Yes I think Bill was or may well still be a great stylish surfer, only from the movies and pics, did I see him, especially at Pipe, where he met Laird, I think, and Tombstone think your'e being a bit hard on Laird, he just about should have his own section, probably rips on the longboard too. One guy who hasn't got a mention yet is Ronnie Burns, one of the top guys at Pipe in his time and an absolute tradgety his passing. I was fortunate enough to have him as a friend and shape his 1st thruster in the most rustic bay I have ever used, I reckon a decent high tide would have cleaned out the dust. It was a friend of his dads, who if I remember correctly was delivering the blanks, clarks? anyway he was a great post thruster guy and I dont think I'm the only one who thinks he would have won a pipe masters had he lived, rip, H.
I hear what you are saying Harris, Laird is incredible at just about everything he does on or in water, but his style isnt pleasing on the eye like Billys, he aint loose and nimble. you know like the late great Mavin Foster you must have surfed with him in the islands cool island style. Another beautiful surfer to watch from west side of Hawaii was Craig Wilson fast and fluid.
I agree Ronnie Burns had it down looked like and Aussie the way he surfed, there was some great footage of him at St Leu with Occy back in the mid eighties ripping it up.
Always thought Col Smith from Newcastle was under rated on those early channel bottoms he was carving meaner tracks than anyone, also Terry Richardson, Guy Ormerod, Dave Mcdonald, jim Banks, Dominic Wybrow all great Australian Goofy footers often looked better on single fins than the thruster.
Just an Opinion
Is Marvin gone? I didn't know, I spent time with him, chilled him at Narrabeen on his 1st trip here, swapped boards at Ulus, had a beer on the North Shore and a few waves, shame. I do agree with you on Bill and Laird. Col Smith, wow, too much to tell, he blew minds and made good friends on his 1st trip to the islands and won the pro class trials at Sunset. like a few other guys from Newcastle he had just enough ego and go for it for the locals to dig him. I was with Dave Mac the morning of the swell here, he had been out early, hadn't had a drink for a long time, was fit and into it, got a lot of time for Dave, has been through a lot and made it, MP's protogege[ I hate spelling wrong], anyway these guys were both pre and post, on the cusp and there will never be ones like them again, cheers H.
Hey Harris since your a Gold Coaster now I thoght i had better mention one of the all timers from up there used to dig watching Joe Engel he had a way with those points up there. Those little Dick Van Round tails with the fin set way back he could really jam, and the great section of him surfing in Storm Riders at Nias just ripping, that wave was made for him. Everyone use to tallk about Thornton Fallander cutback in that section of the movie, but Joe killed it out there. Yeah smokin Joe.
Billy Hamilton:
Very Smooth Style Master!
Billy Hamilton, AKA “hambone”, or “the sultan of style”. I had the pleasure of surfing with him many times, and he exudes style and grace. Harris, your right about Ronnie Burns too. Watched him effortlessly, yet powerfully go upside down under the lip, and make it at real Sunset from the channel. Too bad, a very humble guy, who surfed at level most us can only dream of. And Laird does fricken rip on a longboard too, and I am sure Kokua has seen him racing the “flat rock” on his way to the “bowl”.
Terry Fritzgerald is another one:
[quote="$1"]
Dora what a jerk. Have you ever surfed with him? I have. But more importantly, the guy who captured those photo's, Leroy Grannis died yesterday. He was responsible for many surfers 15 seconds of fame, and a lifetime full of ego. Anyone want to share about the dirty little battle over his estate's photo rights. My sources say it has been a couple of ugly years of battle over who controls the rights to reprint, and paid for his collection. Both of those guys were friends with my friend and ultimate surf hero Kit Horn. Kit was the most inspirational, and stoked surfer, I have ever had the pleasure to call my friend. If you did not know Kit Horn you missed out. Kit taught the Peter Cole how to surf, and was never scared of any wave, anywhere, any time. I learned so much from the man, on how to be a father, and share my love of the ocean with my friends and family. Anyone else out there know Kit?
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You are right ghetto rat. Kit was stocked to the end.
Kit was a Surfers Surfer. I did not know him well but we often chatted while in the line up at Swamis. I recall one afternoon I said something about heading south to look for waves on mainland mex. He turned me onto a point north of Puerto Vallarta,that could hold a big swell. He bought a 6'8" Sunset that I was selling Sid Madden Had shaped it for me. This was around 1976/77.
How cool was Kit! All the way until the end, just a cool guy, and so personal, he always told me I was the big wave surfer, and I would stop him, and praise him because he pioneered the big wave spots back in the day. Even in his late seventies, he had a physique of a waterman, with big broad shoulders and a barrel chest. I am glad that someone else a had the pleasure of meeting him. I told Reno about him passing this summer, and he was bummed, said the first time he surfed the bay Kit was there. Peter Cole told me how when KIt came over, Kit would charge so hard and for so long that he couldn’t keep up with him after a couple days.
Surfding, the “body torque” shot is classic, and the electric hair, from the expression days had a significant impact on a younger generation of Californians, disenfranchised from the war, and government, and disillusioned with what Madison Avenue portrayed as the American Dream.
For me it would have to be Tom Blake, he brought more things to surfing and water sports by way of invention and innovation that anyone ever has or will in the future.
Stay stoked!
ghetto rat,
kit could out paddle kids 1/2 his age one of those kids was me. I recall an outside set barreling down on the peak at swami's I was paddling as hard and as fast as I could and kit just passed us like we were sitting there.
I never met Reno as kid I really admired his surfing. Hell I admired the whole Brewer crew of that era. In The 70's Aipa would come over to Solana Beach to shape. He often brought over Buttons, Bertlemann or some other guys from The Islands On a weak south swell I and a buddy headed south to catch an afternoon session at Blacks it was only a weak 3 to 5 foot south Yet Larry Bertlemann was finding tubes were non seemed to exist. watching him was eye opening. It was more then just his surfing he was Happy and laughing really enjoying that weak swell.
He is something else. I did a lot of airbrush work on Glenn Kennedy boards when I was working at Nectar in Solana Beach. I never met Kennedy from what has been posted here I wish I had.
Artz, Are you Jeff Myers? Because he sprayed for Nectar too and that guy can still paddle and surf like a maniac. If you are and you don’t want anyone to know that’s cool too. The whole SNI thing was pretty cool back then with the flames, and then Nectar thing with McNabb, Simon, and Xanadu, was pretty intense. Aipa used to be an afternoon fixture at Lower’s back in the day, with Zoobadee Lau, back when you still had to roll under the concertina wire, and Nixon was Pres. Wierd thing is back then Uppers was the hang out, and Lowers was wide open. Save Trestles, from what all the wannabees who never went under the wire, or parked on the beach, or walked down from the elementary school. Zoobadee was cool he would always say to me: “you get your quota yet”?
dora, greenough, nat, liddle, mp, lopez, curren.
Eddie Aikau and lopez.
artz - did you know Gary the shaper for Space Vehicles surfboards of Solana Beach back in the 70's? Me and my buddy used to buy our boards from him. He later moved to Ventura, and I don't think he's shaping anymore. He used to be a rad character, from what I hear, but I met him after he settled down. Made some good boards.
Fall of '77 Buttons would come to my Place at V-Land. He was always up to surf. We are the same age and I was stoked to hang out with him.
The Pipe Masters final was a six-man event from 1971 to 1980, but
in 1981 the Pipe Masters final had seven competitors Simon Anderson,
Alan Byrne, Buttons Kaluhiokalani, Wayne Bartholomew, Bobby Owens,
Shaun Tomson and Chris Barela. According to Sam George in ‘Harsh
Realm’ for surfer Magazine:
following the semi-final
elimination of UIIA scrambling for a nearby beach house. From a
position of relative safety the decision was then made to reverse
the decision and put Buttons back in what has since been called
“The Seven-Man Final.” During that heat Kaluhiokalani
inadvertently dropped in several more times but (surprise!) still placed
third in the event. The next year, Pipe became a four-man
final.-sponsored Buttons Kaluhiokalani due to an interference
call, a battery of incensed locals stormed the judge’s tower,
sending the frightened judging panel Can you clean this one up?
Howzit ghetto, Yep I've surfed plenty of sessions with Bill and we are good friends. We were out on afternoon and it was about6-8 ft Hawn and I was about 20 ft further out side of him at the Aframe and we both took off on the same wave. By the time we got to the end of flat rock and I was blinded by the white water in my face from being in the tube he pulls off the Hambone style cutback and I come out of the tube and there he is right in front of me and I had no time to react and plowed right over him. well we come up and he looks at me and says" Damn Wildog I didn't think you were going to make the wave and I just laughed and told him guess you blew that and we both laughed and swam for our boards and he never took off on me again. When I ay I plowed over him I really rammed him but I had no where's to go but into him. I was ridig my 7'2" strada with a domed deck and was a tippy board to ride but it was so fast it was magic for making impossible sections. Aloha,Kokua
Kokua,
Can you please tell me more about Strada or “Strada” boards…
I’d be stoked to here, because i have a mate that has one of his boards and he wants me to copy it. Both him and his dad loved the board. It’s dead now but foil rails etc look fine!
Cheers
I mean copy as in Hand shape, Not scan, duplicate, monkey shape! giggle. lol ha
…sorry to all the boys for being an arse lately…
Hey Surfding thanks for posting those great photos, Buttons always looks like he has the perfect natural stance and foot placement.
You got any shots of Larry Bertleman in the early days on single fins he looked so good on those, didnt really like what the twin fin did to his style. Its unfortunate that the magazines got so enamored by the so called free ride guys, who surfed a pretty basic routine compared to Larrys low loose approach, and super casual switch stance at pipe.