Remember those days at the old factory, I think it was in Wesminister or Huntington (circa 1971) or something when Clyde found a guy to come in and laminate the boards with that stiff cpvc cloth and the boards were stronger than shit. You had just started shaping rocket fishes there. Clyde was pretty ampy in those days and was definitely amping on the first Rocket Fish. Seems like yesterday. I hope things are well. Aloha
I think your dates are a little off,and it was Santa Ana,Ca.
Remember those days at the old factory, I think it was in Wesminister or > Huntington (circa 1971) or something when Clyde found a guy to come in and > laminate the boards with that stiff cpvc cloth and the boards were > stronger than shit. You had just started shaping rocket fishes there. > Clyde was pretty ampy in those days and was definitely amping on the first > Rocket Fish. Seems like yesterday. I hope things are well.>>> Aloha Aloha, yourself ? Will never forget! It was Westminister, off of Hazzard street. The building was ajacent to a group that sold different unique materials and supplies to Disney. That cloth was amazing. The Laminator, was Bob Petty (hope your well where ever you are), Clyde Beatty and Chris Volmer were partners, figuring to build the lastest and greatest molded and foamed surfboards. That idea lasted about two months. Then guess who was running around in circles with the Skill 100 so we could get finished boards out the door. Those days were filled with swallow tails, round pins, with wings and without. The Rocketfish wasn’t developed until I moved over to Dyno, in Santa Ana. The Rocketfish was originally called the Gunfish, also refered to as the Winterfish, as I was at that time, some days shaping ten fish (as we now have come to know the full nose template) a day. The owner of Dyno knew that he winding down and out of the business, and wouldn’t advertise this new design. It sold out of the store on main street in spite of that. I’ll never forget the day that I got out of my car in front of the shop to look across the street and see my gun-winter-rocket whateveryouwanttocallit hanging in the front window of Robert August’s store. Somebody should start a thread about coping. I turned Clyde on to the Gunfish in the fall of 74’, and since Dyno’s end was in sight, Clyde coined the name Rocketfish. Seems like yesterday, or the day before. Things are very well. Thank You. Aloha ? P. S that trick cloth, if you touched it with a sander it would fray and rise. You could never rub it out properly.
I remember seeing the first GunFish on the floor of the Dyno shop,after a surf session,in the fall/winter of 74.(Tom was the salesman at the time). Also can remember picking-up blanks from the factory with Rick is his van and taking them back to his place to knock them out. The owner of Dyno had a rep by some people as being a hard nose ,but D.L. was always cool to me!Herb.
I remember seeing the first GunFish on the floor of the Dyno shop,after a > surf session,in the fall/winter of 74.(Tom was the salesman at the time).>>> Also can remember picking-up blanks from the factory with Rick is his van > and taking them back to his place to knock them out.>>> The owner of Dyno had a rep by some people as being a hard nose ,but D.L. > was always cool to me!Herb. Dick Lippincott, ex-CIA, ex-battery mogul, ex-burnt down factory survivor, pilot, father of three. He was pure business, in a world opperating in surfer’s time. He did have a soft spot, and a sense of humor. You may have seen it once. He loved me,$6.35 per shape. I didn’t care, I loved every minute of it! At my age, ten a day, that was good money anyway. Things have changed, since then. The day before yesterday, that is! Still havin a ball! Steve
Dick Lippincott, ex-CIA, ex-battery mogul, ex-burnt down factory survivor, > pilot, father of three. He was pure business, in a world opperating in > surfer’s time. He did have a soft spot, and a sense of humor. You may have > seen it once. He loved me,$6.35 per shape. I didn’t care, I loved every > minute of it! At my age, ten a day, that was good money anyway. Things > have changed, since then. The day before yesterday, that is! Still havin a > ball! Steve …Dick use to go out of his way to make sure that I was well taken care of .I would come in to pick-up my new boards on fridays in the afternoon and he was usually there.He would give me fins,wax,t-shirts,bungey cords,MAJOR DISCOUNTS ,and alot of incouragement.He once stated that he saw me surfin’ the southside one day on a big south swell(72) where few people made it out,and was stoked that a young guy like me could surf so well ,and keep up with the heavys in the big stuff.He always will be remembered here.Herb.
Steve, I could swear I heard Clyde call one of the boards at the factory a Rocketfish, but I’m sure it’s the onset of old age that makes hallucinate (sp?). I remember Clyde walking into the lam room and Bob had lapped that cloth after much trial and error and Clyde was jumping up and down “He lapped it!! I dont fricken believe it!! He lapped it!!!” . aloha
Steve,>>> I could swear I heard Clyde call one of the boards at the factory a > Rocketfish, but I’m sure it’s the onset of old age that makes hallucinate > (sp?). I remember Clyde walking into the lam room and Bob had lapped that > cloth after much trial and error and Clyde was jumping up and down > “He lapped it!! I dont fricken believe it!! He lapped it!!!” .>>> aloha… I STILL HAVE SOME PIECES OF THAT ,“TRICK” CLOTH.WHAT A PAIN IN THE…TO WORK WITH!!!It also doesn’t lay down well,and if it has a kink or a ripple in it. It won’t flatten out for nothing,Steve’s right about the fraying thing,as well as the copying…R.A. STILL HAS HIS PIRATES LOOKING OUT FOR THE NEXT BEST THING.That’s this business in a nutshell.Herb.