This guy was one of the more avant garde behind-the-scenes guy out there.
maybe truly the original “chandler” as most of the old timers have many tales to tell of their dealing with croteau.
state of art designer who never got the limelight like his peers but hearing Barnfield and Griffin talk about him you know he was light years ahead of whatever the current scene was.
Few realize that the tech behind Jim Richardson’s Surflight designs started off as a Croteau project many years before.
That alone tells me allot
somehow when I hear the name Croteau
I envision the word “rocketship” when I think of a surfboard.
The Santa Cruz area has put out allot of design talent who don’t get the press their southern peers have over the years.
i knew mike since the late 60 “s … aqua jet/brewer/roger adams days… hollow honeycomb boards… mike he was eccentric but he loved building the fastest surfboards on the planet… he test rode his designs also… i remeber seeing a huge pintail with big air vents built into the deck… the board was like 5 inches thick (too float mike and to keep the vent outta the water) that went thru the board and exited out the bottom… it was constructed at such an angle that water wouldnt bubble up from underneath… this is way back… he had “the best team” in santa cruz when he had his shop on 41 st. ave. dave schmidt, ruffo, joey thomas, the list goes on… dave schmidt was surfin pipe every winter and the hawaains got to ride some of mikes rockets… also he wasnt afraid to saw off the fins and re glass them into different positions till he got the maximun ride from the board… VERY expermental this young shaper… he intoduced me to 3 fins, when after a surf he said hey give me your single fin and a 100 bucks and i ll give you my board… i think it couldnt have been more than a week old… that was thee fastest surfboard i ever rode… F _ 16 " BATTLE CAT” … he would get up in the morning and if there was no surf he would get a huge cup of coffee and go to his shop and hold court… he was a fabulous salesman… mike hope your gettin a few perfect ones… RIP
Right on…immense talent. His riders were devout followers. Mike built the Shaun Tomson (Shaun Shooter) for O’neill. Bitchen boards. The “not so basic round pin”.
Coletta told me recently that Mike was instrumental in showing him the ropes of shaping…then look at your list…Joey Thomas? What a ripper and was the king of twin fin shapes in Santa Cruz.
Mike and I both used the target logo…we had a talk about that and luckily he was cool with it and didn’t go psycho and crush me in one swipe. Ironically, I have had many old clients recently ask me to use the target again which I just started doing, and I guess I can kinda honor Mike Croteau every time I do.
hi deadshaper: well i went to the paddle out… it was in front of the statue between the LANE and COWELLS… … there was a decent crowd, lots of people from the industry… pearson, haut,johnny rice, and farley… who knows who was in the water??? looked pretty respectable… any way talked to his wife and his son… paid my respects for there loss… was a good thing, and i am glad i went… they had a couple of mikes boards there… looked like new boards, that maybe he had tucked away??? oh my gosh what future istic boards they were… the thing i love the best is his belly / bottom and how he blends it into the rail in the nose area… dont see that anywhere else… also you mention colletta… he has the ropes now for making the most high tech, into the future boards in the area… if your a pro level surfer and your not riding his boards you are doing yourself and injustice… way to be steve and mike
Thanks for the update…yeah, Steve is one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure to know. Real gentleman, great surfer and a killer golfer. I guess it’s that time where we lose people more and more. I’ve kept in touch with Steve, but haven’t talked to Haut or Pearson for years. Don’t know if Schroedel is still around…see Vnson down here, just saw Andreini at Sacred.
Time marches on, and it takes no survivors. Make every day count!
i am far too young to know first hand Mr. Croteau’s exploits and experiments with design, and i am not from SC originally so i never got to see him in the water. I have heard many exciting and unbelievable stories about him from Fletch, Haut and Andreini and he always seemed like a chaacter who was larger than life.
I met Croteau about a year ago and was excited when he started talking to me about his design theories. He was going to teach me more about design and some of the finer points of shaping (at least i REALLY hoped so. We had talked about aerodynamics and design a few times and had half-way made plans for him to come spend some time with me in the shaping room.) before he passed.
I didn’t go to the paddle out and hope to pay my respects in some way here. He always seemed lively (i met him after many extensive surgeries i am told) and jovial when he came to the shop and though i hardly knew him i am saddened by his loss.
Things like this really make me think about how much people from my generation can learn from the people of his. Many of you who posted on this thread are invaluable resources for people like me and your contributions to this site are like gems in a pile of rubble.
Many of the people I have had the opportunity to work with extensively over the last year (unfortunately Croteau was not one of them) are much older and more experienced than I and the knowledge that they have given me has helped me progress immensely in that time. I want to thank all of them and all of you and especially Mr. Croteau for the contributions you have made both to me and the industry at large in our respective continued development.
I met him around 1975 76? He was working with another Shaper Pat Fleck in Carlsbad. They were making some very innovative Boards for the time. I still have vivid memories of riding one of Mikes boards on a over head day at Blacks. It was just one of those magic moments in life, the right day the right swell and the right board.
I did not know Mike well. However I can still recall the force and energy of his personality.
Just wanted to point out that Joey Thomas is still making boards. He’s only taking custom orders these days and primarily focusing on a 7’6″ – 7’11″ 22″ wide, 18″ nose, 15″ tail 2 3/4″ round pin 4 fin
surfboard. It’s what he calls his, “JT Evolution Board”. This is what he rides…His website is getting updated but check it out and give him a call…
I use to live with
Mike Croteau on the North Shore in the late 70.s at Tom and Sam Hawks nest up
in the hill overlooking Sunset Beach and his sidekick Mike (the Munci). Croteau
was so big and Muncie was so small of a dude but boy that little shit could
ride some big waves. Croteau seemed to have a very big hart as I remembe.
.Your right deadshaper, I know him only short time he was my room mate I moved in with Tom and his wife at the house on the hill above rocky point he was part of the crew from Santa Cruz CA look for a guy named Munchi mike we call him little mike that woul be a good place to start they were pertty tight he roomed with me also . wow looking for croteau surfboards to bad that it wasn.t the digital era but that makes his work twice as precious.
WOW thanks for the flash back he does look the way i remember but he looked older to me becouse I was realy young way back then . I remember honeycomb surfboards in the states unbreakable we test a few of the cliffs at swamis that was cool everyone would freak out when you threw them of the cliffs what are you doing with your board dude o it’s ok there unbreakable they realy didn’t float right to me but I bet Mr Croteau threw a few off of the cliffs in santa cruz.
If
it’s ok with everyone I like to tell a story that might be cool for some people
out there about Mr. Croteau maybe someone out there knows the time period I’m
talking about too. I knew him when I was a north shore gremlin from HB
California and moved in with Tom Hawk. Tom and Mike were big guys in surfer
standers Croteau from Santa Cruz and Hawk from HB.. Tom,Sam and Laroy. We’re
doing boards and Fin down in the Shaping room along with Mike Croteau. But that
a different Story. I remember Mike liked to throw things out the window. I’m
mean everything! Tables, Chairs and surfboards I think some people too. Maybe
there’s a correlation with the Honeycomb Surfboards and a guy that wanted a
unbreakable surfboardI think there are
a couple of people out there that has got Piss off about something and smashed
there surfboards maybe there board didn’t work right or maybe there mad at their girlfriend. I have smash a
couple of surfboards in my time and Croteau did too, Can I get Amen!
I recall a board sailing over the cliffs at Blacks. I looked at Pat, pat looked at me We both looked at Mike. He looked at us with a look that said don't ask. We didn't ask.
think this is one of his shapes?
