Here are some pictures of a board somebody gave me. would apreciate and input on its history and shaper.
It has a glassed on D fin, black pins on either side of the redwood stringer, and a glass tailblock.
serial number and intials are in pencil.
thanks,
Bsea
I can’t swear that is was one of the ones I did for Micris, Bob Hawkins did some shaping for them too, as did my pal from Hawaii, Chuck shipman. But Micris was on the down slide by the late spring of ‘66 and I don’ think many boards were built after I left in April '66. How about a few more pics, fin, rocker, outline ?
Nice find. I can remember when Jim signed his boards JKP. I still call him “JKP” to this day. Hey Jim was this before the gig with Challenger Eastern? I bet it would be interesting to see one of your boards before being mentored by by Tinker West.
Interesting.
Afraid I can’t tell you much about it, but living on Long Island, I can tell you I have come across a bunch of boards that have mysteries for origins. I have two boards in my quiver that were made by ‘Ibis’, and i can’t find a blessed thing about it on the internet. I also have another 70’s era single fin by Capri that my neighbor gave me…
My guess would be one of the small companies that pop up here and there on the island over the years, but fizzle out. Nice looking log though.
Could be a Jim Phillips shape. Maybe he can confirm that.
[img_assist|nid=1065588|title=micris|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]Thanks! Jim here a photo of the shapers intials?? they seem to read “JKP” not sure if you can magnify the photo thats what I had to do. let me know if this is your intials.
Thanks again,
Bill Curry
sorry about the photo i’ll try another one that you can see better
Bill
Hey Cleanlines, whaddah you think, says JKP on stringer, any chance that could stand for James Kenneth Phillips, this has to be one of the first string board I shaped on the east coast. Lou at Micris was the VERY first actual surfboard factory that let me be a “shaper”, the board is still far under the first 100, could be as low as still in the 30’s.
Thanks for putting it up here Bill, you surf muscle, never beat you in any contest
WOW! Jim Iam stoked to know it was one of your early shapes. I will send you more pictures when I get a chance.
I have a pic of another Micris and it has the exact short comings that I see in almost ALL begining boards, the tails get pulled in too much and the rail starts to straighten out, almost like a coke bottle look.
This was well below 50 boards, could be in the 30’s to 40’s, built 27 during my high school years and this was but a year later
A long time coming, Tinker flew back to New Jersey this morning, a week long immersion back into my shaping room after a 45 year hiatus. His comment before coming to see me was, “I was the teacher / master and you were the student, now you are the master and I am the student with you showing me the ropes again.”
Michele Junod sent Tinkers templates down to me from Santa Cruz several years ago and I will box them up with his boards when they are ready for shipping, Tinker is setting up his building again in Atlantic Highlands to do a limited numbers of customs only.
Those that know me closely, know that after my Father, Tinker was the male roll model that made the biggest influence on me, I would have NEVER achieved the success that I have without our chance meeting in Belmar, New Jersey in 1966, fate, kismet, alignment of the stars, call it what you may, but on that day I won the lottery.
What a cool board and history. I love the story of Tinker punching you in the face. Mike
Judging by his expression in the pic that Jim posted, it looks like he hasn’t mellowed much in the years since.
while I was relating the tale to Tinker and my wife, he said he had always felt bad about loosing his temper and letting me have a taste of it. But in all honesty, I deserved it, he could have really f’d me up, but it was a reality check for me, run your mouth and the chances are, you might get called on it. Now 45 years later he is humbled when I tell him everything I have achieved is from his patience and abilities that he groomed me for, he said I would have figured it out anyhow, but without his guidance I would have been like 95% of most shapers, a guy making blanks turn white and calling them a shaped surfboard.
I will never live long enough to see how Zak Flores turns out as a mature shaper, but while I still live and breath I’ll continue to impart what I have learned to him, paying it forward, continue the legacy of good shaping to a future craftsman, the lap top and variable speed sander are not the be all to end all, long live the hand shaper master craftsman.
My pick from the young crop, Ryan Burch, the right stuff
yea Jim JKP is how you signed your boards. Matter of fact I still pretty much call you “JKP” or “You Focking Haole”. Man we go back a long time.
