my brother's latest ...
I might need to have a go at making some 'shark fins' for it ('Futures' systems , though ....
Q:
was it 'mustangs' , or 'spitfires' [?or both?] in World war 2, that had this painted on them ?
I just hope he ain't tempting fate , with THIS painted on the bottom of his board ?!
.....there is a seal colony , penguins , and big noahs * , in the area where he surfs !
cheers
ben
[ ..... * noahs = "noah's arks" , aussie rhyming slang for sharks , for those uncertain ]
The plane most commonly associated with this nose art was the P-40 Warhawk (Curtiss-Wright aircraft) used by the “Flying Tigers” US volunteer group in China during WW2. They borrowed the shark mouth art from RAF P-40’s operating in Libya. Some Luftwaffe ME 210’s had shark teeth before that. In WW1, both French and German aircraft had shark teeth on the round engine cowls (photo is a Nieuport 24). The Flying Tigers had a winged tiger logo designed by Disney (paid for by the Chinese), and the shark mouth was just a scary feature. Since those days, shark mouths have continued on all types of combat aircraft to the present.
I’ve been riding sharky boards for over 20 years (in South Oz on occasion too), no attacks yet.
My reasoning is, the less you look like a seal the better!
(the tiger stripes can’t hurt neither)
great stuff guys
the fact that you're still alive gadget puts my mind at rest ...south oz [especially the cactus area ] , has a reputation which is only lately being equalled [? surpassed?] by west oz ... I'm sure santa cruz and south africa and PLENTY of other places are just as dangerous .... it's just that here , in the last few years , we have had a few fatalities in a relatively short period of time .....
Do you have some shots of others of your boards , too, please , mr. gadget ? [ I love the colours in the one in your avitar !]
cheers
ben
well, Simon has now launched it ...
here is his comment ....
"
Just when you thought it was safe not to leave the carpark...
Ben,
dims; 6'4" x 22" x 2 1/4" finned with an "El Capitan" 8.5 inch twang bar. Goes like shurn off a shanghai !
"
[....whatever THAT means ! haha ! .... faaast , I am assuming ?!] ]
I hope someone ELSE with a 'Go Pro' camera will get a few shots of him [tubed] on it ...
or , to get a shot with the sharky face evident , someone else [ who boosts airs ...?Eli?] gets a surf on it ... and Simon photographs him ....
There is no shark graphic on the DECK , so the nose will need to be vertical [or else in the air!] for "the snarly bits" to show , in a water shot !
cheers
ben
great looking board…but let’s hear more about that sweet beast of a car!
I’ll se what I can do…
My first board, 5’10" twinny… horrid!! (and that’s just my attire), circa 1984
For a while I made fairy normal lookin’ boards ('84 to '89)
My first tigery thing, 9’02"x22.5" circa 1990 (much love for this board, bit magic)
Proving bigger isn’t always better, 10’08"x23.5" circa 2000. marginal gains in paddling speed, lot less snappy.
Travel board for New Zealand trip, 7’04"x24" six chanel thruster, circa 2003 (packed a 7’04" gun too)
Pickled fish, 6’06"x22.5, chanelled six fin
Quickly got the picklefork nose filled in, added a 2 inch scoop nose and some bigger fins… dammn I loved that board
Another reshape, took a saw to the fat thruster (bottom had delammed anyway), hacked the tail off… hey presto 6’06"x24" swallowtail, still rockin’ the 6 fins
Latest shark, 8’01"x23.75" step-bottom stinger McKee quad (anchor point BTW)
Currently riding it with twin keels, looking for more speed. Certainly loose (for an eight footer), but tempted to sand out the step bottom in the seach of a bit more paddle speed.
that’s GREAT stuff ! … thanks , gadgetman !!
Well , my brother’s ‘’ Sharky Board " is now a " 4+1 " option [ quad boxes , plus the existing single fin box …]
cheers !
ben
I like the outline of that board.
hi harry
its a beauty eh ?
his son Eli had a more square tailed orange tint version prior to Simon getting this one made …
Yeah Ben, I like that shape, but I can’t hold a 23" board under my arm. I can carry a 22" board, but if it’s got thick rails, it would be sketchy. I’m not sure if the shark mouth actually keeps sharks away. I made a similar shape recently, but it’s 7’ x 21.5 and made from a single slab of blue Dow XPS. I haven’t put fin boxes in yet, so it’s just sitting around waiting.
I also cut out 2 small sidebites that will have a single FCS tab. I have some other small fins but they require a futures c5 box, and they have a lot of cant built in to them. They will work in Proboxes, but not in FCS slots because they have longer tabs, and the screw slots are on the opposite side.
… its actually …
15.5 "x 6’4 x 21 “x 2 3/8"x 15” , by the way …
]