Origins

I began building custom surfboards in 1968 after doing surfboard repairs and selling Yater and Jacobs surfboards from my tiny shop in Woodland Hills, California.

My first boards were long boards that were influenced by the surfboards that I rode at the time: Yater spoons and the very parallel outlines that Mickey Dora rode at Malibu in the early and mid 1960's: Jacobs, Dave Sweets, Yater "Spoons" and Greg Noll "da' Cats".

Then came the short board revolution. I was particularly influenced by the designs of George Greenough after watching Nat Young surf Malibu on a Greenough inspired Keyo surfboard one day at Malibu "First Point".

I made some very crude versions of that concept but was enthused with this new approach to riding waves.

Over the next twenty years I built everything imaginable, following the design trends that developed from the Australian and Hawaiian short board output. Myself and a few friends concentrated on the designs that were the offspring of that first Greenough inspired Keyo.

We experimented with every aspect of the design, taking each to their extreme. Lengths down to 5'5", thickness to almost zero; replicating in stand up form the spoons that Greenough rode on his knees. We tried very round bottom shapes, very thin tapered rails, very wide noses plan shapes. We moved the wide point forward and back, from a foot or more ahead of center and then slowly back depending on the length of turn desired.

The results, depending on the individual was an array of outlines that were appropriate for each at the surf spots they most frequented and their physical style of surfing.

The extreme shapes designed for the down the line surfing in California point surf, particularly Malibu were not easy to ride because the rail turning style had to be conciously developed. The natural tendency is to pivot turn off of the back foot and these boards were full rail turning machines. Stand forward, lean over and push off both feet to drive them down the line. The results and feeling of that style of surfing, for us were very rewarding and unique.

So for those twenty years the boards which I choose to call "displacement hulls", short for "transitional volume displacement hulls", became refined, sophisticated and very efficient in the surf they were designed to ride best........the small point surf of California. In retrospect and now I use the phrase " modified displacement" hull because the convex part of the bottom are much less severe and more user friendly than many of the boards built during that era.

I moved to Hawaii in 1991 and had to adapt the California based designs to Hawaiian surf. I added length for better paddling, added some volume, narrowed the outlines and extended the nose rocker.

The results were a more versatile design that would ride a variety of surf, from knee high to several feet over head. The boards still retained the "modified hull" feeling; down the line trim speed, smoothness and added easier wave catching ability. They catch waves very easily relative to their length because of the volume, hull and overall design concept.

I added many of these changes to the boards I now build and send back to the mainland. They are not as extreme as the 70's and early 80's shapes . They are more "user friendly" and much easier to ride in my opinion, with the added volume, a bit more rocker for and aft and less extreme in bottom shape. They will still give you the same sensations with less effort. I will still make a "full on" foiled out bladed version if directly custom ordered.

I am still shaping and riding these designs today. I am offering several outlines in various lengths that should cover a large range of surf and satisfy those who want to experience the feeling of the "modified displacement hull" in the waves they ride.