Yowser! I too recall that article…seems he chased many of those dreams in the end, too…am I to take it these are the real deal from back then? Looking like “conventional” front materials with “revolutionary” rear section…I looked at the photos and remembered how the original kits required taping the skin seams…and now it’s mid-July and are these at the Hawaii surfboard auction? Talk about time flying, in every direction at once…
is really no better than what available at sams club or costco…
Youve touched on my 10% rule…the top 10% of anything is really the only part worthwhile…Boards, restaraunts, Music, books, Authors, Fins, Movies, cars, bikes, boats, women:-) hehehehe…etc, etc, etc…you get the idea.
Am I missing something or are we not saying “Tom Morey” for a reason?
Saw the Surfer magazine write-up board in the real, in Kona, I think it was less than a year after the article came out. This one isn’t it.
Two years ago I reshaped a windsurfer hull that had the vents and step in the bottom. Made a 7-footer out of it, which I have a lot of trouble surfing. Forward pair of fins too far apart I think, for this old round pin single fin guy.
Unquestionably, the mad scientist, genius of surfboard shapes, Tom Morey has constantly been on the cutting edge of advanced surf craft design. These boards on offer had their early inspiration derived from discussions about sea plane bottom designs while Morey was at Douglas Aircraft circa 1957. After initial forays in design concepts while on Kauai in the late 60’s, Morey returned to Oahu and working at the Surf Line Hawaii shop in Honolulu began to conceive Air Lubricated surfboards.
Quote:
Tom Morey “Air Lubricated” Future Craft AL#1 7’0" (9) 1970
This board was made in the winter of 1970 when Morey created the air-vented, 1 step (two planes) AL#1. All running surfaces are to some degree or another, concave to the water flow. The central ‘step’ is vented from the top and results in a board that due to the ‘airlubrication’ is breath-takingly fast. While not designed for maneuverability, it nevertheless reached incredible high speeds quickly. AL#1 was the precursor to the boogieboard and way before it’s time!
Pre-auctionestimate:$3,000-$5,000
Quote:
Tom Morey “Air Lubricated” Future Craft AL#3 8’0" (9) 1976
After dozens of proto-types and experimentation, Morey began to mold his concepts into workable, rideable designs. Between 1971-1976 he devoted time to thedevelopment of the Boogie board. The ‘air lubricated’ designs took somewhat of a back seat until 1976 when back in Kona on the Big Island, he created the next phase with AL#3. This one was a two step (three plane) design with double feeding air vents. It performed exceptionally well and reached planing speed very quickly but was more maneuverable like a conventional board. This board was buried under a house in Kona and resurrected in 1998 when it was reunited with Morey. “Mystic Eye” color resin work on the deck with tri-tone airbrush on bottom planing areas. This board is ready to ride and ride fast!
Pre-auction estimate: $3,500-$4,500
and just when I thought that he might’ve mellowed in his later years…
I find that now he’s added another buzz word to the mix…
