I just read about that sad news on FB a few minutes ago, posted by Randy Naish. Although I never knew him, I know he was one of the great. Too bad. My deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends.
Yes he was great and his reputation as a surfer, shaper and person were above par. One of my buddies owned a 10'6" Weber Harold Iggy model with red rails. Beautiful board. In Calif. during Weber's Performer reign he was looked upon as almost a (dare I say) god. Held in the highest of regard. He helped Carol and the boys get the business back up and running in the 80's after Dewey's passing. Then found a home with the Naish's. Sad day. I always dreamed of looking him up on Oahu and coercing him to shape something for me. Big loss to surfing and the Industry. God bless his family and friends. PS I bet that to the last moment he probably had no idea how many people in the Islands, Calif and the world held him in such high regard.
He was the real deal, unlike so many who fake it. Funny the fakers are the takers.
Harold definitely was one of the better shapers to come out of Hawaii. Seems he made his reputation as one of the bunch of Hawaiian shapers along with Donald Takayama and Ken Tilton, that migrated to California in the late 50s-early60s surfboard boom, cutting their teeth at Velzy, Jacobs and Weber surfboards. In the early 70s he opened a small shop on Kam. Hwy. just down from where I grew up in Pearl City, HI. He had converted a former mom and pop grocery store into a small showroom in the front room and shaping bay in the back. If he was’nt in front, he’d be in the back room shaping off the rack or custom orders. I got to watch him shape a board once and wished I had paid more attention to his techniques, I probably could have learned some great methods. In the last couple of years I’ve seen him paddling around on SUPs which seems was his latest passion. My condolences to his family and friends in their loss.
Harold was my friend. He was one of the nicest people I have ever known. A total class act. A master of his craft. A true legend.
Aloha my friend. We will meet again one day.
Legend … Lucky me I got to ride for Weber in the 60’s and surfed with Harold, Nat and Dewey on my first trtip to CA at a mear 16 years old. Later Rick Razmussen and I would visit him at his shop in Pearl City and talk surf. What a class act. What a great craftsman. The Harold Iggy’s of this world are rare. We lost a great one.
No doubt. One of our local icons BZR Turner was friends with him. The greats are leaving us too quickly now. R.I.P.
As we pulled up to the rip-rap in the muddy lot at C Street my buddy exclaims; "Hey check it out. It's Weber and Iggy". And there they were sitting in Weber's black Malibu wagon, boards and towels hanging out the back. That picture remains etched in my memory. Two Greats. Now both gone.
A young man went to his pastor after a lengthy sermon on what heaven will be like. The young man was a surfer and was extremely concerned because the pastor taught that there is no water in heaven! The young man said to the pastor “how am I gonna surf if there’s no water in heaven” the paster calmly looked at the young surfer and said “son you won’t need water to surf in heaven”.
I hope we all get in that lineup…
My condolences to his friends and family for they will surely miss him.
Sincerely,
Don Woodruff (Woody)
Growing up in the 60’s there were many great surfers we looked up to at the time, and Harold Iggy was one of the top guys on that list. I was fortunate to meet him on the beach one day and we talked about getting a 9-4 round pin noserider shaped. The last time I spoke to him he called me on the phone that he had my blank and was going to start shaping it soon. It was the last time I spoke to him. He was one of the best shaper/surfers around, a very humble person, and someone I respected, may he rest in peace.
so sad
in 1972-1973 i worked all summer at the del monte pineapple cannery just to earn enough money to buy my very first professional custom surfboards.
The guy I chose to go to was this guy in this little hole in the wall shop next to the HECO powerplant in Pearl City named Harold Iggy. Bobby Owens was just a grom back then working the counter but the two boards that Iggy shaped me were very special and magic boards for me for many many years. In fact I kept one of them until 2004 when Sharkbait decided to strip it and make some stupid sharkfish…
I heard later his customs were pretty much by invitation only that is if you could find him as he was pretty busy running the Naish Factory.
On the far left the farthest left pintail was my northshore go to board in the early 70’s and i later experimented with this crazy keel fin idea from Australia at Officer beach that was amazing.
The third from the left is a winged swallow single he made me for shark country that gave me some of the most insane rides tha last couple of years before i gave up surfing and moved to Seattle for college and work for 15 years. Second from the left is a custom from Gooney Hanagami, an early Glen Pang and an early fish we made and rode in the early 70’s
RIP Iggy
you, like BK represented the best of what the business of the surfboard building could be versus what it eventually became.
quiver shot mid to late 70’s
same board mid 2000’s after sitting out side in the ewa sun the whole time still a perfect 70’s outline
Still stunned by the news.
I feel super fortunate to have met him a few times in the last few years.. he shaped a couple of custom shortboards for me over the last several years that have been absolutely spectacular. Most recent one is about four years old now but still magic.. in the shaping room we talked a bit, watched him conceptualize things, scratch out some ideas on a blank, shape almost by feel with a soft touch.. he was always unbelievably approachable and humble. I will always remember his kind eyes and the stoke he seemed to get from putting his energy and ideas into something special - like he really wanted to get the shape absolutely perfect for me....
I hope I am as fit and active as he was at 71 years old.
I hear he was out at Kailua Bay testing out a 18ft. protoype race board when he passed with Randy Naish. Iggy shaped my first custom longboard when he owned Surfboard Shaping Company at 802 Queen Street in Honolulu. I remember that shop because it was the old location of Rich Parr's shop. I remember Lyn Boyer surfed his boards when she was on the top of her game and dominated women's surfing in the mid 70's.
Two Battle of the Paddles ago, I saw him at the Naish tent. I couldn't believe how fit and good he looked with his pony-tail. I asked him if he could shape me a Dewy Weber Performer. He told me yes but why do I want such and old design. He said when I am ready, he would shape me something better. He was a great shaper that was very innovative. My mentor Charlie Wong worked with him at the Naish factory and he influenced both of us.
Yes I will miss him. He died well in the water, but he lived even better. I will celebrate his great life and all the things he did for so many of the Hawaiian and California surfers. I have always looked up to him.
D
Harold had a huge influence on me, both riding and shaping although I
never knew him that well. At 14, I wanted to shape like him and glass
like Wayne Miyata. Almost 46 years later I’m still trying. http://www.surfersjournal.com/journal_entry/remembrance-harold-iggy-ige
"People may pass on but legends live forever." I never met the man. his name was always there from the first board I ever stood up on.
Aloha Harold Iggy. To all His friends and Family my sincerest condolences
i have always had a love for the Weber Harold Iggy model… unfortunitly i never aquired one… i was watching the quicksilver board auction on tv last week and there was a unridden Iggy model that sold for $2500…i could not belive that they did not have a reserve on that board… there was a gun that he shaped that sold for around $14,000… needless to say the buyers have made some huge return on their investments… the thing about the Iggy Model is it looks like a board that i still try to duplicate(unsuccessfully) whenever i make a long board for myself…as we all have a story of ‘could a, should a, but didn’t, i wish i had gotten to aquire one of Harold’s boards and gotten to know great one… i looked at the face book page that is up for Iggy’s memory and there is a picture with his quiver, dam his shapes are so classic… i did not know him but i know he was a quite and humble man…i’'ve know of him for 45 years but did not even know he was back in the islands creating till now…we have turly lost a unsung hero in the surfing industry not to mention in life…
blessing to his family and friends for there will be big void in their lives…
ALOHA PUMEHANA