fish ~~ brotherhood

European Fish Fry 2010 - ITALY

2011-07-27T10:53:00.000+01:00

Moon rising

Rich Pavel Shaping Clinic

The event

End of day swell

The Day After - Alessandro

Me giving a go on a Fluid Juice Big Fish

After losing my 4Gb memory card with all the photos of the fry, my friend Mick sent me this photos to share... It was a great event/trip!

Not a fish!

2011-07-07T19:25:00.002+01:00

but equal amount of fun...

early morning R&D

2011-07-04T12:11:00.001+01:00

2011-06-07T11:09:00.001+01:00

fish~~bros peixe de asas duplas 4

2011-06-03T11:13:00.001+01:00

Shaping your own surfboards it's cool!!

2011-04-09T12:28:00.007+01:00

new things to come!

2011-03-25T18:04:00.005Z

Hit the road!

2010-07-14T17:07:00.005+01:00

flying high

2010-06-21T16:46:00.001+01:00

tyler warren - http://surf-knot.blogspot.com

Fish Colors

2010-06-18T23:21:00.007+01:00

Ryan Lovelace - Shapping trip to Europe

2010-06-02T08:59:00.006+01:00

Ryan Lovelace, the person behind the Pointconcept project will do a shapping trip to Portugal in June. If you´re interested in Ryan´s work please get in contact to the following emails with any questions:

magicquiver@gmail.com or Ryan@pointconceptsurf.com

Related Links:
http://www.pointconceptsurf.com/
http://pcprogress.blogspot.com/

Mr. Bonzer in Europe

2010-04-15T16:01:00.005+01:00

Malcolm Campbell´s original bonzer sleds in PT via Manila's candy Factory...in MAY 2010

Malcolm will be hand shaping a limited run during at MSD ( Manila Surfboards Design) factory in Portugal. After a very successful first shaping trip last year we decide to team up again and offer the opportunity of having a custom bonzer shaped to yours specifications.

In 1970 Malcolm and his brother Duncan defined the arctype of the modern surfboard with first fin set up with 2 side fins ahead of the center fin( the thruster concept is credited to Simon Anderson in 1980). Malcolm has behind him a long journey that fine tuned and diversified the bonzer concept/shape over the last 4 decades, check www.bonzer5.com for more info on the history and what design fits your surfing .

Boards will be glassed at my factory MSD surfboards.
Custom colours, resin tints and gloss polish will be available

To order contact:

Portugal and Spain: contact Manila Surfboard Design at manilasb@hotmail.com
France: contact UWL Surfboards at contact@uwl-workshop.com

Mollusk Series: Skip School

2010-03-18T14:26:00.003Z

I've run into this very interesting interview with Skip

Check more interesting videos at Mollusk Surf Shop Website:

http://www.mollusksurfshop.com/video/

here we go again

2010-02-21T11:16:00.004Z

thealleyfishfry.blogspot.com

www.singlefin.it/fishfry

HB Fish Fry 09 by Jeremy Asher Lynch

2010-02-10T10:54:00.002Z

Jeremy made this footage at the Huntington Beach 09 fish Fry. This can be a preview for the 2010 event, so please be aware for the next happening.

Mandala for sale

2010-02-04T11:19:00.005Z

Times are hard and I am stretching the belt. I have to sell this surfborad in mint shape for €580. it's a 6' round pin quad shaped by my friend Manuel Caro.

The surfboard is located in Lisbon. Please don't hesitate in contact us if you have any questions.

Best regards
Nuno

Swallow tails

2009-11-25T12:37:00.001Z

Josh Hall is Crossing the Pond!

2009-10-06T16:17:00.004+01:00

photo courtesy of shipworm and gribble

Interested parties please contact:

United Kingdom: Tim Mason, Perfect Trip Surfboards - tim@perfecttrim.co.uk
France: Phillipe Rodes, Spyder Surf - philrodes@aol.com
Portugal: Rui Ribeiro, Magic Quiver - magicquiver@gmail.con
Italy: Alessandro Marchi, Black Van - alessandro_sandy@hotmail.com

2 surfboards I liked

2009-10-02T13:02:00.004+01:00

Shape by Ryan Lovelace of Point Concept

http://pcprogress.blogspot.com/

Shape by Brian Hilbers of Fineline

http://rephullmen.blogspot.com/

Ireland Fish Fry

2009-09-22T11:12:00.005+01:00

Steve Pendarvis

2009-09-15T20:55:00.001+01:00

Hey guys, we have received an email from Steve and Cher Pendarvis they have a web site up and running for Steve's boards and our other arts, with a blog intergrated. Please do take a look to Steve's work

www.pendo.com

Cowaflexit!

aesthetic moment

2009-09-01T21:57:00.001+01:00

photo kidnaped at www.twinfintravels.blogspot.com originally originally uploaded by m_hagen

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

2009-08-29T18:58:00.006+01:00

2009-08-06T03:01:00.002+01:00

"A look into surfing through different prespectivs, the prespectives of those possedsed by the art of riding alternative boards"

Duncan at Impossibles

2009-07-21T03:30:00.005+01:00

Duncan, 49 y.o. from New Zealand sent us a shot firing down the line at Impossibles out on the Bukit in Bali last week.

"Had the thing wound up about as fast as it would go on my backhand during a session of 4-5ft perfection.

We got really consistent swell for three weeks. Pretty solid all the time so hardly had to surf the beach in town - just headed out to the reefs every day"

He is surfing on a 6'6"x21"x3" fish shaped by Peter Anderson. He worked with the shaper to modified the new board, bringing it in an inch, reducing the tail with the two wings and going to an EPS blank.

His board also have included a fifth fin option, so that it can be rided has a tri-fin with a smaller trailer fin. As per Duncan comments the board feels better under the feet and goes better in bigger waves.

mystery purple psychedelic

2009-07-15T19:45:00.004+01:00

The good thing about this blog is that. We have the chance to know very nice people and exchange a few stoke emails with some of the followers.

Mitch had mentioned at some point that he grew up in Australia in relatively isolated Tasmania, started surfing at 12 in empty lineups on a mystery purple psychedelic reverse swallow twin with green glass fins and a diving wetsuit.

I have asked him to o dig up that photo and where he is in Tasmania circa 1983, 12 years old with his first fish surfboard. He have no clue about who made this purple board...please let us know if you suspect of anyone.

Fish is not dead!

2009-07-14T14:57:00.002+01:00

photos courtesy of Manuel Caro

Fishing from around the World

2009-07-13T21:46:00.004+01:00

photo Chris Cutris

photo Thomas Campbell

photo courtesy of Grant Newby

photo courtesy of Eli Mirandon

photo courtesy of shakas and single fins

related links:
http://www.thealleyfishfry.blogspot.com
http://shakasandsinglefins.blogspot.com
http://www.surfysurfy.net

One year ago!

2009-06-08T11:19:00.001+01:00

From left to right: Nuno, DJ, Mick, Me, Paul, John, Phill, Nick, Tricia, Jimmy, on the night before de European Fish Fry in Portugal.
Looking forward to see you all this year in Ireland.

Fish brotherhood via Japan

2009-05-25T13:33:00.005+01:00

Ryouta proudly standing in front of his twin fin shaped by one of the legend shaper in san diego, Bill Caster in the 80's. He got this board for $50 in a flea market when he was in Hawaii.

Someone said that Caster always used red opaque tints on his own surfboards. Maybe, this red fish is one of Caster's personal boards.

Essential work tools

2009-05-11T11:41:00.002+01:00

European Fish Fry 2009

2009-04-29T14:51:00.011+01:00

Latitude: 52° 55' 14" N (52.921)
Longitude: 9° 25' 26" W (-9.424)

eyes pleasing surfboard webpages

2009-04-21T21:13:00.019+01:00

Taste is very subjective, and opinions differ about what "aesthetically pleasing" looks like. I take the risk to select a few surfboards web pages that are pleasing to our eyes.

As selection criteria we considered the aesthetic aspects as the graphic composition, photography quality, simplicity and philosophy.

By all above the Sea Surfboards is the first selection. It has a perfect blend off surf , shapping and art.

photos courtesy of sea surfboards

“I’m a great believer in do it yourself, which came out of the punk era. Have an art show in your bedroom if you want to, just draw some pictures and stick them up and invite some people; that’s an art show!..."

Dain Thomas in interview for New York Surf by Michael Machemer

related links:
http://www.seasurfboards.com/
http://www.newyorksurf.com/features/nysintv/dainthomas/main.html
http://www.empireave.com/?p=1803
http://www.fishbrotherhood.net/2008/08/all-round-ripper.html

Fish bros t-shirt

2009-04-18T14:40:00.005+01:00

We made this special edition t-shirt for Fish Brotherhood. It features a wave hand drawing screenprinted on 100% Fine Jersey cotton short sleeve t-shirt.

You can get one HERE, thanks!

4 finned wingless fish rocket, Less is More

2009-04-15T17:03:00.015+01:00

Another marine non-motor vehicle from our rocket scientist friend . Same as the double-wing quad fish. Instead breaking the tail width with 2 pairs of wings. It has a cleaner continuous line.

photos courtesy of Manuel Caro

the other fishbro in NY

2009-04-09T22:58:00.010+01:00

Last photo courtesy of Mike

Sunday 29th March - AB3

2009-03-27T14:50:00.001Z

http://www.anythingbut3.com/

We hope you understand Japanese

2009-03-26T19:29:00.005Z

Just kidding, Japanese fish fry info in English. It's gonna be a big event, and we hope you can make it!

Next Sunday - The Alley Fish Fry

2009-03-06T12:08:00.003Z

This is Currumbin Alley looking north to Surfers Paradise with Burleigh Heads on the left.
The Alley Fish Fry is happening in two days... time goes fast... unfortunally the bros wont make it this year. If you're nearby, drop in, surely it's going to be a great day.
Photo by Grant Newby

Big Weekend in South West Portugal

2009-03-04T14:37:00.004Z

Packing List:

- bars of wax
- couple leashes
- fins + spare fins + test fins + more fins
- DK SwordFish Quad 5'10"
- DK 5-Fin Bonzer 6'5"
- CC Twin Keel Fish 5'8"
- CC Slider 9'4"

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

We're back on the agenda!

2009-02-27T15:18:00.008Z

One Year has past, new year has come. This is the time for alternative surfboards lovers contribute to contradict world economics chaos and world de-globalization process.

Times tell us to get local, but as far as Fish are concern, we don't give a dam. It's time to get together to celebrate the fish design and review friends from our global village.

Southern Hemisphere, Oceania:
Meet at Alley, Gold Coast, Australia - Sunday 8 of March, 2009
Northern Hemisphere, America:
Meet at North Harbor, Oceanside-North, California - Sunday 29 of March, 2009
Northern Hemisphere Asia:
Meet at Shizunami Beach, Shizuoka, - Japan Saturday 6 of July 2009

Northern Hemisphere Europe:
Still cooking... stay tuned

Best Regards to all!

Mirandon Porpoise

2009-02-06T15:35:00.007Z

Mirandon Porpoise, design by Nick Mirandon and test riden by Eli Mirandon.
http://elisurfing.blogspot.com/

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T16:39:00.004Z

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2008-12-22T04:02:00.005Z

Don't forget to put your shoes under the christmas tree and have a A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The artsy xmas shoes belong to our buddy Marco

On any given sunday...

2008-11-13T15:16:00.003Z

...you can score somewhere in Portugal.

Secret tail template, can you see it?

2008-11-07T16:16:00.004Z

Words from Erik aka EHO

"I hope all is well for you guys.

Things have been going good out here in San Diego. There's been a few good waves so far this Autumn and lots of nice weather. We're even soon to have a president we can be proud of!

Attached is a picture of my dog Lucy. I've always loved the incredible fish-like widow's peak she has on the back of her neck. It's amazing the proper curves you can find in nature. Hers is just like the crack on a fish. She was sniffing around one of my old fish boards a few days ago so I couldn't resist snapping a couple pictures. As the Fish Brotherhood, I thought you might get a kick out of this too.

All the best,"

Few words from Australia

2008-10-21T03:31:00.009+01:00

Grant Newby fish bros friend since minute one sent us photos of his latest Big Fish. A Quadzilla 10ft x 24" x 3.25" with Dick Van Straalen Quad fins.

If this board goes good he will be making a hollow wooden version as his next project. Wooden frame skinned in Paulownia.

We're looking forward to post the result on our blog. He's also cooking up the next Alley Fish fry, stay tuned!! We might go down there to visit him...

Mermaids and Lobsters in the North hemisphere Autumn

2008-10-19T22:50:00.004+01:00

New surfboard for Lulu!

2008-09-25T19:17:00.011+01:00

Fish bros friend Rick sent us a few photos of Lulu and her brand new surfboard custom shaped by *Rich Pavel... oh yes!

Congratulations Lulu that's a very good looking board! I'll be waiting for some action photos.

Here is a vid of Lulu surfing Salt Creek with her dad. Hope you enjoy!

Tom went fishing...

2008-09-11T17:50:00.003+01:00

1st anniversary

2008-08-29T03:41:00.009+01:00

Our blog made it's 1st anniversary. Totally stoked on the 50.000 people from 90 different countries and from 3047 different cities that visited us.

Leave a comment and then go surf. Thanks for visiting !!

ps:.Big Mahalo for that surfer in Chile and Sweden that keep visiting our blog.

The Santos Surf Festival, press release

2008-08-28T16:00:00.006+01:00

Jair Bortoleto sent us the press release for the art show in Santos, Brasil. Oh man! I which I could put something like this together in Portugal. Maybe one day... Congrats!

II Santos SurfArt as part of the V Santos Surf Festival.

20th to 26th January, 2009 on the Emissário Submarino in the city of Santos, São Paulo.

Santos have a special place in every surfers heart from Brasil.

In 1937, four pioneers started what became one of the biggest passions in Brasil. The Surf.

The Santos Surf Festival is a celebration about surf and all the culture that surrounds every surfers mind.

In this year we will have the second annual Santos SurfArt on the brand new and first public Surf Museum in Brasil, with the best of surf art from around the world. Also a special taste from skateboard art scene.

Surf Artists are Mark Sutherland (AUS), Nat Russell (USA), Albe Falzon (AUS), Ryan Tatar (USA), Yusuke Hanai (JAP), Nick Lavecchia (USA), Beto Paes Leme (BRA), Xanadu (BRA/USA), Steve Sherman (USA), Patrick Trefz (USA), Danielle Rubi (USA), Andrew Kidman (AUS), Theo Hetherington (USA), Jesse LeDouxville (USA), Jair Bortoleto (BRA), Mick Waters (AUS), Jamie Brisick (USA), Tyler Warren (USA), Marcelus Viana (BRA), Wyland (USA), Art Brewer (USA), Jamie Watson (USA), Edward Fladung (USA), Rick Albano (USA), Ciro Bicudo (BRA), Mai-Britt Wolthers (DEN/BRA) and more.

Skateboard Photographers Grant Brittain (USA) and Fabio Bitão (BRA).

Also we will have a Surf Film Festival with daily screenings of the best in surf and skate movies.

Surf Movies, Musica Surfica (AUS), One California Day (USA), Believe (AUS), Carving (USA),

Seaworthy (AUS), Glass Love (AUS), Litmus (AUS) and more

The whole idea of the Santos SurfArt is to show surf and skate art to all kinds of people.

It will be free admission and we will give away some goodies from The Skateboard Mag, Drift Magazine, Weird Clothing and more...

related links:
http://www.santossurfart.blogspot.com/
http://purenessintheimperfection.blogspot.com/

Clay Fins, surfer's art

2008-08-22T15:22:00.007+01:00

Ceramic fins made by a surfer ceramic artist located in San Diego area. Ted Gallup creates functional and non-functional ceramics primarily with hand building techniques.

He got inspired by the work of the fin makers Marlin Bacon and John Cherry and decided to give it a go in is own medium. I would like to get one to beautify my octogenarian walls.

#5, Stoneware clay with glaze and cobalt carbonate stencil, approximately four inches in height.

D Fin, stoneware clay with glaze and wax relief stencil, approximately six inches in height.

Thruster Fin, stoneware clay with colored slip and oxide stain, approximately seven inches in height.

HA Fin, Stoneware clay with glaze and cobalt carbonate stencil, approximately four inches in height.

Related links:
http://finshoot.blogspot.com
http://tedgallup.blogspot.com
http://6ftnperfect.blogspot.com

Tyler Warren's fins

2008-08-19T21:50:00.006+01:00

photo above by Tyler Warren

I've got stoked the first time I saw this fin template. They remind me of a whale's tail because it's organic lines . The fins were designed by Tyler and hand foiled by Daniel Partch.

Sea all round ripper

2008-08-13T15:58:00.022+01:00

I went across a this guy while cruising in the blogosphere, he surfs very well. As it says on Sea Surfboards web page Johnny Abegg is a Sea Surfer and all round ripper.

Sea surfboards it's a place where function and art are seamlessly combined in every sense and action... shapping, surfing, Photographies, art shows. Very interesting cultural atmosphere arround surf.

Sea excerpt from Little Black Wheels film...

All photos from Sea Surfboards, please visit their website http://www.seasurfboards.com

UPDATE: Dain Thomas interview by Michael Machemer at newyorksurf.com

Just came out of carpentry

2008-08-12T12:39:00.024+01:00

photos by Erin Kunkel from danny's blog

Serious craftsmanship

Danny hand-constructs is surfboards from sustainably harvested poplar, cork, and amapola, with a durable+reciclable EPS foam core laminated with less toxic epoxy resin. This designs are a step toward a "green" more durable surfboard .

He starts building a perimeter frame made out of layered poplar and cork engineered to control the desired amount of flex. The frame will avoid twisting providing a good feeling when fully committing the rail into turns.

After the frame is constructed, rockered and foiled an EPS core is insert within the structure for bottom and deck contours. To finish it receives an outside wood skin finished with a single 4-ounce s-glass fiberglass.

This custom shape it's a Pacheco 5'-8'' x 20.325" x 2.25" shaped by Danny Hess, photos by Nuno

In the end every board is one of it's kind, do to the unique organic wood grain patterns. That is kinda cool!

Danny Hess carving

2008-08-11T16:53:00.000+01:00

Pre-Loved Mandala to go...

2008-08-10T22:19:00.002+01:00

This beautiful Mandala was shaped by Manuel Caro in San Francisco. He drove the blank 500 miles down to Moonbase in San Marcos.

After the glassing it went back to San Francisco and crossed the American continent to New York City. Then flew with me over the Atlantic Ocean to Lisbon to finally arrive at my brother’s feet… 9000 miles away.

5'10" double-wing quad fish 20.25' x 2-3/8", polished resin tint.
The board is used mint condition one repair right side wing, detailed photos upon request.

490 Euros, includes any Lokbox new fin set of your choice. The surfboard is located at Lisbon.

This sled is fast and super maneuverable. Where is it going next?

Sliding-Liberia

2008-08-10T01:54:00.000+01:00

Next Saturday the 23rd Tom Shoes is supporting Woodshed films in their screening of Sliding Liberia. Please pass on the good word about it.

Serious wave riding vehicles Fleet

2008-07-31T15:54:00.024+01:00

The quiver shown belongs to our friend Mick "The Fin", click on photos for a larger image

1. Rainbow Pavel Speed Dialer 6'0" Custom made for James Robertson
2. CI TKnox model - Taylor's Personal custom board
3. Chris Christenson 6'2" Assymetrical Fish
4. Donald Takayama 6'0" Fish
5. Dale Velzy Egg
6. Pat Rawson 9'6" Gun
7. Dale Velzy Balsa Longboard
8. Nat Young Custom Longboard
9. Pat Curren 11' Gun
10. Yater Spoon Custom
11. Hobie Phill Edwards Model
12. Lance Carson Pintail
13. Bill Hamilton Custom Longboard

Pat Curren's gun is a real gem,

Thumbs up for Mick!

Family Portraits, the fish

2008-07-24T22:43:00.007+01:00

1. CC, twin keel 5'-6"
2. CC, twin keel 5'-8"
3. DK swordfish 5'-10"
4. Black & White, double wing quad 6'-0"
5. Mandala, double wing quad 5'-10"
6. Mandala, double wing quad 5'-11"
7. Hess, pacheco quad 5'-8"

Almost complete family portrait, two sons migrated... one is vanished in a secret queue list.

Europe SW dawn and sunset

2008-07-07T23:53:00.005+01:00

photos by Alexandro

Summer just started!

2008-07-03T15:29:00.018+01:00

Some of last month best moments. Lots of fun in very good company, only missed a good swell.

Wild pine trees are a constant element in this landscape,

At the base camp, you could spot sleeping bags and surfboards no matter which direction you looked!.

Views from the shed,

Jet lag or too many Super Bocks?

Never take a beer out of Phil's hands, even when he's sleeping. Alexandro finished in the swamp,

JP got the Euro Fish Fry 2008 best board prize with this faultless sled,

Marco saving the Sardines from the British guys hands, who wanted to clean and remove guts out of the fish.

God save the Brotherhood!

FishedOUT!!!

2008-07-02T19:58:00.002+01:00

We would like to apologize for the lack of posts lately, but we have been very busy as you all can see! :)

the book of surfing - press release

2008-06-22T17:17:00.007+01:00

The killer guide – waves, Travel, sTyle, culTure

author: Michael Fordham
publisher: Bantam Press
designers: A-Side Studio
pub. date: 16.06.08

“Punches through the layers of profit-driven pastiche…
radically new… addictably readable”
Huck Magazine

From the creators of The September Project, Stranger magazine and cult freesports mag Adrenalin comes 288 pages of illustrated loveliness on surf culture. Representing the work of some of the greatest lensmen, pensmen and artists ever to train their sensibilities on the beautifully meaningless act of riding a wave, The Book of Surfing is a tempestuous, full colour celebration of the surfing life.

The roll call of contributors include: Thomas Campbell, LeRoy Grannis, Albe Falzon, Ron Church, Art Brewer, Jeff Divine and Rick Griffin – and there’s everything from an ode to the feral surfer, an anatomy of surf wagons, sketches of the influence of surf music and the surf T-shirt to riffs on Dora, Curren and Tudor.

Hipping the legions of the newly stoked to the breadth and depths of surf culture as well as keeping the old salts smiling, the whole package lands as the 21st century’s coolest guide to surf-culture, like, ever.

watch youtube trailer

http://www.bookofsurfing.com/

For further information please contact:

Michael Fordham and Clive Wilson

See you next year

2008-06-19T00:56:00.005+01:00

European Fish Fry lasted a couple weeks, unfortunately it´s over. Thanks to all for the good times, what else can we say?

Peace and Love Brothers, we´re stoked!

pics, pics 1, pics 2

Spreading seeds

2008-06-19T00:38:00.010+01:00

photos by alexandro

As you all know, DK came to Portugal to the European Fish Fry. So I got him to do some boards for a local factory in Ericeira/Portugal at Board-culture Factory, and the poor guy had to work all day while all the rest of us had fun and relax!

I must say that he is the most talented shaper Ive seen so far!
I got him to shape me two killer boards, one 5'10" Superfish aka Swordfish aka bloodyfish... and a 6'5" Step-up Bonzer! I'm stoked!

For all European Fish lovers, there are 8 boards still available at BoardCulture Shop in Ericeira:
5'10" Quad Swordfish
6'0" Quad Swordfish
5'9" DoubleWing Quad Fish
6'0" DoubleWing Quad Fish
5'8" Twin Keel Fish
5'9" Twin Keel Fish
5'10" Twin Keel Fish
6'5" Roundpin Bonzer5

If you are interested on any of these mail nuno.ribeiro@board-culture.pt

Cant wait to try my boards!!
Keep up with the good work BRO!

glimpse to Alexandre's Fish Fry luggage

2008-05-29T16:04:00.007+01:00

Our french friend Alexandre "Lob", the shaper under Barrel label has is luggage ready. Alexandre is a European pioneer in alternative surfboard design. It will be good to having him sharing is stoke with us.

He'll stay a few days in Portugal shaping along with Paulo Jacinto, another European shaper from portugal stoked in surfboard designs.

6'4" x 19"1/2 x 2"3/4 Quad Fish with glassed on fins made by Marlin Bacon

5'10" x 20"1/2 x 2"5/8 Twin keel with glassed on fins made by John Cherry

related linkage:
http://barrelsurfboards.blogspot.com/
http://www.barrelsurfboards.com/
http://www.101fins.com/
http://www.johncherrywoodcraft.com/
http://multigliders.blogspot.com/

Fish heads

2008-05-27T14:41:00.006+01:00

"Fish Head " (Fischkopf) , 2006
40 x 30 cm, pastel, charcoal, poppy seed oil, oil pastel on paper

"Fish Tender " (Fisch zärtlich) , 2007
40 x 30 cm, pastel, charcoal, crayon, poppy seed oil, oil pastel on paper, collage

"The Fish and the Girl" (Der Fisch und das Mädchen) 2007
50 x 70 cm, charcoal, oil pastel, pastel, poppy seed oil on paper

I came across to Anna Stangel's via internet by accident. She was born in Salzburg, grew up in Upper Austria. Studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the École Nationale Superieure des Beaux arts in Paris travelled through Asia, North and South America, Northern Africa, Australia, Melanesia.

Anna's website worth a visit.

James Robertson, interview

2008-05-13T22:49:00.046+01:00

James Robertson is the person behind Lokbox. We asked him a "few" questions about this fin system.

fb:. How did you become a surfer?

jjr:. I started surfing in Miami Florida in 1979 when my friend’s older brother took us surfing for the first time. I instantly knew I would always be a surfer when I stood up on my first wave that day.

jjr cutback, san miguel

fb:. How did you got into fish business?

jjr:. That's a good question, and I guess I'd have to say it really started with Channel Islands and their fish that Al Merrick made for Rob Machado. I got the opportunity to install Lokboxes on that first fish for Rob, and also the chance to design the fins for that board. They were "keels" with a rather large base (6.75") and fairly tall (deep) at 5.5".

I think that the guys at Channel Islands knew that our system was probably the only system available at that time that was strong enough to efficiently hold up a fin of that size. On top of that I'm not sure they knew exactly where they wanted to place that fin for the best performance and with Lokbox's adjustability they knew that they had the option to fine tune the board by moving the fins around. That attracted other shapers like Rich Pavel, Doc, etc… to us with their keel versions. The system held up well for the most part with a very low failure rate.

From there we just started to branch out with quads and twins. We have 20 glasshops surrounding us in Oceanside California, some of which (like Global and The Lab) are two of the largest in America. We usually see movements in this industry way before they actually happen. Like the quad fish, I was literally the only guy out Swami's or Trestles 4 or 5 years ago riding a quad fish speedialer type board in good overhead surf. Nowadays it's not uncommon to see upwards of half the lineup on them.

sequence of jjr on a 6'0'' pavel quad fish

fb:. With all this surfboard design "Renaissance" going on, Lokbox got its own place with a plethora of templates for alternative designs like the fish, quads and the bonzer. It looks like it is in the first choices among surfers and shapers, especially for customs and special productions boards. What brings the shaper and the surfer to prefer this system? What do you think that made people get interested in different designs over the last few years?

jjr:. Another great question! I think many things contributed to the interest in alternative boards. Obviously all the videos like Sprout etc.. Sparked allot of interest. But I feel people are waking up a bit and trying stuff out. Instead of just covering their eyes and buying what the magazines tell them or what the pros are using. They are being more realistic these days in the understanding that the pros are just that… pros.

They surf perfect waves almost everytime they surf. Us mere mortals spend the majority or our year surfing mediocre waves aside from that 2 week vacation we get to go on once a year. The foiled out, rockered out thruster can be next to impossible to learn to surf on in mediocre waves for the beginning surfer.

For intermediate or even advance surfers, these alternative shapes that are usually wider and flatter give the surfer more planning surface to get up and go down the line without as much of a struggle.

That equates to FUN, and that's what surfing is really about at the end of the day. How much fun did you have? How many waves did you catch? How fast did you go? Did you make the waves or get left behind? It's actually pretty easy for me to see why these boards have become so popular.

Justin Phillips on a 5'6" Rainbow Speedialer + Lokbox SD Turbo fins, Mentawais - courtesy of surfysurfy

fb:. Custom works or production boards, where is your place?

jjr:. Both. Lokbox is a high performance fin system. We pride ourselves in having a wide array of fin templates to suit any surfer for any type of surfboard. Performance is, and always has been number 1 for us, regardless of the board you are riding. Our goal is to maximize the performance of any board, whether it was made custom specifically for you, or if you bought it off the rack from your local shop.

fb:. Most of Lokbox fins templates are designed by master shapers. Like Rick Pavel, Rusty, Al Merrick, Jeff Lausch, Marlin Bacon and others. Also, there's some templates designed by young generation talented shapers, like Chris Christenson and Manuel Caro. Can you open a window to the fin creation process?

jjr:. The guys you've mentioned like Manny and Doc, and Christenson are custom shapers and experienced craftsmen. Often you will find with guys like this that they have had years of extensive feedback from their team riders, testing all sorts of different fins. Mainly due to not being able to find a fin that works the way they want… they'll design their own template.

Usually one that really compliments the board itself, and gives them the ability to have that board reach it's full potential. Some systems out there don't really cater to the smaller guys so much, as far as making their templates available. They'll have them choose from something "close" from their existing line of fins. In my opinion that just stifles progression. Some of the best designs out there come from these smaller shapers and board companies.

It's always been our intention to help progress the sport forward, therefore we try to make these templates available to these guys. Add in adjustability and they can really go out and play, and more importantly bring back feedback that would otherwise take years to get, or even worse never get.

fb:. Is it just a professional collaboration or is there also friendship going on?

jjr:. Funny you should ask that. Many of our customers are actually friends of mine and my partners stemming back years from way before Lokbox existed. But to be honest, I think if it's at all possible their should be some friendship in business. We're providing a product that goes along with the product your selling. I'm interested in how my friends business's are doing, and would like to think that they are interested in how mine is doing.

There's more to it than just selling stuff. It's gotta be fun as well. I've had so much fun meeting and hanging out with our reps and customers over the years we could talk about it for hours. On top of that I've surfed some great waves with them and that's what really puts the smile on my face. I wouldn't trade it for the world! That's what it should be about.

fb:. What drives you to support and promoting talented groom shapers, like Dennis Kane and Ian Zamora?

jjr:. These guys are the future of our sport. If you look at the shapers tree there are exactly 3 new shapers that have made any kind of impact on this industry since the year 2000. Ian, DK, and Danny Hess. That's pretty scary if you think about it. 3 guys in almost a decade? But surfing has grown almost double since then.

Where are the new shapers? The reality saddens me actually, to see this industry move away from the custom thing, and more towards the mass produced pop-out thing. It takes the special out of it in my opinion. Some of the coolest stuff developed in the world has come from america and I feel we are losing that. People are more prone these days to choose cheap over quality and I think it's mistake. It usually bites them on the ass down the road.

When I look back at the end of my life I'll smile knowing that my life was involved with quality not how cheap I can get something. Especially when it comes to surfboards and fins. I surf waves around the world where many times my life is relying on my equipment and I refuse to cut corners when it comes to that.

These three guys are just the same. They'll choose what works, over what it costs, and you can't put a dollar amount on that. They are craftsmen. And I'll do whatever I can to help them because of it.

fb:. Recently, you got a high performance fish shaped by DK. How does it go?

jjr:. Man, I did a crazy backside snap on that thing on an overhead wave!! It feels real good but I have yet to get it out on a good down the line point wave so I'll have to back to you. He's put a lot of design thought into that board and I think he'll do well with it.

The guys who have gotten one are flippin' out on them, which is why I had to have one. It paddles good and seems to fit into the pocket on hollower beachbreak waves a little better then the traditional wide point point forward fish. Could it be that this is the link between the fish and the shortboard? Time will tell.

fb:. What are the best shape/fins combinations you ever tried?

jjr:. My favorites in order of how often I ride them would be: Turbo Speedialers in my fishes, LB1/LB4's in my HP fishes, and T Knox thrusters in my shortboards and bigger thrusters.

fb:. In a recent The Surfers Journal issue, Brad Gerlach said that, when watching a guy surfing, he can tell when a fin failure happens, how much does that affect surfing and what the surfer do to compensate for these failures. How important is a solid fin system, can this affect the approach to surfing in terms of surfing serious waves and maneuvers?

jjr:. Man, you just got the gnarly questions huh? But they're good ones so I'm stoked! In that article Brad mentioned that he felt that Kelly Slater was the best in the world at recovery. Meaning when he falls off… somehow he still makes it. Or when his board slides out he somehow ends back over it completing the wave.

Let's look back a few years. Say like to 1990. No FCS, futures, or Lokbox. There were systems like Star system, and maybe O fish'l but they were not mainstream like the systems are today. 98 % of surfboard were using glassed on fins. There was coincidently no sliding around in surfing then either... unless you broke a fin off... ha ha.

Guys were putting it on rail and driving through turns with power. There so many power surfers back then. Guys like Brad, Dane Kealoha, Hans Hedeman, Tommy Carrol, Tom Curren, Kong..Richard Cramjust to name few. Nowadays you can count the power surfers on one hand. While it may be cool to see a surfer go up into a maneuver and as he hits it his board slides out and his back foot comes completely off, I just don't find it that appealing.

Gnarly talent and balance for sure, but I often find myself wondering what that turn would have been like had the board held in and he was able to fish the turn off. In most cases you can tell they did not intend to slide out it's just what happened. They react quickly that's for sure. Somehow they re-gain it, or "recover" as Brad says.

In my humble opinion it comes from have a fin that moves around too much on the board. Not just in the tip but the whole fin. Guys like Jeff Clark refer to it like driving a car with half the air taken out of the tires. You just don't get that positive feeling that you can put all your weight into.

We set out to develop a solid system that you can rely on. The lower portion of the fin that meets the board is very ridgid like a glass-on. The flex is in the tip where it should be. We do offer some flexier fins like our RTM fins, so if sliding is your thing you can still get that feel with Lokbox… it's just not forced upon you. There's big difference between sliding when you want to over having no control over it.

fb:. Why don't we see more guys riding Lokbox in surf contests? Technically, it would be good for pro surfers. It's just a matter of affordability?

jjr:. Well according to one of our customers in Hawaii, we are about $8 dollars cheaper than FCS so it's not affordability. We're a smaller company, trying to gain a foothold in a market that's not very accepting to new products.

It takes time. It's slow process but we're not going away count on it. Some of these guys are paid to use certain systems. Sorry, but we don't pay people. If you ride for us we'll set you up with fins.

Paying you clouds your feedback, and makes the whole thing not worthwhile for us. We want you to use it because it works, not because we paid you. That limits us somewhat. But that's OK. All of our current team riders are stoked on the system and are doing well. Another thing is that we are just not in every shop like our competitors, but picking up more and more all the time.

Maybe one day Lokbox will be as available as FCS or futures, and will start ending up in those boards. We'll know when guys start accidently getting Lokbox when they order FCS rather than the other way around ha ha.

fb:. What is like having such a good surfer as Taylor Knox riding your fins?

jjr:. It's been insane! We've gotten more feedback from Taylor in the last 2 years then we could have ever imagined. We pride ourselves in the fact that his boards are 5 pounds or under… polyester boards, often with only 1 layer of 4ounce on the deck with a tail patch, and he's not breaking fins or boxes.

He's upwards of 130 boards without one box failure yet. That's a good track record considering how much he buries his boards on turns. We're stoked. The boxes were installed the same way yours or anyone elses would be! We figure if he can't break it we doubt you will.

On top of that most people don't ride boards that are built as fragile as the boards the pros ride. I'm now riding the fin we developed together and loving it. It holds in unreal in real waves like the northshore, and I've been riding it around here as well with great results. Killer fin!!

fb:. What's Lokbox's best advantages over other systems. The box, the flex quality?

jjr:. Mostly the box. We say, "Think inside the box" as a way to try and get you guys to look at how your fin(s) are attached to the board. We use a tapered cavity that allows for a press fit of the fin into the box. In other words it's wedged into the box. There is no movement or wiggling of the fin inside the box, making Lokbox feel and perform like you are riding glassed-on fins. Add the adjustability and you have the ability to fine tune your board for you.

Also the ejectability feature is the only one on the market. A design that allows your fins to eject upon contact to a solid object such as the reef or another board. If you blow out your plugs or boxes on the first day of your 2 week vacation, your carrying around dead weight as the board is rendered unusable.

I get guys all the time telling me that their trip wasn't ruined when they nailed the reef. Instead they just straightened out the metal plate and replaced the fins and viola… back in the water. That worth a million bucks to us. Or more!!

fb:. How would you convert a "glass-ons" purist to the Lokbox system? Just adjustability?

jjr:. Not just that, but the ability to light his/her board up through the use of different templates… more accurate foils from fin to fin, and of course ease of travel. The fact that their board goes through the glassers faster never hurts either. Mostly I'll convince them that they get everything a system offers without any compromise of performance.

fb:. Events like the Fish Fry and AB3 had sprouted everywhere. How do you see these happenings?

jjr:. These events are insane. I see them as a way to differentiate between the different boards out there. Tradeshows are for trade people. The general public is not allowed. I got involved because these events are the only way the end consumer can come check out a board, (and the fins) feel the rails, talk to the guy that shaped it, then go out and actually surf it, without shelling out 1 dollar.

They can come back in and swap fins to fine tune it even more. When they do go to get a board from a shop or wherever, they now have an idea of what works for them, and the chances of them getting a board that really works for them goes up substantially.

A happy customer will come back to that same shop for his next board, and it blows me away that the retail shops have not gotten behind these events. It takes alot of time and money to prepare these events, and we could use some help. It's in everyones best interest.

fb:. In which direction do you want to go in the future?

jjr:. I'd like to see people paying more attention to their equipment. Utilizing the resources that are out there for them to enhance their surfing experience. I'm stoked to see people looking at greener ways to build surfboards and fins and make less of an impact on the environment.

fb:. Would you like to add something else, any additional thoughts?

jjr:. Surfboards cost less than Starbucks. Support your local shaper! Do some research and find out what works best for you. Thanks for the interview I'm flattered! See you in Portugal!!

fb:. Thank you for your time, great answers! See you there.

related links:
www.lokboxfins.com

Local Gastronomy recipes for Fish Fry

2008-05-13T19:56:00.009+01:00

Free Fish Fry t-shirt for the first non local that will have this "pratada de caracois" for breakfast. They go well with beer if that makes you happy!

Ingredients:

2 lb Small snails
1 tb Olive oil
1 sm Bunch dry oregano
1 Laurel leaf
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 sm Onion, peeled, quartered
Sal & pepper
Piri-piri peppers

Instructions:

1. Try to obtain snails about 1/2" diameter. Starve them for 3 or 4 days to get rid of any toxic herbs they may have ingested. Wash snails in running water till all the slime is gone. Place them in a large pan and cover with water (2" or 3" above snails).

2. Add all the other ingredients. Cover the pan tightly. Heat the water over a very slow fire so that snails have time to extend heads outside shells.

3. Let boil slowly for the first hour. Skim and simmer for another hour,

4. Skim again and serve warm in saucers, with a little of the cooking liquid.

5. Use toothpicks or pins to extract snails from shell. Dip small pieces of bread in the cooking liquid. Refrigerates well - use any leftovers within a week. Suggested wines: Portuguese Vinho Verde, ordry white wine or beer.

New York Fish Fry weekend

2008-05-06T04:22:00.016+01:00

A few photos from the epic New York Fish Fry weekend. Congrats to Chris, Mike, Joe and John (Mollusk NYC boys) for putting up this event together and other people which contributed for the nice atmosphere.

We had a memorable surf session Sunday afternoon with Chris, C.Christenson, Manny, Josh Hall, Larry Mayo and friend Ashton, Richard Kenvin and a few others shredding pretty clean waves. No photos, I guess that the photographer jumped in the water too.

Behind the camera and beard is one of the New York Fish fish brains,

Manuel personalised is Andreini Hull with this beautiful painting, he got the better waves of the set with that thing, he's hooked on this board!

Surfoards, tradition says the more the better,

Richard Kenvin, filmmaker of Hydrodynamica takes naps when he's not doing 360's on the 5'1'' Simmons inspired fish.

Mollusk NYC sign handpainted by Jeff Canham is ready to hang,

Found these two guys hitchhiking in the parkway, they said they were shapers from Cali or so... I gave them a ride,

Review mirror view, there's a guy under the pack,

Getting ready for surf,

Manuel Caro checking Richard Kenvin's Casper in the parking lot, everyone who tryed it had a blast,

Related links:
http://thedegreeofslide.blogspot.com/2008/05/ny-fry-and-nj-ab3-pics.html
http://theholeinthehall.blogspot.com/2008/05/surviving-big-easy.html
http://theswallowtailsociety.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-york-is-super-rad.html
http://forum.surfermag.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1362280&an=0&page=3

DK and Zamora in Europe

2008-04-30T22:03:00.016+01:00

Get a lifetime permagrin for your face!

No intruduction needed, certainly you've come across these names at some point in surfmag design forums or any other board porn sites on web. As you already know DK and Ian Zamora will be in Portugal at the European Fish Fry.

They will be stoked in shaping a board for interested european surfers. These 2 friends are considered by the masters cratmen as very promising new generation shapers specialized in custom shapes ranging from:

standard performance shortboard - any fin configuration
traditional fish
high performace fish
Speed Dialer
bonzer

Feel free to contact Fish Brotherhood with any questions on this or other shapers, we'll get you the board you want or redirect you to them. Many thanks to LOKBOX for making this possible, we're stoke in supporting them.

related links:
www.dksurfboards.com
www.zamorasurfboards.com
www.lokboxfins.com

Chris Christenson, will happen again

2008-04-30T04:00:00.015+01:00

The Renaissance shaper Chris Christenson will join us again in Portugal for the Fish Fry, some good times and shaping. Please let us know If you are interested in any of Chris’s surfboards; he's accepting a limited number of custom orders, FCFS rule may apply - first-come, first-serve.

"I think the reason a lot of that stuff is coming back is just because of the flow that those boards have. They are so simple and a lot of that has been forgotten in surfing. With people trying to do 20 maneuvers into the beach, flopping their butts around, they forgot about letting the wave do some of the work. They forgot about just keeping it smooth..."

"...I feel like my market is the passionate surfer.Those are the people I want buying my boards. I don't want the guy that wants to save twenty bucks or wants it in two weeks. I have a pretty long wait for my boards and every one of them is done by me. I don't have any ghost shapers, all my boards come with a letter of authenticity that states I shaped it and no one else did. I sign each one and it has a serial number and it comes attached to every board... "
Chris Christenson, in an interview to surfmag.com

Below is a few photos from last year. CC was in Portugal with Nereus Kinesis gang and made a few shapes for friends. Board shown is a custom 5'8'' twin keel for Nuno, glassed by Phill Northey, a master english glasser and sanded/polished by the french glasser Sebastien "chacal."

foam shred...

fine tune...

made for...

next

Getting proper clothing...

routing for lokbox, so easy a cave man can do it...

now go surf...

Bring your Sardinhas - European Fish Fry

2008-04-29T19:05:00.039+01:00

The European Fish Fry is near. It will take place on June 8th in Casa do Sol, Costa da Caparica, Portugal.

This happening opens a window to the underground surf culture. Allowing Portuguese “afiishionados” to spend some time together with other people, experiment and share the plethora of contemporaneous “fish” interpretations.

The Fish Fry started in California circa 2002/3. The idea was to spread the design and to avoid it getting lost in time. The results have been very positive, the growing interest in the fish design spread the event overseas to places like Australia, Japan and Europe.

For 30 years, the “Fish” design has fascinated many surfers and artisans because of its shape, performance and feeling transmitted to the surfer. Some considers it a mythic design of Surfing History for the cultural atmosphere around these boards transforming it in a cult object.

Who's coming, so far:

Abezat Surfboards - http://www.abezat.com/
Barrel Surfboards - http://www.barrelsurfboards.com/
Black&White Surfboards - http://www.blackandwhitesurfcoltd.co.uk/
BoardCulture Surfboards - http://boardculture.blogspot.com
Chris Christenson - http://www.christensonsurfboards.com/
DJ Kane - http://www.dksurfboards.com/
Essential Surfboards - http://retromovement.blogspot.com/
Fatum Surfboards - http://www.fatumsurfboards.com/
GlassWorks - http://glassworks-surf.blogspot.com/
Ian Zamora - http://zamorasurfboards.com/
Lufi - http://lufisurf.com/
Lokbox - http://www.lokboxfins.com/
Manila Surfboards - http://www.msdsurfboards.com/
Morph Surfboards - http://www.morphsurfboards.com
Mason Surfbords - http://masonsurfboards.co.uk/
NA Surfboards - http://www.nachoagote.es/blog/
Paulo Jacinto - http://www.paulojacintosurfboards.com/
Placton Surfboards - http://www.plancton-surf.com/
Royal Surfboards- http://royalsurfboards.com/
Spiral Surfboards - http://www.spiralsurfboards.blogspot.com/

Program:
Early morning: Learnig how to surf in stylaa
Morning: shape offa session
Noon: hanga outa with crafty people
Afternoon: Board porna lecture
Evening: BBQ Session in the evening... user supported BBQ Session in the evening (bring your own sardinhas)

In any case, Portugal is not sleeping. Fish fry is not the first happening celebrating surf culture and alternative designs, organized by true hardcore surferes.

I found in Ze Bird's surf blog photos off past festivals and underground events "in the usual place""come and shred", as they say in one flyer.
nice surfboard palette,

low miles per gallon diesel vans,

infant yard for new gen,

local attendants,

and deluxe base camp,

this guys are pros!
photos courtesy of www.tubus-eternus.blogspot.com

What's a Quiver?

2008-03-10T02:24:00.022Z

Today’s communication tools make surfboards designs travel at a speed of light spreading seeds around the world, inspiring shapers and making surfers mindful of the different options out there.

Batches of boards with increments of inches are part of the past. The definition of quiver is getting different interpretations; surfers are reinventing the concept of what is a quiver. Choosing boards by the design and way they approach waves.

The fact is that this "Fun"ctiontal Quivers are making us happier, having a blast in every session.

1. photo from film "the sprout", thomas Campbell
3. my brother's quiver
4. photo from film "the present", thomas Campbell
5. daniel hess quiver, souece hess surfboard's
6. keep this one for a long time, source surfy surfy blog
8. finless quiver 1, source bolg safe to sea
9. finless quiver 2, source bolg safe to sea
All images are courtesy of surfblogs family, thanks

"Casper" 5'1" Hydrodynamica test pilot series

2008-03-02T01:10:00.020Z

photos by nuno

Richard Kenvin the maker of Hydrodynamica film was in town and left behind a "waxed" 5'1" Bob Simmons inspired twin. Shaped for himself by Joe Bauguess for the "Hydrodynamica Test Pilot Series".

photo of RK, courtesy of shipwormandgribble

Hydrodynamica is an independent film project (currently in progress) in a documentary format that explores surfing culture and the legacy of surfers since 1940s to the present.

I truly consider myself as a privileged for the skin-to-skin contact with this rare piece. Thumbs up for my buddies at the corner shop!

Functional art

2008-02-08T15:50:00.001Z

Somehow the universe of surf and art seem to intersect at some point, we can see that in surfboard construction approaches. Also, the act of surfing has the capacity to act as a creativity generator.

Surfers express themselves in several ways. Sometimes they use their surfboards as a media support. I’ve always asked myself of what drives this inspiration? The easiest answer might be performance or appreciation for the object.

Mandala Custom Shapes based in San Francisco, is a place where surf and art meet, it’s surrounded by a creative environment and talented people. We can see boards decorated by Alex Kopps, Nathaniel Russell, Thomas Campbell and many others; these are some of my favorites.

So, I asked Manuel C. Caro, shaper under Mandala label, to open a window to Fish Brotherhood and tell us what is his interpretation, why people have this approach to surfing and surfboards?

Manuel Caro says:
“I guess the art board collaborations came together without much thought in the beginning. I was living close to Alex Kopps around the time I started shaping, so we were hanging out and surfing together a bit. He lives in a pretty sketchy part of Oakland and you can see some of that refined grittyness is his work. His boards never have any open wounds really, since he likes to fill any kind of pressure ding with bondo and add Alex-esque artifacts to them, so his boards become pieces of art themselves---just a reflection of its owner.

I think that's the big thing that's attracted me to the surfboard as an art object. Surfboards can be mirrors of their owners/creators/decorators. You can tell a little bit about someone from the board they're carrying down to the beach, and if they've decorated it themselves there's a bit of totemic power there. I believe there's a certain amount of energy that is added to the board once it's been decorated.

Cultures in the Pacific Northwest were nomadic and had combined art with their every day tools and possessions. Each object had designs on it which told a story or added some protective power to it. There were rules to the shapes and spatial relationships of the designs to one another. Over time, the object and the art had become one, and had transformed from custom into culture. I see this happening in the whole design renaissance in surfing. It's gone from little kids with sharpies drawing on their boards .

The whole art board collaboration thing has come pretty naturally for Mandala. Most everyone I know is a talented artist, so everyone I know seems to decorate their boards a bit. It was just a matter of time for the colabs to go from a few boards to over a dozen now. I've been lucky to work with Thomas Campbell on some airbrushed boards in the past, although it's almost impossible to get him to do any more with all the work he has going with his new movie, "The Present." Tyler Warren's working on a stubbie down in Dana Point. David Muller just dropped off a rare 5'7" Wil Jobson Bat-tail Twinzer with a drawing of a huge flower on the bottom. Rich Pavel's nephew Bennett is painting one of my Pavel quads. I'm planning to meet up with Pablo Ugartetxea in Portugal this summer at the Fish Fry so he can paint a board...it all just keeps on going.

What we get to see is functional sculpture elevated to functional art ~Manuel.”

Said that, definitely I see a totemic power going on, people tend to decorate their objects to bring good fortune, protection or as a way of expression. Portuguese fishermen have the tradition of painting their boats, with bright colors and eyes on the prows, highly suggestive of the Phoenicians, supposedly with the magical power to prevent the occurrence of storms. Some of them are very creative and add a little bit of themselves, which make it even more interesting.

In a surf sense, as per my understanding, it seems like art on surfboards might be related to a different understanding of what is a quiver. Surfers that want to keep the boards longer, collect differenting designs... tend to decorate their own boards.

Glad to see all these collaborations going on, Pablo Ugartetxea is a great artist, he'll do a great job and Manuel will be stoked. Hopefully presenting us with nice images in his blog.

Photos courtesy of Manuel Caro:
1)Manuel Caro holdind a stubbie blank with a art work by Nat Russell
2,3)Mandala, Alex Kopps collaboration. 5'10" quad fish
4,5)Mandala, Lana Porcello collaboration. 5'11" stub
Related links:
Mandala Custom Shapes
The Swallow Tail Society

Different boards same signature, same fun

2008-02-07T14:56:00.000Z

Very interesting article by Sei.info, “Steve Lis Now and Then” comparing a circa 1970 5'3”Lis Fish and a 2005 5'8”Lis Fish 30 years later.

A read-through of the surfboard -deck, bottom, rails, fins placement, tail, and even signature- points out the differences. Two different boards same fun, same signature.

Photos by sei.info, related links:
http://www.sei.info/compareLIS/english.htm
http://www.sei.info/

Passing on the stoke

2008-01-29T16:32:00.000Z

The Fish bros friend Josh Hall sent us a few photos of Skip Frye sharing his stoke with him. Josh belongs to the new generation of skilled surfboards builders. Receiving the knowledge from the masters craftsmen, one day it will be him passing it to the younger generations.

Some more photos of Josh finishing a 12 footer pescado

Big fish full body photo and Josh with Peter St Pierre at Moonlight base for a high standard clothing.

Related Links:
http://www.myspace.com/joshhallsurfboards
http://www.wavesforever.com/joshhallsurfboards_about.jh.htm

Jeff Beck, Nine Lights Surfboards

2008-01-15T03:41:00.000Z

One of the most fascinating things in the vast world of alternative surfcraft is, once you get into it the discovery seems to never end. One of these days I come across Jeff’s work in my daily visits to surf bloging family. It did occur to me the idea of feature craftsman’s work on blog since we believe that the craftsmanship is one of the pillars that sustain the surf essence.

With so many people shapes, needs and tastes there's no other way except custom surfboard. The fact that Jeff’s committed to custom shape and use of wood caught my attention. Also, I always found fascinating the use of natural materials in surfboard construction.

I guess that material wise, when you look around Nature always has a wiser answer for your need, materials that evolved to act in a certain way, wood is definitely a good example.

Feeling curious about his surfboards I did contact Jeff and asked him about the philosophy he puts into his work:

“I basically started making these boards to try and come up with something stronger, that didn't require a lot of exotic, man made materials. I believe that wood has an inherent strength and flex characteristic, better than anything we can make artificially. It also doesn't require a lot of energy to produce and it naturally degrades. "

"I use the lightest weight EPS foam I can get to shape all my boards, so all the strength and flex comes naturally form the wood skins and rails. I build all my boards custom because I believe models can be too limiting for as dynamic a sport as surfing. Waves and surfers are unique and so should surfboards.”

“Got into shaping a little late. I'm 32 and I've been making surfboards for 5 years now. I always wanted to shape though. All through high school I constantly bugged the local builder I was getting boards from for a job. He brushed me off and told me to go to college and so 8 years later and with a master’s degree in fine arts I came full circle and started building boards in the shop of that very same builder."

"I had always been building surfcraft through those years as a hobby and it culminated in the construction of a 14 foot greenland style wooden kayak. The boat worked great in the surf and it got me thinking about the use of wood in surfboard construction. The more I researched wooden boats the more I found that wood is a revered material, not just for looks but for performance. I started by building hollow wooden surfboards (similar to boats) and the process just kept developing from there.”

“Shaping a sustainable surfboard is just as easy as it has always been.
You could make an oiled alaia and have a blast on it. Just look at how popular they're getting right now. The only hard part is incorporating modern design and performance standards into the process. Achieving a lightweight board with good flex characteristics and contemporary foils is a hard problem to solve.

Surfers have become accustomed to a certain level of performance from their P/U boards. But then the modern surfboard has taken 60 years to develop, so who knows what we can come up with in another 60 years."

The surfboard shown it's a 5'5" Quad, a custom shape for Jeff's friend RT Thomas that affectionately nicknamed as The QuOdd. Last photo shows Ryan puting the Quodd to a serious test, photographed by Steve Hadley .
Thank you to Jeff, RT and Steve for the words and photos, please visit their webpages.

Related Links:
http://www.ninelightssurfboards.com
http://ninelightssurfboards.wordpress.com
http://thecentralshaft.blogspot.com
http://www.wwaarrbblleess.blogspot.com

Making Noelani, from 'Seaworthy'

2008-01-15T00:56:00.000Z

"Making Noelani" a sequence of "Seaworthy", new Nathan Oldfield's film, maker of "Lines From A Poem". It features a surfboard being built and ridden by the filmmaker. The surfbord name is "noelani", hawaiian word for "beautiful girl from heaven".

Who doesn't know the fascinating and touching Swaylocks tread A Journey of a Quad?

Music by Mike McCarthy, Mick Carney and friends. The song is called "Summer & Winter". This song was specialy recorded for the film and not been released yet.

All photos by Nathan Oldfield

Does God Play Dice?

2008-01-05T19:54:00.000Z

Since Sharing has been the last day’s theme and the direction that Fish Brotherhood is taking.

Pedro Ferro a fishbros friend, inspired surfer, and a father is sharing the experience on his fresh shapped first Fish, shaped by one of the best fishmakers in Portugal Paulo Jacinto…

“Does God Play Dice?”  Ian Stewart 
The Portuguese popular knowledge usually says that “Good luck in game is related with bad luck in Love.” Considering that assertion, usually they’re always right, can’t complain about the former. Instead I’m still an optimist and hope as a consequence to have good luck in the latter.

Let’s say that, with some reserves, that I don’t share the feverous hope or need to win the Lottery 1st prize, it could be just the 2nd, it should have less harmful impact on Love.

Assuming that the answer to the question above is positive, it’s very likely that “He” had launch the die for me, finally I received my new surfboard and I feel like I won the Lottery.

So, you may expect that I’ll not talk about anything else anytime soon. I’ll be sharing the stoke or any other considerations about this joined experience, I mean the surfboard and me.
Photos and Words, By Pedro Ferro

Thanks to Pedro e to Vagueares keep them coming, the photos are amaizing.

Related links:
http://vagueares.blogspot.com/
http://almasalgada.blogspot.com/
http://multigliders.blogspot.com/
http://www.scallopcustomboards.com/

European Fish Fry 2008

2007-12-27T11:25:00.000Z

The European Fish Fry is on! June 8th 2008 in Costa Caparica, Portugal.
A day to celebrate the fish design. Bring your twinnies, quads and whatever, old and new you have, come and have a great day!!

For more info, please contact bros@fishbrotherhood.net

Hope to see you here!

Enjoy and Stay Stoked

2007-12-27T03:53:00.000Z

To open your appetite for the upcoming events around the world we linked this video featuring Richard kevin , this time surfing on 5'6" Steve Lis fish & 5'6" Rich Pavel fish, fin works by Larry Gephart.

Posted by Hydrodynamica on his myspace

Enjoy and Stay Stoked

Mini Simmos inspired dual keeled planing hull

2007-12-19T03:01:00.005Z

During our daily stoke researches we found this Ryan & Richard's footage of Richard Kenvin shreding with grace and elegance at Rincon.

planing hullery

|

Richard Kenvin with a Simmons Twinnie, Morro Bay 2005. Photo by Kidman

Beautyful moments with a good music selection that we definitely couldn't stop sharing. The featured surfboard is a bob simmons inspired dual keeled planing hull shaped by Joe Bauguess and Larry Mabile , designs researched by John Elwell, Joe Bauguess & Richard Kenvin for the "Hydrodynamica Test Pilot Series".

Hydrodynamica is an independent film project (currently in progress) in a documentary format that explores surfing culture and the legacy of surfers since 1940s to the present.

photo of RK, courtesy of shipwormandgribble

photos by nuno

Eli Fishing

2007-12-10T19:57:00.000Z

This is Eli Mirandon, nephew of Bear Mirandon proving that you can go backside on a Fish!

Also found out that his father Nicholas Mirandon makes this awesome Resin Paint Art:

More at:
http://www.mirandon.com/

Fish Fry Gold Coast

2007-11-23T18:35:00.000Z

Fish Fry to Run Again

After organizing the first Fish Fry here in Australia and receiving so much positive feedback, it was hard not to get one on the go for 2008 . First time round I wasn't too sure how it would be accepted as it was definitely something new on the landscape. And the comments from some shapers and people in the surf industry was they aren't used to getting together unless in competition mode. So the getting together and celebrating the fun and versatility of the fish definitely appealed to those who were there on the day. The word has most definitely spread far and wide.

Rich Pavel, Dick Van Straalen and Daniel Hess
So the answer is Yes! there will definitely be another Fish Fry on Sunday March 2nd 2008. At the same place, in the park across the road at Currumbin Alley. After talking with those that were there this year and taking on board their comments, I have decided to add a few things. The most prominent point that came to light was that because shapers and board builders are head down and bum up working away in their shaping bays, they don't get a lot of time or opportunity to meet others doing the same thing. They may know of each other and what they do, but in many cases can't put a face to the name.

So unfortunately a lot of people didn't know who was there on the day this year. This led to shapers not meeting each other and surfers not meeting shapers to make the most of the occasion. I am sorry that that was the case for many people. In order to overcome this situation I would like to offer a registration/sign in opportunity, say between 8am and 9am as people are setting up so I know who is there on the day and give them the opportunity to have a name tag if they choose. Then around 10am have an introduction of shapers and board builders to everyone. This way people can introduce themselves to each other and maximize the opportunity of the day. I would encourage shapers to set up with a tent or cover from the sun if the day is anything like this year as it was very warm in the park.

This is not a commercial event in anyway but if anyone would like to give away t-shirts, stickers or wax etc. on the day, then that is fine and a great PR opportunity. I would encourage shapers to bring any old boards to show where they have come from and some experimental craft as well. There was a great array of boards made from a real mix of materials which was great to see. If you have an old board that you would like to know more about or what it is worth, I am sure that Carl Tanner and The Baron will certainly be able to help. And chances are that the guy who shaped it might even be there on the day and you can get together and learn its history. This is what the day is all about. If shapers would like to bring demo boards that guys can take for a surf, it seemed to work great this year. Some guys spent the day riding all sorts of craft and swapping fins and ideas and it was great to see shapers out there on each others boards as well.

Another thing that came to the fore this year was that because we were in the height of summer and blessed with such a perfect day, it was very busy at the beach. So no one was keen to leave their parking spot to get food or drink. This time I am organizing to have a coffee van and the local surf club will have food and drinks. But please bring the kids and whatever you need to have a great day . There are barbecues, toilets and showers at each end of the park.

If you are coming up to the Gold Coast this time of year there is every chance of some classic waves. The Fish Fry is on the last weekend of the Quiksilver Pro which is just down the road at Snapper. And two days after the Fry the Noosa Longboard Festival is on 2 hours north on the Sunshine Coast.

Remember the fish will be schooling at the Alley...
Currumbin Alley , Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia - Sunday 2nd March 2008

Photos by Erin Kunkel
Text by Grant Newby
For more information please contact : grantnewby@bigpond.com
The Blog:The Alley Fishfry

Mysterious Nimble stick

2007-11-13T23:22:00.000Z

I was trying to find a cool synonym for this little board, which I haven’t mastered yet, but so far I concluded that less I move the faster I go, so nimble stick seem to be perfect.

Someone, once told me that sometimes you only could dial in a surfboard when it’s all worn out, dedication is the key, I have so much to learn about fish, I will give time to time.

At the first look this might look like a classic twin keel, however it is one of the most contemporaneous versions. The only thing I asked for was a fast board that can handle juicy waves, that was all. Chris Christenson said “to go fast go with a twin keel”… and he did is magic.

I can do my own interpretations when I read the contour lines, the truth is I don’t know much about the thoughts behind it, it is a 5'8''x21''x2 3/8’’ shaped by Chris Christenson when went to Portugal and glassed by the British glasser Phill Northey.

It was a wedding present from my brother Alexandro. Thanks for all of those involved in this.

Fish Mo(vi)ments

2007-11-06T20:14:00.000Z

Scott Sullivan Photography

Interesting things at The Swift Moviment Web Page and Catalog

Keep an eye open for it

2007-10-22T19:00:00.000+01:00

A 5'8" Steve Lis twin keel was "taken" from Adam's car while he was surfing last night at Torrey Pines. If you know or hear anything contact him.

The board had signed Geppy fins and a clark foam lam on the right pin of the fish tail.

Please spread the word keep an eye open for it, this is a very special board.

Dream Quiver of the month

2007-10-08T21:09:00.001+01:00

The Quiver of the month shaped by
Steve Lis in winter of 2006, patrimony of Andy Smith from San Diego, California, USA.

photo by Andy Smith

"It seems that a fish can be a minnow or
a whale!"
Andy Smith

Steve Lis with his own creation, phota at Pura Alma

Steve Lis was born in San Diego in 1951. He shaped the 5'4" kneeboard with a split tail with twin fins that was called Fish.

“I liked to ride pintails but my swim-fins hung over the side and created drag. So I designed a split-tailed board with the width to support my fins, but at the same time preserve the characteristics of the pintail”
Steve Lis

Currently Steve Lis still shapes fish boards and lives on Kauai in Hanalei, Hawaii.

The fastest surfboard on the planet

2007-09-13T20:10:00.000+01:00

So far, we consider the double wing quad fish the fastest surfboard design we have tried so far. It was designed as a logical derivation from the classic fish outline (no wings, twin keels).

This board is a contemporaneous interpretation of a fish, Manuel the shaper, under Mandala Label, describes it as an integrated design where everything works in harmony in order to create speed and maneuverability.

5'10''x20.25''x2.25'' Mandala, photo by Alexandro

5'11''x20.25''x2.25'' Mandala, photo by Nuno

The larger lead fins provide drive, while the raked trailer allows release providing drive without sacrificing maneuverability and responsiveness in hollower surf.

The wings are located where water trails off of the trailing edge of the leading fin. The swallowtail tips are located where water flows off of the trailing edge of the trailing fin.

The advantage of the double-wings over the classic fish template is that the wings bring the tail curve in with steps, from around 16" wide to an 8" swallowtail without sacrificing parallel effective edge. This allows a fusion between the typical fish speed to new approaches.

5'10''x20.25''x2.25'' Mandala, photo by Nuno

5'11''x20.25''x2.25'' Mandala, photo by Nuno

What surprises us is that the double wing quad has a lively feel, and it’s own will. That feeling has is origins in the “PendoFlex theorys” from Steve Pendarvis and George Greenough. These concepts are present in the fins and in the stringer.

Stringers can taper from 3/8"-1/4" in the nose to 3/32"-1/16" in the tail allowing the tail to flex through big turns. Tail rocker increases under pressure and allows you to make tighter turns, while stores energy, which is released when exiting turns.

To give strength to the whole idea, plywood and bamboo are the better choices. They are excellent material as far as fins go because they’re light, they float and they have an unbelievable flex pattern that stores and releases energy through turns.

5'10x20.25''x2.25'' Mandala, photo by Alexandro

5'11''x20.25''x2.25'' Mandala, photo by Nuno

If you want to know a bit more:
http://www.mandalacustomshapes.com
http://www.theswallowtailsociety.blogspot.com
http://www.101fins.com
http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/marlin-bacon-handson
http://www.johncherrywoodcraft.com

David Rastovich

2007-09-13T11:02:00.000+01:00

Photos submitted by Fish Bro Grant Newby from Australia.

One of Rasta's rides Dick Van Straalen Twin Carbon Fish

Rasta talking about his DVS Fish's:

SURFERMAG.COM INTERVIEW: Dave Rastovich

Thanks Grant for sending us this nice photos.

Bad fish

2007-08-15T05:33:00.000+01:00

With the growing interest in alternative shapes, people with little or no experience jumped on the bandwagon, attempting to shape fish, not because they believe in it, but because they see a growing market niche for it. As a result they turn out inferior products, design and construction wise. Giving a bad reputation to the design.

“What constitutes a fish?” It’s not an easy question to answer; it has a lot of valid interpretations, but certainly not everything with swallowtail.

If you ever be interested in this design, be aware because It can be difficult to find a proper fish, if you're outside US it's even harder. Before you made your own conclusions do some research on the design. Borrow one, order, buy used... but look for a good one.

Good Luck

Proudly powered by readers

2007-08-10T19:22:00.000+01:00

We have been receiving support emails from all-over the world, people have sent us photos sharing their stoke on these boards. So please feel free to send us your experiences and projects around this design.

This can proudly be a blog powered by readers.

Rick email us great pictures of his fish sessions at Danna Point, CA. All he does is fish now, been over 3 years now, he has the #5 and #6 on the way.

Rick Erkeneff showing how to ride a fish properly

Got another email from Grant, he sent us a few photos of his rad quiver along with an invitation for the next Fish Fry in Australia... he did orgazine the last one on the Gold Coast last March, they had Chis Christenson , Rich Pavel and Danny Hess come on down there.

This 8ft Carbon over styreen Dick van Straalen fish caught my eye, it's one more example of what a fish can be,

Grant Newby big fish,

So we are talking about serious "afishinados" here. Thanks

The Fish Forefathers

2007-07-18T22:17:00.001+01:00

The Fish wasn't the first split-tailed board, nor was it the first twin-fin. Both of these designs had been done in balsa as far back as Bob Simmons' and even Tom Blake's time. In fact, ultra-short twin-fins were already making the rounds in the very early '60s, before Steve Lis is credited with combining both the split tail (swallow) and the twin-fin into what came to be known as the "Fish."

Tom Blake - Keel Fin Inventor

Tom Blake was a larger-than-life surf pioneer, a seminal force in the history of the sport, who almost single-handedly transformed surfing from a primitive Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle. In the process, he was responsible for preserving much of surfing's oral history as well as resurrecting the streamlined surfboards of ancient times.

Blake created (and patented) a small, keel-like fin, although the importance of this invention wasn't really appreciated until the late '40s when Bob Simmons and other began to use it.

Bob Simmons - Split or twin pin tail inventor

Bear Mirandon with Simmons inspired twin pin surfboard
Bob Simmons is remembered as the man who introduced the foam-and-fiberglass surfboard and popularized the use of skegs on surfboards. He also introduced the first twin pin tail with one fin on each rail.

Steve Lis

Steve Lis was born in San Diego in 1951. He was raised in San Diego, and started surfing at the age of 10 in 1961. He shaped and designed a stumpy, blunt-nosed kneeboard in his family garage in 1967. The 5'4" kneeboard featured flat-rocker with a split tail with twin fins. This design was called “the fish.”

Bob Simmons twin and Steve Lis twin Fish

referals:
http://www.allaboutsurf.com/articles/hydrodynamica
http://www.surfmuseum.org/html/tom_blake1.html
http://www.surfmuseum.org/html/bob_simmons.html
http://www.surfmuseum.org/html/steve_lis.html
http://www.surfermag.com/magazine/designforum/dfarticles/fishon/index1.html
http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=803
http://www.hydrodynamica.com/

Go Fish!

2007-07-16T18:38:00.000+01:00

This post is for those who say that fishes are retro! do not perform! and are only for small waves!!

Fish brothers from all round the world

Just Go Fish and be Stoked!!!

hey man what are you riding?!

2007-07-11T22:32:00.001+01:00

A couple of years ago this surfboards could not be found anywhere else outside San Diego area. Finding them outside California beaches is almost nearly impossible. If you want to surf them really badly, there's only two options, go to the right place or built it yourself.

One of the first waves caught by Alexandro in Portugal on a fish designed by himself and Vasco with some californian inspiration, makes any average guy look good ;)

Afishionados

2007-07-07T22:42:00.001+01:00

This design as been carried from mentors to new generations for more 30 years, to many persons have dedicated they’re lives around this little boards passing on the stoke the ones whom decided to tried and understand the philosophy that is behind everything, as happened with my brother and me.

As important as the functionality is, is the art and culture enviroment that surround this boards, surfers and shapers bring surfboard craft to another level, almost like a sculpture or a book that has enclosed geometry lessons and hydrodynamic concepts for the ones that are able to read them.

a) Nature observation trying to find an explanation to cutways, by Alexandro (crazy bro)
b) Canard Quad Cutaway fins, photos from Mandala Custom Shapes. Nature is always right.