This is all Bill Barnfield’s fault. At least that is what I told my wife. You see, last summer I had heart surgery, and while I was recovering, I spent a lot of time lurking here. Bill posted up a thread about how he ran into John Peck, and that John agreed to shape him a board. That thread, among others, renewed my interest in the design. There has just always been something about the Penetrator that I liked. And coming off the heart surgery seemed a great time to order a new longboard.
I found Dennis Ryder’s website, and although he doesn’t talk much about the penetrator on his site, there were a few pictures, and a video. I must have watched the video of the kid surfing the Penatrator a hundred times.
Finally I emailed Dennis, asking a few questions. Dennis answered, and I ordered the board. Now, I have been surfing since I was 14, and I’m 59 now, and I still get really stoked about ordering a new board. So much so that I tend to amend orders, with questions like, “what if we made it a quad bonzer swallow tail penetrator with a stepdeck and a psychedelic resin splash?” but Dennis always graciously steered me back torwards wat the design should be. He also answered my emails promptly, which I think says something about a person. My final instructions to him were to make it however he saw fit, with this caveat; within the design paramemeters, I prefered narrow over wider, and thiner over thicker.
I got the board last Friday, and I think he nailed it exactly. Dennis also delivered the board exactly when he said he would, which is a bonus in our little world.
Dennis is the guy when it come to those MP shapes. Whether it be the Penetratrator, Competetor, Eliminator, Blue Machine or others. He is actually the guy who shaped them back then and the guy who has refined and brought them into this point and time. They are great boards with an intended purpose and you cant miss if you get one from Dennis. He has streamlined, thinned and improved this shape over the years to the point that it has reached perfection and can no longer be improved upon. That is unless Dennis decides to improve upon the design himself. Dennis’s Penetrators compared to Pecks are like Night and Day. Lowel
McDing, you said in fewer words and better what I was trying to get to in my post. Dennis mentions on his web site that he has refined the boards, but that in no way tells one just how radically different this is from what you would have received in '67. It is soooo thinned out, and it just looks like it is waiting to fly. It also has great wife acceptence factor. After I got it home my wife (who usually just wants to know how much I spent) said it was so nice looking, that it was a shame to put wax on it.
As far as the Peck thing goes, Dennis informed me that mine was the last one he would make using his logo, as he now has a agreement with John to make them using John’s signature logo. So that kills two birds. If someone wants a Peck signature model, they can get it from Dennis, with all the refinements.
Anyway, I’m very stoked on the board, and wanted to share.
Mike ----------------There is nothing like getting a board that even a guy’s wife can love. I have ridden the originals and they were ok. But to see the improvements Dennis has made in them over the years is just a mind blower. You have bought yourself a classic. If I had that board I would never give it up. Peck is just a surfer who fed input into Tom morey’s “Wing tip airplane wing ideas”. Dennis Ryder is the genius that made it happen. The “sculptor”. You own a board shaped by probably the most underrated but BEST all around(he can shape anything) shapers ever in the history of our lifestyle. Can’t say enough about the abilities of Dennis Ryder. Lowel
I had a similar experience a few years ago just after the Clark foam meltdown, where Dennis shaped me a Penetrator out of the last Clark blank with the iconic two stringer configuration. The icing on the cake for me was that I was also lucky enough to get a Blue Machine too! I had wanted both boards as a kid and finally got them at 52 years of age and they did’nt cost me an arm and a leg like a lot of other replicas out there. Profs to Dennis…a total class act.
Dennis’ shaping and glassing are extraordinary. i know he is not widely known to the general surfing public, but he is a master’s master for sure.one of the best-ever…and a heck of a nice guy to boot!
Sorry for the delay in responding Mike, it’s been a busy couple weeks.
I think I’m very fortunate to have the chance to take board orders via mail order, or would that be e-mail order. Taking the risk when ordering something from a distance especially something as unique as a surfboard, and from someone you may not know....I feel honored that guys take the step to buy one of my boards that way when there are so many others around, and probably locally.
So, Thank you. I’m very pleased you’re happy and hopefully you’ll find the board to have a great ride.
That picture of the Fat Tire Ale on the nose of your board is an absolute classic.I may do the ‘right click save as’ discount on that one…. don’t be surprised if one day you click through my photo gallery and see it… with credit to you of course.
==
John, Lowell, Derek, E-pac, Matt, thanks for your kind words. BTW Skip, your WR may be ready by weeks end.
As a purpose built design, the Penetrator design, is the most well thought out, IMO. Your execution, and fluid blending of the design element, is something to be proud of. To the owner of that board, what you have is about as good as it gets. Well done Dennis.
Dennis, ordering from you was a pleasure, and for me it wasn’t the shot in the dark that it might have been for some people. I went to high school in W Los Angeles, and I surfed Stanleys heavly back in the mid to late 60s. Sometimes I’d see Bob Cooper out in the water riding weird experimental boards. Asymetrical things with half of one side of the tail cutoff. This was just before shortboards came in. After shortboards started, I was also aware of the William Dennis label. It seemed to be everywhere around Ventura for a while. So you have some history, and longevity, and a good rep. All good things, imho.
By the way, I’d be stoked to see my image on your site. Feel free to use it and If you want me to send you a jpeg in an email, let me know.
Also, I expect someday someone at DHL will be touch. let me know if and when.
There is a good possibility that when you were at Stanley’s and saw Cooper that I was there too.Cooper was the MP shop foreman in ’67, almost everyday after work we’d head out to surf. A fair amount of time we’d end up at Stanley’s.
I loved that spot, miss it big time especially this time of year.
