Question for surfers who went through "the transition era"

General Discussion
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How was the transition for you?

I was watching a film of David Nuuhiwa riding his Dyno fish… kind of marvelling at how simultaniously masterful and slightly awkward he looked … You could see it was a new thing. It really looked like he was actively exploring what he could do, where on a wave he could go. What he could feel that he hadn’t felt before. So it seemed.

And got to wondering what those of you who learned on longer boards felt about your surfing once the boards started to change.

I’ve heard the evocative phrase “mind machines” used to differentiate between the old and new boards, and by inferral, the new lines they drew. I went through the single-to-twin-to-thruster changes, but I wouldn’t have called a thruster something like a “mind machine” compared to my singles. I get the sense that the transition era changes were a lot more radical.

How was the transition for you? Did you have to reimagine your surfing? Something gained, something lost? Cultural side… how were the changes accepted in the subculture?

This is a personal  question, intentionally vague. Curious about any take.

 

 

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.My first board was a 10 footer, that weighed 40 pounds.       Then I dropped down to 9’ 0’‘, then 9’3’‘, and by Nov. 1958 was riding an 8’ 10’’ Velzy&Jacobs.     By 1959 I was riding a 7’ 11’’ balsa pig.      That same year I borrowed Al Nelson’s 5’ 0’’ x 20’’ twin fin board, which is now described as a ‘‘mini Simmons.’’     This at a time when most boards were in the mid 9 foot range, and larger.      Then from 1961 on, most boards were in the 10 foot plus range.     I went there too.     But when the ‘‘change’’ came, it  was easy for me to slip right back down to the smaller size boards.     In some of the surfing ‘‘hot spots’’ there were opportunities to be exposed to some pioneering designs, and concepts.      Though at the time, it didn’t seem that way.     Only looking back at it, does it become clear that there were several ‘‘transitions’’ along the way.     The one in the late 60’s affected the most people, and is thus the one that is remembered, as having the most impact.     Which it did.

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there used to be a process

started with swimming and feeling totaly comfortable in the ocean

then learning to manage and master a wide variety of hard to control watercraft 

be it a paipo, softy, big old heavy soft railed single fin  tanker, dingy or canoe

it was a process of learning about balance weighting and control

with those basics the higher lighter downrailed performance craft led to remarkable capabilities

these days the process has gone away and its more a process of moving from skateboarding to surfing instead hence the new manuevers versus the older riding the wave instead of trying to overcome or mastering it hence the shorter rides.

probably doesn’t make sense to any one born in the 70’s on 

but that’s my memory of it 

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Born in 73  and it makes sense to me 

And Id like to read and see more about the earlier transition period tha Bill was speaking of with sub 8’ pigs and the like

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… born '54…the early years were about being able to take off , make the wave, then paddle back out for another one…the phrase “transition era” was not even coined until recent times…the penny really dropped the first time I rode a short double ender , with a high aspect fin in good head high waves at Blue Lagoon…the next quantum leap for me was when I got my feet on a 70’s twin fin via Nipper Williams.

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How’s it?

Me born 51.

Started 63.

The “transition”

More like Revolution.

The board maker’s knew it was comin’

And tried to keep it under wraps

So to speak.

I was lucky

From 65 to 67 all Weber “performers”

Got pissed and did a 180.

Harbor “Sol” knife rail pintail

Haul ass.

And my all-time “could ‘a wound’ a”

Fletcher said take this 8-10.

Major mistake

I walked out with a 9-10

Loved it, Malibu, Trestles and Rincon.

And the “big wave” training ground" Overhead.

Sorry but trying to lay some foundation as to my experience prior i.e. LB’s

Here’s the story.

El Cap 4 ft.  Low tide

I eating shit as the foam ball blows by.

Up top I see dez guys

Riding small white boards.

Aliens!

Up, down and jezz all around.

As soon as the shops opened Monday

I traded a killer 9-0 performer (2" balsa) and my Harbor (photo)

For a 7-11 William Dennis (photo)

Took a few days to adapt!!!

Absolutely kicked ass in contests

Boards became hard to get.

The big guys were scrambling.

But the underground was born.

The glory days!

 The crazier the better.

I could write volumes.

But not now…

Aloha

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For me 1961 was the start at Waikiki, surfboards were a mix of left over 50’s balsa and redwoods and the pig that was the everyday rider. But being Hawaii the gun played a big roll in design, today many of the speed shape of the early 60’s are the performance longboard of today and I was very mezmerized by them.

But just before Christmas of '67 the Challenger Eastern team had travelled to California, we were at Rincon and at the end of the day were about to pack it up while talking to Denny Aaberg, he said don’t leave yet, Kemp went to LA airport to pick up Bob McTavish and Steve Bigler, they should be here anytime now. Soon they showed up and pulled out the new boards they were going to ride on the America’s mainland for the first time, short V bottoms. It was apparent that surfing was changing at that moment, I was 21 YO and a winning champion on the east coast circuit, I came back to NJ and told the owners at Surf Boards East, stop with the fat nose riders, there is a new design to build. 

2 years later while working with Bill Bahne I was able to see Dale Dobson, Mike Hynson and David Nuuhiwa debut the down railers at the '69 Smirnoff Pro at Steamers, back in RI it was retool for the next round of design change.

The mini gun was a real dud for east coast surfing, but the mags had them spread across every page and I had to build them also, by the next year the twin fin had taken over.

Being young was a complete help, I was able to read the designs, was a very competent surfer and and accomplished shaper and this let me move along as the next trend happened.

Now that we are in a semi rennaisance of the 60’s longboards designs, it has fallen right into my lap, I was there

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Before the " transition" it was a bottom turn, walk the nose, perhaps a cut back, another bottom turn and a kick- out.  Then came late ‘67-’‘68 and it was all about maneuvers a and light weight boards.  I went from a 9’-6" nose rider to a 7’-6" MP McTavish Tracker overnight.  It took about a day to get use to.

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Oh, by the way, I’m back to the 9’ range now.  Sort of a " transition revision"

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In 1969, you almost could not give away a longboard (9 ft +).  I picked up a used, but good condition, 9’-8" Nuuhiwa noserider for $35 in 1969.  (Used it as a loaner and small-day board.)  Many were cutting down their 9+ boards to get something shorter.

My weight went from 140-180 from 1968-1973, not fat.

I began at 16 in 1968 and rode a 7’-6" for 3 years.  Rented a new 5+ twin for a week around 1970-1971 on a summer visit to Ocean City, MD.  (The shop in MD had never rented out a board before I asked them to.)  A 5’-6" twin (1972) was my next ride (briefly) and IMO the beginning of the skateboard performance era.  I did not like the “hoppy” feeling of the 5-6 twin.  I bought a few 6+ boards after, but returned to a 7-6 single. 

I suppose this makes me a reactionary, aging Luddite.

First, shortest and longest; racked up and ready to roll, around 1978 (a time of little money) – standard high quality camera (sarcasm) of the era, Kodak Instamatic.

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This is the best response :slight_smile:

Reno and I met David up north for a surf before this contest since  no swell had arived yet .

David had a quiver of Hynson downrailers under the Bahne label .

Great times and memories .

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There were many advanced looks - designs before this actual transition .

You were there during this time . 

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This is a great topic. Keep the stories coming!

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I was still in High School in The wintr of 1967/ 1968. That Spring there were a lot of romers about these new Boards. I recall hanging out in Fitzes Surf Shop on Long Beach Island  in The early spring around mid March. The talk was all about Boards under 9 foot.  The racks of most of the local shops still had plenty of Long Boards. I had been saving for a 9’6"  Rick UFO.  By June the first " short boards were showing up. The Line up was still mostly Noseriders By july I had my UFO But it was Not a 9’ 6" It wasa 8’6" By the the fall you couldn’t give away a board over 9’0"  Down the road in Beach Haven Kosoffs Surf Shop one of the biggest east cost Greg Noll Shops had a Rack full of Da Cat boards gathering dust.  lots of Beautiful Boards were cut down to make a shorter Board.  Somewhere around that time the first V Bottom showed up and the next year it seemed like there wasa new board design every week.  Very short wide thick Boards like Bunker Spreckles boards  road Ultra narrow tear drop pin tails I had one that was 17" wide.   What can I say BK was my surf Hero. Very short square back twins Hobie Corky Carrol Space Ships. By 1969 Just about anything was being tested. I opened My Shop That Year. But Uncle Sam had another plan for Me,I was drafted into The Army. 18 years old and I was pissed off.    

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I’m stoked too, these are great replies. Artz really dug your post just now.

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The Army. That’s heavy. 

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Not just the army but Vietnam.

The draft went to straight lottery when I hit 18 in 1970.  God was smiling down on me when I drew a 300.  It was an unsettling and volatile time of turmoil…

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Reading ALL comments

Good Stuff

And Mahalo.

Love,  Artz

Got me reminiscing

The Harbor 9-10 to William Dennis 7-10 transition

I’ll spare you the story of adapting.

Most vivid memory for that board was a club contest at Stanley’s.

Now I am the Alien.

The serious competition was the guys on the Doyle’s, Cats.

Many puzzled faces , it was surfing

beyond the unaware main stream.

Seeking the next step away from the Vee

Mini Gun

Erickson 6-10

Eh, Stoney,

U lucky a lot of LB guys didn’t make the transiton.

They could surf, yeah

just not as well as they did before.

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Forgot my Instamatic camera.  Don’t remember a thing about that Era.  I was too young for that time frame. Ask GG.  

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Actually I’d really like to hear the story of adapting, if it’s tellable. It sounds like the changes really turned on your surfing.

I’ve had my surfing mind blown by air mats (heh heh), something that might be similar to the “revolution”, in its way.