Posted by Bird in 
Which do you like?
When is a board not just a board? The answer to that is hard to put into mere words but one that is used often is SPECIAL! What makes a board special? That’s an even harder question to answer but I’ll try and put it into words as best as I can.
Having owned and sold thousands of boards over a good many years a certain criteria must be met to qualify for the lofty term of special. For most surfers the “SPECIAL BOARD” term is applied mainly to how a board rides. For the most part surfboards are constructed out of the same basic materials and through the same general manner. This being said, NO two boards will ever ride the same. Hand shaped or molded, epoxy, poly or good old varnish, there will always be some sort of difference in the end result. The more custom and hand built a board is made, the more variables will come into play on the finished product. A board can be faster, looser, stronger etc. When most or all of the aforementioned come together that board MAY end up being a special one. The board will let its rider reach a different level of surfing and enable them to go places that they have not been able to go before, or, if they have reached some of those more sacred areas on a wave, have been unable to escape. It may be that the board just glides into and thru barrels like it was on auto pilot. Could be that direction changes can be made instantly with full confidence in all situations. The board may seem to be indestructible and has become like a best friend in all surf conditions. Boards that have any of these characteristics are hard to find in the first place, but one that has them all is truly special. Take that board right back to the same board builders and have them try to copy it and I guarantee that you will be disappointed. It’s not that the new board will ride poorly; it’s just that the magic qualities of the special board will not be there. If you have ever had a special board and have been through the arduous task of trying to replicate it you’ll understand. That special board may be used on select days only and treated like the sacred object that it is, but more that likely it will be ridden into the ground and then the process of trying to find another one will begin all over again.
Having a board built by a world class shaper and then glassed by an accomplished shop does not guarantee that it will turn out to be a special one. It may hedge your bet, but some of the most mystical of boards have started out as being either an experiment or a variation on a classic theme. In fact a special board could be sitting right in the rack at your favorite surf shop just waiting to be liberated and set free to show its stuff by the new owner.
One final thought needs to be thrown out there to consider. One mans trash is another mans treasure! That board that some surfer hates could be the special board for the next person who may take it out for a ride. You just never know. Trying different boards is always a good learning experience, BUT it can be a painful one too. If you’ve ever borrowed a buddies board or ridden a demo model that turns out to be THE special board for you and then have had to give it back at the end of a session you have felt the pain and frustration that can occur.
Some special boards have taken on a life of there own long after they have dissolved into the environment. Nat Young’s SAM or George Greenough’s VELO come to mind. BK’s red Sunset gun or Curren’s logo-less yellow board that was splashed all over the magazines once upon a Winter ago are also stand outs to some surfers.
You can try everything possible, spend all you have or travel the world in search of that special board and still never find it. One thing is certain though. It sure is fun trying out as many boards as possible on as many waves as you can catch while on the hunt for that SPECIAL board.
Bird , Great post as usual.
What would be your top 5 boards that you’ve
owned.
Thanks
That is a question that I have asked my self many a time with no definitive answer yet found. Based upon a performance perspective the following boards would be right up there.
1. My first Steve Lis fish that was custom built in the very early 70s. It took me places that I had never been to before on a wave. It made a couple of trips to the North Shore with me 38caught some good Pipeline waves on it. I still have it.
2. An 8′ red Caster pintail with glass on hollow wood fin custom made in the mid 70s. Surfed mega K 38s on it as well as Blacks and assorted other La Jolla/San Diego breaks. Borrowed with out my knowledge by Davis Gregg who lost it at South Bird on a big high tide day. Beaten up badly but repaired then sold to Mr. Gregg. I should have kept that one for sure.
3. A 7′11″ Frye named the Thunder Bird by Skippy shaped in the early 80s. Pre K Model wider round tail pulled nose shape that at the time was a kind of one off shape. Paddled long but rode short. Surfed it every where from the Cliffs to Swamis, Rincon to Windansea. It has been broken in half on 3 different occasions but always been by the Master of Repairs, Joe Roper. Had Skip build me a replica after every time that I broke it. 3 different clones were shaped that all went well but none even came close to the original. I still have it and it is all in one piece at the moment.
4. A 6′6″ Rusty Occy round tail tri with 6 deep channels built in the late 80s. Hard to put into words how I felt about this one. This board rode so well that it made me surf better than I what my ability level would usually allow. Simmons, Moids, Down Stream or where ever. Large or small soft or sucking this board NEVER let me down. Once again I broke it in half and the Master put it back together again. It rode real well for awhile before breaking for a second time. Once more it was repaired then sold. Multiple attempts were made by the Big Man to recreate this shape and although all the boards went, none could match the original. I got so bummed on trying to have this one copied that I gave up on that shape all together and started to ride double wing swallows with 6 deep channels. All shape by R. of course.
5. A 5′8″ McCallum quad with that full plan shape that every body including Slater seems to be into now except he built for me around 4 years ago. He just built it for me completely by himself, shaped, glassed, colored and all. It was an unorthodox shape at the time, with almost no rocker, knife hard rails with a bit of a beak nose on it. It sat in the corner of my office for around 3 months before I ever even rode it. Jeff, being the humble guy that he is, would stop by every once in awhile to ask if I had ridden it yet and each time the answer was no. At that time I was pretty much locked back into riding Fish shapes. McCallum had not been shaping long and his concepts were unusual. Idea driven with function over finesse sort of sums it up. I finally felt so guilty about not riding it that all the other boards in my car were removed and only that board took their place. Pulled it out for its first go out on a negative low tide at a South Cliffs break that going off. I could not help thinking to my self the whole time while running in, that I was going to probably waste a damn fine session trying to ride a board that would not work for me. I was completely baffled by how well this board went. Greased lighting with ball bearing turns and controlled slides. No section seemed to be unmake able and no barrel to steep. Absolutely one of the best go outs, in terms of pure fun that, I’ve ever had. I thought that it may have been just a fluke session but that board rides just as well today. It made me change my approach to surfing and it enabled me to ride waves in away that I thought was beyond me. Of course I still have it.
6. I know that the list was supposed to be limited to 5 boards but this last one was to good to leave out of the mix and it could easily be substituted for anyone of the aforementioned boards. A 6’2” Channel Islands pre model designation Flyer. Shaped for me by Al after a brief conversation that basically went some think like “I’m working on a new shape that you might like. Want me to make you one?” What would you have said? This board came right at a time in my surfing life when I was at a cross roads between riding longer and fuller boards or just quitting all together. At the time it was built(early 2000s) having a thick and wider board with a whole lot less entry rocker was not in fashion. To this day it remains the only squash tail that I have liked. From 2’ to 6’ this was a one board does all model. I rode waist high Shores on its first go out and ended up taking with me every where including Tavarua where it served me well on some of the best waves I’ve ever ridden at Restaurants. Put it away after a couple hard years of use just to save it. I made the mistake of letting a good employee borrow it. He snapped the nose off of it. It’s now repaired and in semi retirement mode.
I had a few, too.
A 5′5″ Lis Fish. God, what a kneeboard. I would go for anything. Sold it for $50.
And bought a 5′8″ Frye fish from Select Surf Shop, unglassed, that someone ordered but didn’t pick up. An absolutely beautiful board.
The Lis was the best kneeboard I ever had. The Frye was the best standup board I ever had. Tried to paddle it out at Blacks one day and couldn’t get through the impact zone. Sold it for $75 to buy something longer (?!?), a Caster, again from Select. The guy I sold the Frye to still has it and rides it…25 years later.
Ended selling the Caster, too ($100).
I haven’t sold a board since. You should see my garage.
One of the reasons that I have amassed so many boards is to be able to share them with the public. I am working towards that goal daily!
Thanks Bird.
Good stuff.
The best is yet to come too!
I made up my mind not to sell boards anymore after getting rid of a few sacred ones. I will trade them or give them away but I will not sell boards. still have a few sacred ones and hey Bird I finished fixing up the Rusty Canyon Fish and rode it today downstream. Friggin Incredible board the thing just flew!!!
Like to see that Canyon and compare it to my Sunset Surfboards Rusty shaped fish. Let’s get together soon and do it.
Hi BIrd,
I hope you and your family enjoyed the holidays and are having a great start to the new year. All the best to you in 2010!
How about a special quiver? I feel like I’ve been able to fine tune my boards over the past 6 years to have most all of my basis covered with an incredible board. While often that magic board can be sitting in the shop rack, I’ve found that working with a shop (like yours) that has a relationship with the best shapers can produce incredible results with a custom shaped board specific to me and the type of waves I want to surf. And once you find that board, never ever let it go!
Good point! Helping to put a quiver of boards together over time with a customer/friend is the ultimate pay off for someone in my trade. For an individual to trust you in your knowledge and expertise in this areas is not to be taken lightly.
Hi Bird,
I am wondering if you could give me a ballpark figure on an 1979 Steve Lis Fish purchased in San Diego. One owner and very good shape – kept indoors all this time. 5′5.5″ clear finish, with Duffy Fins.
Prices on Stevie’s are very subjective. I have a one owner red keel fin Lis fish from the mid 70s with GEPPY wood fins and a Pendo soft deck inlaid into it. 7 out of 10 in the condition scale and I can’t get $700.00 for it! I recently purchased a 70s Lis that I had built back in the Select days. It to was a 7 but clear with Geppy fins and a single owner. I paid the shop a cool $500.00 for it for sentimental reasons only to find out later that the owner/friend of the shop owner who had sold the board to me flipped out and threatened legal action against the guy for selling it to cheaply. That board will be returned to the shop owner to eliminate his stress with the owner. At auction’s I have heard of old Lis’s selling for over a $100.00 but these have been unconfirmed sales. Stevie is still activley shaping with new boards running in the high $600.00 range and up depending upon a wide variety of reasons. The Japanese have been know to pay twice the build price if you know who to deal with.
I agree, if you’ve got a board you like, hang on to it. I just surfed BR last week on a kneeboard I had made in 1977. It’s my main board right now until I find something I like. I look at a lot of Fish boards, but don’t like what I see. I guess I’m too picky.
I would run with Tom. I just had a board made from a Lis fish from 1975, but after talking to bird and tom wolverton, did a four fin gig and put some concave in towards the front. Not much rocker and the board hauls ass.
Quads and bottom contours have stepped up the performance from a basic keel fin fish BUT they do have there draw backs too.
Hard to get off of an old friend Tom. A good kneeboard fish has not changed that much over the years unless you want to set it up as a quad. Steve Seebold has been the go to for new kneeboards for a bunch of the old rock crew.
I have 3 Lis fish kneeboards made from 2004-2007 ,The newest 5ft8 quad is still blowing my mind.
He is still THE MAN if you can track him down and have the patience.
Bird, just stopping by your blog to see whats up. Your topic left me with a smile on my face, sitting at my desk thinking about my magic boards. I too had a Sunset shaped by Rusty that was one of those special boards. Then I started thinking about boards that became special because of an epic session, and then on to epic sessions I’ll never forget and it just snowballed from there. We are fortunate to be surfers and have these incredible memories to look back on and new ones to look forward to. I think Billabong nailed it when they came up with their “only a surfer knows the feeling” slogan. That “feeling” can come from a magic board under your feet, a wave you’ll never forget (whether or not you even caught it), or sitting on your board all by yourself watching the sun set. Bird, thanks for the reminder!
Well put BF and thanks for taking the time not only to read my posts but to offer up your words of wisdom as well. Being a world class shaper your self, it would be an interesting read to hear about some of the EPIC boards that you have made over the years. Not only for yourself but also for the legions of surfers who have had a chance to ride one of your shapes.
Good luck in all things always Mate!
Howdy there,Fantastic blog post dude! i am just Fed up with using RSS feeds and do you use twitter?so i can follow you there:D.
PS:Have you considered putting video to your blog to keep the visitors more enjoyed?I think it works.Yours, Maisha Gambee