I don't have a lot of pics of the old "merchandise" - but ask Bill (here on the Boards) because he used to work for him and would know better. If I saw it, though, I may remember. I saw a lot of his boards in '67, '68, and '69 (my junior high school years!!).
Even when he had other people working for him, he never let a board either go to the next level, or out of the shop, without going over it with a fine-toothed comb. His daughters (nine, and six at the time and already good surfers!) had little custom boards.....one with a hot-pink rim and the other with purple, with his logo in the middle. Me.....all I could do was ride tandem with Del, and still had to hold onto him like glue!
Like Jim, I was strongly influenced by Del. He taught me to shape in a very methodical and disciplined way. (his way) He was also a real source of surfboard design principles, well ahead of the majority of others in the industry in the day. What I learned from him then, I still employ today.
I was looking for info on Del Cannon but it seems like there's not much out there. I have a pretty cool story about a DC board.
My wife and I started dating in 1987. I remember spending weekends down out their home in Del Mar and seeing this longboard parked in the corner of their guest room. At the time I lived in Orange County, didn't surf and never really paid much attention to it. At some point I remember the board being sold, about 1988 for $500 to some local guy that saw an ad for it in the newspaper.
Jump ahead to 2007 and we are married, living in Carlsbad and I now surf everyday. There is a restaurant we frequent and my wife informs me that one of the boards hanging in the restaurant is the one her father sold back in 1988. We introduce our selves to the owner tell him about how it was my wife’s fathers. He tells us he remembers when they used to come in to see the board and have breakfast. We decide to ask the owner if he would sell it back to us, he says no but tells us that if we could find a board to replace it with he would trade it for the replacement.
After 2 years of looking he finally finds a board that he would like to have and lets us know that if it is acceptable to us we could purchase this board he found and he will trade us the Del Cannon for it. It works out and we get the DC back. I tell my brother in law that I got his fathers board back and he tells me the story of when the board was new, he thinks it was about 1967.
My brother in law at about the age of 10 and my father in law take a trip down to San Clemente to have a board shaped by Del. After picking up the board he and my father in law are surfing at Swamis. They are just messing around on the inside, it's still 1967 he thinks and about the 5th or 6th time he's ever surfed. He steps off the board in shallow water and breaks his big toe. He’s so mad that the board never touches the water after that date, it just sat in the couple of houses they moved around to but was never surfed again. The board is probably as perfect as you could get for being surfed a half a dozen times and moved through a couple house moves. No dings at all and just a couple very light scratches on it.
The Del Cannon is now hanging in our entry way and is absolutely beautiful, my father in law has since passed away, I would have loved for him to see it was back in the family.
Would be happy to post up some pics if anyone is interested.
Sorry for the long read,
Dave
First board I ever stood on was a Del Cannon.
Dave,
That was a great read! I surfed with Del for years at Windansea. I learned alot from him. About shaping, and thinking out of the box about board design. You have a treasure, with a great family story to go with it.
Dave, I (and probably many others) would love to see photos of your board. I am the lucky owner of an old battered DC that has been posted here in the past.
OK, here you go, pics of the DC Longboard
[img_assist|nid=1060569|title=1967? Del Cannon Longboard|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=427|height=640]
[img_assist|nid=1060572|title=Big beautiful fin DC|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=427|height=640][img_assist|nid=1060573|title=Colored foam and stringers|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=372|height=640]
[img_assist|nid=1060574|title=DC Logo|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=427][img_assist|nid=1060570|title=1967? Del Cannon 10 3 Longboard|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=427]
1967 sounds about right, as colored foam stringers were all the rage, then.
That’s a damn nice board. I’d be happy to own it.
[quote="$1"]
Dave,
You have a treasure, with a great family story to go with it.
[/quote]
Seeing the board underscores what I had written. That is THE BEST example of Del's craft that I've seen. Stunning condition.
It looks like it just went out of the shop… I’m jealous. But good to know it belongs to someone who cares.
A stunning board, really lovely. Would there be any chance of getting a paper fin template? I have a classic balsa longboard to shape and that fin shape is stellar.
And Balsa, doesn't that give you some ideas for the colored foam strips in your garage...?
Jeez, I should be working and now you guys have me thinking shape again, thanks!
Thank you for all the nice comments, yes the board is stunning and it is hung in my entry so I can see it everyday. It reminds me of so many things but most of all my late Father in law who was a great man and example to me.
Jeffery, I would be happy to get you a paper fin template from the board. I haver never done one before so just let me know and I would be happy to do it.
Dave
Ok so it's been a little while since i chimed in regardng the Del that I own, but here are a few images of the board. Any help with the year and so on would br greatly appreciated. The Del is the board on the bottom.
Thanks, Mike
I was going to sell my till I seen how rear it is to have one I displayed my board at a surfboard event in Rhode Island and out of 200 + boards I had the only del cannon.
Del, was quite the character, hell of a surfer! I moved to Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii from California in 1970. Worked the restaurant scene, hung out on the Pier, watching the daily catchs roll in to the Kona Pier around 3:00 PM every day. Caught a glimps of a guy one day.Naw … couldn’t be. Then some months later, I was sitting on the Pier , having a beer and this boat is backing down on the Pier, folks standing in the back of the boat, a big marlin, sitting on the deck. They haul & hang it, get the weight and then slap a paper sign on the fish with the weight, anglers name, as well as the skippers name, Del Cannon. Cracked me up all to heck. I gave Del a shout out, he looked at me kinda funny, thought back for a moment and said, “Pope, is that you”? We had a brief chat while he was at the Pier and then he took off for Honokohau, the Harbor area. I think he bought a home on Ali’i drive where we used to have a few poker partys at. Neat, neat guy!!! I hadn’t seen Del in years since I lived in California.
PPK
I saw your board on Craigslist, I think.
For those who might not know…That mansion in Pedro’s pic is the former estate of the late tobacco heiress, Doris Duke. She spent time in Hawaii, learned to surf, and even had an affair with Duke Kahanamoku. The property is in Newport, RI and is near a well known surf spot.
Hi there,
My name is Shawn Cannon Medeiros and I am Del’s daughter. I recently googled my Dad’s name and was so excited to come upon this site. I am my Dad’s biggest fan and the keeper of his memorabilia. I recently became the proud owner of my one of Dad’s boards given to me by his team rider, Tony Mardian and display it proudly.
My Dad lives in Kona Hawaii and visits Phuket, Thailand each year (where he is right now). He returns mid June and I’m am sure he would be happy to answer any questions you have about your DC boards. He numbered all of them and seems to recall their individual stories.
Loved the post about the father-in-laws board.
Aloha,
Shawn
Shawn,
Welcome aboard! I met you a number of years ago, at Su Casa, during a Windansea reunion. A group of us had chipped it to fly Del over for the event. Del was a strong influence on me, and taught me his disciplined way of shaping. How can one obtain a Del Cannon (dc) t-shirt? A swaymember in France, Balsa, would love to get one! He is the proud owner of one of Del's creations. Be sure to say hello to Del for me.
Bill, so kind of you to remember that! Actually, I scored a DC t-shirt at Last Wave Surfshop a few months ago, so no need to bother del with that. I also purchased an unusually “small” DC recently; It’s a 7’6", appears to be one of those “transition boards”, and should be crossing the atlantic ocean right now in a container that’s headed to Biarritz, France.