From the Hynson interview…
AAS - Do you see anything different in surfboard technology today?
Mike - What technology! It’s still in the archives. Give me Convair, the space program. There’s no technology in surfboards. The shaping machine is nothing but a router. The boat makers are way ahead, so are golf clubs, that’s technology.
On the return of the longboard, but certainly with other applications since then…
AAS - Did this progress surfing or take us back to the dark ages?
Mike - I think human nature is always reinventing itself and coming up with new marketing concepts in every product imaginable. If we could get back to the dark ages, it would be a bonanza.
Been hanging out for that one! yeew!
Yeah I’ve been on that bandwagon too…problem is,
SURFERS ARE CHEAP BASTARDS!!!
I’m making a better board in my garage but ask a surfer to pay an extra $150 for it and they go back to the stone age stick.
BTW, I also make my own golf clubs…there isnt bigger tech hype than golf equipment…the difference is golfers have money and are willing to shell out $400 to hit the ball an extra 20 yards. If you took out the desire for lower scores and replace it with “having fun”, the golf equipment, coaching, etc etc, markets would only be half of what it is…the market hype is all about lower scores…that fuels everything.
Man, I love allaboutsurf!
Here’s an interesting combination.
From Richard Kenvin in the Hydrodynamica story:
“For me there is “a Board,” the Steve Lis Fish, which, thru either conscious or unconscious and intuitive decisions by Stevie, happens to fulfill a series of design innovations that originated, the first time around, in the mind of Bob Simmons over half a century ago”
Then in the Freeline story, an interesting quote from John Mel (who is now so connected to Santa Cruz that people forget he once lived/shaped in San Diego) that may show yet another step along the way from Simmons to Lis:
“I even remember [in summer 1968] making a little fishy board for Stevie Lis back then before he started shaping. Brian [Kennelly, I assume] kind of knew him. Just recently I found the order card from that board for him with his name on it.”
Allaboutsurf Rules.Good stuff!!!
I really like this, from Dick van Straalen’s site, mentioned in the kenvin / hydrodynamica article…
AND, here’s a bonus shot for Mr. Mark [ ‘nothing interesting on swaylocks anymore’] Heckle man …
here ya go m-a-a-a-t- e … get THIS into ya !! …
… hehehaha
"chip"
