Does (or did) George Greenough ever stand-up surf?
Innocent Bystander, Sure he did, when he wore shoes. When his feet were always so cut up he switched to knees. Then when the feet grew their own leathery soles he figured he had devolved so his surfing should too; now prone. You see he’s in the process of becoming as close to the earth as possible by removing any hinderance between him and the source. Rob Olliges
George has been windsurfing and building related custom equipment for every aspect of this activity for over 20 years. He often refers to his flexible epoxy/carbon graphite sailboards as having similar function as his famous kneeboard Velo, “except they`re made for standing”. And yes… George originally surfed in a conventional manner.
i saw him first mat surf at cojo --with a friend of his .Then when the wind came up ,they windsurfed again going much faster then everyone else.It was classic to watch!My favorite and memorable greenough sighting was at southwind 8-10 ft rincon in the early 80’s .He pulled up in that highway patrol car of his with a friend and this was when no one rode big blown out rincon.he just dove under huge sets like a dolphin on that little black and white spoon kneeboard.Then he went so fast and in total control in those terrible conditions !!I It was so fun to just sit and watch!!----But ,yeah i guess he stood up like every other joe at one time-to answer your question.
In some interview he says he was a standup surfer around '66, riding a 6 something board made for carving, not one of the regular longboards of the era.
George Greenough basically gave up standing in the early 1960s. By the mid 1960s he was designing and building high performance kneeboards and fins. His skill as a surfer had advanced beyond that of his era by well over a decade. Bob McTavish witnessed Greenough`s surfing at Angourie in 1964. It was a life-changing experience. These activities occurred years prior to the phenomenon commonly known as the “shortboard revolution”.