Surfboard La Jolla Twin-Pin, 1967
Length 8’9" - Nose 17" Width 22" Tail 17"
Shaped by La Jolla reef maven Bear Mirandon, the double-pin
tailed twin-fin was an update of a Bob Simmons concept.
This board led directly to the Fish kneeboard design
of Steve Lis, which is still very much in use today.
Twin Fin I built after 1969.
Bugger the swallow tails, check out the pig 2nd from right!! You ever surfed at Sandon Josh?
no i haven’t had the pleasure. normally i head north or further south. will one day though.
Thanks for sharing those photos/history… cool to see some of the thinking and history behind the Frye ‘Simmons Fish’ (far left)
Hi RayManta!
you might also like www.surfresearch.com.au.
I love the homemade 1973 fish quiver! love the planshapes
hey this is bear nephew eli . i am nicks son who designed the boards as well. just wondering when that photo was taken and where you found it … thanks …
Aloha Eli
Great to see you touching base here. Your uncle Barry (Bear) and I were good friends back in the day. I have one of the exotic “Porpoise” boards he was making here in Hawaii in the early 70’s. It is way cool and very rare and unusual. I will try to post some pictures of is some day. I also knew your dad but not as well.
They were unquestionably way ahead of their time with the Twin Pin. As you may know Bob Haakenson (Later Al Merrick’s glasser in Goleta) was from the SD area and had a 7’6" Twin Pin that he used to surf at Rincon back in the late 60s when he moved to SB area.
It would be nice to see someone tell the story of their creativity and their influence on the Twin Fin and the Fish. Would be a good project for Surfers Journal. Maybe you could fill us in on a bit more of their history.
Do you have access to the surf film they made?
Hey Josh, thats a cool pic but I think those tails are part of there PAINT JOB look close and check how the rest of there boards are painted and the shadows dont match up. I do have a nice shot of Tom Blake with a nice swallow, around the 40s.
Well I don’t have any pics, but Jerry Grantham(JG Surfboards) used to make some very nice swallow-tailed single fins beginning around 1970. Single wood fins in the seven foot range. It was the “clear board black wet suit” era. Early surf leashes made from shock cord etc.
Damn! You’ve got the eagle eye! I think you’re right!
Carter Pyle - late 1940s
Bruce your correct , it was early and my coffee hadnt kicked in ,sorry.
Howzit Bruce, Great picture of Carter, met him back in the mid 70’s while on Maui. I understand they now call him the " Ghost " since he wanders all over the island with a blank stare in his eyes. By any chance did you ever live on Kauai.Aloha,Kokua
You are correct. The light logic does not make sense (can’t see a shadow).
It’s a motif, paint or some sort of inlay.
Nope, sorry. Never visited Kauai.
Sad to hear about Carter. He must be getting up there in years now. What’s his story? Sadness, substance abuse, accident, old-timer’s syndrome?
Aloha
hey bill the movie , “another wave” made by david kay and bear mirandon is a funny story, i have some raw footage and i think david still has the movie dubed but the original film was lost and resurfaced somewhere at a garage sale and the guy who found it has been in touch with david kay. i was looking into a few years ago.
ill have to try to meet bob one day… id love to see the porpoise board you have, did you see the one in teh journal? check out this link for the new porpoise my dad nick has been making…
http://hydrodynamica.blogspot.com/2008/03/mirandons-trip-on.html
Howzit Bruce, Really can't say what's up with Carter since I haven't been to Maui for about 8 years. I'm sure if he passed I would have been informed.Aloha,Kokua
hey bill the movie , "another wave" made by david kay and bear mirandon is a funny story, i have some raw footage and i think david still has the movie dubed but the original film was lost and resurfaced somewhere at a garage sale and the guy who found it has been in touch with david kay. i was looking into a few years ago.Aloha Eli
What an amazing story. I hope the original is in good shape and can be digitized before it is too late. The surfing world never ceases to amaze me in how things happen.
ill have to try to meet bob one day… id love to see the porpoise board you have, did you see the one in teh journal? check out this link for the new porpoise my dad nick has been making…
Bob H is a good guy, works too hard and doesn’t get enough credit for it though. I will try to make time and photograph the porpoise board. This board doesn’t have the flared swallow tail winglets that some had. I never saw the Surfers Journal article as my free subscription died along with Clark Foam!
Catch you around.
http://hydrodynamica.blogspot.com/2008/03/mirandons-trip-on.html