Why doesn’t kneeboarding affect stand-up surfing as it did 35 years ago? Was kneeboarding just a temporary deviation during surfing’s transition from longer to shorter boards?
Bruce…,
At the risk of pissing a few people off, I would opine that the dynamic influence of Kneeboarding was short lived, though some influence is still present today. (Fish) As you reflect over that period compared to now, Kneeboard performance has changed little, while Surfboarding has experienced quantum changes in performance. That stagnation more than anything has reduced the crossover influence previously experienced by Kneeboarding.
For me personally, i rarely see another kneelo here on the east coast, so the general lack of exposure makes my chosen form of waveriding an anomaly, therefore not very influential. I also think that kneelo design has fallen into the same sort of rut that the thruster caused throughout the 90’s. it seems that boards have gotten longer and more narrow, more closely resembling a standup.
The kneelo i have been riding for the past two years was a 6’2 channelbottom twin(sorta MR style) made of traditional PU/PE construction. I have Steve Forstall cooking me up a 4’8 quad fish of eps/epoxy/syntex construction. I have a feeling that this board will allow my waveriding to more closely resemble the type of surfing i have in my head, where i feel i have been quite limited in my surfing with the old board. The board will be 23"wide and very thin, with (hopefully) a good amount of flex(achieved with the syntex cloth).
Also, for a long time i have envisioned riding a twin keel fish made with the GG spoon construction technique. i can only imagine combining the speed of the fish platform with the flex, control, and feeling of a glass flexspoon.
These are the observations/imaginations of a person who has only seen one other kneerider in the water on the E.C. in the past 5+ years. Most of the people i surf with ask why i don’t stand up on my board, or just look at me funny and dismiss me, therefore i doubt if i have any influence on anyone else.
For a better informed opinion, post the same question at ksusa.org and flexspoon.com
They may have much different experiences than I.
Jamie
(Great topic, by the way)
Just about everything that distinguished kneeboarders and their equipment 35 years ago is long gone.
Today’s best kneeboarders (Aussies) ride 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 feet long, stiff, multi-fin boards with normal flotation. They look more like surfboards than kneeboards. They use ankle leashes, arm paddle, don’t wear swim fins. As for innovative board/fin design and manufacture- stand up surfing affects kneeboarding, not the other way around. Same goes for surfing performance.
Consider that:
(1)Steve Lis stands up on surfboards.
(2)George Greenough rides prone on a mat.
(3)“State of S, Full Circle” a recent documentary about George Greenough’s influence, passes over modern kneeboarders to focus on today’s hottest (standing) shortboarders.
Kneeboarding is still here and today’s shapers are offering up some of the best
equipment the sport has ever seen.
Great pics!
Nice to see some proper representation of a kneelo killing it.
Where are they from? and is that you?
Who’s the shaper?
Do share, please
The rider is Tom Backer at northside HB pier. I’m not sure whose shape
he’s riding, but he’s got himself a brand new board in these shots.
For more kneeboarding, visit: http://www.ksusa.org/Forum/portal.php
Register and take a browse through the boards photogallery and check
out the design forum. Nothing old and out of date happening here!
Been onto that one for a bit now…though they haven’t done anything with the homepage since the Santa Cruz thing, but the forums are on point.
I’ve got Steve Forstall cookin’ up a 4’8x23"xThinAsAMuther… quad fish with eps/epoxy/syntex construction. Should be a sick kneelo, keepin the new board stoke alive and well…
J.
I just got a new 5’8" Blast F2K fish hybrid, shaped by Alan “Bud” McCray.
The Fins are set farther forward than a traditional fish and it’s a quad.
The thing is just a rocket ship. Drive like you cannot believe, and easy to
throw around as well.
If you have a chance, check out Simon Farrer’s kneeboard videos, "Sparrow
has Landed", “Sparrow and Frends”, “Now and Then” and the new North
Shore 05 Gathering. Simon is a four time world kneeboard champion
from Australia, and the man is just amazing to watch.
I’ve heard of him, and his vids…though i don’t know where to acquire them.
Unfortunately the only kneeriding i have ever seen on film/video is from Innermost Limits and State of S, the new Greenough dedication.
I feel like the last standing DoDo Bird here on the East Coast…
Do you know where and when the World Titles/Gathering is going to be this year?
The Worlds are going to be here in Santa Cruz this year, next December 11th thru 16th.
It is going to be big!
For Simon’s vids, you can contact him directly, send a PM to “Sparrow” on the KSUSA
website, he will be glad to give you the details on getting copies of his older vids. You
might also try John Mel at Freeline Design surfshop in Santa Cruz for a copy of the newest
one.
Good to know. i’m gonna try my best to make it out there. any recommendations on budget places to crash for the week?
thanks for the contact info on simon.
just thought i’d add i love kneeboarding! … flex spoons in particular
I really enjoy riding the odd wave on my knees, especially on my fish. It’s nice to change your perspective every once in a while!
Nice shots, but “killing it”? There’s nothing new going on in those pics. Far more radical tracks were carved decades ago:
Mid 1960s and after- George Greenough on his flexi spoon “Velo”, 1970s and later on his carbon edge boards.
1970s and after- Stevie Lis and friends, the incredible ripping kneelo Fish riders.
Quote:
“…Today’s best kneeboarders (Aussies) ride 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 feet long, stiff, multi-fin boards with normal flotation. They look more like surfboards than kneeboards. They use ankle leashes, arm paddle, don’t wear swim fins…”
… well, that’s interesting …
photos , please !
ben
Everyone’s gotta be a critic…
Let me rephrase.
nice pictures of a standup surfer with broken ankles doing as best he can with what he has to work with.
please excuse my ignorance in stating that said kneeboarder was “killing it”
Quote:
Consider that:(1)Steve Lis stands up on surfboards.
(2)George Greenough rides prone on a mat.
(3)“State of S, Full Circle” a recent documentary about George Greenough’s influence, passes over modern kneeboarders to focus on today’s hottest (standing) shortboarders
There may be some other factors…
Kneeboarding can be hard on the knees or hard on older knees.
Greenough I believe is on the record having said crowds have made getting the quality waves he needs for kneeboarding too hard to attain…that he gets more reward on the mat in low crowd situations than he could hassling for waves in high crowd breaks. And figure he could probably live anywhere in the world he wants…
Shortboarders in “State Of S”…you gotta make some money somehow…if every competitor at the kneeboarding world championships bought a $5 ticket it probably wouldn’t buy the computer, editing software, and camera for the movie.
I tried to resist this one…the Monday-morning devil just won’t let it go by… I’m weak, forgive me…maybe it’s taken shortboard design the past 35 years to catch up to 1971 kneeboarding…
I believe a round of applause is in order…
particularly for your last comment.
and i completely agree, besides tow-ats and punting airs over closeouts, there is no facet of standup that has completely surpassed the levels of GG, Lis, and others in the 70’s.
and let’s be honest, airing over a closeout has nothing to do with good surfing in quality waves.
There are plenty of kneelos out there ripping.
Kneeboarding has always been a form of surfing attractive to a minority
of eccentrics who couldn’t give a rats about influencing anyone.
For that reason you had the appearance of GG & Lis ( and others)
who could think outside the square.
Kneeboarding exists totally under the radar of the media and corporations have no interest in presenting it to the surfing masses.
Just because you’re not seeing it presented in the mainstream, doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening…