Some of the dissucssions on this site have gotten prettty personal with respect to who did what, when and who desrevers credit for this or that. History is all about who writes it. When you read or write anything you must consider the fact that you have only your personal frame of reference to guide you in your opinions and views on a given subject. Clearly some are closer to the source of great ideas than others. However the influance of someone or something on a sport or history or whatever changes not only the sport forever but more importantly the views of all those participateing in the sport. The best thing about surfing is also the worst thing in that is completely subjective. In surfing you cannot have a race for pink slips to determine the best rider or the best board design. Each wave and rider are unique and waves and boards must ridden as such. I propose that perhaps surfing is more art than science. There are certainly scientific aspects of the sport/surfboard design ect. but they certainly are not the essance of the love of the sport. Given that, the source of board or fin design is based as Greenough says “on nature” . That coupled with the artisitic and subjective aspects of surfboard design opens a venue for designers and builders to truely dream up their own concepts of what a surf board or fin should be. This is the incrdible license for creativity that surfing offers. Splitting hairs about an 1/8" change in a Greenough fin template is absurd. This is what board design is all about. Squabbleing about what George did or didn’t do or who did what first is completely beside point. The point is every surfer, shaper or not, has influanced the sport of kings, some more than others. Simmons, Greenough, Lynch, Mctavish are just a few minds that provided jumping off points for each other and the surfing population. From now until eternity these infulances are part of the sport/design. The whole reason to study history is to avoid mistakes made previously and to provide the present and future with better and more sophisitcated concepts and equipment. I would also propose that those guys that came up with some very fundemental/enduring designs and concepts for surfing would be the same guys who delivered the goods in the form of ideas and equipment that provided the most broad jumping off points for future designers. They would also would be the same guys who would be most stoked to see their initial desgns improved upon. I don’t think that getting bogged down in chat room retoric about things (that the origenal designers would find amusing at best), does the sport of kings any justice. I am certainly not questioning the validity of this forem rather applauding it as a means to more effectivally exchange ideas to push the sport forward. Perhaps we should all take pride in one simple thing and that is being part of the chain of events that is the evolution of surfing. Chest pounding reveals those who have the least to call their own. Finger pointing reveals those that want something for nothing. My $.02
Been following all the minutiae about a 35 year old fin design that, granted , still has its merits and can only refer to a quote from Tom Morey when asked to expound on surfboard design, " WHEN THE SUN’S OUT AND THE SURF’S UP, WHO REALLY GIVES A RAT’S ASS."
that is a much more succinct way to put it. Right on!
well said, Stan.Thanks.
Stan: At the risk of appearing as Corals or Septics demented English teacher, I have to say, you had an excellent “big picture” post going up until the “Chest pounding…” sentence. Delete it and you can get your A++ returned. Seriously, thanks. Patrick
Amen! Thank you Stan.
Thanks you guys. I think I’ll live with an A-. If that is what it will be worth. Arrogance really burns my cookie.
Stan- Would you be Stan Pleskunas (sp?)
YA ALL GIT THE SPILLING WRITE EVER TIME