I was reading an article in a recent issue of TSJ about Dale Kobetich and I found a few things to be very interesting. First, unless I read incorrectly, Kobetich claimed to have ‘submarined’ his spoon and to have gone under a bunch of guys who were sitting in the lineup. Is this possible with one of those things (I’ve read that they’re very easy to sink)? If so, that’s totally amazing, and I’d like to try it out!
Second, the guy’s workmanship is amazing. It’s also interesting to note the parallel evolution of his and Greenough’s housing equipment.
Third, TSJ does an amazing job of letting you know who the ‘behind the scene’ players are, and how these people have made so many modern innovations possible. For example, the camera on a stick, which makes all those tube shots possible.
Fourth, why does it always seem that people who are involved in inventing things, and especially things involving photographic equipment, are always a bit nutty? I’m not knocking them here. They’re brilliant people, and probably have extraordinarily high IQs, but they’re a little loopy.
Anyway, it was a great article, and anyone who doesn’t read TSJ regularly is missing out.
Long time ago, I made a spoon from a U-shaped remnant of a tanker blank. I had not seen a real spoon at the time (I only ever saw one professionally made Hayden). Mine was ugly, to say the least, and had a fin only about 5 inches deep, if that. Needless to say, It would go sideways when I least needed it, like getting down an overhead wave at Velzyland. But sideslipping was cool then, so I did a lot of that.
The lack of flotation meant I could swim it under anything. Later kneeboards were 4’10, 22" wide, with a large deep knee well, and had some actual flotation. Even those could be botttom-glided under narsty stuff at Pipe, Rocky Rights, and so on.
The few kneeboards I see now are much like wide surfboards, and ridden from the back third, not like the shorter versions I made which rode from the center. I don’t see the use of these as truly kneeboarding, they’re just surfboards that guys don’t stand up on… what’s the point?
I was reading an article in a recent issue of TSJ about Dale Kobetich and I found a few things to be very interesting. First, unless I read incorrectly, Kobetich claimed to have 'submarined' his spoon and to have gone under a bunch of guys who were sitting in the lineup. Is this possible with one of those things (I've read that they're very easy to sink)? If so, that's totally amazing, and I'd like to try it out!
Second, the guy’s workmanship is amazing. It’s also interesting to note the parallel evolution of his and Greenough’s housing equipment.
Third, TSJ does an amazing job of letting you know who the ‘behind the scene’ players are, and how these people have made so many modern innovations possible. For example, the camera on a stick, which makes all those tube shots possible.
Fourth, why does it always seem that people who are involved in inventing things, and especially things involving photographic equipment, are always a bit nutty? I’m not knocking them here. They’re brilliant people, and probably have extraordinarily high IQs, but they’re a little loopy.
Anyway, it was a great article, and anyone who doesn’t read TSJ regularly is missing out.
–kneeriders have always been alittle left of center…in a very good way! We just see things on many levels i suppose. the low center of gravity has always been a big draw for me. Flex and the fish are a few examples. The modern kneeriders have lost the freak factor a bit I think…
Oh, I dunno about losing the freak factor, more like we are a bit more underground about it or better camouflaged than we were back then. Heh- I am, anyhow… unfortunately, the modern kneeriders are for the most part the ones who were doing it back in the day. With some exceptions, fortunately.
Kneeboard types have always struck me as more tech-oriented than the normal run of people on ‘other forms’. Ask a kneelo a technical question about his board and you are likely to get a very drawn out, thought through answer, with numbers and diagrams. Add various gizmos, Note that kneeboard types have contributed to the general realm of knowledge in theory, design and construction far, far out of proportion to their numbers.
I do miss very low buoyancy boards, being able to push the nose down , kick a bit and dive like a U-boat. The board acts as a diving plane. With the low CG, along with the extra power that a good set of fins gives, as long as a board has enough float to get itself to the surface ( call it a positive buoyancy of 5-10 lbs, 1/12-1/6 cubic foot volume plus enough to deal with the weight of the board itself) - that’s plenty. I don’t know that the low CG doesn’t allow higher performance, due to less weight transfer to the tial and consequently less drag.
As regards catching a wave on a board of relatively small surface area, buoyancy really doesn’t matter nearly as much as some might think. Let alone while riding the wave. And rather than deal with the duck diving issue, low buoyancy can ( as mentioned above) be a positive factor.
Thanks for the replies! I don’t get to see many knee riders here on the East Coast (U.S.) and it’s always interesting to watch you guys ride when I go out to CA.
The tech aspect also impresses me very much. We need minds like that out there!
spoons have an amazing take off speed…its pretty ridiculous when you see one in action…check out “State of S”,the new surf flick about george greenough …he flys …im picking up a 5’5 spoon this week and starting a build on a 5’10 next week…should have alot of fun…
ive talked to dale over the phone and hes a really interesting guy…shapes his spoons a different way from everyone else…(no foam in nose) and hes building two edgeboards as we speak…says hes gonna put up pics on flexspoon.com when hes done…ill probably base my 5’10 on his shape…hes ridden his with great success in hawaiian juice to chest-high huntington…so you see not all flexspoons need powerful point waves to work(mellow-velo)…just ones with alot of hull depth do.(velo)…the board in the surfers journal layout was stolen from his car 15 or so years ago and just pooped up in santa barbara about a month ago…when i saw there was a camera-shutter wire glassed inside of it i emailed dale about it and was suprised to hear the whole story of its dissapearance…flexspoons are Very valuable…yes because their few in numbers and a bitch to make but more because of the experience you get riding one…>.>. pure connection with the wave, which in the end…isnt that what its all about???
I wonder tho about that ‘porpoising’ on a f-spoon - - I think it’d be pretty tricky just diving in off a diving board with a flexspoon into a pool, and successfully managing it without opening a fissure or two in yr skull. (you know- having that foil/wing out in front of you)
so doing it on a wave while going along at a clip and all kinds of stuff happening around you – well… if it’s done, it’s got to be done with a helluva lotta finesse.
You know how when you punch thru the back of a tube that’s closing out, you really stuff the nose into the wall?
Same technique.
NOT going straight towards shore dropping in and diving the nose.
Around here, Inkspot used to tuck into tubes, as it was closing out, he’d punch thru the back and come out well underwater, maybe 3’, and kick his feet and travel another seemingly 10+ feet underwater, before the floatation of his boogie board brought him back to the surface.
Of course, he was a pro level boogie boarder back when the movement was just catching on, in the late 70’s, early '80’s.
All the above about spoons true. One negative about low/neutral float–they paddle slow as molasses. They take off fast and easy but you have to be at “X” marks the spot. Not so easy to do in shifty beach peaks etc.
the duck dive thing is really sweet in meaty waves. I floundered around on one on Oahu in early 70’s and that aspect gave me a lot more comfortable feeling when caught inside etc.
hahaha…ya …if you check out flexspoon…i posted on there about a 3-ply flexspoon i was building…its still in my room its 5’2 and im still making the fins …gotta bevel it and add foam…but ya …ive been toying with the idea…what should i use to seal it???the wood that is …i dont wanna glass the whole thing just the foam to the rails…would urathane finish work or solar-rez that stuffs like 20 bucks a gallon on surfsource…supposed to be brittle though…
