Smorgasboarder_23_Feb_2016-s

INSIDE: SURF-INSPIRED ART AND ARTISTS | SURF TRAVEL IN INDONESIA | THE LATEST SURFBOARD DESIGNS | INFLATABLE SUP TEST 

№ 33 

- SUMMER- 

2016 

F R E E S U R F M A G A Z I N E 

SURF 

+ART 

BRETT MARTIN | NEAL CAMERON | CHRIS GARRETT | CURL 

LACHLAN OLIVE | KYM NAGLER | TONY OGLE | SCOTT CHRISTENSEN 

FIELDEY JIMMY WAGS | OWEN CAVANAGH | CRAIG BAIRD... AND MORE!

2 

| SUMMER 2016 

SMORGASBOARDER

SUMMER 2016 | SMORGASBOARDER 3

ALSO 

AVAILABLE 

Custom Built 

This board has been custom built by hand in 

Australia. In fact, Mark can build just about 

anything to suit the surfer, home décor, the 

occasion and the budget. 

He is very particular with the stringer 

combinations. This board has 40 stringers and 

is for a 40 th birthday. 

Balsawood is a fast grown wood that is 

sustainable. All boards and production are of 

an environmental friendly practice. 

Riley has been building boards since 1995 and 

continue to build unique boards. They build 

from light performance shortboards, to solid 

wallhangers, to classic birthday presents, light 

12ft SUP and everything inbetween. 

With over 1,000 sticks of balsa in stock to 

choose from in big 160mm x 75 x 3050mm 

pieces, you just can’t go wrong. 

• Fin boxes with all wood covers 

• Wood coloured fin boxes 

• Fin box install kits 

• Clear board grip tape - Let the 

beauty of the balsa show 

through with clear Versagrip 

Traction Tape. 

Environmentally friendly and 

suits all size boards. 

• Timber fins 

• Surfboards 

• Blanks 

• Cork tail pads & SUP deck grip 

• Aussie-made leashes 

• Raw balsa/ cedar DIY board kits 

• Instructional DVDs 

• Board racks 

• Tide clocks 

• LICK liquid 

surf wax. 

Wholesale 

enquires 

welcome 

SURFBOARDS THAT DON’T 

COST THE EARTH! 

SHIPPING ANYWHERE, INCLUDING NZ 

4 


SMORGASBOARDER

HANDCRAFTED IN AUSTRALIA 

Riley Balsawood Surfboards are made using renewable 

resource balsa and recycled polystyrene for performance, 

durability, beauty and lower environmental impact 

Call 0412 376 464 

or Email mark@riley.com.au 

www.balsasurfboardsriley.com.au 

Australian Environmentally-friendly handcrafted surfboards for the 

individual in all of us, with a guarantee. Enjoy Responsibly 


6 


SMORGASBOARDER


DIFFERENT 

PERSPECTIVES 

Our core aim in Smorgasboarder magazine always was and will be to be inclusive. 

We love all kinds of surfing, all kinds of surfers from the best to the worst (whatever 

that means to you personally) and all kinds of boards from long to short. 

When it comes to art we feel no differently. Art is as personal as is surfing, and 

there as as many varied forms of expression as there are waves to ride. Furthermore, 

art in any form is completely subjective - what makes art great for one person is as 

personal as what makes a good day out surfing for each of us. Art and hand shaping 

a surfboard could also not be more closely aligned as both take talent, skill and 

thousands of hours of practice to understand and never ever fully master… 

There will also be a new personal height to reach. But most importantly when all the 

stars align perfectly, both art and surfing simply make you happy. 

It’s with that intent that we’re so chuffed to present our second ever dedicated art 

edition! This mag is packed with some of our personal favourite artists - artists of 

vastly varying styles, levels of recognition and even commercial success, yet all tied 

together by an underlying love for surfing, surf culture and the ocean. Some paint 

boards, some paint canvases, some paint walls, some draw pictures, other sculpt in 

metal - all of them make many of you happy by putting their work out into the world 

and brightening someone’s day. 

Enjoy, get inspired, and go surfing! 

Cheers! 

the Smorgasboarders 

An artist with a lens... Sydney photographer Brad Bessant sees Snapper 

Rocks on the Gold Coast from an angle not too many would imagine. 

Photo: Brad Bessant - Find him on Facebook at Brad-Bessant-Photography 

8 

SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER 2016

SUMMER 2016 | SMORGASBOARDER 9 

WELCOME

10 


SMORGASBOARDER


WHAT'S 

INSIDE... 

NOOSA RISING STAR 

32 Meet Nic Brewer 

DETAILS, CREDITS & STUFF 

Grab SMORGASBOARDER FREE at quality surf stores, shapers and 

cool cafés on the coast of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, 

South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and New Zealand... Be 

nice and buy something while you’re there. Or read it online. 

SUBSCRIBE 

FOR MAGAZINE 

HOME DELIVERY 

If you can’t get to a store or other venue to pick the mag up in person, 

you can also choose to have SMORGASBOARDER delivered to your 

door. See www.smorgasboarder.com.au. A few back issues are 

also available for $5 a piece, plus t-shirts & more! 

$25 AUS & NZ - 1 YEAR - SIX EDITIONS. 

THE COVER SHOT 

FUN WITH INFLATABLES 

97 Jeff tests a blow-up SUP 

THE USUAL 

LATEST 

14 Reader photos 

20 News 

GEAR 

88 Surfboards 

94 Ding Repairs 

CLOSEOUT 

101 Directories 

102 Columns 

108 Socials 

114 Aloha Barry 

Great summer 

surfboard designs! See 

Page 88 for more... 

Incredible mural art by Fieldey.... An impressive array of 

artists are featured in this, our second ever art edition. 

For creative inspiration, get reading from page 36 onwards! 

SMORGASBOARDERS 

ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL: 

Dave Swan 

dave@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0401 345 201 

NEW ZEALAND: 

‘Jiff’ Morris 

jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz 

0220 943 913 

DESIGN/EDITORIAL: 

Mark Chapman 

mark@smorgasboarder.com.au 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 

James Ellis 

james@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0410 175 552 

ACCOUNTS: 

Louise Gough 

louise@smorgasboarder.com.au 

CONTRIBUTING... 

This is YOUR mag. It’s here for 

you to tell your stories, show 

your pictures and share your 

thoughts - and score some free 

stuff on the way too, to boot. 

E: editorial@smorgasboarder.com.au 

P: PO Box 501, Moffat Beach QLD 4551 

There’s only a few of us here, 

so please be patient when you 

get in touch - we’ll try our best 

to get back to you as soon as 

humanly possible. Get in touch 

to discuss any ideas you’d like 

to be considered for a future 

edition or online. 

GEAR TESTS & REVIEWS: 

Gus Brown 

gus@smorgasboarder.com.au 

BEST NON-DAILY 

PUBLICATION 

QUEENSLAND MULTIMEDIA 

AWARDS 2013 

FEATURED 

WRITER 

Jules Carey, a 

Canadian surfer 

gives her take on 

Indo. See page 80 

WWW.SMORGASBOARDER.COM.AU 

Smorgasboarder is published by Huge C Media Pty Ltd ABN 30944673055. All 

information is correct at time of going to press. The publishers cannot accept 

responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or unsolicited manuscripts, 

photographs or illustrations. The opinions and words of the authors do not 

necessarily represent those of the publisher. All rights reserved. Reproduction in 

part or whole is strictly prohibited without prior permission. 

12 



14 


SMORGASBOARDER

CRAZY 

KIWIS 

Smorgasboarder reader Tony Baker, photographed here by Ella Buckle on his 5’9” C-Wing Twin Fin 

shaped by Roger Hall - scores himself a kilo of coffee beans thanks to Raglan Roast. Enjoy Tony! 

If you’re in NZ, send in your surf shots and you could be the next reader to score a bag of beans. 

Email submissions to letters@smorgasboarder.com.au 

Great coffee, roasted daily. Volcom Lane, Raglan NZ WWW.RAGLANROAST.CO.NZ 


READER 

PHOTOS 

16 


SMORGASBOARDER

Warm summer waves in the protected corner of a 

back beach on the Mid North Coast of NSW. 

Photo: Chris Hewgill 

This issue’s reader photo scores a pair of 

Barz Optics ‘Tavarua’ floating sunnies! 

Get printed and enjoy some free stuff on us... 

Send your photos to: letters@smorgasboarder.com.au 


Chiko Rolls off 

menu for Girls 

Surf Day 

WORDS & PHTOS 

BY HEIDI ATKINS 

heidiatkinscreative.com 

A bunch of wild women surfers stormed Point 

Impossible recently to conduct a board meeting for the 

annual International Women’s Day surfing competition. 

Slated for Saturday March 5, and hosted by Surf Coast 

Longboarders Club, Wild Women on Water (WWOW) is 

a day of celebration and laughs. 

Stylish shredding ladies (and kooky fun loving lasses) 

will be hitting Point Impossible or Spot for some waves, 

raising funds for local charity Bethany. 

Not just for surfers, there’ll be yoga, coffee and healthy 

barbeque breakfast, food van for lunch, onsite massage 

and a raffle you’d be bonkers to miss. 

Hang with fellow Surf Coast ladies and their families, 

to the tunes of past, present and loud legendary female 

musicians. 

Launched in 2010, the event has drawn new female 

members to the club, bringing a great balance, “and 

lowering levels of testosterone in the water,” explained 

ambassador and Australian champ Emma Webb. 

Competitors described the feeling of surfing and 

sharing waves with other gals. 

“My favourite sessions are with fellow female sliders, 

fun vibes, hooting and chatting amoung the waves,” 

said sponsor Ange King of South Coast Surfboards. 

“It doesn’t matter what level you are, everyone’s just 

happy to be out there,” competitor Laura Spencer 

explained. 

And as to the charitable side of the event, Elle Cooper 

of Bethany said, “Every little bit helps us to continue 

servicing the community.” 

To register or get involved please email: 

info@heidiatkinscreative.com, follow on 

Facebook #Surfcoast Longboarders Club or visit 

surfcoastlongboardclub.com. 

Molly Powell steals one from Emma Webb. 

Photo: heidiatkinscreative.com 

Ange King sliding down the line. 


18 


No drop-ins just party waves. 



AKA: THE NEWS... COMMUNITY WHAT’S HAPPENINGS & OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS 

letters@smorgasboarder.com.au 

smorgasboarder 

WASTE NOT, WANT YES 

Every surfer worth their salt wants a clean ocean environment. Ports 

and marinas are the perfect place to start as they combine high levels of 

human activity with a hell of a lot of rubbish and pollutants such as petrol 

and oil. Enter the ‘Seabin’. 

Good friends, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinksi with the help of West 

Australian seed investors Shark Mitigation Systems have designed a 

prototype of their revolutionary ocean-cleaning technology and are now 

hoping to raise enough capital through a crowd funding campaign to 

launch into full scale production. Their automated rubbish bin is designed 

to be put in the water around marinas and ports and uses a shore-based 

water pump to pull water into the bin along with any floating rubbish, oil, 

fuel and other pollutants. A natural fibre bag then catches all the rubbish 

and allows for clean water to get pumped back into the ocean. 

Providing their crowd funding target is met, Seabins are expected to be 

available late this year and will retail for about $5,297 AUD. 

www.seabinproject.com 

20 


FISHING FOR SKATEBOARDS 

On the recycling front there is another super cool new LA-based 

company called Bureo that is turning ocean waste into skateboards. 

They collect and recycle fishing nets from the coast of Chile and turn the 

nets into skate decks. One Bureo skateboard alone uses almost 3m 2 of 

fishing net debris. So now there’s a way to cruise the streets and keep 

the ocean clean at the same time. Together Bureo and Net Positiva, a 

fishnet collection and recycle program in Chile, in the first year alone 

collected and recycled over ten tonnes of discarded nets. 

Shop.bureo.co 

NEW BALSA WEBSITE 

He’ s become well known for his exquisitely crafted eco-friendly, 

lightweight surfboards and now Mark Riley has developed a new 

website to share his love of balsa. It’s all in the name of enhancing the 

experience for his avid followers both in the water, online and across 

the various social media platforms. 

“I really love building the most Eco friendly boards available in Australia 

by hand. My passion for shaping balsa surfboards sparks a broader 

interest in this great surfboard material” says Mark. 

Riley Australia was one of the first surfboard builders in the world to 

have their own domain name and web site back in January 1999. From 

that day they have been building balsa wood surfboards and sending 

them all around the world. Mark has expanded from balsa boards and 

clocks and added to the mix DIY kits, wood coloured boxes, fins, raw 

balsa, surfing and shaping accessories; everything you need to build a 

beautiful balsa board. 

The new website has been designed to provide the ultimate userfriendly 

experience with improved navigation and functionality 

throughout, allowing customers to access and buy videos with the 

option of sharing information across all major social networking sites. - 

See more at: www.balsawoodsurfboardsriley.com 


RUN OUT SURFBOARD SALE NOW ON! 

UP TO 30% OFF 

ALL EXISTING STOCK UNTIL SOLD 

SHORTBOARDS - MINI MALS 

PERFORMANCE FISH’S - LONGBOARDS 

RON WADE SURFBOARDS (ESTABLISHED 1967) 

23 Bassett Street East, Mona Vale NSW 2103 

Open Saturdays 9am-4pm or call 0410 443 776 for an alternative time. Available 7 days. 

Become part of an 

exclusive members only surf brand. 

(Surfers of all ages and skills welcome) 

Membership has its privileges: Visit www.1lovesurfing.com for details. 

Ambassadors wanted: Apply for a 1 Love Surfing Ambassadorship. 

RESPECT THE RIDE! 

TAMAM 

SHUD 

If you think that you saw 

Tamam Shud play somewhere in the 1970s 

but can’t quite remember then you probably did. 

Purveyors of fine surf style music since the late ‘60s early ‘70s and major 

contributors to the Morning of the Earth sound track Tamam Shud are 

back with a new album, titled 8 years of Moonlight. John Cobbin from 

Brookvale’s Moonlight Studio where the album was recorded says – 

“every single session, and there were so many, was intensely creative.” 

We’ve always been a big fan of Lindsay and Tim’s writing abilities and 

Nigel’s tight snappy drumming. Pete’s dark rumbling bass has always 

sounded like a big surf at night.” The album was released on Sunday 24 th 

January at Sydney Hi-Fi Mona Vale. 

It’s available on vinyl and for download at www.tamamshud.com.au 

LETTERS 

CONSTRUCTIVE 

DEBATE 

“Hi Dave, 

I was stoked with the 

huge article on sharks.... 

Your research, statistics 

and attention to detail 

was excellent. You made 

constructive comments on the 

worrying and volatile issues 

we’re presently facing with 

sharks. You also covered the 

social and economic impact, 

shark mitigation warning 

devices and deterrents etc. 

Thanks Dave for a very positive 

and informative story. 

Cheers 

Donny” 

“Hi Dave 

I received the copy of 

Smorgasboarder in the post - 

many thanks! Really enjoyed 

the shark debate - even though 

I surf in the Great White 

homeland and am considered 

high risk, I fully support their 

conservation. 

Cheers 

Andrew B“ 

NEED SOME 

MAGS PLEASE! 

“Hey Guys, 

Love the Smorgasboarder... 

My partner and I have just taken 

over a surf/lifestyle store in 

North Fremantle WA and were 

wondering if we would be able 

to put some copies of your mag 

on the counter? Let me know! 

Cheers, 

Jim” 

If you’re like Jim and have a 

cool surf store, café or gallery 

and are keen to get some 

Smorgasboarders in store, 

please get in touch. 

There are a couple of ways 

we can arrange. Please note 

though, our mag is free but 

Australia Post doesn’t deliver 

it for nothing, unfortunately. 

We can arrange a single copy 

annual subscription for $25 or a 

bulk subscription from $150. 

For more details email 

subscriptions 

@smorgasboarder.com.au 

22 


SUMMER 2016 | SMORGASBOARDER 23

! 

VINTAGE SURFBOARD COLLECTOR AND PROPRIETOR OF 

NOOSA’S UNDERGROUND SURF, ANDRE ‘ONDI’ MARSAUS, 

IS THE SURF SAGE AND HERE IN OUR REGULAR FEATURE HE 

PROVIDES THE ANSWERS TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. 

Got a question 

you want to ask 

the Surf Sage 

about an old 

board you have 

found under 

the house or 

from a curbside 

collection? 

Email editorial@smorgasboarder.com.au 

and we will get Ondi onto it. 

Q 

A 

Do you know anything about 

this KB Stinger? I’ve had it in 

the back of my garage for years 

and am interested in selling it? 

Cheers for any info on it mate, 

and how much it’s worth? 

Larry 

Hey Larry, yes, this is a Klemm Bell 

Stinger. It looks like a John Blanch 

shaped sting or stinger with no step 

bottom. It would be 1977 vintage if 

John shaped it as he was working 

at the Torquay factory during this 

period. I haven’t seen too many of 

these Victorian stingers. It looks 

watertight and has had a few repairs 

over the years but it’s nice to see it’s 

history is in tact and doesn’t look 

like it’s been restored in any way. It 

actually looks like a great rider and 

without seeing it in the flesh, a price 

guide is about $400. 

24 


SURFBOARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE 

by Ondi Marsaus, Underground Surf Emporium & Cafe 

BILL wallace 

TOOTHPICK 

This beauty is the last board Bill made before 

he retired in Noosa in 2012. It’s a replica of the 

1942 toothpick model he first crafted in Bronte 

at 16 years old in his first workshop, which 

was a garage that backed onto a lane behind 

the house he lived in with his family. He was 

an apprentice Pattern Maker at the time. It was 

around the Second World War and anyone who 

had left school had gone off to fight. Bill, still 

at school, was working in a munitions factory 

building boats and weapons for the diggers on 

the front line. 

The first boards Bill made were inspired by Tom 

Blake’s original boards of that era. Due to the 

war however, materials were scarce and he had 

to substitute the proper materials for inferior 

ones. Cheap ply was used as a substitute for 

marine ply. Copper nails were used instead of 

brass screws. The scarcity of the materials and 

the fact there was no one to instruct Bill on how 

to make a toothpick meant it took up to a year 

to build. Once it was complete however, he sold 

it straight away and that was the beginning of a 

lifelong passion of building surfboards. 

Later Bill was able to access top quality marine 

ply for his toothpicks and built the structure of 

the boards with cedar sourced from the railway 

carriage coach works and wood from Kempsey, 

NSW. He charged the local groms and surfers 1 

pound per foot. 

Bill is one of the original Aussie boardmakers 

who made a great impact on the surf industry 

and Underground Surf was honoured in 2015 

to have Bill and his son Peter hand over the 

production of Wallace Surfboards to us. Various 

models are now being released under Bill’s 

watchful eye. 

See this board in the flesh... 

well, TIMBER... 

at UNDERGROUND SURF 

Upstairs 9 Hastings St, Noosa T: 07 5455 4444 

www.undergroundsurf.com.au 


LATEST & 

GREATEST 

26 


Concrete 

curl 

One of our favourite surf shops in the whole 

country, Island Surfboards on Phillip Island, 

have collaborated with our very own super 

talented, witty and worldly-wise artist Curl, of the Aloha 

Barry cartoon fame (okay, he’s actually a PI boy, but 

we’re claiming him as ours anyway)… 

The graphic, designed by Curl especially for Island is 

available in a range of cool colours - green, blue and 

purple… Can we hope for a t-shirt too?… 

Anyhow, as you can see from the photos, these decks 

can be put through their paces! Island also stock a range 

of hardware to customise your Curl deck with your own 

favourite truck, wheels and the like… 

So, what are you waiting for? Skate with some 

local pride and get yourself a killer new board while 

supporting Island and and our big mate Curl. 

For more info, see www.islandsurfboards.com.au 

(And check out this edition’s Aloha Barry cartoon on 

page 114! Bogan eggs… Classic) 


LATEST & 

GREATEST 

For active and styleconscious 

surferr girls, 

you can never go wrong 

with the stunning range 

of swimwear from Hive. 

One-pieces, or mix and 

match bikini sets to suit 

your style. 

hiveswimwear.com 

SURF TIME 

If you’re hard on your gear 

(and being generally unco, we 

certainly are...) then a Swiss 

military watch is for you... 

Strong, solid and available in 

Australia in a range of styles 

from CRNemetvarga. 

www.crnemetvarga.com 

SMORG X AKYMBO 

SA artist Kym Nagler is behing this edition’s 

special Smorgasboarder t-shirt. Featuring a 

hot ‘surfing bird’ pocket adn backprint, you’ll 

never look more stylish... 

(Grey or Black) 

$30 for the shirt, or $40 

for shirt and subscription. 

www.smorgasboarder.com.au 

28 



PROPERTY 

SALES 

PERMANENT 

RENTALS 

HOLIDAY 

RENTALS 

Wish you were here? 

Speak to your local 

experts, since 1979... 

Photo: Paul Smith Images 

CONTACT US 

T: (07) 5447 2999 

36 Duke Street, Sunshine Beach 

PO Box 75, Noosa Heads, QLD 4567 

sunshinebeachrealestate.com.au 

30 


SMORGASBOARDER

A regular and outstanding competitor at the Noosa Festival 

of Surfing, Hawaii’s Honolua Blomfield. Photo: NFOS 

NOOSA FESTIVAL 

NFOS: 

WORDS: THOMAS LEITCH 

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED, NOOSA FESTIVAL OF SURFING 

25 & GOING STRONG 

The Noosa Festival of Surfing will celebrate 

its 25th Anniversary in 2016, and its already 

shaping up to be bigger and better than ever 

before. 

With unprecedented numbers flocking to sign 

up, it has become necessary to limit competitors 

to a single age division, a new division has been 

opened – the Junior Girls’ Under 15 – and still 

the competitor list is almost full. 

Entry numbers are seeing a sixty six per cent 

increase on former years, the festival’s global 

renown drawing entrants from near and far. 

Nine nations and five of the Australian states 

are currently being represented, with several 

more expected to fill the remaining few berths. 

With the Men’s Under 18, Men’s Open and 

Men’s 50, 55 and 60-plus divisions all now 

full, many entrants will be needing to find their 

second choices to be able to take place in the 

2016 Noosa Festival. 

are booked well in advance for one of the 

biggest weeks in Noosa’s, and indeed, the 

Sunshine Coast’s annual calendar of events. 

If you are wishing to take part in the 2016 

Noosa Festival of Surfing or if you wish to 

join the festival as a sponsor, please visit our 

website – www.noosafestivalofsurfing.com 

- or contact festival director, Sam Smith at 

info@noosafestivalofsurfing.com as soon as 

possible to avoid disappointment. 

Please visit the accommodation section of our 

website for details on hotels, rates and deals 

available. 

Join the festival on social media: 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NoosaFestSurf 

Instagram: @noosa_festival_of_surfing 

The traditional ho’okupu opening ceremony, welcoming friends from near and far. Photo: Geoff Fanning 

With over 700 competitors and their families, 

not to mention the increase in tourists wishing 

to be part of the ‘8 Days of Pure Stoke’, much 

of Noosa’s premiere accommodation properties 


NIC BREWER 

BURNS 

BRIGHT 

WORDS: PHIL JARRATT | PHOTO: KATRINA MCDONALD 

For Noosa junior longboard sensation Nic Brewer 2015 was a stellar year. He took out 

the Junior Logger national title at the Australian Surfing Festival in August, won the 

Under-18 Alexandra Headland Winter Classic, and posted high placings in a string 

of other events. And the 16-year-old High School student from Castaways Beach is only just 

beginning. According to his mentors, he has the right combination of natural talent and positive 

attitude to go a long way. 

A lifelong waterman who started out surfing with his dad on a boogie board at age three, Nic 

developed his confidence in the surf as a Nipper at Sunshine Beach Surf Club. During his early 

years, a friend loaned him a seven-foot single fin and Nic realised that retro and longer boards 

suited his developing style. Nic started turning heads a few years ago in Noosa Malibu Club 

competitions, with his stylish turns and go-for-it attitude. When he began competing seriously, 

he soon became a regular finalist in the Under-15 division events. In 2014 Nic accumulated 

some impressive results including winning the U15 division of the Noosa Festival of Surfing and 

posting second place in the Queensland Longboard Championships. He achieved a creditable 

fourth place at the U18 Austalian Longboard Titles at age 14 and finished the year as Junior 

Champion of the Noosa Malibu Club. Nic’s excellent form continued throughout 2015. 

Nic joined Fuyu Surfboards, operated by Sunshine Beach shaper Paul Winter, as a team rider 

a couple of years ago. This association has seen him flourish in competitive and free surfing, 

and he has taken a growing interest in helping create what he rides, giving a lot of credit for 

his improvement to the ongoing development of the Fuyus under his feet. He says: “I really 

enjoy the process of refining my boards with Paul, and spending time in the shaping bay with 

him. I feel much more confident knowing that each board is made specifically to suit my surfing 

and to improve it.” Nic’s great results are partly attributed to understanding his boards and the 

conditions each is suited to. 

Fuyu Surfboards is proudly local, supporting events such as the Noosa Logger and Wrecks and 

Relics, and with a Noosa-based team in Nic, Gavin Robinson and Jackson Winter. It is also one of 

the few grass-roots surfboard companies still resisting the mass-production trend and producing 

custom handcrafted quality boards. 

Nic has also benefited from being coached and mentored by former world longboard champion 

Josh Constable, and hot free surfer Jackson Winter. Recent international travels (to the 

Maldives in 2014 and Samoa in 2015) have given him experience in the more challenging reef 

breaks endemic to those regions. Nic can also be found indulging in his other great passion of 

fishing whenever the surf’s not happening. 

Finishing school is top priority, and Nic was a recent recipient of the ‘Sunshine Coast Young 

Achiever’ award for his sporting and academic excellence. The money he received from 

this award will help with costs involved in attending future competitions, including Nic’s 

ambitions of winning another Australian title and having a crack at a longboard world title. It 

seems that Nic has what it takes. 

Article courtesy of fuyusurfboards.com 

32 


LATEST: LOCAL 

A lifelong waterman 

who started out 

surfing with his dad 

on a boogie board 

at age three 


GREAT 

FAMILY 

SURF ESCAPES 

The deep south (New South Wales that is) appeals on so many levels. There are an endless number of uncrowded waves in the 

area, the water is always absolutely pristine, albeit on the “Norsca Fresh” cool side of things, and the fresh local produce from the 

sea and the land is on another level altogether. The most southern town of NSW is EDEN and its name is befitting of its appeal. 

VISITING 

EDEN 

The freshest 

of fresh 

seafood! 

THE WAVES 

Well I can’t say too much out of 

respect for the local surfers other 

than a visit to this region won’t 

usually see you go home empty 

handed. A number of spots may 

be fickle and heavily reliant on 

the sandbanks, but on the day 

they are something to remember 

for the rest of your life, and there 

are still plenty of other options to 

suit various conditions. 

There are waves here for all 

surfing standards. Fun little 

beachies can be had right out 

front of the Holiday Park on 

Aslings Beach. There’s a great 

right further down the beach that 

is best in 3-6ft and then there 

are islands and rock shelfs in 

the area that can hold up to 12ft 

plus. Oh, and just a little further 

north is Pambula Rivermouth. 

You may have heard of it. It’s the 

stuff of legend but is it real or a 

myth? You will have to find out 

for yourself. 

FISHING 

Eden is part of the Sapphire 

Coast and the region’s 

shimmering waters means it 

not only lives up to its name but 

they’re also teeming with fish, 

making it one of the state’s top 

fishing destinations. There’s 

plenty of reef, rock, beach 

and estuary fishing. Eden is 

particularly popular with game 

fisherman from December to May 

and there are even land-based 

game fishing options from the 

Pulpit and City Rock. Think of a 

fish and you will probably be able 

to catch it here. 

FOOD 

First of all there is the freshest 

of fresh seafood available in this 

region whether you are catching 

it yourself, visiting a local fish and 

chip shop, heading down to the 

wharf, dining at a local pub, café 

or restaurant. There’s fish of every 

description and size and then 

there’s mussels and oysters. As I 

said before, it is another level. 

As for the local 

produce there is a line 

on the Sapphire Coast 

tourism site that says 

something like ‘Every 

town in the region 

offers an outlet for the 

sort of food your grandparents 

used to talk about.” Roadside 

signs for farmgate sales, local 

produce markets, the multi-award 

winning Eden Smokehouse…. 

The list goes on and on. For more 

information: www.visiteden.com. 

au/local-produce/ 

WHAT ELSE? 

Food (again), history and nature 

are the drawcards. I have said 

enough about food so I will focus 

on the latter. Eden was home to 

shore-based whaling stations 

and a trip here is not complete 

without a visit to the Eden Killer 

Whale Museum and hearing the 

story of Old Tom, the legendary 

killer whale. You can also walk 

the killer whale trail, explore Ben 

Boyd National Park, kayak the 

Kiah River or partake in an oyster 

tour on beautiful Broadwater Lake 

(there I go about food again). 

SOUTH COAST 

HOLIDAY PARKS 

EDEN 

Opposite Aslings beach and with 

Lake Curalo as its backdrop, 

this park is a cracker. Recently 

renovated there are sites for 

motorhomes and vans, camping 

and 22 cabins to choose from to 

suit various budgets and groups 

with even some dog-friendly 

options. You can hire a bike 

here and ride along to the many 

enjoyable walks through bushland 

and national parks or kick a footy 

on the open grass area. 

southcoastparks.com.au 

34 



36 


SMORGASBOARDER


LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS 

She paints surfboards, she paints walls, 

she paints canvases and more... Let’s have 

a chat with amazing artist, Haylee Fieldes 

WORD: MARK CHAPMAN 

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED, COURTESY OF FIELDEY 

38 



IELDEY has made a real name for herself in the art world, painting dozens of surfboards, 

walls and skateboards, cars – even bowling pins, a 2.4m remote-controlled jet boat and 

has even created artwork for the 2014 Iron Fist ladies range. 

Fieldey - or Haylee Fieldes to those who know her closely - was born in New Zealand in the 80s 

and moved to Norfolk Island, where she learned a love for the ocean. Ever the nomad, she left to 

study in Sydney, work in London, and finally settled in Perth. Here she learned to surf and decided to 

custom-paint her own surfboard. And so it began… 

I BELIEVE FIELDEY - THE NAME, THE LEGEND — WAS BORN FROM 

THE MAKING OF THE FISH WIFE? TELL US THE TALE... 

To tell that tale I’ll have to travel way back into 

the mists of time when I was a wee little tacker 

who used to obsessively paint and draw all the 

time. I was always told I was going to be an 

artist and I believed it right up until I was about 

to finish school and I had a careers advisor who 

convinced me I’d die poor and alone if I pursued 

art as a career. Not wanting to die in a lonely 

garret missing an ear, I studied graphic design 

as a way to make money out of being creative. 

I did that for about 10 years giving up on my 

youthful dreams of being an artist and gradually 

becoming more disillusioned with the whole 

corporate design gig. 

I moved to Perth and took up surfing in 2011 

for something to do here and also as a way 

to get over my long-held fear of the ocean… 

after 6 months I was no longer terrified of the 

sea and reckoned I was more than ready to 

upgrade to a short(er) board (I know, rookie 

mistake) and decided to paint my sexy new 6’6” 

Superfish for fun. Having no idea how to paint a 

surfboard and some pretty rusty painting skills, 

I researched everything I could find online and 

asked a local surfboard shaper how to go about 

it. The name the Fish Wife is a bad pun, and 

the character that goes with it is a “reverse 

mermaid” the less alluring fish-headed cousin 

of a beautiful mermaid. 

Me and my brother decided to film the process 

and put it up on YouTube and I cringe a little 

bit to watch it now, but painting that surfboard 

kicked the whole thing off and started my career 

as an artist, which I now do full time. HA - take 

that career advisor! 

40 



LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS


WHICH WERE SOME OF YOUR EARLIEST ART 

INSPIRATIONS - DO YOU EVER REMEMBER A 

“I JUST HAVE TO DO THAT” MOMENT? 

Well, since I was a super dorky kid the really 

early stuff was all about horses… like most 

young girls I was absolutely nuts for horses so 

I just used to paint and draw them obsessively. 

The kind of stuff I do now happens on an 

intuitive level… it’s a process where you sort of 

input all the variables of what you want to paint 

into your brain; size, materials, theme etc, and 

then your subconscious kind of mulls through 

it for a couple of days and then you wake up 

at 2am with a ready-baked idea that seems to 

have come out of the blue but which is actually 

a product of your subconscious mind drawing 

together all the blanks and joining the dots. It’s 

classic “light-bulb” inspiration and so much of 

my better stuff comes from that process. 

SURFBOARDS - YOU MAKE THEM COOLER. 

WHY SURFBOARDS IN PARTICULAR? 

Surfboards were a complete accident, I 

never thought as a kid that I’d be a surfboard 

painter… I was hell bent on being an “equine 

artist”. It was one of those lucky twists of fate 

that learning to surf coincided with wanting to 

get back into painting and surfboards turned 

out to be that special X factor that gave me a 

specific project to work on. 

WALLS, YOU MAKE THEM PRETTIER. WHY? 

It was a combination of Perth’s current obsession 

with street art and my natural inclination for 

bigger and tougher challenges. Walls are hard 

work, but people will pay good money to pretty 

up a wall and there’s something rad about 

seeing the deranged fruits of your imagination 

3 storeys high! 

42 


BESIDES BOARDS AND BRICKS, WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE 

MEDIUM? HAVE YOU DONE MUCH TRADITIONAL ART 

OUTPUT - PAINTINGS, PRINTS, ETC? 

My favourite medium is acrylic paint and last year I took a 

massive leap into the terrifying realm of painting “realistic” 

portraits on canvas. The blank rectangular-ness of the canvas 

was super scary at the start - with a surfboard I get a feel for 

the shape of the board and it’s personality; using that to help 

come up with the artwork for it. With a blank canvas or paper 

you’ve got nothing… it’s just so… rectangular? 

IS THERE A PARTICULAR PROCESS YOU FOLLOW WHEN 

WORKING ON A PARTICULAR PIECE? 

Apart from coming up with the concept as I described earlier, 

the basic process is to work from the back to the front - starting 

with the background and then progress through to the main 

figure and finish with anything that may be in front of the main 

figure. 

WHAT’S THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN AN 

ARTWORK FOR YOU (NO PRESSURE...) 

Well apart from a bangin’ concept filled with bad puns and 

vulgarity, the most important thing in any artwork is always the 

eyes. Humans are always drawn to eyes and it doesn’t matter 

whether you’re painting a human, horse, reverse mermaid or 

anything else, if their eyes aren’t alive and compelling, neither 

is the artwork. I’ll repaint the eyes 10 times if that’s what it 

takes to get them right. 



I’M SURE I SAW A VIDEO A WHILE BACK OF 

YOU AT AN ART SLAM - I THINK YOU DID AN 

AWESOME BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN? DO YOU 

DO MUCH IN THE WAY OF ART EXHIBITIONS? 

I don’t do heaps of exhibitions as I’m kept super 

busy with commissions but I do the odd art 

battle from time to time… they’re a lot of fun 

and I really enjoy hamming it up and performing 

in front of a crowd. 

YOUR ART WORKSHOPS - HOW HAVE THOSE 

GONE DOWN AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE 

PLANNED FOR THE COMING YEAR THERE? 

Workshops are awesome fun - I love seeing 

people engage with their creative selves and 

really get stuck into doing something they 

maybe didn’t think they were capable of. A lot 

of people appreciate the fact that the workshops 

give them permission to take time out to be 

creative - there’s no phones, no distractions - 

they can finally let all the other stuff go and get 

painting. There’s none planned yet, but I’m open 

to any proposals for anyone wanting to host art 

workshops in exotic locations ;) 

DESIGN VS ART? YOU KNOW THE INS AND 

OUTS OF BOTH - WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? 

For me being an artist is achieving my dream 

and I sometimes can’t believe I get paid to 

have so much fun. But I’m also very, very 

grateful I started out with design though - 

That was how I managed to make a career 

out of art, it taught me how to think about 

what I do as a product, how to market it and 

how to work with clients. Also when it comes 

to ‘getting out there’ having studied design 

means I can perform all my own stunts - 

from building my own website, designing my 

business cards to already knowing how to go 

about social media. 

ZOMBIES VS TIKIS? WHAT’S YOUR 

FAVOURITE SUBJECT MATTER? 

Oh man, I love them both, but I’m really drawn 

to gross stuff and I love painting gory ripped 

flesh, internal organs, skulls and other lovely 

things, so zombies would have to win there. 

Strangely enough I also like painting plants 

and flowers… rotting flesh combined with 

exotic flowers actually sums up my aesthetic 

nicely… ever heard of the ‘corpse flower’? 

44 


WHO’S BEEN INSPIRING IN RECENT TIMES? ANY 

FAVOURITE ARTISTS CURRENTLY? ANY HOT TIPS FOR 

UP AND COMING ARTISTS, OR UNKNOWNS THAT 

SHOULD BE KNOWNS? 

My current favourite street artist is Alexis Diaz from 

Puerto Rico who does the most amazingly intricate 

murals. They are insanely good! 

Hot tips for up and coming artists is to make sure you 

put a lot of work into building a solid skill base and 

drawing every day - it’s the ol’ practice makes perfect 

cliché but I’ve found it to be super helpful. Also, being/ 

becoming an artist is hard and emotionally draining 

so it’s a good idea to surround yourself with positive 

people that support your goals but will also tell you 

honestly if an artwork isn’t right or needs more work. 

SURFING WISE, HAVE YOU HAD ANY MEMORABLE 

MOMENTS RECENTLY? GETTING OUT MUCH? WHAT 

ARE YOU RIDING AT THE MOMENT? 

I’ve been flat out with work over summer so haven’t 

been able to get out as much as I’d like, but I’m on 

holiday down in the South West at the moment and 

caught some super fun waves at the incredible Boranup 

Beach last week. My favourite board is a 9’ mal with 

one of my artwork inlays, custom shaped by the 

awesome Chris McKenzie of Oceanline Surfboards. 

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE SEE YOUR 

STUFF AND GET IN TOUCH? 

Head on over to www.fieldey.com to check out 

my image galleries or drop me a line, join me for 

some acrylic high-jinx on instagram at @fieldey 

or if you want to paint your own surfboard you 

can check out my handy tutorials on my YouTube 

channel; Fieldey TV. 


HANDCRAFTED QUALITY SURFBOARDS 

CUSTOM ORDERS SPECIALIST 

NOOSA HEADS, AUSTRALIA 

WWW.FUYUSURFBOARDS.COM 

46 



FIVE 

quESTIONS FOR... 

It’s clear just by looking at different artwork that all artists have very different 

ways of seeing the world. We posed the same five questions to a group of 

surf-inspired artists who produce work of all kinds - from drawings, to prints, 

to paintings to art on surfboards themselves... Here’s their work and thoughts. 

WORDS: MARK CHAPMAN 

Overlaid artwork: Top - Jimmy Wags, middle - Tony Ogle, bottom - Scott Christensen 


FIVE QUESTIONS FOR 

LACHLAN OLIVE 

WHO IS LACHLAN? 

One part graphic artist, one part 

smart-arse, Lachlan splits his time 

between making coffee and making art. 

Always planning the next exhibition or 

collaboration, and working on his brain 

child We Are Useless Machines, Lachlan 

is all over it. 

His unique work is a culmination of 

smart-arse social commentary, tongue-incheek 

wordplay and pop culture. 

WHERE DO YOU FIND HIS WORK? 

www.uselessmachines.tumblr.com 

Instagram: @lachlanolive89 

1. 

2. 

3. 

DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE 

ART CREATION SETUP 

- MATERIALS, MEDIA, 

LOCATION, WHATEVER 

YOU THINK WILL MAKE IT 

PERFECT... 

It would be a warehouse style 

setup. Probably secluded 

somewhere in northern NSW. 

It would have massive high 

ceilings and blank walls that 

could be covered in paint. A 

fridge always filled with beer. 

There would be an endless 

supply of Posca pens and spray 

paint. Anyone could come 

around and paint whatever 

they wanted on the walls, and 

I’d cook for them and hang 

out and paint. It would be 

the happiest place to raise a 

family. 

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST 

MOTIVATION WHEN IT 

COMES TO CREATING ART? 

Music. Hands down. Probably 

around 80% of my work is 

directly influenced by the music 

I’m listening to. Sometimes 

its painfully obvious and other 

times its subtle, but that 

influence is behind everything I 

put to paper. 

YOUR MOST MEMORABLE 

ART CAREER MOMENT? 

4. 

5. 

WHAT’S YOUR MOST 

MEMORABLE SURFING 

MOMENT? 

I remember driving down to 

Ballina just after I graduated 

high school. My mate drove 

us all down. He had this shitty 

old green van with 4 gears. Its 

top speed was like 80 kmph. 

It took us about 7-8 hours to 

drive from the sunny coast 

to Ballina. A trip that would 

normally take 4 hours. Those 

kind of trips are the best part 

of surfing. Travelling with 

good friends and laughing and 

pranking each other is the 

best! 

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH 

WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE 

WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE 

AND WHY? 

If he was still alive, it would be 

Salvador Dali. Can you imagine 

sitting down and having 

cucumber sandwiches with 

Dali? Incredible. 

The first show I ever did 

was with my two friends 

Wade Goodall and Sebastien 

Fougere. We got these old 

mannequins and cut out 

the crotch of each one and 

replaced it with a goon sack 

and that was where our guests 

got their wine. It was messy 

and funny. I also sold my first 

art piece at that show. 

48 



LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS


TONY 

OGLE 

WHO IS TONY? 

New Zealand’s Tony Ogle is a 

highly successful art printmaker 

inspired by the pristine NZ 

coastline.“Screenprinting allows 

me to express my love of the New 

Zealand landscape and ocean 

environment with strong colours in a 

direct and graphic manner”. 


NZ Galleries selling Tony’s work are 

listed on website, www.tonyogle.com 

50 


1. 

DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART 

CREATION SETUP... 

4. 


MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT? 

2. 

3. 

It would be my current studio with 

an art shop stock of materials 

within - but most importantly - a 

head full of inspired ideas waiting 

to energetically be brought to 

canvas. 


MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES 

TO CREATING ART? 

Capturing and creating an image 

of the seen world that is filtered 

and shaped by an internal ideal 

of beauty, harmony, energy and 

balance, to create a work that 

resonates, in this way, with myself 

and hopefully others. 

YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART 

CAREER MOMENT? 

5. 

A moment of total synchronicity 

- when I had just dried off from a 

memorable point break session 

and was relaxing in the sunshine 

in the car, virtually parked on 

the beach watching amazing 

waves and rides go down with 

Eric Clapton’s Layla (long version) 

playing full bore. 




AND WHY? 

Lucian Freud - unfortunately now 

passed - I would have begged him 

to let me watch him paint for a 

day. His ability to paint the human 

body inspires me - an astounding 

painter and image maker. 

The initial realisation that I could 

indulge my passion full time and 

not have to think about ‘another’ 

job to support myself and my 

family. 



52 


3. 

1. 

2. 


KYM 

NAGLER 

DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART CREATION 

SETUP... 

Somewhere light and comfortable with a good 

sound system. A view of the beach would be 

good, a good variety of paint with timber odds 

an ends to make stuff and paint. 

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION 

WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING ART? 

Probably a lot of pop culture influences from 

‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s… TV shows, magazines (Like 

Mad etc.), music, films and a lot of stuff 

around me to this day... And not taking it all 

too seriously. 

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR MOST 

MEMORABLE ART CAREER MOMENT? 

Doing South Australian living art exhibitions 

with other artist friends of mine... And actually 

selling something. The Byron surfing/art fest, 

Kustom Lane gallery in Vicco…and a bit of a 

write up in Kustom Airbrush and Pinstriping 

mag (England) tiki feature… I just put it out 

there and see what happens. Oh yes,and doin’ 

tee layouts for Smorgasboarder! 

WHO IS KYM? 

Kym’s a multi-talented bloke with 

a love for kustom graphics and art. 

And his love for fun and feelgood 

art is only rivalled by his expansive 

knowledge of the South Australian 

music scene. With his tongue firmly 

in cheek, not only does Kym create 

conventional drawings and paintings 

under the names of Akymbo and Von 

Nagler, he also makes tiki heads 

out of styrene foam and concrete, 

he paints hats, he makes lamps, 

plant pots, dunny-roll holders, he 

paints surfboards, skateboards, 

handplanes, paipos... In fact there’s 

very little that Kym won’t add his 

unique splash of colour and flair to 

(including this edition’s awesome 

Smorgasboarder t-shirt! See page 

28 for a sneak peek). 

FIND HIS WORK? 

Facebook: Akymbo Surf & Tiki Art 

4. 

...AND WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE 

SURFING MOMENT? 

The first time I surfed Noosa was pretty 

memorable! 

5. 

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE 

ARTIST IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT 

BE AND WHY? 

Because I have a cartoony style it would have 

to big daddy ED ROTH! He developed fantastic 

lettering font styles, his hot rod monsters - 

which I would copy as a kid (but nowhere as 

good) - his kustom cars, surfing and skateboard 

toons as well… Rat Fink!!! ’60s pop culture 

at its best! 



54 


scott christensen 

WHO IS SCOTT? 

Scott Christensen paints surf and the 

beaches along the Eastern Australian 

coastline with oil paint on stretched 

canvas. For the past 16 years he has 

carved a name for himself as one of 

Australia’s favorite ocean themed 

artists. 


His work is available in limited edition 

runs on canvas and acrylic glass and 

also as signed block-mounted posters 

which are all available directly though 

www.scottchristensen.com.au and 

these selected outlets: Big Shotz 

Gallery at Coolangatta, The Famous 

Glass Studio at Robina Town Centre 

and Raw Art Gallery at the Sheraton 

in Hastings Street, Noosa Heads. 

Facebook: scottchristensenseascapes 

Instagram: scottchristensenartist 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART CREATION SETUP... 

Coolangatta - Rainbow Bay: fifth floor apartment, big 

white room with balcony and views to little Marley…. 

Coffee machine, beer fridge and quality sound system - no 

deadlines…. 

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES 


The pursuit of perfection…. 

YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART CAREER MOMENT? 

Becoming aware that I had the skills to paint whatever I want. 

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT? 

Can’t pick one but the Early ‘90s off Greenmount point – 

blinded by golden sunsets, warm water and surfing with my 

wife Shannon, so late into the evenings we could no longer 

see the waves coming: Bloody awesome. 

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE 

WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? 

Dave Grohl - for an intro-lesson on how to play the drums like 

a rock god. 



CRAIG BAIRD 

1. 

DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART 

CREATION SETUP... 

4. 


MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT? 

WHO IS CRAIG? 

Now Curator of Australian National Surfing Museum, Craig 

“Gonzo” Baird was inspired by art early on and began doing 

commercial art for people while still at school. 

“I think my first commission was for a band’s drum kit, and 

since then I’ve painted a diverse range of objects from dune 

buggies, hot rods, race cars, skateboards, guitars, garden 

gnomes, helmets, tool boxes to about 15,000 surfboards 

during a 26-year career as a surfboard artist.” 

Most of Craig’s time was spent in the pit at the Rip Curl/ 

Moonlight factory in Torquay but he worked for other Vicco 

shapers and labels including Watercooled, Maurice Cole, 

Dave Boyd, Southern Soul Surfboards, Cruise Control, Rousa, 

etc, and a curious Jan Juc label Pink Bits. 

“Not all of my art has been on boards I have also had a few 

solo and group exhibitions in local galleries and have work 

hanging in people’s homes around Oz and overseas.” 


Drop in and visit craig in person at the Australian National 

Surfing Museum at 77 Beach Road in Torquay, or for more 

info on the museum see the website www.surfworld.com.au. 

2. 

3. 

For me now, getting into the spray 

room feels a bit like a familiar bit 

of furniture, and it is a kind of zen 

thing to put your brain in neutral, 

get your hands busy, trust your 

talent and just see what comes 

out at the end. 


MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES 


It is good to get fired up about 

projects and ride that wave of 

creative energy. Sometimes I just 

feel compelled to create but it 

can be a bit of a double edged 

sword. It is like the inspiration 

for each work comes with its 

own little packet of energy and a 

window of time in which it has to 

be completed, sad to say I have 

a bunch of half finished works at 

home. 



... a rush order for Japan the day 

before my brother’s wedding. 

Sprayed 24 boards in 24 hours, 

was a zombie on the big day but 

got it done! Lots of Bertlemanninspired 

swirls from what I can 

remember. 

5. 

I guess, one of those days that 

most surfers dream of. Picked a 

change in conditions and caught 

a dropping tide at my favourite 

spot. Not a drop of water out of 

place, sunlit overhead surf, gentle 

offshore, surfed better than ever 

before (or since probably) with 

not another soul around. Paddling 

back out you could see cutback 

trails on the water . . . 




AND WHY? 

There are lots of artists I would 

love to have met but I get the 

feeling many of them might not 

be great company. I love Howard 

Arkley’s work but he didn’t 

seem like a happy or 

chatty bloke, so I’d go 

with Salvador Dali, 

I’m picking it would 

be memorable and 

probably some 

pretty good food 

to go along 

with it? 

56 




OWEN CAVANAGH 

1. 

2. 

DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE 

ART CREATION SETUP... 

A large shed type set 

up , with gallery and 

cafe attached with public 

viewing area , space 

(studios) visiting artists , 

industrial spray booth and 

ventilated work areas. 


MOTIVATION WHEN IT 

COMES TO CREATING ART? 

Being creative and seeing 

the joy on people’s faces 

when they see a piece you 

have created or they had 

commissioned. 

3. 

4. 


ART CAREER MOMENT? 

Not realising at the time, in 

2001, after having given the 

owner of a shed a carton of 

beer to let me paint it that 

it would become the now 

iconic “Wave” mural on the 

Sunshine Motorway back 

near Mt Coolum. 



A six-hour session with only 

my brother and myself at 

Safi Morocco. 6-8 ft, couldn’t 

paddle another centimeter 

when the enforcers showed 

up... 

5. 



WORLD, WHO WOULD IT 

BE AND WHY? 

John Severson, founder of the 

first surf magazine the world 

(Surfer in California, 1960). 

Photographer, artist, filmmaker, 

publisher...Dropping 

out to live the island dream 

- need l say more? 

WHO IS OWEN? 

“A life lived large, with the ocean a 

defining path is strongly displayed 

in my work.” 

An unswerving commitment to the 

Sunshine Coast and protection of 

the pristine beaches hugging its 

shoreline are driving forces, while 

Owen’s love for surfing and any 

pastime connected with the ocean 

are a constant source of inspiration. 

WHERE TO FIND HIS WORK? 

See more of Owen’s work on his 

website, www.solearte.com.au, 

or simply take a drive down the 

Sunshine Coast motorway to see 

the wave shed! 

58 


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60 


SMORGASBOARDER


Photo: Tom Woods 


JIMMY WAGS 

1. 2. 

YOUR ULTIMATE ART CREATION SETUP... 

I would have to say on a South Pacific island, near 

a perfect left, crystal clear water, neverending 

packet of Poscas (paint pens), making enough 

money painting punters’ boards to live there with 

my family and go on annual snow trips in the off 

season, or the same deal, but here in Mullaway. 

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION WHEN 

IT COMES TO CREATING ART? 

I’ve always been creative, since a little kid... 

Creating art can be a lot of things for me - creative 

release, stress relief, anger management, 

meditation. Sometimes its like something’s inside 

you that just needs to get out through your fingers. 

WHO IS JIMMY? 

James ‘Jimmy Wags’ Waghorn 

was born and bred in Grafton 

and now lives in Mullaway, 

NSW. At 34, Jimmy boasts ‘a 

wonderful wife, super cool kid, 

a blue eyed dog, lazy arse cat 

and a thing for painting weird 

shit.’ 

Jimmy grew up on a farm near 

a river ‘doing the sort of things 

you do on a farm - horses, 

hooning round on motos, 

having glove gun wars’ and 

would hit the beach on the 

weekends with the family. 

‘I learned to surf early, then 

skateboarding took over in my 

teens and early adult life. Now 

I’m living at the beach, I’m back 

into surfing and painting.’ 

FIND HIS WORK 

Facebook: Jimmy Wags Artist 

Instagram: @jimmywagsart 

Shop: www.jimmywags.com 


On a recent surf trip, other blokes were all 

talking up this spot for the mornings much 

anticipated swell and these guys had been 

here a few times. At breakfast a fella who 

had been building a boat at the place over 

the past few months spotted me, had seen 

I was a goofy tube sniffer and said “don’t 

get on the boat with the other 10 guys, the 

left out front will fire today with this swell 

direction.” 

I took his advice, saved some coin on the 

boat ride and surfed out front with old mate 

and an Israeli guy, scoring some of the best 

tubes I’ve had to date. Boat rolled back in, 

didn’t score and the motor broke down at 

some stage... Boys were spewing. 

5. 

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE 

ARTIST IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT 

BE AND WHY? 

Probably Jim Phillips - counter lunch at 

the pub, listening to the stories of the ‘80s 

skate scene, asking him about coming up 

with screaming fist etc... 

Jim’s art has influenced me a fair bit, 

drawing crazy characters. His art is so 

iconic - all those memorable artworks on 

skateboards of the ‘80s were Jim’s. Plus 

we have the same name, so he must be a 

champion. 

Music plays a big part - headphones on and 

pencil wandering usually create my best 

(most random ‘out there’) pieces. Creating 

an artwork that people enjoy and relate to 

is motivating, making a living from being an 

artist is very motivating. Talking business, 

nothing like a deadline on a commission to 

motivate you. 

3. 

4. 



Probably joining an artist-run gallery in 

Coffs Harbour and the praise and support 

received from the other artists - many 

of whom were quite high profile in the 

area - which confirmed my wife and I had 

made the right decision, dropping half my 

business, moving to the beach, embracing 

the coastal lifestyle and to paint more. 

Having that support from my wife when 

others thought I was mad was the game 

changer - haven’t looked back. Having a 

guy order a ‘Grog Monster’ t-shirt to wear 

to Octoberfest was up there too. 

AND WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE 


Pretty much the same as most goofy footers 

- scoring the perfect left. 

62 


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64 


Far be it talking ill of Congo artist Brett Martin, 

we are in absolute awe of his works that have 

transformed peoples’ waste into stunning art 

pieces. This is a man who together with his family 

live their life left of centre and in doing so are 

completely and utterly content. 

One of life’s great pleasures is chatting with interesting people you 

may not cross paths with in your normal day-to-day life. Through 

conversation you feel a sense of enrichment, gaining a different 

perspective on life, how they lead theirs and in turn how you can perhaps improve 

yours. Now some may scoff that I am getting a bit too ‘deep and spiritual’ but it is 

exactly how I felt following my interview with Brett Martin. 

Born in Ballina, Brett grew up around Lennox Head and understandably developed 

a deep love for surfing. Through his schooling years he discovered his other passion 

in the field of art and in particular, painting and sculpture. He furthered his studies 

in art at Southern Cross University finishing in 1997 and after a stint of travel 

through South America in 1998, he and his partner Joel returned to Australia 

settling in Congo on the far south coast of New South Wales in the Eurobodalla 

Shire. Think south of Batemans Bay and Moruya and you are right in the heart of 

God’s country, that’s the region. 

Here Brett furthered his studies completing a Diploma of Education and when Joel 

fell pregnant with their first child Asher, now fifteen years of age, he began work as 

an arts teacher. Through the years he worked at various public and Catholic schools 

and later with kids with handicaps, disabilities and troubled youths. His teaching 

career saw the family move to Lightning Ridge in North-Western New South Wales 

(near the Queensland border and a hell of a long way from the Coast). Brett picks up 

the story. 

“We moved out to Lightning Ridge when Joel was pregnant with our second child 

Alex, she’s now 13. I was teaching in a composite school from kindergarden to year 

12. Anyhow after Alex was born a bit of responsibility cloud came over me and I 

thought we should get a home loan and all that sort of thing. You know, follow the 

conventional path. That feeling didn’t last long though. About three weeks later it 

came to a head and I thought, ‘Nah this is not for us.’ Joel and I decided we wanted 

to be parents that could spend quality time with our kids; to raise them the way we 

wanted to and not how they had to be in school or leave them sitting in front of the 

TV because we were busy off at work. So we didn’t pursue the conventional path. 

We were comfortable to step outside of the norm and do whatever we felt was best 

for our family. 

SUMMER 2016 | SMORGASBOARDER 

65


“We moved back to the coast and began focusing 

on our artistic pursuits again. I started painting, 

doing album covers for bands and advertising 

work and made quite a name for myself down 

here. Joel was full on with her sewing. That is 

her expressive outlet. She makes clothing using 

materials sourced from Op Shops. 

“It was pretty awesome spending all day with 

the kids and doing what we wanted to do, 

surfing in amongst it all of course. But it got to 

a point where we began to get caught up in our 

new little world in a conventional way. It was 

actively taking up all our time and once again 

taking us away from our kids so we went, ‘Well, 

let’s just split.’ We had a Combi (I still have it 

actually), turned left on the highway and that 

was it. That was 2004 and we only got back a 

couple of years ago.” 

The family headed south and hung out in 

Tasmania for a year before eventually making 

their way across to Western Australia. 

“It was always a bit of a drawcard as I hadn’t 

been there before and once there, I figured we 

wouldn’t be coming home in a hurry. We ended 

up spending seven years in WA going up and 

down the coast. 

“I think when you are not doing the 

conventional thing lots of opportunities come 

up that you can pursue. When people are 

working, paying off home loans and the like, 

they kind of can’t take those opportunities. So 

we followed this stream of opportunities that 

always arose as we met new people. It was 

like a pinball machine, we were zigzagging all 

over the place going from one good thing to 

the next good thing.” 

Through their travels Brett met a bloke who had 

a derelict house sitting on 160 acres of pristine 

bushland near Denmark (on WA’s South Coast 

400kms south of Perth). The house had been vacant 

for some eight years and as a consequence, the 

bush had just consumed it. He wanted someone 

to fix it and look after it but could find no one 

interested. Brett and Joel decided to take it on. 

“When we got there the roof was falling down, 

there was garbage everywhere and the bush 

had completely overtaken the cottage. It was 

an absolute mess. We spent the next five to 

six years living in this house and rebuilding it. 

It was a great experience. There were fifty fruit 

trees on the property and we could pretty much 

live self sufficiently. That house was really 

where our kids grew up.” 

In the Summer months Brett and Joel would 

work the markets and in winter they would head 

up north or overseas or “wherever we felt like 

going because Winter down in that south west 

corner is pretty full on.” That was their cycle for 

many years, doing whatever came along and 

whatever felt good for all of them. “It was such 

a happy time in our lives.” 

Their overseas jaunts saw them travel through 

Asia and South America, all the while home 

schooling their daughters Asher and Alex along 

the way. 

“We dragged the kids to Thailand one time for a 

number of months and then Laos another time. 

The last big trip we did was to South America 

66 


“There was no formulated 

time or plan. It was just 

how we felt and everyday 

we did what we felt 

like doing.” 

for three months. Part of their home schooling was the girls learnt 

to speak Spanish. 

“They learnt about the history of civilizations and then we would 

go and visit those countries. It reiterated what they learnt and 

made it real. A lot of stuff in school you are learning from a book 

or what someone is telling you. We just wanted to educate 

our kids in a more realistic way, to allow them to see different 

countries and gain a better understanding of the world we live in. 

Places like the Amazon, which may not be there forever. To see 

how poor some people are and how they survive. We wanted to 

expose them to as much as we could so when they grow up they 

can make good decisions in their life. 

“We sort of went on a trip without an end. There was no 

formulated time or plan. It was just how we felt and everyday 

we did what we felt like doing. Going here, going there. We 

supported ourselves by working festivals and markets as we 

travelled around. 

“We were 8 or 9 years on the road and it was when we were in 

South America in 2012 that my eldest daughter (Asher) decided 

she wanted to go to school so we decided to head back to Congo 

and put them in Moruya High. We have been back here since the 

end of 2012.” 

The family have agreed to “settle down” for six or seven years 

while the kids undertake high school. Brett and Joel wanted to 

honour their decision and that’s meant Brett has opened back up 

his art practice. 

BRETT’S ART 

“My art is my secret place, my expression. I was always a little 

bit introverted growing up and enjoyed time alone. I have never 

been one for crowds of people. 

“The main focus of my expressive outlet is my sculptures. I don’t 

want to do it however at the detriment of using resources 

so everything I make is done as resourcefully as I can 

using recycled materials. 

“My first step is always sourcing materials to work 

with, which I often find at Op Shops or in our natural surrounds; 

items people have thrown away or that nature has discarded. 

They can always be used for something. The materials more or 

less dictate the artwork I will make. I do a crazy amount of metal 

work because it is quite unbelievable how much metal is thrown 

out. It is quite disgusting really – appliances, cars, food tins, you 

name it. I cut it all up and rejoin it to something else as a bit of 

fun.” 

It is not only Brett’s sculptures but his paintings that utilise 

recycled materials. 

“A lot of the paints I use are from Council throw-outs. I basically 

find whatever I can to make something special out of waste.” 

Aside from the materials he gathers, Brett also finds creative 

inspiration through his life’s journey. 

“What really drives my art especially now is that it has to be 

relevant to my life. It has to fit right. A lot of the art I was making 



“What really drives 

my art especially now 

is that it has to be 

relevant to my life. 

It has to fit right.” 

initially when we returned was just pent up because we 

were travelling for so long and when I got here I just cut 

loose. I made a lot of stuff and as that expression started 

coming out, I started to refine it to be more in line with 

what is relevant to my life now.” 

Now in viewing some of Brett’s work, if you are like 

me, you are no doubt wondering what’s behind Brett’s 

seeming penchant for sharks. I was keen to know 

whether it was out of fascination or fear or if he had a 

particular encounter with one of our ocean-going friends. 

“If you see a shark as a surfer you are blessed as they 

are quite elusive. The catalyst that caused me to make 

a lot of shark art was through an experience I had. I 

was fishing off the point here and we were waste-deep 

in water. There was a school of salmon and a wave 

stood up on a little suck-up reef out there and a perfect 

silhouette of a 3-4 metre Great White shark appeared. 

We were only 15-20 meters away and you could clearly 

see it going so fast through the wave. In a second it just 

shot through and ripped up the school of salmon and that 

image stuck in my head. That is when I decided to make 

that Great White shark (made of tin cans). I wanted to 

pay it homage. That is also the reason why I did it about 

the same size. It was good making it and wrapping my 

arms around it and working on it with my hands. I got 

a feel for it. That shark is now outside the front of my 

house and when people see it they can approach it. It 

spins around and it moves. It freaks some people out but 

it gives them an opportunity to get close to it and see it 

for what it is.” 

68 


“I think studying 

sharks and 

focusing on them 

has given me an 

appreciation for 

them instead of 

a fear.” 

To me personally it is one of the greatest pieces of 

art I have ever seen and whilst you can’t quantify the 

value of an art piece by the amount of time it took to 

make, I was nonetheless curious to find out how long 

Brett spent sourcing his materials let alone sculpting 

the Great White. I was also keen to know whether he 

had indeed consumed what looks to be some 2000 

cans of Baked Beans himself. 

“I am not sure how long it took. It’s a bit of a time 

warp because I kind of bury myself into projects. All 

of the Congo residents were collecting tin cans for 

me, otherwise it would have taken a lifetime. That’s 

also part of the reason it is out the front of my house. 

The whole town collected the materials. It is for all 

of them as much as it is for me. 

“I think studying sharks and focusing on them has 

given me an appreciation for them instead of a fear. 

The hammerhead was my last shark I made. The size 

of the fins is just something else. It’s a mad creature, 

evolution gone crazy. 


69

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70 


SURFING AND SURFBOARDS 

As with his art, surfing forms a large part of 

Brett’s life and indeed that of his family. 

“Growing up at Lennox and surfing the area 

was pretty bloody awesome. Boulders Beach 

was my local. I used to walk through the bush 

to get to it. Only a few locals back in the 

day. The place is a bit of a circus nowadays 

although the recent spate of shark activity 

seems to have brought it back a notch. 

“Down here I pretty much surf by myself. It 

is a pleasure to be in the water all alone and 

pick any wave that you want, seeing the sun 

rise. My regular aim is to be barrelled with 

the stars still out. That is what I love.” 

Aside from Brett’s night-surfing exploits (call me Mr 

Chicken but there is no friggin way I would surf at 

dark down where he lives as much as I love the place) 

he also gets the chance to regularly share a couple 

of waves with his partner Joel and daughters Asher 

and Alex. 

“Joel has been surfing as long as I have. It’s definitely 

an added bonus in a relationship having a partner 

that surfs and now that our kids do it as well it is 

awesome. It’s a bit of a dream for my missus and I 

that we would be out surfing with our kids and it’s 

great it is all happening that way.” 

A few years back Brett took to shaping a few 

surfboards of his own. He informs me he is now 

into double figures having made boards not only for 

himself but for family and friends. 

“The main reason I got into making surfboards was 

because a little while back I became a bit disillusioned 

with surfing and the techniques of making surfboards 

and their toxicity. I got to a point I was going to give 

it away because it was so mainstream and so crazy. 

Smorgasboarder was in fact the catalyst to getting 

into making timber surfboards, where I also happened 

to find the ad for Tree to Sea. It was precisely what I 

needed to bring my surfing into a more conscious state. 

Your mag is a breath of fresh air amongst standard 

mags, which I haven’t purchased for near 20 years. 

“Down here I pretty much surf 

by myself. It is a pleasure to 

be in the water all alone and 

pick any wave that you want, 

seeing the sun rise. My regular 

aim is to be barrelled with 

the stars still out. 

That is what I love.” 


71


“Making surfboards is relevant to me because I can go for a surf in the 

morning, trot back home, shape a board, put an artwork on it and it is a 

functional item you can use and even hang in the house. It ticks all my 

boxes.” 

Being a father of three kids the final few questions I wanted to ask Brett 

were in relation to his family and indeed how he has lead his life so far. 

I was keen to know whether he felt his kids truly appreciated the special 

childhood they have had. 

“I think now they are at school they are realising they have had a unique 

upbringing. I totally expect them to live in the city later on and do all sorts 

of things but at least they have a base they can always come back to. You 

have to learn through your own experience and it is through experience 

you can make better and more informed decisions. We are coming into 

the realms of drugs and parties and we only hope as parents we have 

given them as much info as possible so they come out the other side. 

“We are very proud of them both. Both Asher and Alex are unbelievable 

writers, they’re right into music, surfing and are full of action. We have 

never had a TV in front of them. Instead of all that time kids spend in front 

of screens our kids have been doing other things all their lives. They are 

very active awesome kids.” 

As to what the future holds Brett had this to say. 

“Money has never been a force in my life. I just need enough to get 

by. Even here in Congo, everything we own are things we have found in 

opshops or what we have been given. Nothing is precious. It is a weird 

existence but it is a fine existence.” 

He may consider possessions to be of no great worth, however the story 

Brett has shared with me about the life his family has lead is undeniably 

absolute gold. 

72 



LOOKING 

GLASS 

A feature on art and surfing 

would not be complete without 

catching up on the antics of 

a man who is most definitely 

one of my favourite interviews 

ever - the mad scientist, the 

guru of glass, eccentric board 

builder, artist and possibly even 

the devil himself, 

Neal Cameron. 

WORDS: DAVE SWAN 

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED BY NEAL CAMERON 

74 


I 

first met Neal back in 2012 when he was living in his bus in a vacant 

lot amongst derelict buildings on the outskirts of Maroubra. His story 

became our feature piece in our Spring edition that same year (Issue 13 

- read online at www.smorgasboarder.com.au). 

I recently heard Neal had moved south of Sydney down near good friend 

Mark Rabbidge late last year. And, true to form, he is already causing quite 

a stir in the local community recently showcasing some of his work at 

Escape Artfest, a 10 day festival on the South Coast of NSW in the Milton 

Ulladulla area celebrating local art, sculpture, music, literature, food and 

wine. Thanks to fellow artist and photographer Matt Dampney of Damp 

Design, Neal sent us some photographs from the exhibit. 

So what exactly are you looking at here? It’s just some of Neal’s weird 

and wonderful creations: kneeboards that are the benchmark of their craft, 

abstract paintings made from coloured resins, skateboards, skimboards, 

high-heeled rollerskates, a range of garments, fashion accessories and 

racey costumes made from carbon fiberglass, hell there is even a carbon 

bust or two sculpted off one of Neal’s lady friends. 

His art may leave some wondering what kinds of things are 

going on in this man’s head but one thing is for sure, his work is 

amazing. It’s clear his impressive grasp for all things fiberglass 

has come from his ever-meddling ways. Never keen on 

understanding the actual ins and outs of the various chemical 

compounds and materials he used, he was just keen to see 

what they did. Throughout his life Neal has messed around 

and mixed things up that shouldn’t be mixed and somehow 

managed to not blow himself up in the process, ultimately 

creating truly unique works of art. 


Never one to take himself 

too seriously, Chris Garrett’s 

art was simply born out of a 

desire to have some fun. We 

recently did a quick Q&A with 

Chris about the art that adorns 

his surfboards. 

76 



WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION BEHIND ALL THE COLOURS, 

DRAWINGS AND LOGOS ON YOUR BOARDS? 

I MEAN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON INSIDE YOUR 

HEAD HA, HA? 

I really like to have a lot of fun with my board making 

and creating aesthetically pleasing, functioning objects 

drives me to explore the possibilities and play with the 

boundaries. It’s art for surfing’s sake and having a shaped 

blank, that is already a piece of art to start with, it’s just 

a beautiful thing. Logos and drawings and scribblings are 

secondary to the shape, form and colour. 

Colour is a big one for me. I love the unusual and 

forgotten colours that create interest beyond the shape. 

I’m inspired by nature and particularly drawn to the 

earthy hues, textures and combinations that make our 

world such an awesome planet to live on. 

I REMEMBER AROUND WHEN WE FIRST MET AND 

THE BOARDS YOU WERE MAKING, WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVED, 

YOU HAD WRITTEN “COW-SIZE” ON A LOT OF THEM. 

Ha ha yeah that was just to keep it all fun and heading in the right 

direction. Doesn’t really mean anything. Dumb and fun and it fits a 

cow!! Silly isn’t it?! The serious bit is the shape and performance 

of the board but the rest is just folly. Don’t take it or yourself too 

serious ... you may miss out on a good time. 

ON THE ART SIDE OF THINGS, 

ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT LIKE YOUR SHAPING? 

Art wise, like my shaping I was self-taught out of necessity. Having 

a keen eye for observation and exposure to a talented artist by 

the name of Robert Moore certainly inspired and empowered my 

expressive side for sure though. Experimentation and the desire 

to create are what fuel the passion and that allows me to have a 

privileged and joyful time. Hopefully I can bring that to my customers 

as well. 

www.chrisgarrettshapes.com.au 

78 


Photo: Mick Curley 


79

“Un-crowded waves, endless barrels, and consistent 

surf in a tropical paradise is what we’re all after on a 

surf trip. We deal with the expense and tedium of travel 

in the hope of scoring some of the sickest waves of 

our lives. As we Styrofoam and towel wrap our boards, 

hoping that they don’t become the playthings of pissed off 

baggage handlers, we try to suppress our greatest fear; 

that we’ve paid all this money, travelled all this way, and 

we’re about to get seriously skunked.” 

Jules Carey - a Canadian surfer living in Indonesia 

-shares her reflections on surf travel. 

Surfer Narchi, Photo Mike Findlay 

80 

SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER 2015

LATEST: TRAVEL 

“LIFE IS 

BETTER 

WORDS JULES CAREY 

PHOTOS MIKE FINDLAY 

& HOWARD PATRICK 

WHEN 

YOU’RE 

SURFING” 

SUMMER 2015 | SMORGASBOARDER 81


“Life other than 

the here and now 

disappears the 

moment that you 

step onto the boat 

to come over 

from Bali.” 

My last surf trip was no different, and it was with a mixture of excitement 

and trepidation that I headed off to surf some all-time Left-handers. As a 

Natural-footer I’m inclined to gravitate to Rights, but I decided that it was 

time to throw myself into my backside, and what better place, than at one 

of the best Lefts in Indonesia. 

Indo has had an incredible season so far. Consistent swells have got the 

froth running high and I was psyching myself up to charge some gnarly 

waves on my 3 week trip. I was ready! What I wasn’t ready for was the 

mind-blowing natural beauty and wildlife that permeates through this area 

of Java. 

There are no houses, no paved roads, and no pounding music. The only 

sounds that you’ll hear are the surf, the birds, the monkeys, and the wind 

whistling through the prolific bamboo. Imagine, living in the jungle, with all 

the wildlife that it holds, while simultaneously having world-class waves on 

your doorstep. I was reminded, that here, in nature, this planet of ours is one 

hell of a beautiful place. 

Life other than the here and now disappears the moment that you step 

onto the boat to come over from Bali. Your first glimpse of your awaiting 

oasis renders world and personal stresses insignificant. There’s no timemanagement, 

no obligations, and no stress. There is only you, consistent 

surf, offshore winds, a couple of ocean-side hammocks, and the live 24hr 

nature channel that is your life. 

Set on the coast of Alas Purwo National Park, the beauty of this protected 

area has been preserved and its rich biodiversity continues to thrive. 

82 


Photo Mike Findlay 


Surfer Alex Moore, local photographer 

Monkeys are up at the first crack of light and their antics and curiosity 

amuse until their sunset bedtime. Jumping and sailing through the canopy, 

wrestling, fighting, ‘monk-ing’ each other, and of course observing every 

movement that we make. They wait for the opportune time to sneak down 

and pilfer whatever food is left on a table or out in the open. They’re an 

endless source of entertainment and I laughed at their antics for weeks 

on end. 

I knew that monkeys were social creatures but I never imagined that I’d see 

them play with other species. One morning, I wandered down for the early 

morning wave check. I’d just arrived when a deer and her fawn came tearing 

out onto the beach. I looked behind them wondering what was chasing 

them (I won’t deny that thoughts of the Javanese tiger crossed my mind), 

but I quickly realised that they were sprinting through the sand and across 

the jagged reef in absolute delight. They were agile and mesmerizing. They 

chased and bounded as though they were running on solid, even ground. 

Half an hour and a quick swim later, they returned to the sandy part of the 

beach. It was then that I realised that I wasn’t the only one enraptured 

by the deer’s activities. A group of young monkeys, observing all from the 

treetops, couldn’t resist the urge to play any longer. In a matter of seconds, 

they cascaded down to join the young deer and the game was on! I sat 

transfixed for the next 20 minutes, awed by the play of fawn and monkeys, 

until finally overcome with exhaustion, the young deer ambled away with his 

mother and the monkeys disappeared into the jungle. I realised then that I 

hadn’t looked up once to watch the waves. 


Not only are monkeys and deer seen regularly, giant monitors inhabit the jungle as well. 

We watched in fascination as a monitor joined us at the dining hall, bringing with him a 

breakfast of his own. The struggling object in his mouth was a frog. There was no escape, 

and ever so slowly, the frog succumbed to being the monitor’s early morning snack. Simultaneously, 

the shy ‘White Crown’ monkeys are eating berries in a near-by tree; the braver 

Long-tailed Macaques have made away with the remnants of someone’s fruit plate; other 

monkeys are chattering and playing along the pathway; 

and the calls of the various birds fill the treetops. EVERY direction that you turn, the jungle 

is pulsating with life. 

Not to be outdone by the cacophony of the forest, the technicolor reef illuminates with 

infinite species of its own. To walk across the reef is to walk through fields of seaweeds, 

starfish, slugs, sea-cucumbers, urchins, sea-snakes, giant worms, angel-fish, and more 

variations of coral than I can list. Great spearing and snorkeling can be had and it’s not 

uncommon for Spanish mackerel or Tuna to end up as ‘melt in your mouth’ sashimi or as 

a perfectly prepared meal. Resident Dugongs are often seen in the line-up as well. There 

was one day however when there were no Dugongs in sight; the day that the Killer Whale 

showed up. 

Possibly the same Killer Whale that has been spotted at ‘Ulus’, this majestic creature decided 

that it was time for a surf trip of his own and appeared in Java. Charging the best waves 

to the hoots and cheers of everyone in the water; it was absolutely surreal! Giant dorsal-fin 

vibrating up a storm, more speed than you can imagine; this Orca was having the time of 

his life. You could almost hear him hooting himself as he whizzed by. He clearly loved the 

sensation of surfing powerful waves, almost as much as we loved watching him. Although 

I’m sure that Killer Whales have the ability to be dangerous to humans (especially when 

they’re kept in captivity, isolated from their pod, and have their young calf taken from them), 

this orca was out to play and posed no threat of any kind. This was a ‘one-day wonder’ and 

no further sightings of the surfing whale have been made here again; yet. 

“EVERY 

direction 

that you turn, 

the jungle is 

pulsating 

with life.” 

Photo Howard Patrick 

84 


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“Surfing in its 

purest form isn’t 

just about wave 

count and seconds 

in a tube. It’s 

understanding 

that EVERYTHING is 

interconnected. ” 



Surfer Kimbo Fafie 


WHEN YOU’RE SURFING 

The fact that the Killer Whale decided to surf here at all, is a clear testament 

of just how good the wave quality is. Although I could go into a detailed 

description of the wave set-up, I’m not going to. If you’re a surfer, and you 

know anything about the waves in Indonesia, then you know exactly where 

I am and how the line-up works. Suffice to say though that the waves here 

can satisfy every level of confidence. Deeper sections that can hold size with 

a make-able take-off and a following freight train ride; sections that you had 

better be on your game because you’ll need to drop straight into a heaving 

barrel; sections that you think you can make but pick you up and remind you 

that you’re no Kelly Slater. Surfing here is definitely not for the faint of heart. 

The waves can be humbling. They can also be the best waves of your life. 

No matter how your daily session goes though (thrown around like a 

rag-doll or a day of infinite barrels), you’ll inevitably find yourself on the 

beach at sunset; a cold Bintang in hand as stories of waves scored and 

beatings had are relived and shared. Told with equal enthusiasm are the 

experiences of wild boars, giant eagles, thieving monkeys, territorial 

woodpeckers, enormous lizards, weird-looking sea-creatures, and all the 

other unique experiences that were seen and felt over the course of the 

day. To have a surf trip without the latter is to lose sight of what surfing 

really is; a complete synching with life’s natural rhythm. You don’t need to 

deconstruct this connection; you just feel it. 

Surfing in its purest form isn’t just about wave count and seconds in a tube. 

It’s understanding that EVERYTHING is interconnected. It’s knowing that 

rather than fight the current, we’re better off letting it guide and work for us. 

Don’t get me wrong. Surfing isn’t just a spiritual experience. There’s no 

greater buzz than on a wave well surfed. The feeling of connecting and 

harnessing a wave’s energy, and then possessing the skill to use that energy 

and rip, is indescribable to a non-surfer. They will never get it, and we will 

never be able to live without it. Surfing is the best reminder of just how 

damn lucky we are to be alive. 

So the next time that we paddle out, no matter where we’re lucky enough 

to be, let’s leave aggression and life dissatisfaction to those who will never 

know the beauty of surfing. Whether we’re surfing 3ft crowded burgers at 

our local, or scoring 8ft Indo with a few mates, there’s one thing that I can 

guarantee; Life is better when you’re surfing. 

86 


Keep your goods dry wherever you are 



1987 Watershack Smorgasboarder Ad.indd 1 4/01/2016 8:11 am 


1987 Watershack Smorgasboarder Ad.indd 1 4/01/2016 8:11 am

SHAPER’S PROMOTION 

GEAR: BOARDS 

5’8” x 18 ¾” x 2” 

WHITE 

6’8” x 21” x 2 7 / 8” 6’4” x 22” x 2 ¾” 

CUSTOM 

CUSTOM 

by Robbie Marshall by Robbie Marshall 

CROW 

The order was to 

Glass on cedar quads 

by Robbie Marshall 

4 4 

create a shortboard 

and cedar stringer. 

Single to double 3 

for a larger framed guy 

whose go-to boards are usually The customer approached me 

concave, light exit 

in the 8 foot plus range and this with the brief, “I’m riding a 

vee. A proven outline 

is what we designed. 12mm 

longboard, would like to go 

we have been using but have 

recycled cedar stringer with 

shorter without losing paddle 

pulled the tail in a bit to create 

recycled cedar glass on quads, 

power, like the thought of a 

more whip out of turns. This is 

an upright template with larger Simmons and would like to use 

a performance shortboard foil 

twin-style fronts and small rear this board everyday” and this is 

that’s quite responsive in the 

stabilisers for pivot and drive. 

what I came up with. 

weaker summer waves and 

holding it’s own when the swell Flat deck, beaked nose keeping Nice wide curvy outline that 

picks up. Sprays can be done to in as much foam as possible 

pulls in a little at the tail, a 

whatever you can dream up. 

with a bevelled low volume rail lot of foam in the centre that 

to give responsiveness where 

rolls out to a finer rail. Think 

it matters most. Excellent 

this would be perfect for those 

feedback from this one. 

who want paddle, performance 

but don’t want length. Built to 

order... 

6’0” 19” x 2 ¾” 

PERFORMANCE 

by Jason 

FISH Oliver 

All round board for 3 

most conditions. 

Single to double 

concave vee out the tail. 

Three set fins on this one for 

best performance. 

This one is an eps core with 

recycled pine pallets top and 

bottom and tint on the rails all 

in epoxy. 

SOUL ARCH SURFBOARDS 

Ph: 0404 348 131 E: enquiries@soularchsurfboards.com 

Soularch Surfboards soularchsurfboards 

JASON OLIVER 

HOLLOW WOODEN SURFBOARDS 

Ph: 0416 475 362 

Email: jasoliver@live.com 

jasonoliverwoodensurfboards. 

blogspot.com 

Boards available at: 

UNDERGROUND SURF, Noosa Heads 

88 


5’0” x 21” x 2 7 / 8” 

Short 

and sweet... 

PACEMAKER II 

by Mark Rabbidge 

I’ve refined the 4 

board a little more 

and it’s even faster than 

before. An absolute rocket. 

For fat, facey waves 

or little zippers, this 

board suits the jaded 

shortboarder or amped 

longboarder - anyone who 

wants to draw some new 

lines, from intermediate 

to hero. 

Made here in Ulladulla. 

Don’t sell out our heritage. 

Use your head - buy from 

an Aussie (us, or someone 

else will do) and keep your 

freedom of choice alive. 


GEAR: BOARDS 

5’6” x 21” x 3” 

BEAN 

CUTDOWN 

by Mark Rabbidge 

Flat rocker, Roll vee in tail, 

with a single box fin. This 

is a revisited design. I used 

to cut down perfectly good 

longboards to make these 

things. Simply cut off the nose 

and tail and reshape middle 

piece. I’d use original fin 

usually reshape it too. 

Late 60’s recycling. 

1 

5’10” x 20 ¼” x 2 ½” 

DEAD MANS 

HAND 

by Jesse Watson 

The shortboard 

5 

equivalent of an oldskool 

fish... It throws down the 

longest cutbacks, loves high 

lines off the top, will boost 

easy and is a cake to land on 

too. Super fast + super sick. 

4/4 +4oz bottom, black 

pigment top with sacred 

geometry custom inlay. Barbie 

ferrari pink pinlines and a five 

fin setup. We can design any 

custom inlay you like in house. 

whatever it is we can make it 

happen. Boom! 

5’10” x 21” x 2 5 / 8” 

SMARTBOARD 

V2FLEX 

Custom handshape 

by Mitchell Rae 

3 or 4 

“Custom handshaped to 

suit needs, body weight 

and fitness. Glass, light and 

strong. 

“Forward control point with 

very fine tail rails to suit the 

girls lighter on the back foot. 

“A sweet, ultra fast all 

rounder, smooth as silk. Feel 

sensitive handling, tight arcs 

and the acceleration of the 

V2 Flex. 

“Designed as a quad, can be 

ridden as a thruster.” 

RABBIDGE 

SURF DESIGN 

Bendalong, NSW 

Ph: 02 4456 4038 

M: 0427 767 176 

www.markrabbidge.com 

BLACK APACHE SURFBOARDS 

@blackapache Look us up... 

P: 0410 419 791 

E: blackapache@me.com 

blackapachesurfboards.com 

OUTER ISLAND 

SURFBOARDS 

7 Bayldon Drive, 

Raleigh, NSW 

Ph: 02 6655 7007 

info@outerislandsurfboards.com 

outerislandsurfboards.com 

outerisland.blogspot.com 



GEAR: BOARDS 

5’8” x 18 7 /8” x 2 ¼” = 25.7L 

OUTLAW 

• Small wave / shortboard 

• Low nose / medium tail 

rocker 

• Deep single concave 

• Medium boxy rail 

5’10” x 18 5 /8” x 2 ¼” = 25.7L 

SNIPER 

• Shortboard 

• Medium nose and tail rocker 

• Deep single concave 

• Medium / Low boxy rail 

5’8” x 18 5 /8” x 2 5 /16” = 28.0L 

WACKO 

• Step-Up / slab board 

• Med nose and tail rocker 

• Slight single concave to 

double concave 

• Med boxy rail 

6’2” x 18 ½” x 2 3 / 8” = 29.2L 

NAPALM 

• Step-Up board 

• Medium nose and tail rocker 

• Slight single concave to 

double concave 

• Medium boxy rail 

WEBSTER SURFBOARDS are proudly 

made in Ballina by Wayne Webster 

1/13 Clark St, Ballina NSW 2478 M: 0416 049 205 

W: webstersurfboards.com.au E: info@webstersurfboards.com.au 

90 



GEAR: BOARDS 

5’10” x 20” x 2 3 / 8” 

FLYER 

DIAMOND 

by Rory Oke 3 

A variation of our 

Frazfish model, the Diamond 

Flyer is made using a hand 

shaped Ocean Foam PU blank 

and 6oz cloth, purple/black 

marble tint, wetrub finish, and 

fitted with a Futures AMT twin 

+ trailer fin setup. 

7’0” x 21” x 2 ¾” 

FUNBOARD 

by Rory Oke 

Handshaped Ocean 3 

Foam PU blank, 6 oz 

cloth and Speedfins FG s120 

fins. 

With its flowing outline, 

subtle concaves and soft rails, 

this model’s a very smooth, 

forgiving board to ride. 

7’0” x 20 5 / 8” x 2 ¾” 

FUNBOARD 

by Leighton Clark 

Fabric inlay 4 x6 x4 3 

glassing FCS fins. 

Don’t be a sheep! Bring in your 

favorite fabric and let us inlay 

it into your new custom board. 

** Clark Surfboards will release 

some exciting news during 2016 

** Stay tuned amigos... 

6’4” x 20 ½” x 2 5 / 8”= 39L 

SLIPSTREAMER 

by Chris Garrett 

Oatmeal resin tint and 1 

custom set fin... 

A contemporary approach 

to a timeless design. The low 

forward rocker for an early glide 

into the wave and a modern tail 

lift to keep the business end 

functioning without compromise. 

The flattish deck and foiled low rail, 

combined with the slight vee to 

double concave and set fin, puts you 

firmly in control for a clean styling 

ride that is going to take the stoke 

to a new high. A tasty resin tint and 

it may be your new favourite. 

OKE SURFBOARDS 

1/1-7 Canterbury Rd, 

Braeside, VIC, 3195 

Ph: 03 9587 3553 

okesurfboards.com 

Units 7 & 8, 9 Chapman Road, 

Hackham SA 5163 

E: leightonclark01@yahoo.com.au 

M: 0422 443 789 

facebook.com/thedingkingAUS 

CHRIS GARRETT 

SHAPES 

PHANTOM 

SURFBOARDS 

Ph: 0424 450 690 

E: phantomsurfboards@gmail.com 

www.chrisgarrettshapes.com.au 

Custom surfboards available at: 

SUNHOUSE Coolangatta, or order 

from Chris direct. 


TRIED & TRUSTED 

blanKS 

Family owned and run 

for over 55 years 

oUR ConSISTEnCy 

IS THE bEST In 

THE woRlD 

blanKS: A multitude of different 

lengths, rockers and weights 

STRInGERS: An extensive 

variety of timbers of varying widths 

SHaPInG ToolS: All you 

need to make a board from scratch 

9’6” x 32” x 4 3 / 8””=143 litres. 12’6” x 29” x 6 ¾” = 247 Litres 

FLOUNDER 

by Andy Jordan 

Similar in shape to 5 

the 9’6 x 29” with 

a bit more rocker in the nose 

and tail and added volume 

for stability. Plenty of vee 

throughout. Added volume 

provides more stability and 

is great for the larger rider 

(90kg+) or beginner in the surf. 

Quite loose in the tail, giving 

plenty of maneuverability. The 

deck is flatter for stability, 

especially when paddling 

through waves or crossing 

over to the flat. Thicker rails 

for stability in turns. 

SEA HAWK 

by Andy Jordan 

All LSX race/tour 3 

boards have a flat 

deck for easy moving, comfort, 

stability and maneuvering 

turns. The decks are all 

concave vee shaped easier 

for drainage, while giving 

the paddler a lower centre 

of gravity. These boards all 

have a deep nose with a flat 

bottom for a faster, smoother 

more efficient ride with plenty 

of glide. Lower volume bow 

helping minimize any wind 

effects. All the tail shapes 

are similar soft square tail 

for quick maneuvering and 

stability around turns. 

5 STEwaRT RoaD, CURRUmbIn QlD 

Call US on (07) 5534 3777 

TAURANGA, NZ 

(In NZ 0800 787 464) 

P: +64 (07) 5701953 

M: +64 (027) 2433011 

W: www.liquidstixx.co.nz 

92 


GEAR: BOARDS 


LADIES 

SINGLE FIN 

Designed for the 

lighter girl or lady. A 

refined single fin, with 1 

pinched rails & a narrow 

diamond tail through the backend. 

Manoeuvrable single fin with good 

nose riding capabilities. 

TYPICAL DIMENSIONS 

Length: 9’3” 

Width: 22 ½” 

Thickness: 2 ¾” 

Glassing: 6oz/6oz + 6oz 

Fin Set-up: Single 9” Dolphin 

V-FLEX 

Classic mid 60’s template, 

with low slung hips and 

pinched rails, gives an 1 

old-school feel while 

allowing excellent pivoting from 

the tail. The V-stringer tapers out 

towards the nose giving greater 

flex and nose-riding capabilities. 

Great single fin board for noseriding 

and trimming. Meets 

“logger” criteria. 


Length: 9’3” - 9’6” 

Width: 22 ¾” - 23” 

Thickness: 2 ¾” - 3 1 / 8” 

Glassing: 7.5oz/7.5oz + 6oz 

Fin Set-up: Single 

NOOSA LOG 

This board gives true 

meaning to our catch-cry 

“style is everything”. Pinched 1 

rails for less volume and 

slightly rolled bottom give this 

heavy log a sensitive feel. Quite 

light underfoot with great noseriding 

ability, the added weight 

creates nice glide through slower 

sections and adds strength. Hand 

shaped by Peter White, meets 

“logger” criteria. 


Length: 9’1” - 9’8” 

Width: 22 ¾” - 23 ¾” 

Thickness: 2 ¾” - 3” 

Glassing: 7.5oz/7.5oz + 6oz 


NOSERIDER 

A true nose-riding machine, 

perfectly suited to Noosa’s point 

waves, revelling in long, clean 

walls from knee-high to overhead, 

this model runs well in a range of 

conditions. 

Featuring a flatter rocker, heavier 

glass, pinched rails; and our 

famous SQUID-tail design. Loose 

with a relaxed and pivoting style, 

while heavy glassing and wider 

stringer add forward momentum. 


Length: 9’6” - 10” 

Width: 22 ¾” - 23” 

Thickness: 3” - 3 ¼” 

Glassing: 8oz volan/ 8oz volan + 

6oz volan + 6oz volan patch 


CLASSIC 

MALIBU 

WE’RE BACK FOR A SUMMER OF FUN! 

16 Mary Street, Noosaville, 4566 

P: (07) 5474 3122 E: info@classicmalibu.com www.classicmalibu.com 

Follow us if you share our passion for quality manufactured surfboards 

Classic Malibu Surfboards, Noosa @classicmalibu Classicmalibu1 

STYLE IS EVERYTHING: FINS 

Get a new fin to match that log, and tweak it to surf the way you want. 15 

different styles available in different colours, fabric inlays and wood inlays. Check 

them out on our website or come in and have a look to add some style to your 

surfing and your board. 


KEEN ON A CAREER IN AD SALES? 

WORK WITH 

SMORGASBOARDER 

NO 

SURF 

BUMS 

NEED APPLY 

Work ethic? Initiative? We want to talk to 

you. Working on a surf mag is a hell of a lot 

of fun but there’s a lot of hard work too. 

We’re after a motivated guy or girl to be a Part- 

Time Advertising Sales Executive - energetic, 

organised, with exceptional communication 

skills, working 3 days a week out of our 

Maroochydore office. The position would best 

suit those looking to get into media or who are 

early on in their career. Sales experience is 

beneficial but not essential. Once fully trained, 

you will be calling on new clients, as well as 

servicing existing clients. 

APPLICANTS SHOULD HAVE: 

A love of 

surfing 

Car and 

valid driver’s 

licence 

Maturity to 

engage with 

people of 

varying ages 

A drive to get 

results 

We are offering a base salary package which 

includes a car allowance and an uncapped 

commission structure. 

Please send applications to: 

dave@smorgasboarder.com.au 

Applications close 5pm Friday 26 Feb 2016. 

SURFBOARD 

DINGS 

New Zealand 

RAGLAN, NZ 

RAGLAN 

LONGBOARDS 

7 days, 10am to 5pm except 

winter - catch us if you can 

+64 7 825 0544 

KAIKOURA, NZ 

SURGE 

SURFBOARDS 

Bust your board? 

Call us 24/7 

027 428 7453 

Queensland 

AGNES WATER/1770 

REEF 2 BEACH 

Mon-Sat, 9-5pm, 

Sun,10-4pm 

07 4974 9072 

NOOSA REGION 

SUNRISE 

SURFCRAFT 

Round the clock 

0421 140 653 

Sunrise Beach 

COOLUM 

COOLUM 

BOARDROOM 

2 Park Street, Coolum Beach 

07 5408 4600 

MOFFAT BEACH 

THE FACTORY 

SURFBOARDS 

Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, 

Saturday 8am-12pm 

(07) 5492 5838 

LABRADOR 

GC SURFCRAFT 

REPAIRS 

Mon-Fri 9am - 5.30pm 

Sat 9-12pm 

0401 016 088 

Repairs & Restorations 

SOUTHPORT 

KOMA 

Mon-Fri 9am -5pm, 

Sat 9am -12pm 

0402 863 763 

MIAMI 

THE DING SHOP 

Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm, 

Sat 9am - 1pm 

0404 804 498 

BURLEIGH HEADS 

MT WOODGEE 

1730 Gold Coast Highway 

(07) 5535 0288 

Sun-Fri, 9am - 5pm 

Sat 8:30am - 5pm 

CURRUMBIN 

MT WOODGEE 

2 Stewart Rd 

(07) 5598 2188 

Sun-Fri, 9am - 5pm 

Sat 10am - 4pm 

MAXIMUM 

SURFBOARDS 

46 Currumbin Creek Rd 

Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm 


Sun by appointment 

0400 338 098 

New South Wales 

YAMBA 

PLANK SHOP 

02 6645 8362 

TOMBSTONE 

SURFBOARDS 

Tues - Fri 9am - 4pm, Sat 

9am - 12pm 

0432 330 826 

COFFS HARBOUR 

SURF CRAFT 

REPAIRS 

JIM NEWTON 

4/6 Druitt Court 

Open most days, just call. 

0402 864 062 

BUSTED YOUR BOARD? 

GET IT FIXED HERE... 

CENTRAL COAST 

BUCKOS 

SURFBOARD 

& SUP 

REPAIRS AND 

RESTORATIONS 

Mon-Fri 10am - 5.30pm 

Weekends by appointment 

0422 304 078 

CRONULLA 

RILEY BALSA 

SURFBOARDS 

WOODEN BOARD REPAIRS 

Mon-Sat 9am-4pm 

0412 376 464 

WOLLONGONG 

SKIPP 

SURFBOARDS 

Mon - Fri 9-5pm 

Sat 9-4pm, Sun 9-3pm 

02 4228 8878 

SHELLHARBOUR 

BROWN DOGG 

7 days a week - Just call 

0416 455 985 

JERVIS BAY 

INNER FEELING 

SURFBOARDS 

Seven days, 9am - 5pm 

02 4441 6756 

Victoria 

BELLARINE 

PENINSULA 

ROUSA 

SURFBOARDS 

Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm, 

0403 693 333 

THORNBURY 

ZAK 

SURFBOARDS 

Mon - Fri 10am - 6pm, 


03 9416 7384 

TORQUAY 

STONKER 


03 5261 6077 

THE SURFERS 

SHED 


0437 246 848 

PHILLIP ISLAND 

ISLAND SURF 

SHOP, COWES 

7 days, 9-5pm 

03 5952 2578 

South Australia 

MID COAST 

THE DING KING 

Clark Surfboards 

Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm 

0422 443 789 

LONSDALE 

MID COAST SURF 

Call us for a quality repair 

08 8384 5522 

SOUTH COAST 

MR DAMAGE 

SURFBOARDS 

Call Mark 0416 199 764 

mark@mrdamagesurfboards. 

com.au 

DO YOU FIX 

BROKEN 

BOARDS? 

Promote your surfboard repair 

business for $15 an edition. 

Call 0401 345 201 

94 


“SO IT WAS LIKE 1960 

OR 70 SOMETHING... 

AND THERE WAS LIKE 

THIS BIIIIIIRD, MAN! 

AND IT WAS LIKE SURFING, MAN! ...I’VE BEEN SITTING 

HERE EVER SINCE WAITING TO SEE IT AGAIN..” 

WE’RE UNBELIEVABLY CHUFFED TO PRESENT THE AKYMBO X SMORGASBOARDER ‘SURF IS FREE’ T-SHIRT WITH FRONT 

AND BACK PRINTS BY SOUTH OZ ARTIST, KYM ‘VON’ NAGLER. YOU CAN OWN ONE TOO! 

SUBSCRIBE 

PLUS GET A KYM NAGLER “SURFING 

BIRD IS FREE” T-SHIRT FOR ONLY 

Quality shirts produced 

by Evolution SPD! 

JUST WANT HOME 

DELIVERY OF THE MAG? 

(6 ISSUES TO READ WHILE YOU 

PAT YOUR BONGO) 

THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF SUBSCRIBING 

& BUYING SHIRTS HAPPENS ONLINE: 

WWW.SMORGASBOARDER.COM.AU 


CLOSEOUT: TEST EVERYTHING 

SET 

ABLAZE 

Recently my kids have taken to the 

surfing bug. “At last!” I thought to 

myself, having never wanted to push 

them into it. They have always been 

happy to splash about but never 

over-the-top enthused. I just hoped 

that one-day when they got older 

we might all share a few waves out 

the back together. I suppose it is the 

dream of many a surfing dad or mum. 

Of late my daughter Phoebe in 

particular has really started getting 

into it. She has surfed off and 

on throughout summer for a few 

years now and is developing into a 

competent surfer. Give her a month 

and she will already be better than 

her dad but that is not really saying 

much. 

Anyhow, at the level she is at now 

I thought I would review the board 

that is best suited to her ability and 

the waves Phoebe is riding. And yes, 

it is still a softboard. When kids are 

learning to surf a fibreglass surfboard 

is a danger to themselves and to those 

around them if they can’t control it, 

let alone ride it. Believe me, I saw 

many a kid (and a few adult learners) 

wielding their weapons throughout 

the Christmas holidays. LEARN on a 

softboard! They are not uncool. Their 

graphics nowadays make them look 

like a “proper” surfboard anyway. And 

they are a lot cooler than sporting a set 

of stitches from where the board gave 

you a new piercing you didn’t plan on. 

In previous years Phoebe had been 

on an 8’ softboard - the perfect 

learner size in my opinion. Not too 

unwieldy and big, and large enough 

to provide a good stable platform. As 

she progressed however she wanted 

something that was a little more 

manoeuvrable so she could get a feel 

for turning on the wave but that still 

had good float and paddle power. The 

solution turned out to be a 5’10” El 

Nino Fish. 

This board turned out to be ideal and 

really elevated her surfing through 

the summer break. It may be short 

at less than 6’ but it still has plenty 

of volume. It’s length made it easy 

to whip around and the extra wide 

fish tail provided the stability she 

still needed. The thickness provided 

the float and paddle power to get 

on some small summer sliders. The 

rigidity of the bottom enabled the 

board to trim and glide as opposed to 

some softboards that make it feel like 

you are surfing a thong. 

EL NINO 5’10” FISH. 

RRP $399.95 

ELNINOSURF.COM.AU 

Phoebe’s loving the El Nino Fish! 

 

DOES IT 

WORK? 

TRIED AND TESTED 

...while this 5’6” Albacore has also been bringing a big smile to my dial. 

96 


DOES IT 

WORK? 

TRIED AND TESTED 

THE WHIP 

8’10” × 29” × 3.93” (150 litres) 

INCLUDES: 

• Red Paddle Co backpack 

• HP pump, repair kit 

• Water-resistant phone case 

• RSS batten 

• Removable US Fin Box system 

CRACK 

www.paddleboarding.co.nz 

THAT 

WHIP 

WORDS: JEFF MORRIS 

I 

don’t know about you guys but I hate 

travelling on airlines with sporting 

equipment. For me there’s nothing 

worse than carting oversize luggage such 

as surfboards or snow skis around airports. 

Better to rent when I get there, usually. 

After a conversation with Roman Hartmann 

at Surfari Surf Store in Zurich last year I 

realised that for many people things aren’t 

always as easy as throwing a board on the 

roof or under your arm and heading for the 

nearest expanse of water with waves on it. 

He sells heaps of Red Paddle Co. inflatable 

SUPS to people with little storage space 

and when the only sensible travel option to 

the ocean is an aircraft. 

I have had quite a bit of experience with 

Red Paddle Co. Sups over the last few 

years doing lessons and rentals off my 

local beach. Initially I had no interest in 

them at all, but seeing their development, 

innovations and almost indestructibility, 

my respect for them grew and grew. Then I 

found out that they had developed a model 

specifically designed for surfing. It’s called 

The Whip, it’s 8’10” × 29” × 3.93” (150 

litres) and I needed to have a crack at it. 

It’s taken 6 years of design development 

for the Whip, they realised that you can’t 

just copy a hardboard shape and expect it 

to behave in the same manner because it 

won’t. The main challenge is maintaining 


CRACK 

THATWHIP 

98 


igidity while keeping the board reasonably thin 

(under 4 inches, not bad for an inflatable). They 

have achieved this with a batten system that 

slides into a sleeve on each rail. They call it the 

RSS Batten System, sort of like rail stringers. 

The other piece of technology that has made for 

a more rigid and lighter board is a construction 

method called MSL Fusion, which you can check 

out on their website if you really need to know 

that stuff. It has two thruster-type built-in fins 

and a removable fin which screws into a fin box. 

All this basically means is that they’re really into 

it and ya gotta love that. 

The good folks at Paddleboarding NZ lent me 

one, along with a 3 piece bamboo shaft paddle 

which fits neatly with the board and pump 

into a really well designed travel bag that has 

wheels on the base for easy rolling, some back 

pack straps so that you can carry it to remote 

breaks, a couple of well placed carry handles 

and everything easily loaded and unloaded via 

a front opening zip system. Weight is around 12 

or 13kgs and you can squeeze in a wettie and 

towel as well. 

Once again great design. 

SO HOW DOES IT TRAVEL AND 

HOW DOES IT RIDE? 

First trip I took it on was to the Coromandel 

Peninsula on the North Island. Air New Zealand 

charged me $30 each way as an extra bag which 

I thought was reasonable, unfortunately there 

was no swell and constant westerly winds for 

the entire time that I was there, which I thought 

was predictable, so it never came out of the bag. 

Next trip was to Sydney, super easy travelling 

with the Whip, Air New Zealand charged me 

$50 each way this time, starting to get a bit 

unattractive I thought, really need to get some 

use out of it. Chucked it into the back of the 

airport shuttle and off to the Northern Beaches 

for family, friends and any number of breaks 

working in a multitude of conditions, all now 

SUP surf accessible in Mum’s 1984 Toyota 

Corolla with no roof racks. 

No need to walk to Long Reef and pray a 

Southerly doesn’t hit before you get there. 

Just fold the Whip into thirds (leaving the RSS 

battens in the rails) chuck it in the back seat and 

off you go. 

The first day was 40 degrees Celsius and 

pumping it up in the car park was a bit of a 

challenge - wishing someone would invent the 


Gee Hard model – blows itself up. Apparently 

you can inflate these to around 25psi, but I 

reckon you’d have to be Arnie Schwarzenegger 

to do it. Best I could get was around 17psi, but 

that’s really solid anyway. 

First paddle out was in a small swell and as I 

went over the first wave I could appreciate if 

the board wasn’t pumped up to a good level, you 

would feel like you’re surfing a bouncy castle. 

It’s definitely different to surfing a standard 

hardboard SUP as the board sits high and on top 

of the water so that you feel every bit of water 

movement, add a strong wind to 8’10” x 29” and 

it can be a bit of a challenge, but you do get 

used to it and pretty soon I was getting a few 

nice rides. 

Once I got the feel of the board I found that it was 

quite easy to ride further up the nose longboard 

style as well as being quite manoeuvrable 

towards the tail. 

It certainly attracts plenty of stares and 

questions as you might expect. My basic 

explanation is that it’s a great traveling board. 

One guy said it would be a shame if you turned 

up at 6’ and perfect Angourie and that’s all you 

had to ride. My reply was if you’re travelling 

with limited resources and space, such as a 

hire car and family and you turned up at perfect 

Angourie with nothing, that would be a bigger 

shame. 

Like everything it’s how you approach it, so 

with a bit of practice, perseverance and good 

paddle skills the Red Paddle Whip surfs just 

fine, so well in fact that a young Spaniard by 

the name of Xavi Masdevall won the inflatable 

division of the 2015 Euro Supa Surf Champs on 

one. This is a great product that perfectly does 

what it’s designed to do, be easy and cheap to 

travel with, catch some waves, with the added 

bonus of a possible quiet paddle in some great 

locations. 

The guys and Red Paddle do a great job of 

designing, constructing innovative inflatable 

paddleboards, they’ve turned a bit of a skeptic 

and naysayer into a bit of a convert over the 

last few years. I’m looking forward to their next 

offering. 

P.S. I reckon these would be great shark 

repellents – shark bites into 8’10” of 20psi 

paddleboard, shark inflates in 2 seconds 

then travels 500 metres across ocean at 

approximately 100kms per hour in a circular 

fashion, shark has stomach ache for 3 days 

leaving plenty of time to safely exit the 

water. 

Not only is JEFF ‘JIFF’ MORRIS the guy 

that runs around for Smorgasboarder in 

NZ, he’s also a mad keen surfer and SUP 

rider, world traveller, gear tester and an 

ace with a keyboard. 

jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz 

100 


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TALKING BOARD DESIGN WITH JESSE WATSON OF BLACK APACHE SURFBOARDS 

RELATIVE PERCEPTION 

“RELATIVE PER-WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT?” 

YEAH I HEAR YOU, AND NO THIS ISN’T GOING TO GET ALL MYSTIC AND CRYPTIC AND TO ALLEVIATE ANY JOHNNY UTAH/ POINT 

BREAK INSPIRED FEARS YOU MIGHT HAVE WE AREN’T GONNA HOLD HANDS AND “START CHANTING” EITHER, SO REST EASY. 

So what am I talking about? Well I’m not 

100% sure either. It’s a term I’ve coined 

(probably not the first though) to define a 

situation that I really feel should be the 

jumping off point for all of our discussions. 

It helps us to set the parameters, the 

framework… the modus operandi if you will 

within which we will explore the following 

topics and have them stay in context for the 

masses. 

So anyways back to relative perception. 

What is it? Lets split it up with what are 

likely some less than accurate online 

descriptions I stumbled onto, that while 

probably not accurate, suit my purposes so 

lets throw grammar and accuracy under the 

wheels and run with it. 

RELATIVE: “relates to the condition 

of one observation or object when it is 

considered in connection with another.” 

PERCEPTION: “the conscious mental 

registration of a sensory stimulus” 

Put ‘em together and what do you get? If the 

answer is headaches don’t feel bad, revel 

in your stupidity with the rest of us. You’re 

not alone. 

Let me put it like this. As a shaper the 

hardest part of shaping a board is making 

sure you and I are on the same page. Making 

sure that when I describe something to you, 

that you understand it the way I do, that your 

perception matches mine. When you say flat 

rocker it means the same thing as when I 

say flat rocker. When you say a lot of foam, 

it’s the same as when I say it. Now I shape 

more than just a couple of boards each 

year for all types of surfers of varying ages, 

heights, weights, abilities and sexes etc. So 

that’s a pretty big spread and it’s unlikely 

that all or even any of them will think like 

I do. Your perception is relative to your 

experiences in surfing, as are mine - and 

never the twain shall meet. (You see how I 

tied that in? Pretty good huh?) So then what? 

Well if you’ve surfed for a decent length 

of time and remember the not too far-gone 

days of ordering custom boards it usually 

went something like this; 

102 


CLOSEOUT: COLUMNS 

(CIRCA 1990-2000) 

1. Customer goes to shaping bay/factory 

see’s shaper in person 

2. Shaper takes his weight and height (if 

you’re lucky) 

3. Shaper determines what this customer 

needs based on what the shaper thinks 

the guy/girl needs and what the shaper 

is currently riding more than likely. 

4. Customer says OK and leaves to wait 

for the call; “its ready mate” 

5. Customer has no idea what he/she 

ordered or why, other than what he/ 

she was told to. 

6. Sometimes the board is magic 

sometimes not 

7. Customer spends the rest of his/her 

life trying to find a board that is as 

good “as that board I had before” 

8. Customer can’t do this because he/ 

she has no idea why it worked or what 

he needs. 

9. Customers surfing becomes bipolar 

- sometimes awesome, sometimes 

hating surfing - because of his boards 

and whether he/she can find a good 

one that “works” 

The same was true of shop fronts too where 

you went in and were handed whatever 

Occy just rode to his world title comeback 

after shedding a good 30kg destroying Bells 

on his backhand. You stood there in your Hot 

Tuna shorts and Bad Billys t-shirt (Bad Billys 

is back too!) expecting you’d be ripping next 

surf, but you weren’t a rejuvenated Occy, 

and you weren’t surfing Bells in a finals 

heat either most likely, so what were the 

chances of that happening? Well thankfully 

the dark ages of surfing are mostly over 

and the religion of information has gifted 

us the notion that surfers should know why 

their boards work and what sort of boards 

they can, and should ride, but so many of 

us still don’t. That is the whole point here 

really – the whole mantra of these articles 

– to enlighten you the reader, to turn on the 

lights in the dark room for the surfer and to 

make your surfing experience better for you. 

To have you surfing in a way that makes you 

happy and gets the most out of your time in 

the water. 

Now my theory is that happy customers are 

repeat customers. That notion of the closely 

guarded secret, the idea of the shaper as 

some sort of mystical guru with the power 

to bestow upon you some magical weapon 

capable of changing your life - if only you 

unwaveringly accept what you’re told and 

ask no questions of course (that you should 

even dare to pose your feeble questions to 

this elevated being!) - is a big old pile of 

warm horse poop. 

Personally I tend to divulge too much 

information rather than too little, ask 

anyone who has ever met me. I’m sure my 

customers need a little lie down after we’re 

through, but the more ‘you the customer’ 

understand the process, how it works, why 

it works - the more times we are going 

to hit the mark in the little custom order 

dance and the more times I’m going to 

see your face or have you clogging up my 

inbox and voicemail, which is great. My 

house extensions won’t pay for themselves 

now will they? This becomes especially 

true given the sheer volume of orders I 

receive from other parts of the country and 

the world at large. In today’s small world 

having a shared vision of relative perception 

between the shaper and customer is 

ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. 

To do this the key is getting inside the 

customers head. More than anything else 

this is, I feel, the key to good design and a 

happy customer. I could shape you a board 

that might be my Sistine Chapel but if it 

doesn’t float your boat it might as well be 

a kickboard and a pair of floaties for all the 

good it’s going to do you. 

So how do I as a shaper and hopefully the 

other shapers out there overcome this? 

How does your local shop jockey who has 

you cornered against the board rack, asking 

“ya need a hand mate or are ya happy just 

lookin’?” figure out the difference between 

your dream board and the proverbial 

turd? … Well we/they should be asking 

questions… lots and lots of questions. 

Then after all that, you guessed it, more 

questions. 

I question my customers like a wild-eyed 

Spanish Priest during the inquisition. I 

hammer them like a parent hammering a 

teenage son who’s late in the door after 

curfew. I’m merciless, relentless, a real 

hound dog hungry for the bone of truth. I 

expect one day someone will either just 

walk away mid conversation saying, “it’s 

just not worth it!” or hang up on me, or 

worse. However if you do unwittingly find 

yourself on the receiving end of my barrage, 

before you crack under the strain, admit 

defeat and leave to order your board online 

without any input from anyone, shaper or 

shop staff, know this: It’s for your benefit 


CLOSEOUT: COLUMNS 

in the end. This is the only way I can truly 

guarantee that you will be on the receiving 

end of my best work. Even the little pimply 

faced shop jockey needs to be asking these 

exact same questions if he’s going to play 

perfect match with you and a new shooter. 

When Dexter the little 80’s robot spits 

out a compatibility report and the divider 

disappears to reveal your new love you want 

to see your dream girl not a walrus. So you 

better hope they’ve been asking questions 

and paying attention to the answers. 

Otherwise its goodnight for you and the 

walrus - enjoy your complimentary gifts on 

the way out the door. 

When I am the one giving you the inquisition 

I want to know about everything. What you 

ate for lunch, your theories on quantum 

physics, your mothers maiden name, how 

old you were when you stopped wetting the 

bed… well not really but I do want answers. 

Some of my more standard questions include 

the following: 

1. How old are you? 

2. Where are you surfing? 

3. What kinds of breaks? 

4. How often are you surfing? 

5. How long have you been surfing? 

6. What are you riding mostly – right 

now, this week? 

7. How many boards are in your quiver? 

8. Who shaped them? 

9. Dimensions on all of them, or at least 

your favorites? 

10. Do you have a wide range in your 

quiver or six 5’11 thrusters? 

11. Are they heavy, light? Construction 

methods? EPS, Epoxy etc.? 

12. Which is your favourite, why? What 

does it do best that you like? 

13. Are you a top to bottom style surfer or 

more down the line style? 

14. Do you get low to your boards or do 

you have a more upright stance? 

There is a whole bunch more but you get the 

idea for now. It’s about me trying to get a 

sense of your personal “relative perception” 

of the surfing experience and what it is you 

want me to contribute to that experience. 

“I QUESTION MY 

CUSTOMERS LIKE A 

WILD-EYED SPANISH 

PRIEST DURING THE 

INQUISITION.” 

After we’ve talked about the old stuff in 

your quiver it’s my turn. I will want to know 

things like: 

1. What type of board are you after? 

2. How do you want it to surf? 

3. Where will it fit wave range wise in 

your quiver? 

4. Are you planning on increasing or 

reducing your quiver? 

5. Are you just a one-board guy/girl? 

6. If you are planning on getting more 

boards shortly, particularly if they are 

from me what boards are they? 

7. What is your budget? 

8. What types of characteristics are you 

looking for in your board? 

9. What is it you enjoy most in surfing? 

Big turns? Speed runs? 

10. What is it that this board is really 

trying to give you in the water? 

Again there is a multitude of others but this 

is the basic idea. I look at myself as more 

of an engineer than a shaper. I look at each 

customer or order as an equation, a bunch 

of variables that we are trying to create a 

solution from. I look at those variables, the 

desired outcome, I make sure you and I are 

on the same page, then we move forward. 

It’s easy after that, it’s just advanced 

hydrodynamics. 

Every customer that I cross paths with gets a 

lesson on board design. The how and why of 

what makes a board work. Which features 

produce which result and how to identify 

boards that will work in the future. 

Why exactly your favourite boards from 

the past worked and perhaps what they 

likely had in common with each other. 

The end goal is to help you the customer 

make informed decisions and have real 

and valuable input into your shapes. It’s a 

win-win. Being able to walk into a shop 

knowing at least in part what you’re after 

makes board shopping in a retail setting 

awesome. It makes calling up a shaper for 

a custom order a super exciting experience. 

If that is not currently the case for you then 

this series of articles will hopefully help you 

to change that. By the end of this you’ll all 

be laying down your hard earned dollars for 

new shooters. Hassling your local core board 

store and thumbing the racks with optimism. 

Next issue we are going to start with the 

basics. We will start with some of the 

bigger subjects but also some of the most 

important ones, and… ready for it? The 

Pendulum Effect… Yet another catchy 

phrase that I just coined right now while I’m 

typing. I am seriously on fire right now… 

stay tuned. 

Watch out next issue for some schooling on 

the basics... 

www.blackapachesurfboards.com 

104 


Enquiries: Cam 0408 983 702 Alicia 0432 686 751 

Email: surf1770@bigpond.com 

Jervis Bay Stand Up Paddle 

Lessons, Tours, Board Hire 

www.jervisbaystanduppaddle.com.au 

0403 354 716 


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106 


SUN 

SAFETY 

WITH SUN ZAPPER 

THANK YOU TEAM 

At Sun Zapper we’re super lucky to have 

the support of our ambassadors, surf 

shops and retailers, supporting clubs and 

sun-savvy users. All these beautiful guys 

and girls love this sunburnt country just 

as much as we do. In saying that, they 

also know why it’s important to protect 

ourselves from the harsh Aussie sun. So 

here’s a big thank you to all of you! 

I would like however to especially thank 

our ambassadors. We may be a bit 

biased here but our ambassadors are the 

best bunch of sun-loving humans on the 

planet! They are surfers, bodyboarders, 

ocean photographers, content creators, 

swimmers, sailors… let’s just say they 

live and breathe the salty air. They 

spread our sun safety message here at 

home and abroad, they capture the most 

awe-inspiring content and feature it in 

Smorgasboarder and/ or upload it to the 

Internet reaching thousands of people. Our 

ambassadors are actively out there, day in 

and day out, zinc’d up and ready to take on 

any task they have at hand. 

A big thank you to Josh, Luke, Michael, 

Dylan, Joe, Joel, Ray, Warren (pictured 

above), Jacob, Nathanael, Jaidyn, 

Lawrence, Holly, Oscar and Toby. 

So if you think you share these qualities 

then send me an email at melanie@ 

sunzapper.com.au and we’d be happy to 

have you on the Sun Zapper team. 

The Sun Zapper range is Aussie made and 

owned. Find Sun Zapper at your local surf store, 

Woolworths, Big W, IGA and FoodWorks. 

www.sunzapper.com.au 

HOPS 

THE WOLF AMONGST THE WEEDS 

I suspect it was the absolutely incredible 

smell that initially drew brewers and 

herbalists to experiment with the flowers 

of Humulus lupulus or the “wolf amongst 

the weeds” as the Latin name roughly 

translates. They soon realised that 

when hops were added to the boil the 

beer tended not to spoil. This is due to 

compounds called humulones that once 

boiled become inhibitory to certain beer 

spoilage bacteria. These compounds 

also added bitterness to the brew, which 

helped to balance out the malt-derived 

sweetness. Germans became such a fan 

of these properties that they soon passed 

the Reinheitsgebot, a law prohibiting the 

use of any other herbs in brewing (people 

were putting in all kinds of psychoactive 

herbs before then!). Hops also have a mild 

sedative effect – as if you needed another 

excuse for drinking a good hoppy Pale Ale 

after a hard day’s work. 

A relative of hemp, the flowers of hops 

form only on the females of the climbing 

vine-like plants that are grown (away from 

males plants) on tall wire trellises. They 

tend to grow best in temperate climates 

and some of the world’s hopspots (hops 

become cheesy in flavour when left in the 

sun!) are Germany and the U.S.A., with 

Australia and New Zealand also gaining 

a reputation as producers of new and 

interesting hop varieties. 

Hop flavours are often described as fruity, 

floral, herbal and/or spicy and different 

strains are used to give beer styles their 

unique characters. The flavour of the hops 

depends on the strain as well as terroir - 

the area that they’re grown in. With the 

boom in craft beer and the generous use 

of hops in styles such as Pale Ales and 

IPA’s, the price of hops is soaring with 

some varieties fetching $50/kg. 

We love our hops here at Byron Bay 

Brewery and I’ve been generous in 

hopping our Pale Ale, using a combination 

of Australian Galaxy hops with American 

Citra, Columbus and Amarillo. We also 

dry-hop the beer, a process whereby 

hops are added during the fermentation 

after the yeast has created some alcohol, 

thereby better extracting the essential oils 

that contain the awesome aromas and 

flavours. 

Alastair Gillespie holds a Bachelors 

of Science in Microbiology, is a madkeen 

surfer and the Head Brewer at 

Byron Bay Brewery. 

byronbaybrewery.com.au 

4 TIPS 

ON CHOOSING 

SURFBOARD ART 

Over the last two years we have helped 

hundreds of delighted customers design, 

develop and deliver affordable original art 

as a centrepiece for homes, offices and as 

gifts. Here’s a few things we’ve learnt. 

1. FANTASIZE – MIND SURFING IS FUN 

An image of that perfect wave, beach 

scene can be amazing. Immediately 

transporting you someplace else. 

Choose an image that means something, 

something that you have a connection 

with – a local break, a place you have 

visited or would like to. 

2. OLD OR NEW BOARD? 

If you have a board you could repurpose it? 

Is it in fair condition (reasonably smooth 

and with no unrepaired damage)? This 

may help, especially if it is an ol’ fav - the 

outcome is all the more special. 

A new board can offer a completely 

different look - sleek, smooth, clear of 

damage. It’s a great way to have the art 

leap off the wall. 

3. SIZE MATTERS 

Knowing the space you want to fill is 

key to the next steps. A surfboard is 

typically 6-10 ft long (we think hanging 

them sideways works well – but you can 

do it standing up). So choose a wall that 

will allow for something of this size, a 

good bit of space at either end will help 

make the board pop… 

4. NOT EVERY IMAGE IS A WINNER 

Surfboards are weird shapes - typically a 

4:1 or greater ratio. This is a lot different 

to your average photo. If your heart is set 

on a whole image and it won’t work just by 

itself, you consider a cool collage design. 

Be prepared to manage the compliments for 

your new piece... And send them our way! 

Dave West is half of Ctrl V, 

creating custom graphics for 

surfboard wall and surfable art. 

www.ctrlv.com.au 


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108 


“If you open your mind, 

you’ll open the doors & 

a good time will be had.” 

CLOSEOUT: LIVE IT UP 

YEO HAUS SINGLE FIN SURF JAM 

PHOTOS: HARLEY LEWIS & RADAR 

The Yeo Haus Single Fin Surf Jam, held down on the south coast of South Australia was a day for 

celebrating surfing and our culture. Bringing the community together through wave riding, it was no 

doubt good times were going to be had. 

With Yeo Haus being a modern, creative clothing lifestyle brand based in SA, a surf comp replicating 

their outlook on surfing culture and good times was the ideal way to bring in the New Year. 

It wasn’t your ordinary comp - an array of boards were supplied, the boards were numbered and the 

number you picked from the hat determined what board you had to ride for your heat. This format 

evened out the playing field as surfers had to get creative on their given craft, as coffin rides, one 

footers and head stands were rewarded, as having fun on the wave was the top priority. 

It was an intimate day with spectators less than a stones throw from the surfers, so applauding and 

hollering lit up the ampitheatre with good vibes all round. As Yeo Haus states “If you open your mind, 

you’ll open the doors and a good time will be had.” 


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Two great SurfSup locations: 

Port Rd (Retail) 078658096 and 

Winifred Ave (Hires & tours) 0212171201. 

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ITS ALL ABOUT SURFING! 

110 


SMORGASBOARDER

“Established in 2004, 

the Gold Coast 

DSA has a dedicated 

core of volunteers” 

CLOSEOUT: LIVE IT UP 

SUNDAY SMILES 

Sunday, December the 6th once again saw the Gold Coast branch of the Disabled Surfers Association 

take to the water, bringing broad smiles to the faces of the participants and volunteers alike. 

Established in 2004, the Gold Coast DSA has a dedicated core of volunteers drawn from many parts 

of the local community and their “Lets Go Surfing” days are held at Flat Rock beach, Currumbin. 

Once again, the action was captured by local photographer and DSA volunteer, Glenn ‘Pugs” 

Hardwick. For more on his involvement see our last issue (Smorgasboarder Xmas, #32). 

For more info on the DSA, see http://disabledsurfers.org and the Gold Coast branch at 

http://disabledsurfers.org/qld/gold-coast-branch/. 

For more of Pugs’ work, see http://lookslikeme.com.au 


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Timber Australia 

has to offer. 

SURFBOARD SUPPLIES 

Contact David Evans P: 03 9588 2533 E: info.sales@paulowniasurfboardsupplies.com 

www.paulowniasurfboardsupplies.com 

112 


SMORGASBOARDER

Backyarders... 

Hits 

the spot... 

Good friend Gav Webster 

recently sent in these photos 

of the new stick he made 

at a wooden board-building 

workshop on the northside of 

Brisbane run by Stuart Bywater. 

Stoked with the experience 

he is already planning to 

head back and build another 

board or three. Not a bad idea 

really. At the rate Gav dings 

his boards it’s always handy to 

have a few in the quiver. Here’s 

hoping anyway his wooden 

board is a bit more sturdy than 

his fibreglass ones and can 

withstand him landing on them 

as a regular occurrence, or Gav’s 

occasional trip to the rocks. We 

are sure in due course Gav will 

be able to put together a column 

for Smorgasboarder on, “How 

to repair a wooden surfboard.” 

Well done Gav. Great to see you 

have caught the bug. Impressed 

you even managed to place 

under the glass the Webster 

family coat of arms. Hope it has 

a big fin. Stay Moist. 


CLOSEOUT: ALOHA BARRY 

114 SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER 2016 

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PHONE: 1800 611 163 

EMAIL: INFO@WORLDSURFARIS.COM 

Mooloolaba: 2/174 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba Q 4557 

Kirra Surf: CNR Gold Coast Hwy & Creek St, Kirra Q 4225 

Photo: Richard Kotch 

we 

get 

you 

here 

116

Smorgasboarder_23_Feb_2016-s

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