The Kids Are Alright!
11/5
Sad but true, as much we may love surfing, there are some unfortunate elements associated with the sport that can make us cringe. Simply stated, I’m talking about the commercialization of the sport. A soulful activity which is shared between a tribe of wave riders in the rolling surf can become something “professional” with corporate sponsors who worry more about image than the essence and spirit of surfing. Then there are the “team” riders who parade around with surfboards that look like billboards. Oh and can I mention too, colored wetsuits? These bastardizing factors can make lay surfers hang their heads in shame.
Then all of a sudden you come across a video of Andrew Doheny crudely shaping a surfboard in his backyard, using unconventional methods and unusual tools, and it reaffirms all hope for the future. Yes, they may seem juvenile but I’ll chalk it up to age. In today’s world where there is such this search for a perfect board and perfect materials and more industry BS, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see something like this. Maybe more so because Andrew is a “professional” surfer. I know it’s a far cry from Ted Spencer’s shape and shred in the Innermost Limits of Pure Fun, however the spirit seems to live on. And in today’s “perfect world,” what else could be better than a crude lopsided board?
board carving from 3SLOBS! on Vimeo.
andrew has not seen this piece yet, but as his father i’d like to thank you for the nice words. a lot of different shapers have been incredibly generous with , time, material, tools, ect. nef from homegrown surfboards, an incredible craftsman by the way, who has a little shop in davenport, just north of santa cruz gave andrew some propper tools , templates and all sorts of good stuff. stretch, timmy patterson , lance collins, mark pesce and cordell have all answered a lot of questions. they’re stoked. he is on board # 22 or so and although i doubt that al and the boys at c. i. are losing any sleep over it but each board is a little better than the last and he does it for the right reasons, not for money but to stoke out his friends. pretty cool for a 17 year old.
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