Hey set me striaght if I’m wrong, but it seems like Robby McDonald was the glasser or the guy who taught most of the late 60’s - 70’s kids how to glass. Who taught Robby? Was it Chris?
Robbie McDonald, Steve Kerr, Timmy McClaferty were doing most the the glassing in those days, as I remember it. Robbie may have learned by watching Steve Kerr glassing a couple of boards, and he went for it. I think Steve learned from Chris. Robbie also started laying up fiberglass slabs and cutting and shaping fins. I worked with him on that and remember it well (my skin itches just thinking about!). In fact, it was Nate Moody, Dave Cueva and Robbie that started making the "wings" shaped into the boards. That was Nate's idea, Dave shaped, and Robbie glassed it. It was real radical in those days. Also, the very 1st 3 finner I ever saw was Nate's idea too. He designed these small fins that were glassed into the outside edge of the board much the way the 3 finners are made today, but they were smaller; maybe 2" tall. He called them "stabilizers". Empty Lot was the testing grounds, and we all kinda got in on that part. Hats off to those guys. They weren't afraid to try new things. Ewa Beach also gets at least partial credit for cutting down the fins and doing 360s. Chris Gardner won the Makaha International by blowing everyone's mind doing a 360 on the face of a wave. Most people hadn't seen that yet. Butch picked that up pretty quickly after that and mastered it real well. Fun, innovative days, for sure!
Dave Cueva made a 8’2" pintail for me in Rob’s parents garage on the beach front a couple of houses up from Dave’s parents house towards Jimmy Ha Store. It had blue foam stringers and redwood glued together. One of the fanciest boards I ever had. I paid $325 for it back in the 1970’s. If I am not mistaken Chris Gardner and Dick Delong showed Robbie how to glass. Dave shaped my board and Rob glassed it. It was a Fantastic Job, and the board was really fast. I really miss Rob and Chris as well. Until the next perfect wave comes in, naky.
Howzit Mike Bell, In response to your last Quote, Blog, or whatever it’s called when U write something on this site. OH! maybe message, I don’t know. but i do know this, Chris never won any time @ Makaha, his club member Reno Abeliera did though… U can check on that. I not trying to be one no it all as from small kid time the Gardner family was good friends with us. Chris’s mada & my mada worked together Barbers PT. & Little Leaque time. I was one admirer of the guy not kiss ass kind. but U know what i mean. Actually Bradda Geo Kaholokula, I looked more up to him than Chris. Aloha T.P.
Was Steve related to Randy and Ricky? I remember those 2 from SC. Randy used to give us bad time.
The guys I remember making boards for others from being on the “west side” of EB was Chris Gardner, Dick DeLong, Jim Greene, Isaac Tanaka, George Kaholukua (from knowing Isaac), Tim McClafferty (glassing), John Crouch (glassing), Mike Volgeljesang (glassing), Gooney was shaping. The rest were doing it for themselves, more then anything.
I didn’t know a lot of the EVB road side guys like the Moodys, the Silvas, I knew who Charlie Miz, Dave Cueva was, knew Chris Gardner through the Farms. I never knew Mel Behasa till this year. Just met Andy Toothman. I met Phil Emerson several times when he was selling guitars at island guitars on King St. He was a really cool guy, and one hell of a guitar player. I know Barry Morrison who owns Inter-Island surfboards now. He’s an old time Iriquois pt resident '63 or so.
Most of the gang I know graduted after 1973 and surfed at SC a lot. But I went to Kamehameha, so I was away from the hood during the day, and at SC or Officer’s after school and on weekends.
Howzit Harry, Just escaped from my bus ass job @ Barbers Pt. G.C. nobody around so i wen dig little while. Gotta go back soon. Brothers let me tell U. That place is mighty dark when the power goes out. It’s quite often too. The Navy still take care the power & water still yet. I quess there electricians not to sharp… I’m the boss man there when i’m on. I get 2 workers under me. My Dog Moki-Boy & my bradda Mike’s ilio Kona, they suppose to stay alert while i snooze, but those kanaka dog’s knock out B-4 me. I think i better ration there chow. Those buggas eat to much… Shit - now, i know what i was going tell U. Steve Kear is the oldest brother of Randy & Ricky… Last i heard, he was living on Maui. Don’t know if glassing still yet. But that guy is good carpenter. I don’t know if he better than Issac & my cababayon friend Mel concepcion. Those Kona boys can bang some nails. Any way Aloha T.P.
Hey Tommy.
Yeah, George K was "the man". He was a mentor of mine. I so wish he were still here now. Chris Gardener? I mostly hung out on the Ewa Beach Road side of the Ewa Beachers in those days. I thought he won the Makaha International back in the daze with the 360, but hey? my memory is limited. If he didn't win it, he impressed many with the 360 then. I ended up with the board I thought he won it with "The Grape". But it was pretty waterlogged when I got it. No matter. I was proud to have it, and learned how to do 360s on it too.
Ole Wnither told me that Steve Kerr is kicking butt as a contractor on Maui. Good on him! He was an exceptional glasser.
Aloha,
Mike Bell
Mike, So Steve is still on Maui. Yeah Bra, that man is a great carpenter, i had a feeling he was going be contractor. isn’t okole Winter a contractor too. His father was a hard working man. I think that bradda get his license and then he sub his jobs out. That banana ain’t like his old man. nah Okole know i only fucking with him… Any way good for him. Oh yeah, Mike i was going ask U what the time difference over there. Aloha T.P.
Thanks Tommy. Barber’s get bad electric problems. The system is old and has not been taken care of. Not sure who does the work, but the govt. in Hawaii is not the best at managing the electricity grid if it is not part of the important defense faciliities.
Hey the Winther family bought the house across the street from my dad back around 1979. They were fixing it up to flip it and one morning the old man came over and asked us to call for ambulance. Thought he was having a heart attack. I remember he had 2 sons helping him. They ended up selling the house to the Afuso family and the kids lived there for a while. You guys probably remember Diane Afuso.
Shark Country, Did you know that Barney Silva also made some really nice surfboards. Barney built me a great surfboard. It was a
really nice 8’0" concaved tail with a single redwood fin hotdog board. Fantastic board and it performed awesomely. This was back in 1969, when his parents owned Silva Store and the family lived behind in the two story house. Barney had his shop on the right side of the store in the house on the beach in his Uncle Frank’s garage. He was also a good glasser. Until the next perfect wave rolls in, naky.
Ole Okole. Ha! You're right Tom, he followed in his father's tracks and is a contractor in Kona. He seems to be doing good. His oldest daughter Kim stayed with us here in Bali when she was taking a break from college and traveling with a friend all over Asia a few months back. You met the youngest Kristin at the reunion last September. Both good kids. Must take after their mom :-).
I think Randy Kerr is on Maui too, and Ricky is in Seattle married to Kathy Eberhart.
I just klooked up the time-clock: It's 7:30am Monday here. It's 1:30pm Sunday there, so that makes us 18 hours ahead of Hawaii. Just getting the kids off to school.
Aloha! Mike
Hi Naky, yes I now know about Barney Silva, but I learned from this site. I’ve learned a lot about Ewa Beach that I never knew from this site, and with Ken Emerson bringing his mana’o I am learning a lot more. Seems like EB had some really talented musicians, especially guitar players.
I still have my copy of the Emerson Brothers record. Great stuff. I was so awe struck when I met Phil. He would play the guitars at Island Guitars to show you how good they were. He could play some incredible swinging jazz chords. I bought a Gibson ES-175 because he told my friend that he really should get it. My friend didn’t have the money, but convinced me to get it. Like a fool I sold it just before they took off in price.
Howzit Harry, OK, Let me get this correct if possible. & if Kenny Emerson can respond, that would be outasite. When we graduated from H. School in 1971, I had this amazing graduating party with Alpo & the fleas just banging out the sounds. like i said earlier Kenny U remember that One or what? I even know One of the songs." Hey baby keep your big mouth shut " Kenny , Tell me if i wrong. O K. Bradda’s Aloha T.P.
Aloha Norman…Hows life in Vegas I hear it hard times there…
I remember those little swells with small people surfing…a lot of imagineering …Who was that guy that said he was going to surf Kaena he even had a sponsor and disappeared…
I think that might have been Jim “Wildman” Neece. He used to charge big Pipe in the early to mid 70’s. Mark Kahalekulu was friends with him. I met him a couple of times surfing with Mark. Not sure but I think he had to leave Hawaii in a hurry. May have been messing with someone’s wahine or something. He was a good looking blond haole, and the wahine loved that guy. I remember running into him at the shower by Ala Wai boat harbor where Kaiser used to have the helipad. He say’s “gotta get to work, then find me a wahine and sleep naked all night”. Pretty sure he found one pretty babe to keep him company.
Alec, “Ace Cool”, did actually ride it
Aloha Guy. Dat was Charly Galanto. Didnt know him at da time but met him later in life wen I used to work on his Harly. He lived on a boat, I foget da name of da harbor but stay be Fishermans Warf. He would come to my shop and use paint remover take off da paint from his motor parts and I would rebuild his motor. If I rememba rite he wen make um all white. We came good friends. I can go sailing to uta islands if I like. Anyway das da guy. And how you doin? Many years since I seen you. No can sa Ewa Beach still da same. Notin same down dis side. Only da hearts of da old time guys. Da road, da houses, da beach, da sand, even da waves wenn change. Das ok do. Home is wea da hart stay an I still stay same place. Stuck in da past waiting for my Braddas come back home. Restore da aina like how suposed to be. Sometimes we see each uta again and da heart come warm and da souls reunite. Des times precious like da times wen we was young. On “da road” some of us still hea. Stop by, say hello, bring beer, buy house, bring back da Ohana stay missing nowdays.
Aloha Guy…Paul Shepard…
Hi Jim, Alec actually rode Kaena. I think he had a helicopter drop into the surf zone. There’s at least one other guy who was several years before Ace that was all set to do it, but didn’t. I didn’t know about Charley Galanto, but he would have done it. Jim Neese would have too, but something happened. Jim once went out to big pipe to save someone when the lifeguards felt it was too dangerous. He was a “wildman” but he always made me laugh whenever I saw him. There’s a bunch of shots of him in the mags charging big pipe backside in the early to mid 70’s. Back then only a handful of guys would be out.
Jim, my brother and I will be in SD April 20-21. If you’re around we may try to stop by. I gotta check with my bro though. We’re trying to get in the water on Sat. somewhere with a bunch of the sways guys.
Saw Mel Behasa and Isaac Tanaka 2 weeks ago. Mel enjoyed the trip to SD. Another old time EB surfer, Andy Toothman, showed up from Wash state and we had a great time. He is surfing and making boards up in Gray’s Harbor. If you get to Kona be sure to see Isaac. He’s getting into the wood boards and he’s got a lot going on there. Nice group of EB boys over there.
Hey Paul there was a great ariticle about Charlie in the Surfer’s Journal. Said he stopped surfing in the early 70’s after a horrific wipeout at Laniakea. He lives on a beautiful Cat at the Ala Wai Harbor now. The guy was a serious big wave charger and ran the Greg Noll shop.