Did the most major cleaning of my life and rediscovered some old childhood friends going back at least 40 years ago...............a 7'11" Gerry Lopez pipe board, a 7'6" Reno Abellira semi, a 6'10 RB and my first board made for me a 6'6" bat-tail shaped by Zoobadee Lau. Zoobadees trademark was woodstock the peanuts (Charlie Brown) character on every board.............I skipped school a lot during 6th and 7th grade ('70-'71) going down to the beach-center to surf Queens and Canoes a lot......It seemed like there was always some waves going on back then, and all of the guys wouldn't think twice to lend this kid their board if I asked (thx Manong ..you made me a great longboarder and mans man for making me ride your 12' beast.....Cippy Cabato and the host of characters would always be there.............Manong, Bobby, Jimmy Ernie, John, Kimo, etc, etc., etc., etc., etc., that name list goes on and on..... Buttons, Mark Liddell, Tony Moniz (those guys actually went to school on week days while I was dodging the truant officer), the elders Mr. Achoy, Rabbit, Sammy Steamboat..............anyway everything was in place there..........it seemed like everyone had a board made my Zoobadee and a shorts made by Taki's..........I was no different.............I moved away and now I'm back.......I hear of the careers of everyone..........but what happened to Zoobadee? I'm looking at a board that rode unreal for me back then and looking at the lines and foiling today.this board would be just as good (doesn't have the usual outlines of the typical early 70's board wide point foward of center) ......I feel this board was ahead of its time, complete with 2+1 fin set-up.............Can anyone tell me "What happened to Zoobadee"?
How about some photos of the boards? Sounds like you have some gems.
Got to get PPK on here. Do a search for PPK and try to send him a pm. Zoobadee moved to Kauai. I’d see him hanging at Black Pot. But I’m pretty sure he passed away several years ago from Cancer, maybe even 3-4 years. PPK has all the details. It was a bummer, he was a great guy.
In the late 70's Zoob spent time at SanO. I had a 9'0" Zoob shaped board that was just perfect. Loved that board. It had a T&C label with a "green leaf" glassed in by the tail. There are pictures of that board somewhere. Great times!!!!
I used to surf with Zoobadee in the barbed-wire days, at uppers in the early seventies. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met, and one of the most stylish surfers also. I remember him saying to me while we were paddling back out one perfect day: “Eh you gettin you quota?” At the time I didn’t know what quota meant. I thought he meant quarter. He was a major influence on Midget Smith, and really good friends with him also.
Howzit flcct, Zoob moved to San Clemente and I bought his VW bus before he left. He was enjoying life there but then started feeling bad and went to the doctor and found out he had cancer of the pancreas and died within a matter of days. He was one of the nicest guys you culd ever meet and I remember many sessions at Hanalei with him. Darn cancer is coming back o kick us in the Okole as we get older and it's been 2 1/2 yrs since I had it. My ENT doctor told me yesterday that I am down to 20% chance of getting it again as he knocked on wood. Aloha,Kokua