Did anyone else happen to catch Rob Machado or Pat O’Connell shaping at the Sacred Craft show? If you didn’t see it here is a link to a short video http://www.foamez.com/…-oconnell-shape.html . It was actually pretty cool, these guys were mic’ed up and in a see through shape booth. Mobs of people surrounded the booth to see and hear what these pro surfers had to say. It was interesting when Timmy Patterson came in the fish bowl to help Pat shape his board. The only bummer is that they each finished off machine shapes rather than shape a board from a raw blank. Brad Gerlach was shaping the prior day (Saturday) and he had the task of shaping a board from start to finish from a raw blank. It looked like a rough go for him but he persevered and made a decent looking board. Gerlach had master shaper Dave Daum at his side to help him when he got into a jam.
I think he was copying a “Bisquit” from CI. I don’t know much about any of Channel Islands boards but here is the description off their site “A short and stubby tri-fin: the biscuit design was developed with Rob Machado. Like Rob, the Biscuit rides free and easy in the smallest surf and catches waves like boards a foot longer.”
no doubt on the biscuit dup, but when he picks up the tail i swear it looks assym (see 1:15 mark). Looks like the left side would be the more normal biscuit tail (round thumby) and the right side looks more pinny/r.pinny.
I think it’s some what embarrassing. While both of those guys seem to be pretty cool individuals, they have about as much reason to be in that shaping bay as my mother. In my opinion the sacred Craft shows shaping bay demos were about watching the masters shape. The last thing I wanted to see with my $5 is some guy with a computer shape scrub off some machine line and call it his master peice.
Now if you wanter to see something really cool, you would have watched Jim P, or Pattersen cut the wing out of the Caster wing pin retro shape off…he cut the wing out the profile with his Skill planer. Or watch Jim P cut the channels out of a 5 channel bottom board…with a skill 100. Now that’s what I came to see!!
As a hand shaper, I’m kinda in agreement on this. Maybe they could mix it up a bit and when it came to machined blanks everyone could race for finish the same exact board. They could put an offduty NFL ref in uniform in there with his whistle and beany bag that he could blow or throw when someone bungles or butchers…which is bound to happen sooner or later.
It could add sme wow factor to see someone hurrying along and flipping one of those pups off the rack. They could even incorporate penalties for screwing up, which could include tying one hand behind the back, making them wear mittens for snow, blindfolding, or shaping from a chair. The pro guys would be the only nes allowed to bring hot cheerleaders.
Another segment could entail shaping EPS using an iron only.
I think these suggestions could spice things up and maybe there would be a breakthrough or at least a breakout.
If it catches on, they could change the name to Sacriligious Craft.
I think it's some what embarrassing. While both of those guys seem to be pretty cool individuals, they have about as much reason to be in that shaping bay as my mother. In my opinion the sacred Craft shows shaping bay demos were about watching the masters shape. The last thing I wanted to see with my $5 is some guy with a computer shape scrub off some machine line and call it his master peice.
Now if you wanter to see something really cool, you would have watched Jim P, or Pattersen cut the wing out of the Caster wing pin retro shape off…he cut the wing out the profile with his Skill planer. Or watch Jim P cut the channels out of a 5 channel bottom board…with a skill 100. Now that’s what I came to see!!
-resinhead the snob-
I wholeheartedly agree!
Seems the ‘fan’ base will gobble up anything though.
The kind of worthless fluff that maybe enthralls his fan base,but makes a serious surfer want to gag!
Kind of makes you think what kind of people, aside from his actual promoters and benefactors, would promote
this dribble?
What is really amazing is how So. California can really extend the marketing life of formerly pro surfers. Marketing bucks can make or extend the shelf life.
My last foray into buying ‘Surf Industry’ clothing
was the Quicksilver trunks of the 70’s which I liked very much. However, aside from Quicksilver trunks, I have been
through high school and beyond sort of anti-surf dress.
I am not attracted to Surf Industry Clothing.
I surf, I dont want to look like one in costume.
I was walking along the local pier several weeks back and was taken aback by a guy over 40 and every piece of his clothing from the Ugg boots on up, had a Surf Clothing Mfg. logo on it,not just the logo, but actual silkscreening in large print.
Ok Guys here’s my take (if that’s worth anything) since I was there. I watched Gerlach shape a board from start to finish from a raw blank on Saturday. He actually had Chris Christensen help throughout the process (not Dave Daum). It looked like the wheels were spinning in Brad’s head and he was defintely sweating throughout the shape job. People were watching but I dont’ think it was merely the fact that he was pro surfer Brad Gerlach, but more the fact that the public just wants to see the process of a surfboard getting shaped. I too was really bummed when I went back to the shape room and saw that Pat O’Connell as well as Rob Machado were finishing a milled blank. It was a semi no-brainer for either of them just like for most anyone who finishes a machined board. Obviously the creativeness with the machined boards comes in the designing on the computer program.
