Some of us have been at the surfing thing for awhile. Some on this forum were surfing before any of the rest were even born. All of us I’m sure have been influenced one way or another by surfing media in general and magazines in particular. Of course, the internet has blown things wide open. I’ve said several times that I only wish Swaylocks and the internet had been invented when I started making boards. There was an article written by Tom Morey and published by Surfer Magazine way back in 1972 that I still consider to be one of the most influential pieces I ever encountered… to this very day.
Very nice. I remember seeing a more recent article in SJ regarding Morey’s advice and it contained some of the same pictures. I remember that the main idea of the more recent article was that Morey was advocating a board contour similar to fish scales, small triangular convex shapes all over the bottom of the board.
Thanks for posting!
As a young grom aspiring to be a physical oceanographer (the study of ocean physics) or what some call applied oceanography, Tom like Craven and Cousteau was my muse and this one article among others, was my bible. I pretty much tried everything he threw at us because he was so open to thinking outside of the box. I see Mike Olson, Drew and Diverse Dave in a similar light whereas I never got the same feeling from Greenough or Bert.
Good call John.
I still have that issue because of that article.
I really love Tom Morey.
I always say he put a smile on more faces than Hefner.
Thankfully, Tom is doing much better since he had eye surgery.
Tom Morey a true innovator and way ahead of his time. One would think that the editors of Surfer mag would have caught “ all ways”
I’ve made a few boards with concaves as a result of reading that article… here’s another timid step. I tried to reverse the curve and the surface of the aft rails deckside on this bellyboard.
It was the early 70s and my brother was full on Morey disciple, and just as much of a mad scientist. He once made a mixture of soap and alkaseltzer and coated the bottom of his board because Morey had it in an article. By the time we got out to the break at Shark Country, which is about a good quarter of a mile, the mix was all dissolved. A friend asked him to make a foam and fiberglass paipo, so he did, but it had at least an inch of concave in the bottom based on this article. The bottom looked like a spoon, and I don’t think that paipo got much water time. Funny that he was 40 years ahead of the pack, based on what Maurice Cole and others are doing today. He wanted a wax alternative/deck padding, so he glued a layer of neoprene on his deck. Again, ahead of the pack, but the neoprene absorbs water and made the board heavy. Any surfboard or accessories that are weird or very different and you can bet he has or had it. He has a Morey Swizzle, Horan’s star fin and had a boat nose board, 2 of McCoy’s gullwing fins that he used on his McCoy nugget, the wavegrinder 2 + 1 set, and at least 3 Alexander Geminis.
Ride report? I love the tail.
Haha, is that a (dare I say) Fat Penquin??? Also, whats with the pic of the guy holding up a tablet/laptop?
Loving this. For me, it’s all about trying new paths. I figure there are plenty of good builders out there doing mainstream work and doing it better than me. So i try to build stuff that is fringe. Morey and early adopter/inventors such as you and your brother are inspirational.
I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking all of the songs have been written and all the stories told and all of the paintings painted. Anything that follows is just a copy. Then boom. Compsands, foiling, controllable mats. And crazy ways to decorate boards. Pickle forks.
All the best
A pause and tip of the hat to Dale Solomonson for this beauty which he apparantly rode at fairly secret, far North point breaks. Photos at the link…
Tom Morey is a unique individual whose creations affected my life.
Tom Morey bio:
https://www.surfertoday.com/bodyboarding/13997-a-short-biography-of-tom-morey
Yeah, I build for myself and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Bernie and I always criticize each other about the stuff we do, but I’m having fun and I’ve learned a lot from doing it myself.
Anyone can buy a really good board from a master craftsman, but when you make your own and it does better than you thought, it puts a big smile on your face, that’s priceless.
Gotta say that more of the crazy things Bernie has done or bought has turned out positive, and way ahead of the mainstream. Problem is the innovators can’t stop moving forward, so things that could be pursued further never get the attention they deserve, until someone else jumps on it.
I miss Dale Solomonson. I think there may have been some Lindsey Lord influence on that bellyboard design… From “Naval Archtecture of Planing Hulls” (1963)
Figure 29, page 72 illustrates one of Lord’s models (M2) that features nose scoop, concave bottom and twin keels (fins) —
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Yes!
Thanks John. I hade that article passed on by the same personal guru I stumbled upon in my youth up here - one in the same, Dale S… I have a bunch of hand similar hand drawn designs from Dale. I remember seeing him and a friend just fly on those tri-plane hulls… Haven’t gotten my sample xps dug out yet…
“Haven’t gotten my sample xps dug out yet…”
Isn’t it about time? HAHA
Tom Morey arguably put smiles on more people’s faces than anybody, yes, even Hefner!
Any idea how many Boogie boards (and various permutations thereof) have been ridden in the ocean? Millions? That’s a whole lotta smiles!
morey called from far away
the connection was scratchy
plagued with interference.
I asked about the surgery
he said it was a while back
and vision is returning.
praise and glory to the
resilience of the human organism
continue to send aloha forms his way…
often best sent while riding a wave
aka ‘’ this one is for tom morey.‘’…
…ambrose…
wwe talked til his phone didnt work any more
battery?