Slab question

KenM · Post by **KenM** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:05 pm

I was wondering if there was any connection between the initial development of the slab and the displacement hull surfboards shaped/ridden by guys like Ted Spencer, Gary Keys, Chris Brock, Baddie Treloar and Michael Peterson etc. that were influenced by Greenough's spoons?

frankfqr · Post by **frankfqr** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:38 pm

No takers yet Ken----good question---at that stage of development, Lis was bustin out the fish (setting the path for multi fin) while PC was tweekin the single fin, square tail, seemingly GG path. The tidbits we got in the mags at that time had me stoked!! Were the first slabs hull like? Aside from the outline, how about bottom entry and rails? Any Aussie oldies out there care to satisfy the curious??

hart · Post by **hart** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 5:28 pm

Good questions..

Without a doubt, all the surfers mentioned in KenM's post above took a strong influence from GG..they were philosophically and geographically close

Crawford's Sydney Slabs were unique however..because he was one of THE first guys to surf FIRST ROCK and he knew he had to design the board to do it (from 1968)

He even approached Midget Farrelly to blow a blank which would allow that board to be shaped in the first place..and such was Crawford's influence..Midget did it

First Rock is the absolute inside section of Dee Why Point and for all those surfers who have taken off there..know that the slab was custom designed for the instanteous planing-speed needed to make its first section..and then keep charging to back door the actual suck-up itself

Crawford's slabs were therefore planing hulls..not displacement

Rockers were minimal and bottoms were flat

His underside of rails however were lifted slightly from the bottom along the entire length of board..and while this gave a very subtle 'domed' appearance..they still were flat enough to be called, flat

Rails were almost pinched at the widepoint of the outline so that when surfing fully on edge..the rail would act as a fin (which by this point in time would be out of the water)

In my view, the biggest influence that PC took from Greenough, was the flextail (giving variable tail lift during turns) and the hi aspect flexible single fin

Crawford's home point break however was short and intense whereas Greenough's point breaks were long and mechanical..so Crawford adapted the GG hi aspect fin by reducing base length, increasing rake and adding area to the tip

Having said all that..I would like to hear from anyone who can discuss the North Coast displacement hulls mentioned above and what slab experiences they may have had

hart

KenM · Post by **KenM** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 7:22 pm

Bruce, thanks so much for filling in these details, your exactly who I was hoping to hear from on this subject. It's interesting how so many design advances have come from a particular indvidual trying to solve a particular problem and the rest of us benefit from it. So my next question, which you may have mostly answered above is: what makes a slab a slab as opposed to a board that's, well, not a slab.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:00 pm

Because I do not know. Is a slab a spoon that has not been scooped out? I am not surfing so I am thinking.

mark ricketts · Post by **mark ricketts** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:45 pm

my take on it ( for what its worth)
I snapped a spoon at Spooky's at Angourie in 71 and baddie Trelour made a new one, based on GG's latest "chine" hull - not like Neil Luke but a raised planning section set in from the rail.

david was on Brewer-like diamond tails by that time - sort of like the Morning of the Earth board.

I never saw many stand-up hulls on the nth coast though they made it to Tracks etc as a design innovation. my guess is that they didn't really suit the stand-ups and board design was so eclectic and people were chopping and changing so fast that stand-up hulls got caught up in things like the first of the twinnies from designers like Shane. when you change from one fin to two and you play with rail / rocker at the same time, you need to be a very sophisticated surfer to distill the elements. didn't help that most of us were loaded most of the time!!! wow man - that was amazing......

kneelo slabs were just sooooo different to spoons in so many ways that it took quite a while for the nth nsw / qld crew to get a design stream happening. the long points which weren't crowded then (no leggies) still suited different boards to what came up occassionally from sydney.

as we all got squeezed onto beachies, the slabs really took off and haven't looked back - thanks largely to the innovations of the PC's and Luke's and those who followed.

we were all so unconnected compared to now that anything could have been going on at the next region and you didn't know for ages.

hart · Post by **hart** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:48 pm

mark ricketts wrote:
we were all so unconnected compared to now that anything could have been going on at the next region and you didn't know for ages.

Hey Mark

And this is EXACTLY why we should nurture this site KSUSA as a godsend to kneeboarding

Leave the bias, the political and the hidden agenda aside

We have a final chance to steer this ship in the one direction..providing all who sail, choose the same path

hart

Noting in particular, two print media articles I have read in the past week

1 The Blue Yonder and George Greenough article

2 Surfing World and Simon Farrer interview

We have much to gain dependent on the individuals (and the attitudes) involved

SFKneelo · Post by **SFKneelo** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 2:52 pm

I have the real name, but not the Username of someone who is having trouble posting, citing this thread.

If you can shoot me a PM, I'll know who.

Meanwhile, I'll chase down the trail of breadcrumbs!

I'll fix it as soon as possible!

Thanks,
SFK

EDIT: Joe just sent you an email... fix on the way.

surfhorn · Post by **surfhorn** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:49 am

One of the common threads I'm reading in the discussion of kb shapes is that individuals looked for design changes to meet the demands of their local wave. The same thing happened here in Santa Cruz County......and we're still
looking to improve our boards to fit specific waves.

Having KSUSA to kick around ideas and read comments from the world's best shapers is a real blessing for us KBers. Its a testament to the concept that finding a world class shaper- and working with that shaper over a series of boards- is extremely important.

And this site is a great place for me to get away from from my everyday life and feed one of my passions.

stonefish · Post by **stonefish** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:17 pm

i agree, the enthusiasm and far reaching designs that begin in kneerider circles always has advanced waveriding. i see alot of rail grabbing and one knee tube rides from stand up guys now. it seems like they wish they had a knee board. im trying to post new shots of my ride with the custom fins.

loonylen · Post by **loonylen** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:50 pm

Talking about chine rails, Dave Parkes made me a board back in the 80's with chine rails and a diamond tail, funny how fashions do 360's, retro idea's CAN be incorperated into a modern style board.My mate has a Neil Luke "Freak" and can't stop telling me how much he loves it

stevea · Post by **stevea** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:32 pm

I was keen to chime in on this thread but i never surfed a slab ,thats a half lie i never surfed a true slab but approximations by shapers other than Chris Crozier or Paul Connors before i began shaping and designing my own
My home break was N N i determined to design my boards to maximise performance there with little or no regard for anywhere else consequently they went well in waves with power and didnt in dribble im talking 70s
In hindsight for the single fin era the slab was the perfect allround board it busted down the door for every aspiring kneeboard surfer it performed in anything and everything the biggest attribute was performance could be easily tuned by changing the fin and of course with P C as the pilot anything was possible
After P C won the first Duranbah contest which had the greatest diversity of board designs ive seen ,within 2 years id say over 90% of competitors rode slab designs say no more
Thanks guys for inspiring the flashbacks

szrbloke · Post by **szrbloke** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 3:59 pm

Never ridden a classic slab, or even a modern interpretation, but I would certainly like to give it a try! I geuss it may be a bit diferent to the aussie tri fins I have been on since 1986.....

scoop · Post by **scoop** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:42 am

Well here is your chance

Look under my earlier post

This one is more than just a slab ... has the bonus flex tail to make it even more dynamic

This one would orginate from Brookvale wouldnt you say Steve???

stevea · Post by **stevea** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:59 pm

hi scoop,
The Energy Factory was just that ,producing Clean and Natural and Earthrise kneeboards as well as boards for Nat ,Midget and of course Simon and the thruster as well as a couple of other guys
At that time S Z was probably the most meticulous glasser in Brookvale probably explains why the flex tail is in such good condition
He had connections with aUS surfer Rick Rasmussen who was at the time stand up and kneeboard champion
He surfed N N and was as slow and precise with surfing as he was in the glassing bay dont get me wrong this lack of urgency put him in the right spot more often than not
Simon shaped some kneeboards for Ken Horton and Flip Wilson both great kneeboard surfers
anyway theres a bit of dribble to nibble for anyone who cares

Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

Slab question

Slab question

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slab question

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the slab

the slab