spoons

[uriah]

stevea, no disrespect intended, but you are quitting before you have even started. Yes, GG was surfing incredible waves, but if I lived with the kind of surf you are describing, I would move. And I don't know who said it first, but what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve. It may take some longer than others unfortunately. The spoon is not for marginal surf, I know this. That's what planing hulls are for. Summer is coming up for us here as well. Luckily, Mex is our next door neighbor. Flexspoon and Flexman, the pictures are a HUGE help. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. And why would ANYONE put a board on the wall, except for storage before it's next go out. I know someone with a Curren gun, and it will NEVER feel saltwater on it's body. That's f&#$ed up. Too many boards out there in jail. I have and have had quite a few Fryes, and I have never hesitated to surf them leashless despite the break or let anyone I know do the same with them, nor does Skip. It's the same crew that has created this artificially inflated collectible market. The middle and lower classes will never (with a few exceptions) again be able to feel the glide of a well made vintage board. Sorry about the rant, but there is nothing that irks me more than these moguls who sold their souls in the prime of their life and now that they realize the mistake they made, are dishing out thousands for a board they rode in '66. Hell, might as well have a leash plug installed in that Carson so you won't go into v fib while you're swimming in...

[hart]

uriah..how is it?

you may not know, but stevea was the first professional kneeboard champion in OZ..1974.

and having said that, I would say the World (and stand to be corrected.. )

The O'neill Classic @ North Narrabeen. He beat Crawford in a countback.

$1000 bucks..and our dollar was about equal to the US back then!

cool

now I know that professionalism is not everything (by any stretch), but steve artis is talking it as he saw it.

as Australians, we looked in awe upon the early US kneeboarders..but as Australians, we looked at how to adapt our equipment to our conditions and make it work to our advantage.

artis also shaped (solid) boards for an OZ iconic label called Hot Buttered.

I know there was no disrespect intended and am sure, that none was perceived.

hart

ps

how bloody unreal are the pics from flexspoon?

keep on dancin' Maria!



ha

pps

I love Sydney 2 much to leave her..even tho' her waves are unlike Broken Head (where GG now lives)..coz I can always jump on my bloody bike if I have to (and peddle a long f@#*en way)..

[uriah]

Pics are unreal. And again, no disrespect intended. Quite a resume. But why the glum outlook for spoonish equipment? He makes it sound as if it's pointless to pursue. And it probably would be for a beginner, but just because I recently started kneeboarding doesn't mean I just got my feet wet yesterday. My kneeriding is just an extension of what I have dedicated my entire life to, with the exception of my wife and son. I found that there was a limit to how fast conventional equipment could go, even when shaped by the best, and that is what drove me to kneeboarding and the spoon specifically. I want to go as fast as is humanly possible. And fortunately I have got some pretty good racetracks close by, with less interference than you would think. So the spoon is logically the next step.

[hart]

nuh

he's not making it sound pointless..

more saying that it isn't for him

and that helps make up your mind as to whether it is for you?

all good

hart

ps

artis is relocating from the Central Coast NSW to Bali..he may not read these posts for a while..

[uriah]

now that's a good relocation. If I could find a reliable job in a good destination like that, I'd leave tommorow.

[hart]

brother

you and me both



h.

[Flexman]

.

[red]

Great stuff!

Keep the alternative approach going, guys. Kneeboarding has always been about doing your own thing far more than stand up or other sports. Eventually some of the "wierd" developments filter into the 'mainstream', because they work so well. Of course, the fringes are then forced to disown them and continue to explore new frontiers.

from one of the boringest most conventional kneeboarders in the world (but driven by the zen of a single perfect turn)

[markgnome]

e2u

[Man O' War]

I'm making a spoon too and am near the end. It's been about 30 years since the last one, and the excellent suggestions of Flexman have made this one possible. It's good to see others investigating and keeping the interest alive, like Mark in SD (above) and his fearless shaper/friend George. It's worth checking out their approach. I understand there's also a spoon website coming.

Anyway, the amount of glassing and sanding and guesswork that goes into one of these boards is something I'm sure few people on the planet can appreciate or would want to. My hat's off to Paul Gross, for instance, who made about five of these a few years ago. My own experience with this one (5'6" X 24") has caused me to reflect. Maybe some of you will know what I'm talking about:

YOU KNOW YOU'RE MAKING A SPOON WHEN…

...your hands sparkle.

...feeling euphoric suicidal euphoric suicidal is normal.

...you will not go to “The Aviator” because of the part about the Spruce Goose.

...you start getting withdrawals at 10:00 a.m.

...street lights have a halo.

…you start expecting half-smiles and furtive glances.

…you spend money you don’t have on tools you will never use again—never.


The list could go on. Such is the love-hate relationship with a spoon, and that's before it's in the water. Blame Greenough. He was really on to something, and many of us have been chasing that feeling ever since.

Peace and success to all who are checking out this option, and my admiration to all who have the wisdom not to.

[Scott]

Pretty funny post, Man O'War--I think your west-coast brother here is feeling mighty proud of all the time and pain you've put into resurrecting the legendary spoon into your life. It must indeed be worth the destruction of a few thousand brain cells from all those coats of resin!

I'm thinkin' maybe our master plan of getting it out to the North Shore to test in some long Laniakea walls might be a good idea, after all.

[hart]

SW

I thought the post was 2 cool.

..and I took the most reflection in the last 10 words



I adore flex and what it has taught us..yet am almost afraid to venture there myself

I will continue to walk my own talk..

and ever be open to listen (and look) to others.

regards as always, from OZ

hart

off topic..just where are those North Shore pics?

can't hold my breath any longer

[surfhorn]

I've been threatening to shape a spoon for myself for more years than I can count. Now that the kids are in college and I'm working less/more normal hours, maybe - just maybe...........

[flexspoon]

Replying to markgnome above...

No that board is not worn out and that is not the kind of flex you should be going for. I got that board from Paul Gross around 1982. It was built for someone who only weighed around 135 lbs.(GG?) and was designed to flex, twist and contort in a multi-faceted way. The board is ALIVE!

If you search the archives at Swaylocks you can find where Paul explains the thinking behind this type of board. As I understand it it was Greenough's last evolutionary step before he "progressed" to riding mats(Flexman?). Mats are even more alive than this spoon and constantly adjust and mold themselves to the wave.

Riding flexspoons is about FEELING. I've personally never ridden a foam kneeboard. When you ride a flexspoon with only 1/8" of flexible fiberglass between you and the water you feel things. When you bend the board in a turn you feel it flex and straighten.

When you ride that board as soon as you take off and jump to your knees you can feel the bottom POP into a concave. You can feel ripples and the water texture as you move over it. The board slithers and snakes along, constantly adjusting and forming itself to the the resistance of the water. It is alive like a dolphin. It flies with almost no input from the rider.

On the other hand with so much flex in the tail it does not really drive out of turns. Instead of banking over and really carving a hard turn you ride it in a much more subtle way, Wherever you point it it finds the power and goes really fast.

I think I'll go outside and take some more pics and post them later.

One more note - I am making a website for flexspoons. Not ready for public consumption but getting close. So if anyone has pictures of spoons(very rare) or wants to contribute articles, experiences, construction experiences and techniques or anything else PM me. Instead of each person doing it all on their own I think we can move things forward by sharing.


More to come....

[Man O' War]

To Scott: The rules changed. No way am I letting the board out of my sight. Send roundtrip airfare.

Hart: Check this out, if you haven't already. Maybe it will whet your appetite. You of all people have the gifts to do something special.

http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.c ... last;#last

Surfhorn: Doubtless you know you have a great resource right there in Jon, who could make a spoon with his eyes closed. In fact, one of his 12" wooden replicas is among my most treasured possessions.