The New Originals program is a series of boards inspired by some of my old original boards that have made a small impact in the evolution of the modern surfboard.
First up is a 7’6 19 ½ 2 7/8 rounded pin single fin I surfed on the North Shore in the 1977 Pipe Masters final. This board was made locally that year after I broke my other 7’6 in the lead up to the finals.
I approached Jack Shipley, the owner of Lightning Bolt surfboards, and asked him to sponsor the manufacture of the board and in return I would surf it at the Pipe Masters. He agreed, I shaped it in a bay out the back of Rocky Point and had it glassed by the legendary Jack Reeves in his glassing bay at the back of Sunset.
It was tough doing the full shape in an unfamiliar bay and using a skill planer for the first time, but it was also good to shape it from a blank in Hawaii with good basic rocker throughout.
The board has the double bolt logo which was a team logo at the time, hand done on the filler coat. I paid Jack back by making the finals and placing 4th, a great result for my first Pipe contest. The 7’6 double bolt board felt solid off the bottom and pretty good on the face.
This board was available in a 1 thru 25 Limited Edition program, now completed. Boards were 7’6 19 ½ 2 7/8 rounded pin with gloss coat, fin box and single fin. Contact us for a custom order.
The 2nd board is the Bells 81 Thruster finals board 6’1 20 ¼ 2 ¾ double flyer rounded square.
This board was the small wave board of my 3 board quiver for Bells 1981. The finals were held in 1 to 2 foot Rincon and I was surfing against Cheyne Horan winning a split decision to take the Bell.
The Bells finals board is available in 3 sizes with the original 6’1 as above plus 5’11 19 ¾ 2 ½ and 5’9 19 2 3/8.
The New Originals program is not a replica series but a range of boards shaped by me in an attempt to recreate the feel and look of the era. I have added very slight improvements in rocker, plan shape and rail so these boards can be surfed if you want or displayed.