I found this out from:
http://www.surfshot.com/items/magazine_item.html?context_id=219&item_id=214
about Tim Bessell, who’s from here (SD)
relevant part:
Then you came back from Hawaii?
Yeah, when I came back from Hawaii I still worked at Sunset Surfboards. Then about a year later, Tom Eberly decided he was going to be the licensee for Lightning Bolt for the continental U.S. because there was a big demand. So Bob Hurley and myself were production shapers for Lightning Bolt. I worked at Lightning Bolt pretty much throughout my college career, I worked there for about 4 years and then I left to go work with Billy Caster
I was very fortunate because Lightning Bolt had the highest quality surfboards at that time, but Billy Caster actually had better quality. So I left Lightning Bolt and went to work for what I felt was the best surfboard company in the world. Billy Caster was by far the best craftsman that I’ve ever known to this day, except for maybe Dale Velzy and Donald Takayama.
I really have a lot of respect for those guys. There are so many great surfboard manufacturers, but Velzy is definitely one of my favorites. So I worked with Billy for four years and really learned everything that I could know.
http://www.lightningboltmaui.com/contact.htm
more
http://www.theshaperstree.com/tales/koplien.asp
related:
The 80’s were a couple years away but things began to change before then. The demise of Lightning Bolt was seen by Don as a great loss to some of the roots of the surfer/shaper era that moved surfboard designs “outside the box”. At its peak they began to broaden out the Lightning Bolt name into other areas. This was a good move until they sold some control of the name to a mainland company. Gerry got out at that time and Jack continued on to do his best to make it all work. The problem quickly became apparent. The new partners in their three piece suites started changing things mainland style. The relaxed style that made Lightning Bolt what it was, seemed to collide with the direction the new partner had in mind. One by one the orginal group started going their own way.
for the balsasando thing:
I was wondering the same I think I have it figured out:
someone correct me if I’m wrong
compsand = composites and {balsa, glass, fabric, etc} vacuum bag
aka compsando or sando
balsasando = composite balsa skin
aka balsa compsando
Wonder if it will become like Roberto’s, Adalbertos, Humberto’s, Gilberto’s, Alberto’s, Rumberto’s, Rosalie’s . …
