I was born in 1955. I shaped my first board in 1969, that was 55 years ago. To “celebrate” this, I decided to make a very limited series of “Models 55”. They will all be gliders, 10’ minimum, no maximum. Other than that, everything you can think of, as long as it is technically feasible. Special stringers set-up, nose and/or tail-block made of wood or resin, incrustations, printed cloth, tinted resins, resin panels, pin-lines… You name it.
Hi Marc, thanks for your interest. I’ll tell you how it works once it’s completely finished (lacks fine sanding and polish) but I’m not too worried about the pintail, all my personal boards are pintails, I love them. The place where I ride “these things” is Guéthary (south western France). People say it looks a bit like Sunset Beach, Hawaii. Powerful waves where pintails are much at ease, especially since my back foot is not that powerful…
Very interested in your future progress. Beautiful work! Form & Function working together- typical of French Artisans. I look forward to more pictures.
Bon Chance!
Mr. Balsa, I’m so glad to see this. Wish I were there to see them in person. So many long gliders pain the eye with parallel rails. Your gliders maintain the needed outline curve. Critical to the ride and pleasing to the eye. And hard to accomplish.
My Kathryn and I are planning a trip to Brittany next year. It would be great to see you and your Cathrine again. The girls could go off and complain about Swaylocks again, and we could slip off for a surf?
Greg,
It takes the eye of a pro to see such details. You are so right. I just can’t understand how people get extatic in front of (put the name of an otherwise great shaper here
)'s gliders with parallel rails… Well, as we say in France, “tous les goûts sont dans la nature”.
Anyway, with a healthy 24" width, keeping a nice outline curve was not a big challenge. I’m getting old (69) and my right shoulder was operated upon last year (three tendons suddenly decided to get loose), so I need length, width, thickness (and not too many people around…)
Thanks a lot for your comments, my friend, and of course my own Catherine and I will be so happy to see the both of you again after all these years.
Until then, take care. Guilhem.
I had a shoulder opp last year, I’m 49 so not quite up your fine wine vintage but i got back in the water recently on a 7 6 i had made. the extra size hurt the shoulder to move around but its coming good, looking forward to smaller board again soon. But these boards of yours look lovely.
aloha from waipouli
69 aint bad,just diffrent
dr.G we shall see
what this brave new
space craft will mean to
the greater WE, oui? OUI!
The dynamic of exploring familiar
coastal terrain with the greater glide
is imperaive to step thru the veil
and grok the oportunity to get wave to
ride amongst the greater wave of ebthusiastic
new ‘friends’ forces the bounderies of
size of board not just to bigger waves
but more important to smaller and smaller
waves,To ride the smallest wave farther and farther
to blow the minds of riders who take pride in their
accumulaed skills, to catch a wave face
that never makes whitewater
and connect reforms to the beach or nearer
is something only glide masters can appreciate
at places like Parmentia {geuthary} Waikiki,Blackrock
all spots far offshore with increased variables attractive
to the seasoned connoisseur of waves.The difficulty
of riding these boards for the mind questing somthing
to inspire challenges beyond what is availiable
in impact waves on shore the domain of the
contemporary CROWDED mob rule concious
of pop surf culture. There are few places
you can put your educated feet
on the longest board to effect a positive
result,noseriding allows a competent
dr,DOCTOR, of surfing skills to bury over 10’
of rail to exend a glide and effect
the greatest radius turn well
beyond the limits
of the under 8’ board realm of surfboard mastery
where no walking is required and shuffling is
only second to jumping up and down.
The sport of kings is about erectile posture
as in the chart of human evolution,
where primates are easily idenified.
dewey weber lost te makaha contest
because he crouched when he
was turning on his hot moves.
dewey was so mad because
he considered himself a progressive
revolutionary and deserved respect.
Sam reid said somthing like
‘‘a mature man cannot stay a hot dogger’’
happy 21 century dr.G my best to geuthary.
55 was also a good year fo a CHEVROLET
BEL AIRE… ambrose…
it’s 4:27 am in my own town
I turned 76 last sunday
and went swimming
yesterday with the current
with only two guys out
ahhhh, bliss to us all
on earth,and at sea…
just researched origin of ‘chevrolet’
not just the name of the guy
who stared the car mfg company
but definition indicated
‘the place where goat are raised’
‘’‘‘GREATEST OF ALL TIME’’‘’’
funny words can spin revealations
ciao bruddah,… aloha from waipouli…
…ambrose…
Ambrose… rhymes with outstanding prose…
Man, It’s been such a long time since we last talked together (or wrote, for that matter)…
Yeah, “Chèvre”, in French, means “Goat”. But I never thought of the connection with “Chevrolet”.
Whereas “Cadillac”, for instance, is a village near Bordeaux.
Thanks for the kind words about my gliders. Especially liked the part about the standing gesture as opposed to the primates’.
Aloha from Guéthary.
kudos you are 'batman
i will be alfred in the cave
today when we
play super hero…
Greatest of all time)*
is each and every one of us…
G.O.A.T. aint a kuk
in a closeout shorebreak…
god bless Parmetia
…ambrose…
What bottom/rail configuration are you using to facilitate turns on a board this long? This is clearly more of a glider than a noserider, so am I right in assuming you have foregone the usual concave in the nose seen on so many longer boards?? Just curious. Love the board.
Thank you, Huck. As you guessed, the bottom has no concave and is actually a soft belly with 50/50 rails. Worked fine with the other gliders I made, so…
Thanks!! The board is a beauty, hope you get some epic rides on it!
Did you add some V in the tail? Harden up the rails in the tail? I am planning to make one or two of these for myself if I’m still surfing in another year or two. My current favorite is 9’ 6" similar plan shape, soft belly in the nose, flat through the mid, V in the tail, rails are 50/50 up front, like 60/40 through the mid, then down rails in the very tail. Single fin placed a little further forward than a normal longboard. I am always open to gaining more info on these longer glider type boards.
BTW, I was born same year as you, we are relics my friend.
the patterson brothers rode the nose on anything
and leroy Achoy hung five over the tailblock on take off
at haleiwa on a tiki popout and won the contest.
if the wave walls up noseride she-go.
pulled tail take-off deeper and power the
wide water with momentum… ha- la .
Belly acts pretty much like V, so I didn’t feel the need for it. Rails are 50/50 from nose to tail, only the shape changes with the thickness, from round in the thickest point to more elliptic and thin in the nose and tail.
The “relic” replies to you from his sofa, a strong pain in the back making it very difficult to stand up and walk. “After 50 yo, if you wake up without feeling a pain somewhere, it’s because you’re dead.”
