Standup/Kneeboard: All Around Board
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Beeline2.0
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Standup/Kneeboard: All Around Board
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Last edited by Beeline2.0 on Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bud
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Intersting that it's taken over 30 years for this type of design to just barley start to catch on across the equator.
I was pleasently surprised to see an Aussie kneelo post his version of this design and his latest built by David Parkes, on this website.
http://www.ksusa.org./Forum/album_showp ... ic_id=1476
Nothing new or innovative here (wide swallow tail multi-fin, single concave) but a very tried and truly versitile design enjoyed for over 30 years in America.
We can thank Steve Lis for bringing us the first good ones.
So good were these first ones that a crew of Kneeboarders took over a ruled (for quite a while) the infomous Big Rock with them. So versitile were these boards that a few of those orriginal Big Rock guys proved the design at Sunset Laniakea and Pipeline......Rex Huffman in particular at HUGE Pipe on a 5'6" X 20" with a very deep concave and 2 extra large keel fins.
This versitility can't be said for the slab design.
Mind you not all of the ones I rode, built and saw, starting around 1968, were good ones.
There's some subtle things needed in the shape to make them work.
There are a lot of these types of boards being built around here for stand up surfing the weaker small swells. Not all of them are working well.
I see the same mistakes being made to them as was done 30 years ago.
The good ones brought me the highlights of my surfing life and made me the the surfer I am today.
A couple of years ago I made my new slant on this old design the Fish Hybrid 2K.
Truly one of the best boards of my life. I can't ride it enough.
Speed + maneuverability = FUN
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I was pleasently surprised to see an Aussie kneelo post his version of this design and his latest built by David Parkes, on this website.
http://www.ksusa.org./Forum/album_showp ... ic_id=1476
Nothing new or innovative here (wide swallow tail multi-fin, single concave) but a very tried and truly versitile design enjoyed for over 30 years in America.
We can thank Steve Lis for bringing us the first good ones.
So good were these first ones that a crew of Kneeboarders took over a ruled (for quite a while) the infomous Big Rock with them. So versitile were these boards that a few of those orriginal Big Rock guys proved the design at Sunset Laniakea and Pipeline......Rex Huffman in particular at HUGE Pipe on a 5'6" X 20" with a very deep concave and 2 extra large keel fins.
This versitility can't be said for the slab design.
Mind you not all of the ones I rode, built and saw, starting around 1968, were good ones.
There's some subtle things needed in the shape to make them work.
There are a lot of these types of boards being built around here for stand up surfing the weaker small swells. Not all of them are working well.
I see the same mistakes being made to them as was done 30 years ago.
The good ones brought me the highlights of my surfing life and made me the the surfer I am today.
A couple of years ago I made my new slant on this old design the Fish Hybrid 2K.
Truly one of the best boards of my life. I can't ride it enough.
Speed + maneuverability = FUN
[/url]
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Bud
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Well it's been a very long time sice I examined the board.
25 years?
I went to watch Pipeline one afternoon in 78 with my mate John Van Ornum. He went surfing....I watched. It was huge nonstop second reef Pipe with regular 3rd reef sets. Way out of my league for sure. John and Rex Huffman were the only guys out. Conditions were good but a bit rugged (to say the least) with semi strong trade winds.
Both men put on quite a show of bravado and incredible skill.
Rex got this one psycho wave that looked like it would wash out the place from third reef. It backed off a bit at Second Reef and Rex just barely scratched on to it before it jacked and heaved itself inside out. HUGE GAPING!!! As he got to his knees he got spanked by the soup which ejected him like a watermelon seed pinched between the fingers. He flew out of the foam ball over the ledge drove to the bottom and carved a long fast full rail turn into the pit. Then he pulled up and went missing as he back doored the inside bowl section. You could have put train in the thing.
I didn't see him come out until he passed the life guard tower at Ehukai.
This was about 150 yards from where he entered the beast. He was visible for an instant then dissapeared again heading to Pupukea at the far North of the beach before Gas Chambers.
I saw him come in down there and hiked down to check him out.
I told him, "WOW" that was a F#&*ing insane wave!"
I forget what he said....he was kinda out of breath.
He tried to go back out but was too exhausted to do it.
Hell....he'd had half a dozen incredible barrels already.
He let me check out his board. It was a modified Lis Fish.
Extra deep concave.......1/4" + ??? with a 1/2" of fin rope added to the front top and back of the fins.
What compromises to the boards design?
Who knows?
Looked like it worked for him.
To this day I've never seen anyone get a bigger meaner deeper longer barrel at Pipe on any kind of board.
For sure there have been a few like it but not very many.
I bet it was the wave of his life.
Truly one of the brightest moments in Kneeboard history.
You will never know how incredible this feat of surfing is until you personally witness Pipeline going off on a day like that.
Bud
25 years?
I went to watch Pipeline one afternoon in 78 with my mate John Van Ornum. He went surfing....I watched. It was huge nonstop second reef Pipe with regular 3rd reef sets. Way out of my league for sure. John and Rex Huffman were the only guys out. Conditions were good but a bit rugged (to say the least) with semi strong trade winds.
Both men put on quite a show of bravado and incredible skill.
Rex got this one psycho wave that looked like it would wash out the place from third reef. It backed off a bit at Second Reef and Rex just barely scratched on to it before it jacked and heaved itself inside out. HUGE GAPING!!! As he got to his knees he got spanked by the soup which ejected him like a watermelon seed pinched between the fingers. He flew out of the foam ball over the ledge drove to the bottom and carved a long fast full rail turn into the pit. Then he pulled up and went missing as he back doored the inside bowl section. You could have put train in the thing.
I didn't see him come out until he passed the life guard tower at Ehukai.
This was about 150 yards from where he entered the beast. He was visible for an instant then dissapeared again heading to Pupukea at the far North of the beach before Gas Chambers.
I saw him come in down there and hiked down to check him out.
I told him, "WOW" that was a F#&*ing insane wave!"
I forget what he said....he was kinda out of breath.
He tried to go back out but was too exhausted to do it.
Hell....he'd had half a dozen incredible barrels already.
He let me check out his board. It was a modified Lis Fish.
Extra deep concave.......1/4" + ??? with a 1/2" of fin rope added to the front top and back of the fins.
What compromises to the boards design?
Who knows?
Looked like it worked for him.
To this day I've never seen anyone get a bigger meaner deeper longer barrel at Pipe on any kind of board.
For sure there have been a few like it but not very many.
I bet it was the wave of his life.
Truly one of the brightest moments in Kneeboard history.
You will never know how incredible this feat of surfing is until you personally witness Pipeline going off on a day like that.
Bud
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surfhorn
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I always had a Fish in my quiver as my backup board; if it wasn't juicy enough for my single/tri fins, the fish would cover it. Freeline has always made killer Fishes from the beginning. I've ridden them in 1 foot mush to 15'+ hurrincane surf at the tip of Baja.
While I didn't ride a Fish in NorCal, I did switch over to a Fish during the time I spent living in Santa Monica (1979-84) when my little 5'2" tris and then thrusters didn't plane well enough in slower surf. Also, the KBs in those days were fairly narrow ...19" - 20 1/2" at the widest and narrow tails that would sink if you got out too far out on the shoulder. Mostly just barrel riding boards for juicy conditions.
It is a versital shape. Back in 1972 I was the kneeboard team rider for a company called Full Force Surfboards. Other team riders were David Nuuhiwa, Greg Lohr and Mike 'Army" Armstrong. David came out with some killer standup Fishes which were really fun to ride but had turned down nose rails that did not transfer to KBing.
Their KBs sucked though.....another perfect example of standup shapers trying to apply standup board traits directly to a KB. I went immediately back to riding for Freeline.
We should get John Mel to spill his history as it relates to KB design. He has the killer stories to tell of the beginning of KBs. I've been meaning to interview him but the swell keeps coming up!
While I didn't ride a Fish in NorCal, I did switch over to a Fish during the time I spent living in Santa Monica (1979-84) when my little 5'2" tris and then thrusters didn't plane well enough in slower surf. Also, the KBs in those days were fairly narrow ...19" - 20 1/2" at the widest and narrow tails that would sink if you got out too far out on the shoulder. Mostly just barrel riding boards for juicy conditions.
It is a versital shape. Back in 1972 I was the kneeboard team rider for a company called Full Force Surfboards. Other team riders were David Nuuhiwa, Greg Lohr and Mike 'Army" Armstrong. David came out with some killer standup Fishes which were really fun to ride but had turned down nose rails that did not transfer to KBing.
Their KBs sucked though.....another perfect example of standup shapers trying to apply standup board traits directly to a KB. I went immediately back to riding for Freeline.
We should get John Mel to spill his history as it relates to KB design. He has the killer stories to tell of the beginning of KBs. I've been meaning to interview him but the swell keeps coming up!
kbing since plywood days
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W.G. Facenda
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I lived in san diego in 75' and went to mesa college when rex did. The new zealand swell of sept 75' was perfect indo comes to san diego with 74 degree water and santa ana winds with 2 extra large NZ swells back to back. Big rock was HUGE and perfect at the higher tides then at low tides the surf at blacks was all time- still said to be the best ever! Rex huffman was totally fearless taking off and freefalling on everywave and going crazy fast completely different speeds than everyone else. I could go on and on but it's still the best kneeriding I have ever seen by far .The controlled freefalls were followed by full rail bottom turns resulting in like I said bizarre speed. I have heard he has been doing the same stuff at Tavarua for the last 20+ yrs.
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DarcyM
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old times
somewhat off topic ..
man, I wanna go quick, I don't ever want to fade away ...
dm
Mike Armstrong was one of our local heros in Laguna Beach when I was growing up and hadn't even started surfing yet. I never really knew him, but remember watching him out at Brooks St. on some of the gnarliest waves I'd ever seen (at that point). He was already getting a name for himself at Pipeline, pictures in the mag and on TV. Then he just faded away, maybe moved up to Oregon or something like that?Back in 1972 I was the kneeboard team rider for a company called Full Force Surfboards. Other team riders were David Nuuhiwa, Greg Lohr and Mike 'Army" Armstrong.
man, I wanna go quick, I don't ever want to fade away ...
dm
dm
"Push the button, Max!"
"Push the button, Max!"
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Smokin Rock
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waves were slow on my end of the island this weekend and since there was a new south i headed to that end of the island for a few.
sunday afternoon as i was getting ready to go out a guy noticed my board and we started talking. he said he had a Blast board too. he looked my board over and then i went out. the next morning early i see him as i'm getting ready to go out and he has a Blast tri fin. we paddle out and he starts getting a lot of good waves and he's standing up. really carving and flying all over the place. i was kinda shocked that he was surfing so well on a kneeboard. he commented that he did'nt like the fins so far forward but other than that he really liked the board.
only in Puna i guess.
sunday afternoon as i was getting ready to go out a guy noticed my board and we started talking. he said he had a Blast board too. he looked my board over and then i went out. the next morning early i see him as i'm getting ready to go out and he has a Blast tri fin. we paddle out and he starts getting a lot of good waves and he's standing up. really carving and flying all over the place. i was kinda shocked that he was surfing so well on a kneeboard. he commented that he did'nt like the fins so far forward but other than that he really liked the board.
only in Puna i guess.
"This sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before." Butt-head
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Smokin Rock
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