
Buddyboy was a good guy... just got lost in the end. hell of a surfer, style and grace!
PPK
Howzit Peter, Thanks for the quick reply, knew you would come through. As i posted earlier, they found Mike Edwards dead in his car at Kapaa Beach Park. Such a loss but his state of mind was very depressed and after talking to him last week I was very concerned about his mind set. He really liked you and would always tell me when he had spent time at Pine trees with you. Aloha,Kokua
These historical pieces get lost in the day to day jabber that is the General Discussion site - they deserve their own forum - they are sign posts that cant be found elsewhere.
No offence to the arseholes who rewrite history to suit their own needs, or really have no idea - Kahapea’s piece is so rooted in the times, I can almost feel the day!
One post from Peter and I am transported.
MF
Thanks Peter.