http://www.surfingheritage.com/founding_partners.html
Looking on the founding members that are listed…I see most of the major clothing brands, many of the surfboard big names and most other big industry types are well represented. Enough for me to say…no thanks. I see plenty of other good folks involved and more power to them for their personal belief.
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Sorry, I don’t see how Randy’s contribution is political or institutionalized. I do understand your point on the surfer’s tree. They had some of the shapers up here wrong also. They have made some correction to it, but a few are way off. My point was to try to work with it, now I understand better why you won’t. I say too bad, it’s been a privilege to see, and be amongst those collected boards. In my life, the part that has revolved around surfing and the greater understanding of the time scale and progression / regression aspects, it has helped complete the circle. I found out in my own way, how to decipher through the cooperate / non- prophet pros and cons.
The sex pistols guys had a lot of good points that are hard to deny, and obvious oversights affected his perspective. It got me to look at this differently. Still, It’s surfboards, and Metz took the time and direction he did out of love for surfing. At least that’s my belief. If others help pay, great.
It’s too bad that you won’t see these boards all together, it’s worth the time and effort.
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1950, Matt Kivlin, Hollow Redwood, 9’7"
Matt Kivlin built this hollow redwood board at Malibu while he was highly regarded as a shaper and designer. This was during the formative period of the Malibu “Chip” and the exchange of ideas between the visiting Malibu crew (primarily Zane, Quigg, and Kivlin) and the Waikiki “Hot Curl” riders (primarily Rabbit Kekai and his brothers, a clan of Beach Boys that made up the Empty Lot crew, and the big wave riding group of Downing, Froiseth, and Brown). This board is very unique because it represents the never-ending effort at making boards lighter. [/url]
Circa early 1950s, Bob Simmons, Balsa Twin Fin Spoon, 10’8”
Early twin fin with a concave bottom and a scarfed-on spruce nose (an additional piece was added to the length so that more kick could be shaped into the nose of the board). “These were so difficult to build that very few were made and those mostly for himself, which he would later sell or give only to people he liked or deemed worthy.”. [/url]
Early ‘50s, Velzy and Jacobs, Solid Balsawood, 9’1”
Made in Venice Beach and most likely shaped by Hap Jacobs, this type of surfboard, “put surfboards, thus surfing, within the reach of the average kid on the beach. Velzy started the whole mass surfing phenomena thing in California.” – Joe Quigg.
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1951, Hobie, 11’6" Solid Balsa Lifeguard Board
One of the very first boards by Hobie. Rare example of only 6 solid balsa boards made by Hobie for the Laguna Beach Life Guards in 1951. Hobie made about 100 Boards without numbers in his Dad’s garage. Then, starting at #100, he used an ink stamp numbering system. This board is #116, or the 116th board Hobie ever made. It sold for $100.
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1952, Bob Sheppard, 8’10" Hotdog Shape
Bob Sheppard was an early Hawaiian shaper and big wave rider who made this board for Bud Lewton on the beach at Sunset. Sheppard was known for his user-friendly contours, not too radical, therefore easier to handle yet still speedy enough get the job done in the critical surf of Hawaii. Not many all-balsa boards were made in Hawaii, as balsa wood came from Ecuador and was very hard to get in the islands. [/url] 1954, Hobie, 12’
Hobie Alter made this board in 1954 for his friend Warren Miller, who later became well known as a ski movie producer. It is solid balsa and the 377th board Hobie ever made. [/url]
Circa 1956-57, Joe Quigg, Malibu Chip Balsawood board, 10’
Chambered balsa, hollow construction, with a redwood diamond shaped nose block added by the owner. Tail section was later modified with slight vee-bottom and a modern mahogany fin. Decals on both the deck and bottom were also added a few years later. [/url]
Circa 1958, Greg Noll Balsa, 8’5"
Solid balsa made by Greg in his Hermosa Beach shop, after he had recently moved the operation from his parents’ garage. Noll was to become an aggressive presence in the surfboard scene, eventually making his own surf movies to promote his boards, and his own foam when that came of age, and running an independent business with his distinct flavor in a market suddenly crowded with indistinguishable boards. This early Noll is very clean, with Greg’s movie camera logo and a multi-laminated fin. [/url] 1958, Velzy, 9’6"
Dale Velzy is one of our sport’s most profound and long lived surfboard and surf culture innovators and personalities. He is the instigator of the world’s first surf shop (located under the Manhattan Beach Pier in 1951). Dale made this board in 1958 for himself. It was somewhat of an experimental design, with its sharp rail configuration. Later the maneuverable wider-aft balsa “pig” shape was evolved from this early effort. The alternating redwood and balsa stringers create a distinctive appearance. [/url]
1958, Velzy, 10’ Balsa
Dale Velzy, a giant in the industry, had made thousands of surfboards under his last name. However, in the early 1960’s he lost the use of his name in a bad business deal and was forced to make a few boards using the letter “V” for his last name in the logo. This solid balsa board was made for his cousin. He later was able to get his name back and uses it today. [/url]
1959, Pat Curren, Balsa Elephant Gun
Hawaiian elephant gun, designed to ride 20 ft+ North Shore waves. Legendary shaper, Pat Curren, only made about a dozen of these because balsa was scarce and building the boards was difficult and time-consuming.