Johnny Rice with a solid piece of redwood, just like the ones that were used to make boards back in the days of the Hot Curl surfboard and before.


measurements

"The Surfboard Shapers"

PART ONE: THE WOODEN YEARS

With 2 frames left in his camera's film roll, Clarence Maki is just about to get out of the water after taking surf photos at Canoes. Hey Clarence; howzit a distinct voice from shore asks. Looking up he see his good friend Duke Kahanamoku whom Clarence has sat along side many a time at the Honolulu City Council meetings. Oh, Hi Duke. Clarence he ask, " Its my birthday today, how about taking a picture of me".

Sure Duke says Clarence as he turned his board around and paddles back out to the lineup. Duke continues to the lineup while Clarence waits in the area where the Duke would be surfing by. Taking off on a wave like he had done many times before at Waikiki, the Duke surfs towards shore. Focusing in on the Duke, Clarence prepares for the window of opportunity and to capture the moment. In a blink of a camera's eye the Duke's legend surfs on. Confident of his one shot, Clarence tells Duke he will have the film developed in a few days. The Duke gives Clarence an appreciative Mahalo and a smile.

The Path of Wood Shavings and Foam Dust

Surfing can be traced back thousands of years and through those years the equipment for riding the wave have changed. Those crafts of wood and reeds provided the means for recreation until the development of the surfboard.

Hawaii is the home of the Surfboard as we know it today. There have been many ancient Hawaiian board builders in the past, but their names and faces will be forever unknown. Until the beginning of the 20th Century surfing remained dormant to the world.

Following the growth of progress, surfing took off to all parts of the globe and surfboard builders contributed to a lifestyle that has influenced generations. In stride with what has happened and where we are at today. A perspective of this history will be shown at the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum. First will be the board builders from the wooden era of the 20th Century. Then followed by the foam surfboard builders and the varies phases the surfboards went through and concluding with future trends.

Returning back to the early 1900’s Hawaii, there were a few board builders in the Waikiki area whose names are known only by their families. Then there were a couple of board builders whose names would become well known in surfing. Their destinies were shaped by surfing, as well as the many who would follow in their footsteps.

Along this path or branches that developed on a tree, There will be names not known for an era in a particular location. If by chance you do know a board builder of that era and location, you can contact the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum with the information. Otherwise it will be indicated as an era and location for reference.



The ancient surfboard builders of Hawaii were also canoe builders. Their knowledge on construction was passed on from one generation to the next until only a few craftsmen were left after 100 years since Captain Cook’s arrival. Those few who continued to make surfboards would have been located where the surf was.

The beach at Waikiki would become the location where writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, and later Jack London would try to learn the Sport of Kings. Through their experiences, surfing would make its way onto their pages and into the minds of their readers.






There were new sports being promoted at the turn of the Century and surfing was reintroduced among them. This is where we begin the path of the surfboard builders of our sport and recount those who had much to do with where we are today in surfing. The WOODEN SURFBOARD ERA entered the 20th Century weighing the same, pretty heavy. As the story goes, George Freeth's uncle had given him a 16 ft. Olo surfboard. It was so heavy he had a hard time carrying it to the water. He cut it in half and reshaped the nose of the board and contoured the rails to blended it with the outline. Having done so, the process was a building block towards confidence which would helped him in other endeavors.

George would go on to the mainland in 1907 and introduce surfing to the beach areas of Los Angeles. Places like Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Santa Monica. Influencing local beachgoers on the sport of surfing. Some like Lou Martin and Sid Wuilliams would take up the sport and build their own surfboards, making them like George’s since surf shop weren’t around then.

Duke Kahanamoku made his own surfboards after learning from the older surfer/board builders at Waikiki. Surfing and swimming were his passion and with it an opportunity to swim for gold in the 1912 Olympics. He would travel to Australia and introduce surfing and surfboard building there. Leaving his board to a young Claude West who would become one of Australia’s first board builders. Duke would influence many more board builders in the 1920's like Alan Wilcox in Hawaii and Tom Blake, Sam Reid, Fred Alkire, Bill Ehlers, Bud Higgins, and Gene Belshe in California.

Surfing was growing in California during the 1930's and the demand for surfboards was on the rise. There to supply the demand were builders like Preston “Pete” Peterson, Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison, Tule Clark, George Larson, Woody Brown



WOODY BROWN

Hev McClelland, Ray Acosta, Buddy Morrissey, Hammerhead Gravitch, Herb Oelke, Freman de Vincinte, James Drever and others.

Most would have day jobs and build boards during their spare time. Some would make it their livelyhood. Such was the lifestyle of being at the beach, surfing and enjoying the day with friends. Half way around the world in South Africa the same could be said of Fred Crocker building boards there. With fewer surfers the demand were less, but like all surfboard builders their stoke made it worth while.

Around this time places like the East Coast of the US, Australia and New Zealand had board builders but not much is known of them. Others who had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii would soon become aquainted with the sport of surfing. One such person was Carlos Dogny from Peru. He was so impressed with the sport that he tooks some boards back to Peru. Ever since then surfing has become very popular in Peru. There were some board builders in Peru during the 1940's who are unlisted. But going into the 1950's there were Fortunato Quesada Lagarrigue and Ramon Raguz building boards of wood in the Lima area of Peru.


Club Waikiki, Peru 1940's


Joe Quigg, Hawaii 1950's

Southern California with its defense technologies was on the leading edge in advance materials. While other parts of the surfing world will be years behind in materials and techniques since information and availibility of supplies were limited.

The development of fiberglass and resin in the 1940's made a significant difference in the weight of surfboards. Up to that point in time most of the surfboards were either hollow veneer or solid redwood and covered with laquer. Still very heavy and not very maneuverable on the waves.

With a new breed of surfboard builders riding the wave of technology, surfboards became lighter and more maneuverable. While some of the others were in the military during WW2 Simmons began his research using the new materials on surfboards. After the war was over, the shapers at the forefront of using the new materials were Bob Simmons, Joe Quigg, Matt Kevlin, Dave Rocklen, Dale Velzy and Hap Jacobs.

Joe Quigg had a tremendous impact on the development of surfboard designs. In 1946, seeking to have control and performance on a surfboard. He began researching the use of a deep fish like fin on his balsa shaped surfboard. After a few unsuccessful attempts at installing the fin, Joe succeeded in figuring out the process. He would pulled apart the fiberglass cloth and use the strands along the base of the fin, creating a fillet.

Then cover it, the fin and the base area of the fin with fiberglass cloth. The bottom turn opened the door to higher performance. Besides the control, Joe continued to make surfboards lighter. By 1949 his board were called potato chips, then finally Malibu chips or just chips.

Joe built his first wooden dory in 1936 at the age of eleven following a set of plans from Popular Mechanics. With this understanding of rocker, bottom contour and hydrodynamics he would go on and design and construct catamaran hulls, paddleboards and surfboards. Truly one of the great surfboard builders of our time, whose influence changed surfing.



Someone else who would have a major impact on surfing and a great shaper of our lifetime was Dale Velzy. Velzy more than anyone else influenced the next generation of surfboard builders. Having six surf shops when one was the norm and many of those who worked for him would go on and become major board builders of the 1960’s.

Years later in his home in San Clemente Dale would talk about his early days growing up in Hermosa Beach and his journey of being a surfboard shaper.

Living near the beach, it was only a matter of time before Velzy would be surfing and shaping back in the 1930's. Besides surfing Dale enjoyed horseback riding. Riding from Hermosa Beach along the coast to Palos Verdes and stopping at varies vegetable farms that his Japanese friend's family operated. Sometimes he would just go to the surf breaks like Haggerty's or the Cove to watch some of the surfers out in the water. Then ride back home along the empty beaches of Torrance Beach, the Avenues, Knob Hill, and Redondo Beach.

Dropping out of school in the 7th grade, Velvy would hang around the strand and got know the old time surfers. He would surf whenever there were waves. “I just started reshaping planks, reshaping them to where I could ride them; I was a little guy. Just started whacking them down, whacking them down to fit my size. The ones I didn’t like I sold to my buddies. No lights, you didn’t need any of that crap you just go for it”

Then the war came and he would join the Merchant Marines and made trips up to Alaska and Japan. After his Merchant Marine days, Velzy would begin his board building career in Hermosa Beach at his mother's garage. Then moved to Manhatten Beach.



Along side his board building Velzy would supplement his income with Life Guarding. Stationed from Manhatten Beach to hanging out at the Sapphire Lifeguard station with Bob Moore Sr. in Redondo Beach.

Then after his ordeal with the IRS and his divorce, Dale would spend 3 years in Arizona working for his cousin as a cowboy. Returning again to surfboard building in the later part of the 1960's he would open a shop in Costa Mesa. Where he would go over to George Lee’s Taxidermy and shoot bows and arrows and the breeze with George. Both were good archers. George mounted a Broadbill swordfish for Hap Jacobs whom Hap gave to Dale who gave it to his cousin in Arizona.

Another past time of Velzy's was Hot Rods which he enjoyed very much.
Dale Velzy and Mike Eaton



As the years went by Dale Velzy continued to make surfboards and left a legacy of kind heartedness and inspiration for future board builders.


Gordon "Gordie" Duane

In 1950 Gordie was in the Navy and was stationed in Hawaii. It was there that he took up surfing. Someone he knew had a 9’ 6” Quigg surfboard and he used it to learn on. Gordie got stoked on surfing and glued planks of old balsa with a redwood stringer together and used a draw knife to shape the entire board, the year was 1951.

Gordie learned how to shape from Abel Gomes on weekends during his stay in Hawaii. Returning to California in 1955 he started Gordie Surfboards in his parent’s garage in Lynwood. In 1956 Gordie moved his boardbuilding operation to the Huntington Beach Pier. He would stay there until 1959 and would move further north up Pacific Coast Highway.


Chris Hawk and Gordie / Bob "The Greek" Bolen and Gordie

Gordie's story by Steve Boehne


Steve Boehne of Infinity Surfboards