…the phrase, ‘‘Iron men, on wooden boards’’…? Here’s a way to get an appreciation of what that phrase implied. You don’t have to use a wooden surfboard. Any surfboard will do. The challenge will be to surf at least three days (or more) per week, with no leash, and no wetsuit, for at least a full calander year. Easier to do in Hawaii, than in other places. The point is, this will help you appreciate the dedication, the skill, and the character, of those early surfing pioneers. Those iron men, on those wooden boards. And yes, I’ve done what I just described. But I do not consider myself to be among those giants, that led the way for all of us to follow. They were the true WATERMEN, and all that is implied, by that term. Test yourself. See what you are made of.
The test of what we’re made of is coming to us, we don’t need to come to it.
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The test of what we’re made of is coming to us, we don’t need to come to it.
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the test of what we’re made of occurs every single day in the way we conduct ourselves with the world and folks around us
Personally, Bill, think part of being an Iron Man back in those days started with the ability to actually carry one of those #130 water logged beasts down to the water, have a session, and afterwards walk it back to wherever it was stored. Why those guys all had 8-pak abs and biceps the size of cantaloupes.
Hope y’all don’t mind but I’ve lived with this board over 50 years.
By that I mean
Back when I was 12 ( and was stoked on surfing) I was visiting a Hawaiian/Japenese buddy on my block.
And uncovered an old board in the grass (So Cal, yeah).
Offered Poppa 5 bucks, “take it”
Lugged it home.
Hey it is light compared to solid boards.
Solid redwood rails and hallow between.
Maybe a “Whitey”, but still a lug @ 90+lbs.
“sliding ass”
Here’s my take on the waterman deal…
It depends on which generation of such “watermen”
My day???
Ya know we had all kine stuff in those old day in those USSA contests.
Paddling was big.
Early NS contests (prior to $)
and Makaha (as silly as the rules were).
All that considered,
well, you said “Ironman”.
My era Mike Doyle!
Others of the now generation
whom I can name of the top of my head.
And I sure I’ miss a lot of guy’s and gal’s (Rell Sunn was awesome RIP).
Rusty Keaulana
Darrick Doerner
Mark Cunningham
In regards to the “Old days”
I’ll say this…
At least the Cops didn’t hassle us over a fire on the beach.
AM surf
Feb, no wetsuit
20+ min. (ah no swims)
Blue, knees knocking
and teeth chattering as you approach
your buddies at the fire.
Do you remember?
Hev’s pitching his wool suit on the model A fender?
These Kids don’t understand…
More https://www.facebook.com/john.b.matthews.9
mid 60’s, Hermosa Beach, no wetsuits, 1 hour early morning surfs before school,hope your teeth stop chattering before 1st period. We might not have been ironmen, or even men for that matter, but we weren’t sissy boys either. It all seemed normal.
Those old surfers were certainly hard core. Mind you, so is paddling into solid Teahupoo.
well, if we’re going to be serious.
12 years old learning to surf first at San Francisco OB beach and then later Pedro Point. Water often low 50’s, sometimes below, had no wetsuit, 30# waterlogged Duke K popout until I could afford a ‘real’ board, got my first wetsuit vest from Jack O’Neil at 13. Sometimes so cold could only surf for 15 mins before frozen. Standing around the fire we were forever burning, teeth chattering, some of us literally blue. Can’t smell wood smoke without instantly flashing back to those days.
Every day in the summer and on weekends, regardless of weather, hitchiked from Daly City to the beach and back for 4 years until I got my license, sometimes take an hour to get a ride willing to haul me and the board. Looking back, laugh about it. Sure didn’t consider myself an Iron Man, just a stoked gremmie…
You were not an Iron Man,(none of us were) but you were in the first stages of being a Water Man. The Iron Man term, was from outside the sport, by non surfing journalists. You walked the walk.
This Florida boy could not have done any of that. I am in awe. I flew over and did the LaJolla Rough Water Swim a couple of years ago with some friends. Upper 50’s low 60’s. I couldn’t expand my lungs to breathe for the first 50 yards. Not likely to do that again.
all the best
Hi Bill. What about diving(free), spearing(sling), swimming, fishing, and sailing? Or, are you just going easy on us to start and limit the challenge to surfing? This might be the winter to do it. The water temps up here were in the mid 60’s last weekend. Alas, I won’t measure up and will be using a full suit. Damn, I’d like to get 3 solid surfs in per week. Mike
Aloha Rooster,
Well, the swimming was a function of surfing without a leash. Didn’t matter how good you were, on big days, everybody swims. Diving, and spearfishing, was a way of extending the food budget. Plus it was a lot of fun. I had a secret Menpachi hole(cave) at Makaha, that that was like going to the fish market. I drove Buffalo nuts, coming out of the water with stringers of red fish. Me, a mainland haole, getting all those fish in his own front yard! I’d be surprised if anyone has found that hole, to this day.
hi Bill: i have surfed with a guy who lives like he is in the 30s or 40 s… i do not know his name … he rides hollow wooden boards … 1 is about 12 feet and he has about a 9 ft also, he hits doheny sometimes also …these boards are designed like the old box boards… they are hollow… he wears a fuzzy sweater that i s soaked or sprayed with something… summer and winter hes out… his hot rod is like a 40s hot rod… he also has a 40 s pickup… i heard his house is decorated in 40s stuff… everyone knows him… he absouletely rips on these boards… no skegs either… i am sorry i cant remember his name… if you dont know him i can find out his name??? sincerely Bruce
When I started surfing, in 1955, there were still a few (2 or 3) of those fellows still around, in the San Diego/ Sunset Cliffs/ La Jolla area. Neat that there is still someone like that around. Living history. A window into the past.
There’s a kid that surfs year-round here. Water temps are typically low 50’s. He’s a boogey boarder. The only thing I’ve ever seen him wear are wetsuit sleeves. Does that count? He’s a nice kid, too. Mike