As per fostachild’s request…
I forgot I had already taken some photos of this board so I didn’t have to wait till I had more time after Christmas.
beautiful bill!
woohoo !!!
nice !
Was / is that YOUR board , Bill ?
got any more shots / survivors from the '70s in your quiver , please ?
I’m always stoked to see photos , you know that !
cheers
ben
Nice! Everytime I see a board like that it takes me right down memory lane to a time when I dreamed of owning a Lightning Bolt… I was 11 years old in 1975 and dying for something like that! Bill, just wondering if members here knew that you were one of the main Pipeline chargers back in those days and into the eighties… I remember you charging Pipe and pulling in for years… Very cool!
Hey Bill,
Just seeing that beauty again has inspired me. For just a rough idea, what are the measurements on such a board, and maybe the rocker measurements as well. You don’t have to measure any board in particular, but maybe just a rough idea from your extensive experience with this sort of shape. Thanks.
Fosta
It’s pointed the wrong way!!
Oh…Pipeline… never mind…
Nice!
Hope all is good for you !Herb
That’s nice!
Does this board have a concave deck?
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beautiful bill!
Thanks oldy.
These old boards are pretty cool I guess… but I look back on them sometimes and wonder what the hell was I thinking! Ha!
BB
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woohoo !!!!!!!nice !
Was / is that YOUR board , Bill ?
got any more shots / survivors from the '70s in your quiver , please ?
I’m always stoked to see photos , you know that !
cheers
ben
Thanks Ben
No the board is not mine. It was made for the Lightning Bolt shop in Honolulu. Sold to someone and made its way to a new owner. I forget the history but will get it straight when I talk to the guy next time.
The board is in my shop for a restoration which it barely needs as it is in great shape.
I have a few survivors that I can post later or will have on my website but they are extremely hard to find. I mostly only made boards here on the North Shore and as primarily a custom board maker, most of my boards went directly into the hands of great surfers riding them in critical surf.
Consequentially, very few lasted more than a couple of seasons. The rare ones that are still floating around were usually among the few stock boards I would make for Lightning Bolt or a very few other mainland shops. These boards didn’t typically get used in extreme surf conditions and as such a few have survived.
Thanks for the interest
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Nice! Everytime I see a board like that it takes me right down memory lane to a time when I dreamed of owning a Lightning Bolt.... I was 11 years old in 1975 and dying for something like that! Bill, just wondering if members here knew that you were one of the main Pipeline chargers back in those days and into the eighties... I remember you charging Pipe and pulling in for years.... Very cool!
Thanks for remembering and sharing. Those were exceptional times. I can’t wait for someone to invent the Way Back Machine so I can be 20 years old again and do that all over again with a few friends!
By the way guys… Sorry for my late response to everyone’s comments. It is so much better when these conversations are more immediate and flowing but often my time and commitments just don’t allow me to dialogue with everyone as promptly as I ought
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Hey Bill,Just seeing that beauty again has inspired me. For just a rough idea, what are the measurements on such a board, and maybe the rocker measurements as well. You don’t have to measure any board in particular, but maybe just a rough idea from your extensive experience with this sort of shape. Thanks.
Fosta
Fostachild
I will get back to you with that data. I don’t mind sharing it. Just gotta find the time to lay it out.
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It's pointed the wrong way!!Oh…Pipeline… never mind…
Ha Ha Ha! Good one!
Actually this board was not necessarily intended for Pipe. Just all around Hawaii. Though that tail looks a bit narrow now. The wings were bladed out, Reno and I were doing that initially. The idea was that the template was wider for more speed and trim in slower conditions but when the board was layed over on the rail that width was able to sit down into the water and work more like a narrower tail. This was a constant challenge with single fins. Keeping them holding in well yet able to plane early in slower conditions. The fin on this board is …well … typical for the era but kind of whacky looking now. I will post a picture when I get a chance.
When Steve Walden first moved to Hawaii back then, he stayed at my house at Rocky Point. He later took this thin wing rail fin concept to the extreme by making boards with actual fins glassed onto his rails!
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Nice!Hope all is good for you !Herb
Thanks Herb
What’s this about you being at the Salton Sea! That is familiar stomping ground for me you know. I water skied there a lot as a kid. In fact I have even surfed there on a few occasions. Once at about 3-4 feet!
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That's nice!
Thanks fishexp
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Does this board have a concave deck?
Aloha jnhawaii
No it isn’t concave. It is fairly flat though with full and boxy rails. Thickness well forward and foiling back from nose to tail. Beaky nose.
Shhhhh Bill,
No one real thinks the Salton Sea has waves…do they?
We have probably crossed paths more than once I’m sure.I grew up in Imperial Beach,Ca., then later in my childhood moved to Bell,Ca.to live w/ my dad.I finished high school there in the early mid-70s.The Salton Sea was a place where we use to fish and hunt alot.It’s a real shame what has happened to the place,but there is hope and a movement to restore the lake and surrounding lands.The Govt. has built salt ponds to lessen the lake’s saline levels and studies/testings are being done on using alge at the south end for filtering out heavy metals,and debris,so the water flowing back into the gulf of Cortez(California) is clean enough that the upper gulf doesnot suffer.This will allow the Aquaducts to flow water back into the lake like it use to.All the big agriculture business(fertilizer plants) are closed,so there’s no more extras salts and sediments being added in large amts anymore.The govt. and people of the land are more educated about the enviromental impacts and causes.So it looks as if the Salton Sea may have it hayday again!(It’s going to take a heapin’ helpin’ of work though)
It’s cold as heck here today,burrrrrrr,like 30 degrees this morning at dawn.Oh BTW the fisheries are coming back so there is hope if everything pulls thru.
How did I get myself into this mess,you ask?
I wandered thru here several times during my trips to Mex/Az for my txs(my 40 days and 40 nights you might say).I couldn’t believe what I saw…very sad indeed.Then about a month or so ago a close friend,an ex-nam-vet contacted me and asked for some help/support for the lake and him,you see he wasn’t as fortunate as I was,he has terminal cancer and has exhausted his options thru the VA.So I spend btwn 2 and 3 /24h shifts out here,helping him out.He’s not that bad yet but he is in rapid decline.Today we are going down abit on the east shore by the creek to fish and check out some empty pools he knows about.We just have to be careful,this is the kind of place where you don’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,that’s foresure !
If you remember the Red Hill Marina/southshore area as a youngster,you should see it now,looks like a futuristic ,“after the bomb dropped” place.Some businesses are still open at times,but most have gone to the waste side.
The winds are up today,but it would be the west/southwest shore getting waves,on this side, north of the creek it’s fair and calm waters.
Thanks for sharing your past with us Bill,and I wish you all the best.Herb
Aloha Herb
Cool stories and history. I think Imperial Beach was the first place I ever stand up surfed on a real board!
I didn’t know the Salton Sea had become such a mess. My younger daughters boyfriend is from Palm Springs and he was telling me about it. It was always a unique and unusual place but it was safe and clean. Great for Skiing!
We used to use the car on the side of the All American Canal and pull each other skiing in it! I am sure the people in LA never knew what we were doing to their drinking water… Ha! I will pray for your friend. It is very noble what you are doing to help him. Tell him I said “thanks for his service”! We owe a lot to those guys (you included) willing to watch our backs.
Take some pictures and post them. It would be cool… or maybe sad… to see what the SS and Marina look like now.
On a lighter note… here is a photo of that board as it goes under restoration. Zillions of small shatters and dents. I promised the guy it would be done this weekend. And the surf has been great! Darn!
Bill,
Even though we’ve never formally met,I have had great respect for you and your work.I just wanted to say that because in this business I don’t think there’s much apprecation for the builders of this sport,and you are definiately the Best of the Best.I have looked over some of your work with a fine toothed comb and other than you, Rich Harbour and a select few others, you are at the top of the elite class.
As for my friend Bob,he past on about a week ago,he went easy,and his pains are gone forever.I’ll miss his sense of humor and visions of the future.
BTW…I hate ding repairs especially multi-shattered stuff,I feel for you on that one ! It just never seems to get done !I rather build a new one than face a bunch of dings.
Thanks for sharing your time with me/us and your adventures out at the sea…I’ve heard of the sking you have described but it was just a legend,now I know it was for real.
Anytime that you are in Cali …if so desired… you are welcome here always as a brother.
You have a great Christmas and New Years and may you be blessed with many fine years to come.Herb