There has been quit a few post latly about the latest issues of Surfing, and their story about the Corbra factory. Nobody,though has mentioned thier naming Gerry Lopez shaper of the year. I think Gerry made some very telling comments in his interview. His comments about trying to add wiegth in the skin leading to bad wieght distrbution, seems I’ve heard somthing like this about surftecs.
If we leave it up to all these hardcore boardshapers who sprout all this propaganda about new board technology, we will still be riding foam and fibreglass like we are today in 10 years time. Maybe surftech has a few problems to iron out, but at least they are trying to move the industry forward. The people who are first to put forward new technology always cop a mouthfull from others. Ive never ridden one of those composite boards cause i dont like my boards to be too light. But i think they have a good idea and in a few years time they will have gotten rid of all the problems and most of the shapers who dislike what they are doing will probably be involved with surftech or a similar company anyway.
One of the many reasons that conventional foam and glass construction has lasted for so long is that the relationship between the weight of the foam and the weight of the glass in a given board is ideally balanced. (Roughly 50-50) This isn’t a matter of foam and glass being “what we’re used to riding.” If you compare the foam-to-glass weight distribution of boards from 1958 to the present, you find that it has remained the same…and that’s through wide variations of design and riding styles. Hollow boards (from Blake through W.A.V.E.) and semi-hollow boards (like Surftek) have all had “feeling” problems, because the nose and tail are too heavy. Even if it’s extremely light overall, a hollow board carries too much weight in the nose and tail because the weight is in the skin, and there’s almost as much skin area in the nose and tail as the mid-section. Thus, heavier nose and tail, proportionately speaking. This doesn’t mean that a molded, mass produced hollow or semi-hollow board can’t be good. It’s just that nobody in control of their design seems to understand how important the distribution of weight is to how a board rides.
There has been quit a few post latly about the latest issues of Surfing, > and their story about the Corbra factory. Nobody,though has mentioned > thier naming Gerry Lopez shaper of the year. I think Gerry made some very > telling comments in his interview. I actually stood in a grocery store and read the Lopez bit. No comment on the shaping part (his have always looked sleek and fine), but it might be worth pointing out he’s truly a leader in surfing in more important ways. The word “lifestyle” gives me cold chills, but Lopez has quietly made multiple transitions in his life. If I had been that deep into his era of North Shore surfing I would have had a hard time evolving out of the scene. Yet as it changed and mutated he moved into the world travel thing, to another island and new sporting interests, and eventually to the Cascade Mountains for yet another sport, all the while maintaining his surfing connection and shaping abilities. Along with this he got married and started a family. Now, doing any of what I just described is hard and tough to maintain. He’s managed to do all that during the development of the “extreme sports” world while living a life which has solid mainstream societal involvement. While “extreme sports” seems to have turned into a noisy video version of the Jim Rose Sideshow Circus, with “athletes” who have careers which roughly equal the ability of their bodies to heal from savage, pointless injury, Lopez is one of the rare people for whom the term “Sportsman” is as apt and important as “craftsman”.
One of the smartest things about Lopez’s surfboard business is he has a low overhead. Building boards in Oregon might sound kooky, but $0.30 / square ft. for new facilities sounds good to me.>>> I actually stood in a grocery store and read the Lopez bit. No comment on > the shaping part (his have always looked sleek and fine), but it might be > worth pointing out he’s truly a leader in surfing in more important ways.>>> The word “lifestyle” gives me cold chills, but Lopez has quietly > made multiple transitions in his life. If I had been that deep into his > era of North Shore surfing I would have had a hard time evolving out of > the scene. Yet as it changed and mutated he moved into the world travel > thing, to another island and new sporting interests, and eventually to the > Cascade Mountains for yet another sport, all the while maintaining his > surfing connection and shaping abilities. Along with this he got married > and started a family.>>> Now, doing any of what I just described is hard and tough to maintain. > He’s managed to do all that during the development of the “extreme > sports” world while living a life which has solid mainstream societal > involvement. While “extreme sports” seems to have turned into a > noisy video version of the Jim Rose Sideshow Circus, with > “athletes” who have careers which roughly equal the ability of > their bodies to heal from savage, pointless injury, Lopez is one of the > rare people for whom the term “Sportsman” is as apt and > important as “craftsman”.
One of the smartest things about Lopez’s surfboard business is he has a > low overhead. Building boards in Oregon might sound kooky, but $0.30 / > square ft. for new facilities sounds good to me. Hey, that’s not smart about his business…it’s smart about him! ;-). I would imagine cost of getting materials might be higher, although general proximity to the Hood River windsurfing mecca might allow him to hit Mt. Hood and stock up on the same trip. My kind of multi-tasking. I realize he still travels, but living that far from mainstream surfing and maintaining the type of proficency which still brings orders from world class surfers impresses the hell out of me. The guy ought to write a book.
One of the smartest things about Lopez’s surfboard business is he has a > low overhead. Building boards in Oregon might sound kooky, but $0.30 / > square ft. for new facilities sounds good to me. – You
re right... building boards in Oregon is totally kooky... the water is freezing, there are lots of big hungry sharks and the waves are all unrideable, rocky, closeout beach breaks. Everyones inbredd and undeucated, taxes go up about every 6 months, Oregons unemployment is the highest in the nation and our states biggest industry is the manufacture and sales of methamphetamine. Gerry Lopez and his family living in Oregon??? That`s just a wild rumor.
Great words, E Pac…AMEN! People DO evolve, and Gerry - the traveller - has been on one great journey. LOW on the EGO, HIGH on the SPIRITUAL. A class act, all the way. (Will never forget sitting next to him and Rory in the old Pink Lady of the North- the Haleiwa theater- and watching the premiere of “Big Wednesday”…[What a golden memory!]). T.
I love it living in Oregon actually, ive found a surf break that is similar to pipe. Only three locals surf it, Chip, Jed and Chuck. If anyone wants the directions to all of the spots that ive found in Oregon over the last few months send me an email. Dont worry about the locals, they are as thick at two bricks. None of them have the brains to use a computer so they will never know where you got the directions to their spot.
I love it living in Oregon actually, ive found a surf break that is > similar to pipe. Only three locals surf it, Chip, Jed and Chuck. If anyone > wants the directions to all of the spots that ive found in Oregon over the > last few months send me an email. Dont worry about the locals, they are as > thick at two bricks. None of them have the brains to use a computer so > they will never know where you got the directions to their spot. How do you spell imposter … have fun
How do you spell imposter … have fun Hey I was designing a new board with Gerry while he posted that message.This is the real thing…oops gotta go Greg Noll,Dick Brewer and Al Merrick just pulled up…Yours Truly.Phil
Hey I was designing a new board with Gerry while he posted that > message.This is the real thing…oops gotta go Greg Noll,Dick Brewer and Al > Merrick just pulled up…Yours Truly.Phil Sorry, my bad. I thought you were speaking about Mr. Jerry Lopez … have fun
Sorry, my bad. I thought you were speaking about Mr. Jerry Lopez … have > fun …Maybe that’s fill?having fun!Herb
whoa!!! hang on there a minute, maybe you guys are getting me mixed up with Gerry Lopez spelt with a G. Im jerry lopez spelt with a J. Ive been shaping boards for the surfers of Oregon for 15 years now. My wife misty and my daughters candy and bunny along with my sons chip, buck and hank all enjoy the surf up here. Ya’ll better show us northerners some respect. Id like to see one of you cali boys surfing tandem with a 435lb brown bear (Missy my wife) like we do up this way. Come up and see for yourselves, but bring a gun cause we dont like no smart talkin city fools comin into our towns swingin their boys around in our faces.