Smorgasboarder_11_May-2012
SHAPING MICHAEL PETERSON R.I.P. 1952 - 2012 WORDS: ANDRE “ONDI” MARSAUS Chatting with Michael Peterson’s mother, Joan over lunch today the conversation turned to Michael and his gift as not only one of the world’s best surfers but his ground breaking board shaping. “Michael was the blueprint of surfing and now he has left his print behind.” Joan said. He shaped every board he competed on and spent hours developing the rails, rolled from top to bottom, and the fin position, set further back on his own boards to suit his long legs. Michael and his younger brother Tommy began shaping and re-shaping surfboards under Joan’s house in Tweed Street Coolangatta in the late 60s. They were surfing and testing shapes at the now world-famous Kirra break every chance they got, little did they know back then that they were shaping surfing history. Michael surfed each wave with such confidence he made it look easy, he rode the waves with speed, flow and energy. An amazing waterman and gifted surfer, Michael also had a great understanding how surf craft worked in different conditions. His designs, particularly the Moonrocket, or ‘Christmas Tree’ as Tommy called it, had the wide point behind the middle of the board well before the other guys had worked out that this development meant you could fit more maneuvers in and get a far greater response out of the board. The boys at the shaping bay had a laugh at his new design and so did the crew surfing in the Pa & Ma Bendall thinking, god what’s he come up with this time. Of course he won the event and the Moonrocket became one of the most rare and sought after boards ever made. Michael’s shaping career spanned from 1967 to 1982. As he got older he moved from shaping at home to Laurie Hohensee’s factory where he 150 WWW.UNDERGROUNDSURF.COM.AU may/jun 2012
MAIN & BOTTOM: A collection of MP boards, showing many different facets of board design. Photos Andre Marsaus. RIGHT: MP at Kirra courtesy of Dick Hoole. Supplied. CLOSEOUT: HISTORY Brought to you by Underground Surf learnt the fundamentals of surfboard manufacturing and became the only young shaper that Laurie would give fresh blanks to. Michael learnt valuable skills from the boys at Hohensee and from there went to shape for Joe Larkin, Aragorn, Burford, Goodtime, Shane, Cornish, Gold Coast Designs and later with Tommy for Spiral Ride and Wintersun. During this time he created a couple of his own labels and opened his own surf shop. He marked his boards with Michael, Michael Peterson or M.P. and his own fruit bowl logo is legendary. He also had two MP models he developed for manufacturers, which were carried on after he left and shaped by other shapers. Everyone wanted a piece of Michael, he was arguably the best surfer in the world for three years. He won almost every competition he entered and was the most dominant force in surfing in the early 70s. Michael’s designs were never commercial. He was underground and had his own ideas, which upset some of the crew trying to move competitive surfing into a new domain. Michael won the inaugural Man on Man Stubbies events on a self-shaped Aragorn in 1977. Following that he competed in Phillip Island, placing third and decided he would get out of competitive surfing and go in search of his own waves. Not long after that he gave up surfing altogether but he never lost the taste and always remembered his boards. Michael came to all the Underground Surf vintage board swap meets in Coolangatta over the last couple of years and happily signed any boards that he’d shaped. We saw a disappointed face or two when someone dragged out a single fin in the hope that it may have been an MP and it got a shake of the head, but all were humbled to be in his presence. He showed me how to pick his rails and the way he shaped some of his tails to suit his further back fin position on his personal boards. Michael’s memory was razor sharp when it came to surfboards and just six weeks ago we were talking about an old Goodtime and a Joe Larkin that he had shaped. “It’s nice to see the original fins,” he said, They’ve stood the test of time. They’re about 40 years old and they’re still going” he laughed. RETRO LONGBOARDS & SHORTBOARDS • NEW & CUSTOM BOARDS • BOARD HIRE • REPAIRS• SKATEBOARDS • CLOTHING • AND MUCH MORE... New surf shop, old-school feel 3/31 McLean St, Coolangatta, QLD Ph: 07 5599 1040 3/77 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads, QLD
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SHAPING<br />
MICHAEL<br />
PETERSON<br />
R.I.P. 1952 - <strong>2012</strong><br />
WORDS: ANDRE “ONDI” MARSAUS<br />
Chatting with Michael Peterson’s<br />
mother, Joan over lunch today the<br />
conversation turned to Michael and<br />
his gift as not only one of the world’s<br />
best surfers but his ground breaking<br />
board shaping.<br />
“Michael was the blueprint of surfing<br />
and now he has left his print behind.”<br />
Joan said. He shaped every board<br />
he competed on and spent hours<br />
developing the rails, rolled from top<br />
to bottom, and the fin position, set<br />
further back on his own boards to suit<br />
his long legs.<br />
Michael and his younger brother<br />
Tommy began shaping and re-shaping<br />
surfboards under Joan’s house in<br />
Tweed Street Coolangatta in the late<br />
60s. They were surfing and testing<br />
shapes at the now world-famous Kirra<br />
break every chance they got, little did<br />
they know back then that they were<br />
shaping surfing history.<br />
Michael surfed each wave with such<br />
confidence he made it look easy, he<br />
rode the waves with speed, flow and<br />
energy.<br />
An amazing waterman and gifted<br />
surfer, Michael also had a great<br />
understanding how surf craft worked<br />
in different conditions. His designs,<br />
particularly the Moonrocket, or<br />
‘Christmas Tree’ as Tommy called it,<br />
had the wide point behind the middle<br />
of the board well before the other guys<br />
had worked out that this development<br />
meant you could fit more maneuvers in<br />
and get a far greater response out of<br />
the board.<br />
The boys at the shaping bay had a<br />
laugh at his new design and so did the<br />
crew surfing in the Pa & Ma Bendall<br />
thinking, god what’s he come up with<br />
this time. Of course he won the event<br />
and the Moonrocket became one of<br />
the most rare and sought after boards<br />
ever made.<br />
Michael’s shaping career spanned<br />
from 1967 to 1982. As he got older<br />
he moved from shaping at home to<br />
Laurie Hohensee’s factory where he<br />
150<br />
WWW.UNDERGROUNDSURF.COM.AU<br />
may/jun <strong>2012</strong>
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