Smorgasboarder_Edition_45
Jye Gudenswager of Gen 4 Surfboards, Smorgasboarder Podcast, Fight for the Bight, road fuel recipes, surfboards, Fuzzeilear and more
Jye Gudenswager of Gen 4 Surfboards, Smorgasboarder Podcast, Fight for the Bight, road fuel recipes, surfboards, Fuzzeilear and more
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local roadtripping, overseas surf travel, surfboards & more<br />
issue<br />
<strong>45</strong><br />
AUTUMN 19<br />
f r e e<br />
SURF MAG<br />
fourth<br />
generation<br />
Jye Gudenswager of Gen4 Surfboards<br />
on keeping 80 years of Australian surfing<br />
legacy in the family<br />
listen up!<br />
Bigger, longer conversations<br />
and more salty tales online<br />
at smorgasboarder.com.au/<br />
podcast/<br />
#fightforthebight continues...<br />
itunes spotify buzzsprout
Surf Shop<br />
G E R R I N G O N G , N S W<br />
Celebrating<br />
40 YEARS<br />
I N - H O U S E<br />
C A F E<br />
c<br />
“Australia’s Largest IndependEnt Surf Shop”<br />
HUNDREDS OF SWIM<br />
+ FASHION BRANDS<br />
1,000+<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
S.U.P<br />
EXPERTS<br />
DEMO<br />
150+B O A R D S
smorgasboarder<br />
torquay paddle-out courtesy of EdSloanePhoto<br />
foreword<br />
Community. Family. Sisterhood, Brotherhood... Many<br />
loaded words are all-too-flippantly bandied about in<br />
conversation about the groups we identify with, but<br />
what does that identification really mean in practice?<br />
As an example, you may hear someone say they<br />
identify as a surfer, part of this ‘surfing family’, but do<br />
they truly feel the others bobbing out back and eyeing<br />
the same incoming waves are their soul-sisters and<br />
brothers and others?<br />
Community suggests a level of mutual care and<br />
respect - at the most basic level, at least a shared<br />
interest or common characteristic - but how often do<br />
people who consider themselves part of communities<br />
contribute positively to build or grow it?<br />
A shining example of the perfect trigger for community<br />
creation is the Fight for the Bight. (For more in-depth<br />
coverage, see our last edition’s 14-page article,<br />
and listen to Jimmy Ellis’ ear-opening interview<br />
with Peter Owen of the Wilderness Society on the<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> Podcast). In protest against the<br />
potential environmental threats facing the southern<br />
Australia coastline and beyond, numerous groups<br />
have launched their own actions, including paddleouts,<br />
protests, social and traditional media and much,<br />
much more.<br />
It’s been absolutely amazing to see individuals and<br />
different organisations spreading the word wherever<br />
and however they can, and simply taking action.<br />
We couldn’t be more proud to watch it happen, and<br />
play our own tiny part from up here in the warm North<br />
ourselves. While we’d like to make a point of thanking<br />
and acknowledging all those we know of that are<br />
currently involved - see page 12 for more - there is still<br />
one more important thing we can do - to simply band<br />
together.<br />
Alone, protests, podcasts and posters can do so much.<br />
But when we start actively engaging in each others’<br />
content, sharing each others’ struggles, and genuinely<br />
supporting each others’ efforts, then it becomes a<br />
real fight, not just a collection of isolated skirmishes.<br />
So, share posts, share podcasts, spread flyers, share<br />
tweets... We’re in this together and this is one time NOT<br />
to keep a secret.<br />
On a smaller, more personal ‘family’ note, we’re super<br />
excited to welcome previous contributor, writer and<br />
photographer Alex Benaud into the <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong><br />
fold! It’s a tiny team here, that hasn’t changed too much<br />
since day one almost 10 years ago - which is why it’s a<br />
really big deal for us, and worth announcing.<br />
We’re so looking forward to Alex’s travels and tales<br />
in the years to come and we hope you’ll enjoy them<br />
too! You can read all about his recent travels, starting<br />
on page 26, and even listen to him on the mic on the<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> Podcast on smorgasboarder.com.au,<br />
iTunes, Spotify and BuzzSprout. Enjoy.<br />
Get involved, get active, get reading, get doing...<br />
Let’s keep it all moving and let’s make it happen!<br />
Cheers!<br />
3
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Photo: Lime Light Creative Studios
ladies first<br />
Kelia Moniz may be one of<br />
the most stylish, beautiful<br />
and elegant female surfers<br />
ever to slide across the<br />
ocean’s surface. Poised<br />
with natural beauty and a<br />
charming charisma, she<br />
is loved and adored by<br />
many around the globe. A<br />
two time world champion<br />
longboarder, she belongs<br />
to one of the most well<br />
respected surf families<br />
in Hawaii. Recently we<br />
caught up with Kelia to<br />
talk about family and<br />
from the beginning of the<br />
conversation it was easy<br />
to understand how much it<br />
meant to her. It was almost<br />
like she was talking about<br />
them for the first time.<br />
words: alex benaud<br />
photo: cait miers<br />
@caitmiersphotography
smorgasboarder<br />
ALEX - So Kelia I wanted to ask you a bit about<br />
your family and what it was like growing up with<br />
four brothers?<br />
KELIA - Having four brothers was one of the<br />
most amazing childhood experiences that anyone<br />
could have. I feel so lucky to have four brothers<br />
especially as we are all really close in regards to<br />
age difference. My mum had my baby brother Seth<br />
when my oldest brother was still only five years old,<br />
so it was hectic having five children all under the<br />
age of six, life was crowded, it was amazing.<br />
My mum homeschooled us so we were always at<br />
home together and when we started surfing our<br />
parents never really had time to teach us. My dad<br />
was working full time and my mum was busy taking<br />
care of the usual motherly duties and we kind of<br />
just taught each other how to surf. It was fun, I just<br />
really loved watching my brothers do what seemed<br />
like they were born to do. I learned so much<br />
from them and was able to get a lot of waves too<br />
(laughs).<br />
ALEX - You have mentioned before your father was<br />
never really someone that pressured you and your<br />
siblings into becoming professional surfers, which<br />
can cause a lot of people to burn out really quickly<br />
and lose complete love for the sport…<br />
KELIA - I think it’s really easy for parents to<br />
obviously have aspirations for their children and<br />
want to see them succeed at a rapid pace, however<br />
I think in your early years it’s important to just be<br />
a kid and learn to love something for yourself and<br />
not because of someone else’s expectations. My<br />
parents were the furtherest thing from being pushy,<br />
which allowed me to learn to love it myself, hate it<br />
a little bit and learn to love it all over again, which I<br />
think can relate to all sorts of journeys in life.<br />
ALEX - At 18 you moved away from home, first to<br />
L.A. and then to Brooklyn, what was it like being<br />
away from Hawaii?<br />
KELIA - Just before moving from L.A. to New<br />
York I was about to move back home to Hawaii<br />
but I ended up meeting my husband and moving<br />
in with him for a few years. I loved it, one of<br />
the most exciting cities in the world and I have<br />
lots of incredible friends living there. It was like<br />
experiencing the best of both worlds, there’s so<br />
much culture, fashion and lots of other amazing<br />
things in New York, but I knew I always had Hawaii<br />
to come back to when I wanted to slow things<br />
down and disconnect.<br />
ALEX - So when you were living in Brooklyn,<br />
Montauk was your local surf spot, a bit different to<br />
the warm waters of Hawaii?<br />
KELIA - Well I never surfed there in the winter,<br />
because I don’t know why I would do that to myself<br />
when I could be in Hawaii (laughs). I surfed in<br />
Montauk mostly during the summer months. It was<br />
unbelievable. The surf culture is really vibrant, there<br />
are lots of fun waves, nothing over the top and it’s<br />
perfect for longboarding.<br />
In this day and age it’s easy for professional<br />
athletes to get caught up in their own success,<br />
abandoning their principals and values that<br />
helped them achieve their dreams… Not Kelia<br />
Moniz. She is the perfect example for younger<br />
generations to follow. Kelia has remained<br />
humble and grounded, not forgetting where she<br />
came from and who helped her get to where she<br />
is today.<br />
7
smorgasboarder<br />
scan this!<br />
to get into listening at smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast/<br />
issue<br />
forty-five<br />
autumn 2 0 1 9<br />
03 foreword<br />
12 controversy - fight for the bight<br />
17 stuff<br />
20 fourth generation - Gen4<br />
26 overseas trips<br />
36 roadtrip 2<br />
55 surfboards<br />
64 grassroots<br />
surf businesses<br />
67 aloha barry<br />
cover photo<br />
Mitch Parkinson by<br />
Simon "Swilly" Williams,<br />
Courtesy of Gen4 Surfboards<br />
WINNER<br />
BEST NON-DAILY<br />
PUBLICATION<br />
QUEENSLAND MULTIMEDIA<br />
AWARDS 2013<br />
FINALIST<br />
BEST NON-DAILY<br />
PUBLICATION<br />
QUEENSLAND MULTIMEDIA<br />
AWARDS 2017<br />
want to get your hands on a copy?<br />
there’s three ways to score yourself a<br />
copy of smorgasboarder.<br />
1) subscribe - the mag is still free - you<br />
just pay for delivery. 4 editions per year -<br />
$25 annual subscription (Aus and NZ)<br />
2) call in to one of the businesses<br />
featured in this mag - they’ll have some<br />
free copies. If they're not, they won't.<br />
3) download or read it online at<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> is published by Huge C Media PTY<br />
LTD ABN 30944673055. All information is correct at<br />
time of going to press. The publication cannot accept<br />
responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or<br />
unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.<br />
The opinions and words of the authors do not<br />
necessarily represent those of the publishers. All rights<br />
reserved. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly<br />
prohibited without prior permission.<br />
listen up!<br />
the<br />
smorgasboarder<br />
podcast:<br />
full-length interviews and<br />
conversations<br />
enjoy an intimate listen-in with<br />
alex and dave, as they have<br />
interesting chats with interesting<br />
people about surfing, surfboard<br />
building and completely unrelated<br />
things.<br />
available on:<br />
iTunes/Apple Podcasts<br />
Spotify<br />
Buzzsprout<br />
(search for smorgasboarder and<br />
remember to hit subscribe)<br />
or listen on our website<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au for<br />
additional links and show notes<br />
10<br />
advertising<br />
tami argaman<br />
tami@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
0466 439 330<br />
editorial<br />
alex benaud<br />
alex@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
0423 950 235<br />
bald barista<br />
dave swan<br />
dave@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
0401 3<strong>45</strong> 201<br />
new zealand<br />
jiff morris<br />
jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz<br />
0220 943 913<br />
south australia<br />
jimmy ellis<br />
james@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
0410 175 552<br />
design<br />
the team at horse & water creative<br />
mark, kate, helen, taylah<br />
mark@horseandwater.com.au<br />
accounts<br />
louise gough<br />
louise@smorgasboarder.com.au
smorgasboarder<br />
#fightforthebight<br />
words: jimmy ellis<br />
oil<br />
&<br />
water<br />
DON’T MIX<br />
The #fightforthebight has continued since our last issue in<br />
December. Surfers, environmentalists, local governments, Aussies,<br />
Kiwis and our readers abroad have continued to talk and share<br />
their opinions on the issues of seismic testing and drilling for oil in<br />
The Great Australian Bight.<br />
12
smorgasboarder<br />
For an in-depth discussion on the Fight, go to<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast<br />
itunes spotify buzzsprout<br />
surfer: ben druitt<br />
photo: sam logan<br />
@mindfulocean<br />
13
smorgasboarder<br />
closeup version<br />
of the last image.<br />
photo: sam logan<br />
@mindfulocean<br />
photo: oj annett, drone photography victoria<br />
14<br />
photo: greenpeace au
smorgasboarder<br />
My third and final concern would be a spill. It would<br />
destroy and devastate most of southern Australia,<br />
wiping out industries that sustain families, people’s<br />
recreational and commercial livelihoods.<br />
Fifteen local governments across Victoria and<br />
South Australia have now passed motions which<br />
express majority opposition to oil drilling in the<br />
Great Australian Bight.<br />
Federal member for Mayo Rebekah Sharkie,<br />
Peter Owen WSSA and Bunna Lawrie Mirning<br />
Elder spoke to the media in front of thousands<br />
of surfers who paddled out at Victor Harbour on<br />
March 3rd to signify their opposition to ‘Equinor’s<br />
ocean oil plans.<br />
Australian is warming up its vocal chords and<br />
saying NORWAY X to big oil plans. Even the Earth<br />
Hour main event at the huge WOMADelaide festival<br />
was all about the Fight for the Bight. And funnily<br />
enough on the recent Australian Red Hot Chili<br />
Peppers tour, surfing front man Anthony Kiedis took<br />
to the stage with a self-made #fightforthebight<br />
t-shirt.<br />
Thanks go out to the thousands of surfers who<br />
attended and paddled out across 4 states in protest<br />
against big oil in the Bight in places like Cresent<br />
Head, Yamba, Manly, Alexandra Headlands,<br />
Wollongong, Torquay, Apollo Bay, Warrnambool,<br />
Cape Bridgewater, Victor Harbour, Robe, Cactus<br />
Beach, Mosmon WA, Streaky Bay, Melbourne,<br />
Hobart and Perth.<br />
With Greenpeace and Damian Cole looking for<br />
surfers to join a paddle out for Sydney Harbour and<br />
surrounding beaches, it begs the question, ‘Could<br />
this be you?’ Pay it forward ’Straayans…<br />
People have promoted The Bight’s ecological<br />
significance through hosting films such as<br />
Nevertown and Operation Jeedera. And for that we<br />
give thanks to surfers and community members<br />
of Streaky Bay, Port Lincoln, Sailsbury, Port Fairy,<br />
Portland, Melbourne and Glenelg. Opposition is<br />
also mounting in South Australia’s South East and<br />
Limestone Coast, where a 10-year moratorium for<br />
LNG fracking was introduced in 2018.<br />
I previously asked 3rd generation Streaky Bay<br />
local Josiah Schmucker to chime in on the<br />
#fightforthebight. He was up late typing this the<br />
night before surfing the 30-40 foot Mavericks swell<br />
in November.<br />
“Since the whole oil drilling and risk of a spill<br />
became so prevalent in my neck of the woods, I<br />
have been a lot more interested in the situation, but<br />
I have always been slightly against oil as I believe<br />
there are more efficient - or at least a lot greener -<br />
means of travel.<br />
“Three major points that come to mind when I hear<br />
about drilling for oil in The Bight are firstly: the<br />
risk heavily outweighs the reward. We don’t need<br />
the oil because we should be looking at cleaner,<br />
greener and renewable resources. I recently read in<br />
three different articles that oil is also a constantly<br />
regenerated liquid in the earth so there is no need<br />
for new oil rigs anywhere if we wish to continue<br />
using oil for its different purposes.<br />
“We don’t need the jobs it would provide, no one<br />
in the area is out of work or struggling so there’s<br />
not a need for the extra work. Which also raises<br />
a question for me whether an American, Asian or<br />
English based company is going to employ that<br />
many people from South Australia.<br />
15
smorgasboarder<br />
photo: EdSloanePhoto<br />
“My third and final concern would be a spill.<br />
It would destroy and devastate most of southern<br />
Australia, wiping out industries that sustain<br />
families, people’s recreational and commercial<br />
livelihoods. It would destroy millions of species<br />
of sea life and destroy one of the most beautiful<br />
places I have ever been and am lucky enough to<br />
call home.<br />
photo: EdSloanePhoto<br />
“Thank you sincerely for giving me the opportunity<br />
to share my opinion. I hope people in areas that<br />
this issue doesn’t directly affect can understand<br />
our concern and get behind us on protecting an<br />
amazing part of Australia where we enjoy surfing,<br />
photo: steve ryan<br />
photography<br />
fishing and living.”<br />
The #fightforthebight alliance has grown with<br />
surfers support from around the world. Tens of<br />
thousands of people are signing their name in<br />
opposition to this oil venture. If this issue is news to<br />
you, read the article in issue 44 of <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong>,<br />
sign online at www.fightforthebight.org.au/<br />
statement, and write to your local MP. Australians<br />
have until March 26th to write to NOPSEMA (the<br />
federal decision maker for this industry) to express<br />
their concern. The link can be found on the website<br />
above.<br />
Why risk it. #fightforthebight<br />
16
smorgasboarder<br />
stuff<br />
road trippin'<br />
“sometimes the most scenic<br />
roads in life are the detours<br />
you didn't mean to take.”<br />
The Key to enjoying the sports you love are to:<br />
1. Progress and Improve 2. Engage and Understand,<br />
and 3. Wherever possible, make it your life. Be it Surf,<br />
Snow, Skate or Bike, if you can ever incorporate these<br />
activities into a ‘Roadie’, you will usually have the time<br />
of your life. Be it with your family, friends, you and your<br />
partner, or a combination of all of these … a wagon full<br />
of gear, toys included, and a few essential ‘bits and<br />
pieces’ to make the whole equation work, will make<br />
your trip away, a time to remember.<br />
Here are a few products that NZSHRED stock, that<br />
you might want to throw in the wagon before you<br />
head away:<br />
1: take that smell away<br />
As anyone who’s ever been holed<br />
up in wagon full of folks, post or pre<br />
activity, there is usually a plethora<br />
of smells to entertain the nostrils.<br />
To bring things back to a workable<br />
medium, a Sexwax Airfreshener<br />
hanging from the rear vision mirror can<br />
adequately mask the invasive scent of<br />
snowboard boots or a wet wettie.<br />
2: see where you’re going<br />
There are a lot of good sunnies out there, and Electric<br />
is the newest in the NZShred stables. You just can’t go<br />
past the Wingman or the Knoxville<br />
to shield your eyes from that early<br />
morning or sunset glare.<br />
3: know your gear is all<br />
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There is nothing more secure<br />
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safe and sound. Be it a DAKine<br />
Low Roller bag for snow<br />
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Basic surf bag for your board -<br />
- be comfortable knowing the bag<br />
around your prized snowboard or<br />
surfboard has it comfortably housed<br />
and protected. It means you’ll enjoy yourself and<br />
know you will be able to do this all again.<br />
4: something, if nothing is happening<br />
In the old days, folks had a<br />
‘pack of cards’, modern days<br />
are ‘an app’ or something of the<br />
like … to be fair, there is nothing<br />
better than a choice book to<br />
read, digest or peruse. A couple<br />
of options to have for flicking<br />
through, are: ‘Cabin Porn’ -<br />
Klein & Leckart, ‘Confessions<br />
of an Eco Warrior’ - Dave<br />
Foreman or ‘Let My People<br />
Go Surfing’ - Yvon Chouinard<br />
NZ Shred<br />
nzshred.co.nz<br />
17
stuff<br />
natural drinking straws<br />
Stroh is a 100% natural drinking straw made from<br />
wheat stalks. These are truly the most sustainable<br />
straws on the market. Not only are they sustainable<br />
but with their natural golden glow, they also make a<br />
gorgeous addition to a drink. Once finished the straws<br />
can be added to the compost, nourishing the land<br />
from which they came. Perfect for progressive ocean<br />
friendly venues.<br />
stroh.com.au<br />
board traction for the 21st century<br />
Looking for a wax free traction solution? Contribute<br />
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No more mess or missing waves while you’re waxing<br />
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required.<br />
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seagull milk<br />
"Say goodbye to gross slippery<br />
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"Frustrated with using sunscreen<br />
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it getting all over the wax before<br />
heading out for a surf?<br />
"Seagull Milk is an innovative<br />
sunscreen that addresses these issues<br />
and doesn't leave an awful, gross<br />
smell. Instead our customers liken it to<br />
a vanilla milkshake!"<br />
Australian owned and made, this<br />
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made from 100% Mineral Active Ingredients, completely<br />
Non-Slip, Reef and Vegan Friendly, SPF 50+, Water<br />
Resistant and free from petroleum based chemicals.<br />
Founder Josh Apitz is currently a 2019 Qld Young<br />
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and many others passion for cleaner, safer oceans.<br />
Josh donates part proceeds of every tube sold to<br />
Take3forthesea who address plastic pollution in our<br />
waters. www.seagullmilk.com<br />
formatt<br />
Imagine a freestanding surfboard rack that you can<br />
assemble in 30 seconds without tools, screws or a<br />
degree in Engineering. Designed and created in Australia<br />
by craftsman and ocean lover Kyal Demmrich. Minimal<br />
design aesthetic with a smart interlocking assembly<br />
means just about anyone with any board can now have<br />
the perfect rack. So, sort out your garage or keep your<br />
prized possessions safe and accessible.<br />
Check out the range online which includes the Q21 (yep,<br />
holds up to 21 boards) as well as the Q8 (you guessed it,<br />
holds up to 8) coming soon.<br />
formattboardrack.com.au<br />
18
smorgasboarder<br />
stuff<br />
real surf<br />
"Real Surf can be found on the sunny (windy) shores<br />
of Lyall Bay, Wellington. We pride ourselves on being<br />
a core store, run by surfers for surfers. Here you can<br />
find a huge range of quality surfboards, wetsuits and<br />
accessories, along with a full ding repair service and<br />
rentals for those without equipment. We're open 7 days<br />
a week with a friendly and experienced team ready to<br />
help with your next purchase. REAL SURF is NZs #1<br />
Core Surf Store."<br />
realsurf.co.nz<br />
an empty ocean road<br />
Is a definitive history charting the early development of surfing<br />
and surfing culture in the South Island of New Zealand written<br />
by someone who was there, Kaikoura surfer and writer Ian<br />
Surgenor. Engaging, eloquent and a grassroots account,<br />
it’s packed with detail, good yarns, humour and over 250<br />
photographs depicting the people, places and events of those<br />
early years. Thoroughly researched over 20 years, it is a must<br />
for any surfer’s personal library.<br />
Purchase online at:<br />
kaikoura-museum.co.nz/product/an-empty-ocean-road/<br />
coastal sports kaikoura<br />
For that next surf adventure that goes further than your<br />
local coffee shop. The cold water specialists that want to<br />
get you further out there for longer.<br />
Not just your average surf shop, Coastal Sports, NZ.<br />
"We’re more about the journey than the end. Rain, sun or<br />
snow, be ready for what nature wants to throw at you.<br />
Same location for 15 years."<br />
Call on +64 3 319 5028<br />
coastalsports.co.nz<br />
pedal and paddle<br />
Autumn in The Paradise Coast, Whangamata, is the<br />
perfect time to visit. Warm water - deserted beaches -<br />
crisp deep swells and awesome trails to explore.<br />
Truly an amazing place to visit.<br />
Pedal and paddle will send you in the right direction<br />
with the right equipment. Simple fun.<br />
pedalandpaddle.co.nz<br />
19
smorgasboarder<br />
fourth<br />
generation<br />
With over 80 years of Australian surfing legacy<br />
built into his genes, Jye Gudenswager is the<br />
founder of Gen4 Surfboards and has plied his<br />
trade with some of the biggest brands in the<br />
surfboard manufacturing industry of today.<br />
While utilising the highest technology available,<br />
Gen4 aims to offer consumers the possibility to<br />
purchase high quality sleds at a wholesale price.<br />
This new age thinking mixed with Jye’s unique<br />
family history in surfboard design could possibly<br />
see Gen4 change the way we buy our next<br />
surfboard.<br />
The name Gen4 Surfboards originates from Jye<br />
being the fourth generation of his family to be<br />
a pioneer in surfboard design. A tradition that<br />
began with Jye’s great grandfather Frank Adler<br />
who built some of the first plywood surfboards<br />
know as ‘toothpicks’ during the 1940s. Frank was<br />
followed into the surfing world by his son-in-law<br />
Ken who owned a string of well-known surf stores<br />
throughout the East Coast of Australia such as<br />
Adler Surf Centre and Ken Custom Surfboards<br />
before owning San Juan Surfboards in Byron Bay.<br />
Jye’s father is also a four-time Queensland surfing<br />
representative who competed for Snapper Rocks<br />
board riders club throughout the 1980s and ‘90s.<br />
words: alex benaud<br />
For the bigger, longer conversation, listen at<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast<br />
itunes spotify buzzsprout<br />
20
smorgasboarder<br />
photo: alex benaud<br />
21
smorgasboarder<br />
photo: Simon “Swilly” Williams, courtesy of Gen4 Surfboards<br />
22
smorgasboarder<br />
Being a Snapper Rocks Board Rider since he<br />
can remember, Jye has grown up in such an elite<br />
surfing community with the likes of Joel Parkinson<br />
and Mick Fanning to call on for advice when it<br />
comes to board design.<br />
“Yeah, well I was pretty much born into it, I even<br />
have photos of myself at the age of two going<br />
on surf trips with the team. Growing up with Joel<br />
and Mick being around town has had a massive<br />
influence on me as a shaper, because whenever I<br />
was surfing I was always checking out their gear.<br />
With them being so dialled in with their equipment,<br />
you know it was what worked, so it’s pretty helpful<br />
to have people like them to call on for advice.”<br />
Jye has practised his craft with some of the best in<br />
the business when it comes to surfboard design.<br />
Still only 26, he already has over 10 years of<br />
invaluable experience working with some of the<br />
biggest names in the industry.<br />
“Originally my first job was with Shaping Co. back<br />
in the day when I was 13. I just swept the floors and<br />
cleaned up (laughs). Just before I turned 17 I began<br />
working with JS Industries where I started to FCS<br />
and glass at an outsourcing factory. I then glassed<br />
for SuperBrand Surfboards which was followed<br />
by a move to Sydney where I shaped for Chilli<br />
Surfboards. When I returned to Coolangatta I started<br />
working with Mayhem and Pyzel, with whom I still do<br />
a bit of work to this day, shaping and glassing about<br />
50 surfboards a week for those two.<br />
“It’s been great growing up working with the high<br />
profile names, I have learned so much from those<br />
guys. For instance I remember watching Darryl<br />
Bulger, who is an amazing shaper, when I was 17 or<br />
18. I watched him shaping boards for the JS team<br />
but it’s not until now that I realise how much I have<br />
learnt from people like him.”<br />
Working on his own designs since the age of<br />
14, Jye finally decided to go out on his own and<br />
create Gen4 Surfboards. Jye’s concept at Gen4<br />
is to produce high performance surfboards for<br />
consumers at a fraction of the cost.<br />
“It’s pretty hard to do but we want to steer away<br />
from stores if we can. Basically that way we are<br />
able to sell online for a wholesale price. Just to<br />
make it cheaper for everyone, not having to pay<br />
distributor costs and all the add-ons which don’t<br />
necessarily need to be there.<br />
23
smorgasboarder<br />
“We still use all the same materials as the top guys<br />
like the foam, cloth and the resin is all of the highest<br />
standard available. We don’t really have a massive profit<br />
margin but we figured if we were selling to stores, the<br />
profit margin would stay the same anyway. So that’s<br />
where we want our consumers to look at buying online<br />
by creating a big following through social media so<br />
people see our boards and know they're just as good as<br />
the big names, but with a more affordable price tag.”<br />
With professional surfers such as Mitch Parkinson<br />
and Ellie-Jean Coffey among Jye’s team riders, there’s<br />
not much need for proof that Gen4 are producing<br />
high quality sticks. Jye mainly specialises in high<br />
performance surfboards but also insists that Gen4<br />
caters for every type of surfer.<br />
“We mainly make high-performance surfboards but<br />
we also make fishes and hybrid style boards. Our fish<br />
designs are constructed with the capabilities to surf<br />
like a performance board, because if you’re not a great<br />
surfer, we still want you to be improving instead of<br />
just being stuck in the same spot. It offers the average<br />
surfer an opportunity to progress easily into our more<br />
high-performance models.<br />
“We have the ‘Allstar’, which is our high-performance<br />
for when the waves are pumping. We have the ‘Black<br />
Magic’, which is our all round performance board<br />
which is basically our go to board for the whole team,<br />
it just goes in everything. They all froth off it and it<br />
is probably our most popular model. Another of our<br />
popular models is the ‘Hybrid’, which is a combination<br />
of one of our fish models the ‘Bull’ and the ‘Black<br />
Magic’ model, we just joined them together, which<br />
gives you heaps of foam up the front and the tail of the<br />
‘Black Magic’ so it’s still really responsive. Finally, we<br />
have the ‘Bull’ our fish model, and the ‘Little Secret’<br />
which has a little secret to it (laughs).”<br />
With aspirations to become one of the biggest<br />
surfboard brands in the world, Jye is certainly heading<br />
in the right direction. With over 80 years of family<br />
knowledge behind him mixed with the passion,<br />
determination and love that Jye pours into his<br />
surfboard design, we wouldn't put it past him.<br />
For the bigger, longer conversation, listen at<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast<br />
itunes spotify buzzsprout<br />
24
smorgasboarder<br />
photo: courtesy of Gen4 Surfboards<br />
25
smorgasboarder<br />
an irish odyssey<br />
dark, cold, grey and perfect.<br />
words and photos: alex benaud<br />
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smorgasboarder<br />
O.s /<br />
overseas<br />
/ surf /<br />
trips<br />
not a soul in sight as an untouched left hand rolls into bundoran.<br />
27
smorgasboarder<br />
Sometimes a perfect wave can make<br />
you forget a lot of things, like a sharp<br />
reef, cold water and icy offshore winds.<br />
When you think of a surf trip what comes to mind?<br />
Empty, pumping waves, long left or right handers,<br />
warm water and an endless supply of beer to lap<br />
up with your best mates. You certainly don’t think<br />
wind, freezing temperatures, grey skies, 5mm<br />
wetsuits, booties, gloves and a hoodie to match.<br />
I’m talking about the northwestern tip of Ireland,<br />
yes that’s right, the land of leprechauns, four leaf<br />
clovers and Guinness, the place I chose to go on a<br />
surf trip.<br />
On my arrival to Ireland I was typically welcomed<br />
with bleak, cold and bitter weather, a change<br />
from the previous weeks that I’d spent basking<br />
in the Mediterranean sun. But I wasn’t here for<br />
the weather, I was here on a mission, to surf -<br />
something that the Mediterranean couldn’t quite<br />
offer me in the summer months.<br />
I made my way up the dramatic west coastline,<br />
awed by the beauty that was on offer from the<br />
ragged cliff edges to the long golden sand beaches<br />
that were contrasted by the lush, vibrant green<br />
mountains. The ‘image’ of Ireland that I had created<br />
in my head started to change with each passing<br />
kilometre. Finally I arrived at my home for the next<br />
two weeks, Bundoran.<br />
Bundoran, or as it is known in Irish Bun Dobhráin<br />
(which means the foot of the little water), is a small<br />
seaside town located in the northwestern region<br />
of Ireland. With countless reef and beach breaks<br />
in close proximity to be found, I couldn’t wait to<br />
get wet, even if the water temp was a meagre nine<br />
degrees!!!<br />
By the end of my first few days spent in this tiny<br />
seaside town, 20 thousand miles from where I lived,<br />
I could not have felt more at home. The locals were<br />
some of the most friendly I had ever come across<br />
in my time travelling. Not only were they more than<br />
happy to share their waves with blow-ins from the<br />
other side of the world, but they were equally as<br />
friendly out of the water, with plenty of Guinness<br />
drunken post-surf. The waves were consistent and<br />
aplenty, anything from short, hollow A-Frame reef<br />
breaks to long, mellow sand-bottom point rollers.<br />
Spoilt for choice, I surfed for as long as I could and<br />
as much as my body allowed me to stay in the cold<br />
water.<br />
Eventually all good things must come to and end,<br />
even if only temporary, and that was the case with<br />
the waves in Bundoran. They say to always take<br />
the positives from the negatives, so I thought about<br />
how I didn’t have to squeeze back into my soaking,<br />
icey 5mm wetsuit, which made me feel a lot better.<br />
Bundoran is not only home to some of the best<br />
waves in Ireland, but also home to some great<br />
mountains that can be found a short drive away<br />
from the town centre. One that stands out from<br />
the rest of the bunch for it’s interesting shape, is<br />
Benbulbin Mountain, which stands at 526 metres<br />
above sea level. Surrounded by local farms and<br />
flocks of wooly sheep, for what Benbulbin lacks in<br />
height it sure makes up for in sheer steepness. I<br />
completed the circuit in about two and a half hours<br />
however it was a gruelling two and a half hours,<br />
which made it even more satisfying when I returned<br />
to the safety of level ground.<br />
One last pint of Guinness as I watched the sun set<br />
over the Atlantic Ocean for the final time with the<br />
conquered Benbulbin Mountain glistening in all her<br />
beauty behind me, Ireland you had been good to<br />
me, more than good. I said my goodbyes to the<br />
friends I had made during my stay and swore I’d be<br />
back for more.<br />
28
smorgasboarder<br />
this is sort of like that saying ‘only<br />
a surfer knows the feeling’ kind of<br />
moment.<br />
29
smorgasboarder<br />
paradise<br />
It is affordable, it’s so close to Australia and New Zealand, there are<br />
peeling waves and most importantly, it is never crowded. There’s<br />
good reason why so many people are raving about this place.<br />
In Banyuwangi, East Java, there is an idyllic,<br />
secluded, crescent-shaped bay with stunning white<br />
sand surrounded by jungle and mountains. It will<br />
exceed all expectations. Its name is Pulau Merah<br />
or “Red Island” and we assure you, you will never<br />
forget it if you go.<br />
It offers uncrowded waves for beginners as well<br />
as intermediates and advanced surfers. The sandy<br />
bottom of the local break makes it less daunting<br />
for those trying surfing for the first time but rest<br />
assured, more challenging waves are just a little<br />
further along the beach. It really is perfect for<br />
surfers of all skill levels to enjoy together. Plus, the<br />
owners built Red Island Surf Camp on the beach so<br />
you literally have it all right there on your doorstep.<br />
Better still, if you choose to up the ante some more,<br />
the famous Alas Purwo National Park and G-land is<br />
only two hours away. G-Land is of course a serious,<br />
hectic, world class break renowned for its perfectly<br />
formed waves.<br />
Although Red Island is primarily a surf camp, you<br />
don’t need to spend all of your time surfing. You<br />
will have plenty of time to explore the beach, get a<br />
massage, play some volleyball, swim in the pool or<br />
simply relax in a hammock with a good book and<br />
listen to the waves washing on the white sandy<br />
beach.<br />
There is also heaps of others things to do if you<br />
can’t sit still for two seconds like climbing the Ijen<br />
Volcano, turtle sanctuary visits, coffee plantation<br />
tours, river rafting, tubing, fishing and dirt biking<br />
trips. There really is something for everyone,<br />
30
smorgasboarder<br />
O.s /<br />
overseas<br />
/ surf /<br />
trips<br />
whether it be seasoned pros or crew that have<br />
never surfed in their life, solo travellers, couples, a<br />
group of friends or families - all will be made to feel<br />
welcome so they get the most out of their stay.<br />
So, what’s the cost of paradise you might say?<br />
An arm and a leg? Hard to believe packages start<br />
from as little as $150 per person for a 3-night stay.<br />
You can even stay in your own private, traditional,<br />
hand-crafted bamboo and teak Javanese style<br />
bungalow, complete with private bathroom, air<br />
conditioning and fans for as little as $275 twin<br />
share for 3 nights. And that includes 3 meals per<br />
day! The accommodation is stylish and the food is<br />
exceptional.<br />
Check it all out at: redislandtravel.com<br />
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smorgasboarder<br />
law of the jungle<br />
Mark Riley from Riley balsawood surfboards was<br />
pleasantly surprised when he arrived in Papua<br />
New Guinea late last year. He could not believe<br />
his eyes with the unspoilt natural beauty of this<br />
incredibly pristine country. Keen to surf, he was<br />
also interested to see how SAPNG’s (Surfing<br />
Association of Papua New Guinea) influence<br />
has helped the tourism trade and protected the<br />
environment, whilst giving back to the rightful<br />
owners of the reefs and waves.<br />
Mark has travelled extensively through Mexico,<br />
Central America and South America on and off for<br />
the past 20 years. He was drawn to the Americas<br />
because of the many great surfing spots. He has<br />
been back to South America every year since<br />
1996 and in that time started importing balsawood<br />
from Ecuador until he discovered better quality<br />
balsawood in Papua New Guinea.<br />
In 2012 Mark started importing this magic light<br />
wood into Australia from PNG but was yet to visit<br />
the country. Other than a holiday, he had no need<br />
initially as the Papua New Guineans were a delight<br />
to deal with. He eventually ventured over there in<br />
April 2017 and returned to Australia with a new<br />
found appreciation for the country.<br />
One of his reasons for visiting was to learn more<br />
about their unique surf management plan and the<br />
fact it presented the opportunity to surf uncrowded<br />
waves. The surf management plan has been around<br />
for over 27 years. It is based on a user pays ideal<br />
that has been in place for thousands of years.<br />
No matter whether you are a local to the area or a<br />
Papua New Guinean traveling across the country,<br />
or an overseas tourist, you are obliged to pay some<br />
sort of fee for using some else’s property. If you<br />
wanted to use a creek to wash or visit a waterfall,<br />
the same principles apply – you pay the land<br />
owners to use.<br />
PNG has complex family ownership rights in all<br />
villages… indeed anywhere where there’s land<br />
involved. Some plots of land have been fought<br />
over for thousands of years with multiple families<br />
claiming respective rights. So you can imagine<br />
when foreigners started arriving to surf their waves,<br />
the owners needed to be paid for the privilege.<br />
In the ‘80s Shaun Keane and his brother Nic were<br />
surfing the Northern islands off Kavieng. One of<br />
the villagers paddled out in their dugout canoe and<br />
asked them for a donation for their village. An hour<br />
later another canoe arrived and asked the same,<br />
whether this was the same canoe or another was<br />
never determined. However, what the incident did<br />
provoke was a light bulb moment that there needed<br />
to be a fair and equitable way of rightfully paying<br />
these villagers.<br />
SAPNG was established in 1990 by Andy Able<br />
and Shaun Keene to ensure some system and<br />
rules were put into place to help everyone achieve<br />
an amicable solution to ensure the reefs were<br />
protected and families were compensated.<br />
These days the system is very successful and has<br />
to date achieved its vision. When Mark recently<br />
visited Rubio Surf Camp he saw first-hand how the<br />
management plan is working.<br />
bookings<br />
When you book a surf trip, whether it is through a<br />
travel agent or a surf travel company or direct with<br />
a surf camp, even if you sail into a harbour, daily<br />
fees are required to be paid to the Association.<br />
The fee must be paid prior to arrival with any<br />
SAPNG endorsed surf operator or agent.<br />
If you arrive in Kavieng and are not booked in, you<br />
will need to contact NASA (Niu Ailan Surfriders<br />
Alliance) to check availability. If they are under<br />
their quota you may join the plan and surf in the<br />
permitted area.<br />
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smorgasboarder<br />
O.s /<br />
overseas<br />
/ surf /<br />
trips<br />
where can you surf?<br />
The plan is divided into many different regions in<br />
PNG.<br />
• Vanimo SMP – Sandaun Province<br />
• Tupira SMP – Madang Province<br />
• Lovangai SMP – New Hanover – New Ireland<br />
Province<br />
• East Coast SMP – New Ireland Province<br />
• Central New Ireland SMP – New Ireland<br />
Province<br />
• Kavieng SMP – New Ireland Province<br />
If you are going to surf in different regions the<br />
necessary fees must be paid to the correct<br />
manager to ensure the money goes to the right<br />
family clan. You can transfer from one region to the<br />
other but you must pay the respective fees to the<br />
corresponding manager.<br />
costs<br />
who benefits from this?<br />
The families that live on and around these reef<br />
areas are the rightful owners. Commonly it is<br />
a woman who is the matriarch that handles all<br />
business transactions. She will have the final say<br />
on how they would like to receive their donation<br />
- it can come as a form of payment in the local<br />
currency or a product or service or even a payment<br />
of an electricity bill that will help the community<br />
with health, education or general living standards.<br />
The payments are made at the end and at the start<br />
of the surf season and will depend on the number<br />
of surfers that have visited the region.<br />
33
smorgasboarder<br />
munich<br />
words and photo: tami argaman<br />
Only a short 8 hour drive from Germany’s North<br />
Sea Beaches and in the centre of Bavarias 900 year<br />
old capital city you can see that true surfers don’t<br />
always need to wait for the perfect wave. In fact<br />
they don’t even need the beach or the ocean, only<br />
courage and (depending on gender and time of the<br />
year), some freeze-proof balls.<br />
“Eisbach” means Ice Creek, and describes what<br />
the wave feels like most of the year.<br />
If you ask people what they think of the popular<br />
spot, opinions vary.<br />
“When you see those skinny men with diving suits<br />
and their BRETTER (boards) on the BAHN (tram),<br />
only MüNCHNER (Munich locals) know where they<br />
are off to!” a fruit and veg stall owner says.<br />
Markus who lives and studies in Munich loves it.<br />
“The Eisbach Wave is awesome in summer, people<br />
take turns and drink beer while lining up. It doesn’t<br />
get dark till 10pm, so it’s always a bit of a party” he<br />
says.<br />
“In winter you need a killer wetsuit and loads of<br />
mulled wine afterwards to drink the pain away.”<br />
The never ending wave is located under a bridge.<br />
Whenever there are surfers, there’s an audience.<br />
Those who watch for a while can judge different<br />
styles and tell who stays on the wave for longer and<br />
who gets thrown off right away.<br />
Unfortunately it was -3 degrees when I last visited<br />
the Eisbach Wave. People still surfed (not me!).<br />
I had just arrived from 35 degrees in SE QLD<br />
without a proper jacket. End of the story: After<br />
10 minutes of watching the Ice Creek Surfers my<br />
survival instinct kicked in and I had to go to the<br />
closest Christmas market to skull 3 hot wines.<br />
“In winter you need a<br />
killer wetsuit and loads of<br />
mulled wine afterwards to<br />
drink the pain away.”<br />
34
smorgasboarder<br />
“You won’t want<br />
to leave our little piece<br />
of paradise”<br />
O.s /<br />
overseas<br />
/ surf /<br />
trips<br />
photo: Raglan Longboards<br />
photo: Stuart MacKenzie at stuartmackenzie.photoshelter.com<br />
photo: Stuart MacKenzie at stuartmackenzie.photoshelter.com<br />
raglan<br />
Raglan Holiday Park Papahua is situated on the<br />
West Coast of New Zealand’s North Island just a<br />
<strong>45</strong>-minute drive west of Hamilton or a two-hour<br />
drive south of Auckland. Whether you’re looking for<br />
world-class surf, scenic walking tracks, the chance<br />
to paddle board or kayak across to the pancake<br />
rocks, a day’s fishing or a round of golf, laidback<br />
Raglan offers the perfect escape from the hustle<br />
and bustle of everyday life.<br />
View their accommodation options at<br />
www.raglanholidaypark.co.nz -<br />
You can book online or email<br />
stay@raglanholidaypark.co.nz<br />
package: Book to stay for more than two nights at<br />
the Raglan Holiday Park between May 1st 2019 and<br />
October 1st 2019 and you will get one night FREE.<br />
(special conditions apply)<br />
35
smorgasboarder<br />
36
smorgasboarder<br />
r o a d t r i p 2<br />
And so it continues, this time through the lens and<br />
words of new smorgasboarder Alex Benaud.<br />
Everyone loves road trips, they’re exciting, unpredictable and offer proof that there still are<br />
places out there that haven’t been blown up by Instagram and Facebook. I recently packed up<br />
the van and travelled from Noosa Heads to Nambucca Heads.<br />
words and photos: alex benaud<br />
norries headland, cabarita<br />
37
main beach, yamba<br />
I surfed this little left hander on the main beach for a couple of<br />
hours with just myself and a local bodysurfer in the lineup.<br />
sunrise over woolgoolga beach
smorgasboarder<br />
With no particular time frame in mind, I<br />
wanted to make sure I made an effort to<br />
visit the ‘smaller’ destinations along the way<br />
With no particular time frame in mind, I wanted to<br />
make sure I made an effort to visit the ‘smaller’<br />
destinations along the way and it blew my mind<br />
how many little nooks and crannies go unnoticed<br />
when traversing this beautiful stretch of bitumen.<br />
In saying that I also managed to score some fun<br />
waves with minimal ‘friends’, spent most days<br />
lazing in the sun with not a soul in sight and<br />
camped to the sound of crickets and cicadas in the<br />
evenings.<br />
Usually when I head south from Noosa I tend to<br />
skip from the Sunshine Coast all the way to Tweed<br />
Heads. Brisbane isn’t quite the ideal place to make<br />
a stop if you’re looking to ‘get away from it all’ and<br />
most times I can’t muster up the surf stoke required<br />
to battle with the crowds of the Gold Coast.<br />
This time however was different as I had a few<br />
interesting interviews to undertake - see one<br />
Rooster and two Jye Gudenswager - both featured<br />
in this edition. Once conducted I was swiftly back<br />
on the road.<br />
Cabarita Beach, located 20 minutes south of<br />
Coolangatta, is a small coastal town with an<br />
estimated population of no more than 150,<br />
probably most recognisable to the surfing world as<br />
being home to one of the greatest aerial surfers on<br />
the planet, Chris ‘Chippa’ Wilson. Caba’s sleepy<br />
atmosphere makes it an ideal destination to stretch<br />
the legs, set up camp and prepare for the road<br />
ahead. I closed out the day with a fun session out<br />
the front surfing 2 foot peaks followed by a well<br />
deserved beer atop Norries Headland on sundown,<br />
it was almost like one of those ‘from where you’d<br />
rather be’ kind of moments.<br />
An early rise followed by the customary coffee at<br />
Coastal Visions Photography Cafe, a small family<br />
owned business that sell some beautiful, locally<br />
snapped photographs, a great way to see Cabarita<br />
in all her beauty. The coffee ain’t too bad either!<br />
Oil topped up, coolant checked and tank filled, it<br />
was time to move on. Destination - anywhere south<br />
of Byron Bay. Now with Ballina seemingly surfed<br />
only by men in grey suits, I decided to skip it all<br />
together, continuing further down until I reached<br />
Yamba.<br />
Driving into Yamba you can already feel the sense<br />
of relaxation taking over, it’s the kind of place where<br />
you would say ‘yep, this is the new home kids’. (I<br />
don’t have kids but I’m just presuming this is what<br />
I would say if I had them). Officially established<br />
as a World Surfing Reserve in 2007 Yamba and<br />
nearby Angourie leaves you spoilt for choice when<br />
deciding where to surf. Surrounded by untouched,<br />
nature filled national parks, bustling marine life and<br />
friendly locals, I couldn’t find a thing I didn’t like<br />
about the place.<br />
‘On the road again’, Yamba had further emphasised<br />
my idea of skipping the ‘big’ destinations on the<br />
map and choosing to turn off at the ones I’d never<br />
thought of visiting. One of those destinations is<br />
Woolgoolga. A short hour and a half dash down the<br />
Pacific Highway from Yamba will bring you to this<br />
little seaside town.<br />
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The area was once very prominent in banana<br />
growing but the steep decline in the face of<br />
competition from overseas and Queensland<br />
during the 1990s has since seen many plantations<br />
replaced with blueberries. Woolgoolga is also<br />
home to one of the largest Sikh populations in<br />
Australia, opening the very first Sikh temple in<br />
the country in 1969. The Indians migrated to<br />
Woolgoolga from Grafton to work on the banana<br />
farms during the Second World War. Anyway, the<br />
next time you visit Woolgoolga you’ll know the<br />
reason behind why there are so many Indians<br />
in such a random little town. For those of you<br />
who love curry, in September Woolgoolga hosts<br />
‘Curryfest’ which celebrates the Sikh community.<br />
Woolgoolga was such a cool little multi-cultural<br />
surf town, I surfed straight out the front of the<br />
surf life saving club, a short, punchy right hander<br />
that produced 2 foot waves which I shared with<br />
a few friendly locals. I slept in a nearby rest area<br />
provided for travellers passing through free of<br />
charge and even managed to squeeze in an early<br />
morning log before continuing my journey south.<br />
My final destination before reaching Nambucca<br />
Heads was Sawtell. One of, if not my favourite<br />
destination of the trip, there was something about<br />
Sawtell that stayed with me, maybe it was the<br />
perfect, offshore, 3 foot groundswell that I scored<br />
on the back beach… Maybe.<br />
Found just a stones throw south of Coffs Harbour,<br />
the modest, laid back little town is the perfect<br />
place to settle down for a few days that may<br />
(could) turn into weeks. The shops, boutiques,<br />
cafés and restaurants are shaded by enormous<br />
fig trees throughout the town, the beaches are as<br />
good as they get and the shape of the headland<br />
means that finding a wave out of the wind is<br />
easier done than said. With an abundance of<br />
creeks and rivers within the vicinity, Sawtell offers<br />
great fishing and the opportunity to practice<br />
other water sports, bush walks are aplenty and I<br />
found it was just a great alternative to the hustle<br />
and bustle of neighbouring Coffs Harbour.<br />
40
smorgasboarder<br />
hayden cervi<br />
at sawtell’s back beach<br />
41
sometimes on the road<br />
you strike it lucky<br />
photo: alex benaud<br />
smorgasboarder<br />
42
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43
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44
smorgasboarder<br />
h e r e<br />
c o m e<br />
t h e<br />
r o o s t e r<br />
words: alex benaud<br />
photos: leah light photography<br />
“One thing I do f#king know is I was born just a<br />
hillbilly kid in the hills of Tennessee and got an<br />
opportunity to move to the beach at an early age<br />
and decided from there my life path. Surfing and<br />
making surfboards.”<br />
Gregg Weber from Rooster Brand surfboards has<br />
certainly got some stories to tell, raised in the hills<br />
of Tennessee before moving to the East Coast<br />
where he surfed against CJ and Damien Hobgood<br />
on the NSSA, partied with Jay Adams in Hawaii,<br />
became the team glasser at Lost Surfboards for<br />
over 10 years and learned to screen print from<br />
Dogtown legend Skip Engblom. This is Rooster,<br />
a colourful character who has absorbed it all to<br />
become a talented, passionate and well respected<br />
craftsman with a no bullshit attitude.<br />
<strong>45</strong>
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Rooster began life in the shaping the bay as a 13<br />
year old grommet with WRV Surfboards who were<br />
at the time the biggest surfboard manufacturer on<br />
the East Coast of the United States.<br />
“I cleaned toilets, swept floors, took out the trash<br />
and rolled cigarettes for the glasser. Slowly I<br />
began to cut the cloth and dress the boards until<br />
eventually learning how to do everything by the age<br />
of 16 when I was sanding at least 10 boards a day.<br />
“After that I moved out to California competing on<br />
the NSSA surfing against guys like Chris Brown and<br />
other big names but then I realised that I probably<br />
wasn’t going to make the cut as a pro surfer.”<br />
Rooster turned his focus to surfboard<br />
manufacturing full time, drawing inspiration from<br />
some of the greats.<br />
“I was working in the big leagues influenced by<br />
people like Jim Fuller; who taught Biolos, Robert<br />
Manville, Tyler Hatzikian (Tyler Surfboards) and Matt<br />
Biolos himself.<br />
“I still talk to Matt all the time. I do a lot of<br />
consulting work for Lost. I was their team glasser<br />
for around 10 years. I have probably done more<br />
world title boards than some people have had<br />
hot dinners. I found a lot of work being not only a<br />
shaper but a glasser as well for all the big labels, all<br />
while pushing my own boards along on the side.”<br />
“When I first starting<br />
making boards I wanted<br />
to learn to do everything.<br />
I didn’t just want to be a<br />
glasser, or a sander or a fin<br />
guy. So I was really drawn<br />
towards guys like Timmy<br />
Patterson who weren’t just<br />
shapers but did the whole<br />
process by themselves.”<br />
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smorgasboarder<br />
With Rooster’s bread and butter being a glasser<br />
for Lost, he decided to move into his own ventures<br />
with the goal of becoming completely self sufficient.<br />
He eventually transferred to Tallebudgera, Gold<br />
Coast which is where he decided to establish<br />
Rooster Brand surfboards.<br />
“When I first starting making boards I wanted to<br />
learn to do everything. I didn’t just want to be a<br />
glasser, or a sander or a fin guy. So I was really<br />
drawn towards guys like Timmy Patterson who<br />
weren’t just shapers but did the whole process by<br />
themselves.”<br />
“I also never wanted to be pigeon holed for only<br />
being a performance board shaper. So I try to cover<br />
a broad spectrum of designs making retro, hybrid<br />
and experimental shapes. My performance boards<br />
are probably my biggest sellers but I am trying to<br />
keep an even balance.”<br />
Not only a surfboard shaper but a craftsman with<br />
many talents, Rooster also produces custom<br />
screen printed tees and skateboard designs.<br />
“Everything I do is 100% hand made at home. I<br />
have a screen printing factory as well. I learned to<br />
screen print from Skip Engblom back during my<br />
days living in Venice, he would just push me into<br />
the deep end with all the gear.”<br />
Mentored by some of the most well-known and<br />
respected figures in surfing’s history, Rooster is a<br />
man who knows what kind of work ethic is required<br />
to create a name for oneself. This quote from the<br />
man himself pretty much sums it up for us.<br />
“I don’t apologise for who I am nor any<br />
repercussions of others actions from<br />
lack of knowledge or respect. I’m not<br />
arrogant by any means, you are only as<br />
good as your last board in this fashion<br />
show. One thing I sure know is, I’m a<br />
father, husband, friend, brother. I AM A<br />
CRAFTSMAN.”<br />
For the bigger, longer conversation listen at<br />
smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast<br />
itunes spotify buzzsprout<br />
47
spiritual being<br />
With the soul of a philosopher, the hands of an artist, the<br />
knowledge of a walking encyclopedia, and the brain of an<br />
inventor and engineer fused into one, Mitchell Rae of<br />
Outer Island Surfboards is a creator of the highest order.<br />
words: dave swan and mark chapman<br />
“One of the things that really attracted me to Buddhism<br />
is that it’s technically speaking, not a religion at all. It’s a<br />
philosophy, a state of mind. It’s a viewpoint of the cosmos.”<br />
For the bigger, longer conversation, listen at smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast<br />
itunes spotify buzzsprout<br />
48
A trip down the coast is never complete without a<br />
quick visit to Mitchell Rae’s Outer Island surfboard<br />
factory. We are undeniably slightly obsessed with<br />
his boards but we find Mitchell’s deep sense of<br />
spirituality equally fascinating.<br />
While he wouldn’t take credit for it himself,<br />
spending time with this well-respected shaper and<br />
artist is often like a visit to an enlightened spiritual<br />
figure (clad in boardies instead of a flowing robe, of<br />
course) – you’ll leave feeling like you’ve had some<br />
deep, mystical knowledge opened up to you…<br />
Whether it be technical discussions on surfboard<br />
building and materials, or how to tread lightly<br />
on the earth and stay on the right side of karma,<br />
Mitchell always excels as a guide to a world of<br />
complex concepts.<br />
When we last spoke, our conversation transcended<br />
mere foam and fibreglass to his love for Eastern<br />
philosophy and a recent trip with his partner to<br />
Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Mitchell picks up<br />
the story.<br />
“I’ve been interested to go to Burma, Myanmar as<br />
it is known now, for a long, long time. As it happens<br />
we did a week in each country, three weeks in<br />
three countries - the Temple Tour. I was aware<br />
of Buddhism in all three of those countries, but I<br />
hadn’t really examined it closely and so our daily<br />
routine was to hunt out the most relevant, biggest<br />
temples in the area where we were. Once we made<br />
it up into Myanmar, it was fabulous. Like Mandalay,<br />
there’s some incredible ancient Buddha’s there and<br />
it’s my opinion that all these ancient temples are<br />
built on high energy points of the planet in a similar<br />
fashion to the great pyramids, which go way back<br />
into antiquity.”<br />
To explain Mitchell’s views in a little more detail,<br />
Planetary Energetic Grid Theory proposes the earth<br />
is made up of various intersecting points forming a<br />
grid or matrix, equivalent to the acupressure points<br />
on our bodies. These grid points are said to be<br />
found at some of the strongest power places on the<br />
planet.<br />
“It’s been proven by certain scientific thought that<br />
there are energy grids on the planet. There’s ones<br />
that are all locked together at the polls and interact,<br />
there’s an energy field which looks a bit like a<br />
soccer ball, there’s another one which looks more<br />
like the latitude-longitude sort of mapping of the<br />
globe and another, which is more like all triangles,<br />
like a Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome.<br />
“Where these different energy grids intersect,<br />
there’s major power nodes and when you look<br />
at a map of the globe, at every one of those<br />
major power nodes, there’s a great pyramid from<br />
antiquity. So, it leads one to believe that there’s<br />
been a lot more knowledge for a very, very long<br />
time on this planet than what modern history gives<br />
credit for. And we still haven’t unlocked those<br />
mysteries at all.<br />
“On a smaller or on a more local scale, like in<br />
England, there’s been some volumes written<br />
about what they call the ley lines, which are of a<br />
similar nature following the lattice energy grids of<br />
the planet, and a lot of the great cathedrals and<br />
Stonehenge and various places of significance are<br />
located on these energised parts of the planet.<br />
“It’s my feeling that the same applies to all the great<br />
temples of Southeast Asia. By going and paying<br />
homage to these ancient Buddha’s and paying my<br />
respects, I’m also spending a lot of time at a really<br />
high energy zone of the planet, which I feel has<br />
some lasting impact on the molecular resonance<br />
over the human being, of the psyche as well, if you<br />
will.”<br />
Such comments possibly have your mind boggling<br />
and searching Google for topics such as Scared<br />
Geometry and the like, so I asked Mitchell to<br />
explain his line of thinking for the less learned like<br />
myself.<br />
“Well, I tend to think that Einsteinian theory has<br />
proved that we are made of energy. If you look at<br />
the building blocks of the universe, they’ve proved<br />
Einstein’s formulas that in reality, there’s kind of no<br />
such thing as solid matter. They’ve gone down to<br />
the building blocks that make everything - you’ve<br />
got atoms and then you go down to finer particles<br />
like and protons and neutrons and quarks when<br />
they get right down to the smallest particles,<br />
they now see they are in fact energy locked into<br />
a certain pattern. With a big enough microscope,<br />
they’re looking at these tiny particles and there’s<br />
actually no solid substance there, it’s all made of<br />
energy, which is what the great spiritual teachers<br />
have been saying for millennia.<br />
“Once you take that on board - that everything<br />
is made of energy including people and that<br />
energy according to Einstein is never lost, that<br />
it’s transmuted, it’s transformed - that opens up<br />
another whole viewpoint of humanity, people, the<br />
cosmos at large. So, going down that path, by<br />
immersing myself on the Temple Tour, it tends to<br />
really energise your spirit body because you know,<br />
it’s all energy, it’s all related. These are my personal<br />
viewpoints on it anyway.”<br />
Such core beliefs in turn serve to underline<br />
Mitchell’s approach to his handmade surfboards.<br />
“I’m kind of old school. I believe that when you<br />
shape a board by hand and you expose the<br />
surfboard to a lot of personal interaction, like even<br />
sanding them and glassing them by hand, all these<br />
things tend to instil the inanimate object with a<br />
certain amount of lasting energy.<br />
“That’s the difference with the path I’ve chosen<br />
making surfboards. I’ve made a conscious choice<br />
on several occasions to stay small and to make<br />
less boards and put more of myself into each one<br />
and I believe that suits my philosophy. It suits my<br />
viewpoint on life and surfboards.”<br />
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subtlety of design<br />
words: dave swan<br />
If I was to confess of having a man crush on<br />
anyone, it would most likely be the Phantom - not<br />
the bloke with the purple jumpsuit who goes by<br />
the name of the Ghost Who Walks, I’m talking<br />
about the super-talented Chris Garrett of Chris<br />
Garrett Shapes and Phantom Surfboards. Creative,<br />
humble, insightful, genuine, accommodating – there<br />
is a plethora of superlatives that could be used to<br />
explain the man, friend is another.<br />
I recently caught him prior to heading overseas,<br />
and as we only had a few minutes, I had one<br />
question to ask of him. As simple as the question<br />
may have seemed on the surface, it was almost<br />
too difficult to put into words. I was seeking to<br />
understand the subtlety of design that sets his<br />
surfboards apart from so many others. His boards<br />
are almost indescribable until you see them in the<br />
flesh, or foam and fibreglass I should say. It is then<br />
on close inspection, you begin to see the “subtlety<br />
of design” that makes them such things of beauty,<br />
works of art. As eloquent as always, Chris had<br />
these few words to say.<br />
“You are too kind. I am just blessed to do what I do.<br />
Surfboard building is such a noble art.<br />
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of making and<br />
creating stuff. There is something about creating<br />
things out of foam and watching shapes evolve.<br />
It is addictive. I need it in my life. From a health<br />
perspective, it is possibly one of the most toxic<br />
things you can do. I shouldn’t be doing it. From a<br />
creative outlet point of view, I have to do it.”<br />
That’s Chris to a tee. He’s compelled to be an artist.<br />
“Commercially speaking my time could be<br />
better spent doing other things but I love making<br />
surfboards and when you enjoy something so<br />
much, you want to do more and more of it and I<br />
suppose that passion hopefully comes out in what<br />
I make. For nearly 40 years I’ve been fortunate<br />
enough to follow my heart and do what I like.<br />
Creating boards that match surfers to waves and<br />
making their dreams a reality, is a part of the stoke<br />
that drives my passion.<br />
“What’s most important to me is seeing or hearing<br />
of my clients enjoying themselves on my boards.<br />
That’s what I get a kick out of. That’s what I get<br />
out of the whole process. I like a close association<br />
with my clients, working on their boards, because<br />
I never had that close association when I was<br />
younger before I started shaping my own boards.<br />
I experienced that disconnect between what you<br />
want and what you get – that only comes with<br />
personal interaction.<br />
“Surfing to me is about that connection, it’s about<br />
community, it’s about friendship, purpose and<br />
enjoyment. That’s why I reckon I have one of<br />
the best jobs on the planet. It gives me a lot of<br />
fulfilment and enjoyment.”<br />
And that right there is one of the keys to great<br />
design. I recently read an article in Medium entitled<br />
The Subtle Art that Differentiates Good Designers<br />
from Great Designers and it reiterated this very<br />
point: ‘great designers think about the user, all<br />
the time. Like any other art, you don’t design<br />
something because it’s required. You design<br />
something because it fulfills the gap between needs<br />
and requirement.’<br />
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road fuel<br />
3 quick, easy and<br />
healthy meals to cook<br />
whilst on the road<br />
When I pack for a road trip there’s one thing I<br />
don’t travel without, my portable cooking stove.<br />
Life on the road can be more expensive than<br />
you think, with small costs adding up to large<br />
sums. One of the ways I like to cut down on my<br />
costs is by cooking almost all of my meals on<br />
my little gas cooking stove. It’s not only cost<br />
effective but also offers you the opportunity to<br />
have complete control over what goes into your<br />
body, making you less susceptible to getting<br />
sick (nothing worse on a roady, trust me).<br />
So here are three of my favourite meals to<br />
prepare while on the road, they’re quick, easy<br />
and most importantly, healthy.<br />
coconut pancakes<br />
ingredients<br />
1 cup of tapioca flour<br />
1/4 cup of coconut flour<br />
1 tin of coconut milk<br />
6 eggs<br />
1/3 cup of olive oil (not butter, it burns)<br />
1 tablespoon of salt<br />
Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl to form a batter<br />
and cook over a medium heated pan. Now you’re<br />
thinking pancakes can’t be too healthy, but these<br />
ones are completely gluten free and have absolutely<br />
no added sugar. I generally top them with maple<br />
syrup and smashed macadamia nuts.<br />
Note - If you’re not a sweet tooth like me, these<br />
pancakes can be filled with shredded chicken, ham<br />
and or bacon to offer a tasty and savoury alternative.<br />
makes 6 large pancakes<br />
falafel wraps<br />
ingredients<br />
6 falafel rissoles<br />
2 tablespoons of tabouleh<br />
hummus<br />
sweet chilli sauce<br />
2 wraps<br />
zoodles<br />
ingredients<br />
1 punnet of zoodles<br />
8 cherry tomatoes<br />
2 rashes of bacon chopped into cubes<br />
1 spoon of goat’s cheese<br />
1 spoon of parmesan cheese<br />
Heat the falafel rissoles in a pan on medium heat<br />
for 4-5 minutes. Place all ingredients into a wrap<br />
and roll closed. Place closed wrap in the frying pan<br />
to toast for 3 minutes on each side.<br />
The falafel wrap is one of my favourite meals<br />
to cook, all ingredients can be found in any<br />
supermarket. It’s also completely vegetarian.<br />
Note - If you have the time and space on your<br />
hands, buy the falafel mix and make it by hand for a<br />
more authentic taste.<br />
serves 2<br />
Cook the bacon until it begins to brown in a frying<br />
pan, add in cherry tomatoes and zoodles. Cook<br />
for another 5 minutes, then move all contents<br />
into a bowl, topping with fresh goat’s cheese and<br />
parmesan cheese. A great alternative to regular<br />
spaghetti as there are no carbs, it’s light and can be<br />
made vegetarian friendly.<br />
Note - You may be thinking ‘where the hell do I get<br />
zoodles from’? Don’t stress, they can be found in<br />
almost every supermarket.<br />
serves 2<br />
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coconut pancakes<br />
zoodles<br />
falafel wraps<br />
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end of the road<br />
When you’re on the road for a few weeks your sense of adventure takes over, your curiosity<br />
grows and you find yourself wanting to go further, driven by the thought of discovery. I<br />
guess that’s why we humans travel, there really is no other feeling like the one travel can<br />
give you. Every person knows something that you don’t and that’s what should motivate us<br />
to experience new places and people for ourselves, not through the tips of our fingers.<br />
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smorgasboarder<br />
9’1” x 22 1/2” x 3”<br />
Californian Lightweight model. Glassed in mustard resin tint, cut<br />
laps with gloss polish finish. Custom orders available and shipped<br />
Australia wide.<br />
NMC SURFBOARDS<br />
Barwon Heads, Victoria<br />
M: 0438 800 539<br />
Insta: @nmcsurfboards<br />
E: nmcsurf@bigpond.com<br />
6’2” x 20” x 2 1/2”<br />
Etc boards incorporate a skin of paulownia wood sandwiched<br />
between layers of fiberglass on the deck. This makes the boards<br />
incredibly strong and resistant to pressure dings yet maintains<br />
great flex characteristics. The board building process involves<br />
vacuum bagging which infuses resin deep into the eps core. The<br />
resultant board is lighter yet much stronger than traditional surfboard<br />
construction. Steve has a range of designs and custom builds are<br />
also available.<br />
ETC SURFBOARDS<br />
Insta: @etc_surfboards<br />
ETCSURFBOARDS.COM.AU<br />
CHRIS GARRETT SHAPES /<br />
PHANTOM SURFBOARDS<br />
M: 0424 <strong>45</strong>0 690<br />
E: phantomsurfboards@gmail.com<br />
CHRISGARRETTSHAPES.COM.AU<br />
Custom surfboards, contact Chris<br />
or see Board Culture at Mermaid<br />
Beach for stock boards<br />
55
smorgasboarder<br />
SQUARE PEG<br />
Made for good/<br />
barreling waves.<br />
Wide point and<br />
volume pushed<br />
forward to help<br />
paddle in early and<br />
extra rail for hold<br />
in the power. The<br />
perfect board for<br />
Indo wave season.<br />
Come see us<br />
about making one<br />
for your travel<br />
quiver.<br />
Signature Model 9’4”<br />
Inlay with transparent tint.<br />
Volan glassed, wet rub finish<br />
BROWNDOGG SURFBOARDS<br />
Leamington, Oak Flats 2529<br />
M: 0416 <strong>45</strong>5 985<br />
E: browndogg1@optusnet.com.au<br />
BLACK SQUARE SURFBOARDS<br />
M: 0407 604 753<br />
E: info@blacksquaresurfboards.com.au<br />
BLACKSQUARESURFBOARDS.COM.AU<br />
WORLD CLASS AUSTRALIAN MADE<br />
SURFBOARDS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES<br />
The Glider<br />
A longboard that rides different.<br />
Everything is in the name: GLIDER<br />
The board is not intended to stick to<br />
the wave, like the nose rider would. The<br />
glider uses all the rail and will give you<br />
this smooth fast and effortless feeling of<br />
“glid- ing” along the waves.<br />
Glassed with 2 layers on the bottom<br />
and three on the deck. Always made as<br />
a unique one of a kind art piece to keep<br />
it fresh. Available in 12’, 11’ and 10’ or<br />
you can order a custom.<br />
Custom Shortboards<br />
Hybrid & fishes<br />
Mals & Logs<br />
Full Repair Service<br />
DBURGE SURFBOARDS<br />
Factory 3/6 Kerta Rd<br />
Kincumber NSW 2251<br />
M: 0415 577 085<br />
DIVERSE SURFBOARDS<br />
Australia +61 419 246595<br />
Bali +62 812 37368771<br />
E: dave.verrall@gmail.com<br />
insta: diversesurf<br />
DIVERSESURF.COM.AU<br />
56
smorgasboarder<br />
THE XL TWIN 7’6” x 22 x 3<br />
Mild concave into twin channels. Long fluted fliers.<br />
Built to catch waves easily and be loose and nimble for a board it’s<br />
size. Add the trailer fin when the waves have more juice. Rusty resin<br />
done with cutlap sand double deck patch.<br />
Custom built with one set of hands for Roy @Brunswicksurf<br />
6’8” - 21 1 / 2” - 2 3 / 4”<br />
Single Fin Glider<br />
#customiseyourlife<br />
SJS SURFBOARDS<br />
Insta: @sjscustom<br />
Facebook: Scotty James Surfboards<br />
Insta: @darcysurfboards<br />
M: 0409 527 467<br />
E: darcy@darcysurfboards.com<br />
DARCYSURFBOARDS.COM<br />
H<br />
Y<br />
P<br />
E<br />
R<br />
F<br />
L<br />
E<br />
X<br />
5’3” x 20 1 / 4” x 2 3 / 8”<br />
Cyan Tint Twin Fin Running<br />
FCII Retro Keels<br />
Hyperflex is our own in-house design<br />
epoxy board technology. These are<br />
one of the lightest, fastest and most<br />
responsive boards on the market today.<br />
Traditionally there has been a trade off<br />
between flexibility and durability, but<br />
with the hyperflex technology you get<br />
the best of both worlds.<br />
The construction of these boards has<br />
been tested by our team over the past<br />
2 years and proven itself time and<br />
time again, being a go to in and out of<br />
competition.<br />
ENTITY SURFBOARDS<br />
1-2/1 Regmoore Close<br />
Culburra Beach NSW<br />
P: 0423 987 492<br />
E: entitysurfboards@gmail.com<br />
Insta: @entitysurf1<br />
ENTITYSURFBOARDS.COM.AU<br />
GEN4 SURFBOARDS<br />
E: hello@gen4surf.com<br />
Insta: @gen4surfboards<br />
Facebook: gen4surfboards<br />
GEN4SURF.COM.AU<br />
57
smorgasboarder<br />
BEFORE<br />
AFTER<br />
13 footer<br />
I reckon size matters when you want to get back in the water after a<br />
major knee operation. This is the board I made for Michael Yule – all<br />
13 foot of it. Made with two 9’8”s, I cut the tails off and glued them<br />
together with the right deck rocker before I started shaping.<br />
Restoration Specialists // Custom Surfboards //<br />
Surfboard Glassing // Anything Fibreglass or epoxy<br />
RABBIDGE SURF DESIGNS<br />
P: 02 4<strong>45</strong>6 4038<br />
M: 0427 767 176<br />
E: markrab88@gmail.com<br />
BUCKO’S SURF BOARD REPAIRS<br />
Unit 12 22/24, Arizona Rd<br />
CHARMHAVEN<br />
M: 0422 304 078<br />
E: buckossurfboardrepairs@outlook.com<br />
58
smorgasboarder<br />
9’4” nose rider log 23” x 2 3/4”<br />
Smooth easy turning stable nose rider<br />
CLEARWATER SURFBOARDS<br />
M: 0417 912 207<br />
E: stevedelrosso@yahoo.com.au<br />
Insta: @cwsurfboards<br />
WWW.CWSURFBOARDS.COM<br />
5’11” Phantom Model<br />
MCKILL SURFBOARDS<br />
M: 0478 154 <strong>45</strong>6<br />
E: mckillshapes@gmail.com<br />
Insta: @mckillsurfboards<br />
MCKILLSURFBOARDS.COM<br />
OKE SURFBOARDS<br />
1/1-7 Canterbury Rd, Braeside, VIC<br />
P: 03 9587 3553<br />
E: rory@okesurfboards.com<br />
OKESURFBOARDS.COM<br />
59
smorgasboarder<br />
6’6” x 20 1 / 2” x 2 3 / 4”<br />
Jim Pollard inspired channel<br />
bottom single fin<br />
4’10” x 19 1 / 4” x 2 1 / 4”<br />
This is my “twinkle toes”<br />
model with a mix of a retro<br />
twin outline, Modern rocker<br />
and concave, it’s the perfect<br />
option for the smaller summer<br />
days and long point breaks.<br />
Ideal wave size 1-4 ft.<br />
Also available with 2 channels<br />
for more speed and stability.<br />
HARVEST &<br />
JACK KNIGHT<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
2/24 Christine Ave, Miami<br />
P: (07) 5576 5914<br />
E: hello@harvestsurfboards.com<br />
HARVESTSURFBOARDS.COM<br />
SHORTIE SURFBOARDS<br />
Insta: shortie__surfboards<br />
Facebook: shortie surfboards<br />
E: shortie_surfboards@hotmail.com<br />
P: 0421 948 007<br />
The CHOLO model is<br />
a small wave groveller<br />
to the BANTAM<br />
performance. It has<br />
the same rocker as<br />
the BANTAM but<br />
with wider points in<br />
nose and tail with a<br />
continuous curve.<br />
The medium round rail<br />
and single into slight<br />
double concave lends<br />
hand to powerless flat<br />
sections. There is also<br />
a slight S deck for<br />
added hidden volume.<br />
Great for small<br />
beachies and points<br />
in the 1’-4’ range.<br />
Available in PU and<br />
EPS/EPOXY.<br />
19” x 23’’ x 16 ½”<br />
Owner Operated Model, 9’4 to 10’2<br />
This model has a scooped out concave leading to a flat area for<br />
stablilty and roll in the tail, 50/50 rails. It is our go to log, it nose rides<br />
a dream and easily jams nice turns off the rear. 100% handshaped<br />
and made on the central coast NSW. $1300 comes with fin and tint<br />
or spray of your choice.<br />
ROOSTER BRAND<br />
Instagram, Facebook & Tumblr: roosterbrand<br />
E: roosterbrandltd@hotmail.com<br />
WWW.ROOSTERBRANDLTD.COM<br />
IMPRINT SURFBOARDS<br />
Central Coast, NSW<br />
E: imprintsurfboards@hotmail.com<br />
M: 0<strong>45</strong>1 220 800<br />
60
smorgasboarder<br />
Splinter<br />
9’1” x 22 3 / 4” x 3”<br />
70 Ltrs<br />
Lightweight Eco Board, made<br />
from Australian made recyclable<br />
EPS foam and Australian Grown<br />
Plantation Paulowina Timber.<br />
Built to last.<br />
Pity @carl_wri is in the way,<br />
not a bad sunset!<br />
ISLAND SURFBOARDS<br />
147 THOMPSON AVENUE, COWES VIC<br />
P: 03 5952 2578<br />
E: cowes@islandsurfboards.com.au<br />
225 SMITHS BEACH ROAD, SMITHS BEACH, VIC<br />
P: 03 5952 3443<br />
E: cowes@islandsurfboards.com.au<br />
ISLANDSURFBOARDS.COM.AU<br />
TREE TO SEA<br />
P: 0409 211 751<br />
E: info@treetosea.com.au<br />
TREETOSEA.COM.AU<br />
Zap<br />
6’2” x 21” x 2 5 / 8”<br />
Carsey<br />
5’8” x 20” x 2 1 / 2”<br />
twin fin<br />
twin fin with inlay<br />
by Carsey<br />
QUARRY BEACHSURFBOARDS<br />
75 David Street,<br />
Caversham, Dunedin NZ<br />
P: +64 3 <strong>45</strong>5 7414<br />
M: +64 27 518 8678<br />
E: grahamcarse@xtra.co.nz<br />
QBSURFBOARDS.COM<br />
THE DING KING / CLARK SURFBOARDS<br />
Units 7 & 8, 9 Chapman Road, Hackham, SA<br />
E: leightonclark01@yahoo.com.au<br />
M: 0422 443 789<br />
61
smorgasboarder<br />
fuzeillear<br />
words: tami argaman<br />
Fuzeillear aka Claire Matthews, is originally from<br />
England. Being an immigrant myself I asked her<br />
what she misses most about home.<br />
“What people normally escape from: Scraping the<br />
frost off your windscreen with a credit card and<br />
going to crap pubs.”<br />
I like her! Claire always enjoyed drawing, she did<br />
her first mural with some tiny brushes on a wall in<br />
Ocean Street, Maroochydore. It took her twice as<br />
long as the agreed time frame but she loved it and<br />
quickly found herself doing more wall art.<br />
You’d think that an artist would find it challenging,<br />
painting in large dimensions like that. Not Claire,<br />
her biggest struggle most of the time is nearby<br />
toilet access!<br />
“Give me a clean black wall with a toilet nearby and<br />
a place to park next door and I’ll love you forever.”<br />
she says.<br />
Most of Claire’s wall art features the beauty of flora<br />
and fauna. She got frustrated about how many<br />
people weren’t stoked about a tiger shark she once<br />
painted in Cairns because they see the animal as a<br />
menace.<br />
“Sharks are not a menace, they are vilified by<br />
Hollywood and the media and they need our<br />
protection.”<br />
I also asked Claire what she would like to tell the<br />
world. “Being kind is cool. Please don’t litter.”<br />
Agreed.<br />
“Do not be afraid of shadows, they bring depth to art, and life”<br />
62
smorgasboarder<br />
a grassroots history<br />
An Empty Ocean Road is a definitive history<br />
charting the early development of surfing and<br />
surfing culture in the South Island. Written by<br />
someone who was there, Kaikoura surfer and<br />
writer Ian Surgenor, it is an engaging, eloquent<br />
and grassroots account. Each region has its own<br />
chapter and is packed with detail, good yarns and<br />
humour. There are additional chapters covering<br />
other aspects of the sport including shark attacks,<br />
surfing vehicles and local legends. The book is<br />
rich with rare surfing imagery, including over 250<br />
photographs depicting the people, places and<br />
events of those early years.<br />
A perfect excuse for many surfing road trips,<br />
this book has been thoroughly researched over<br />
20 years. Ian was compelled to tell the stories<br />
that were glaringly missing from other so called<br />
histories of New Zealand surfing which mainly<br />
focussed on the North Island. These previously<br />
untold accounts of early surfers, innovative board<br />
shapers and intrepid adventurers, who pioneered<br />
surfing in the Mainland, are now captured for future<br />
generations to enjoy.<br />
Renowned surfing photographer and author Warren<br />
Hawke has called An Empty Ocean Road “an<br />
incredible history of South Island surfing both in a<br />
pictorial and written sense”.<br />
The allure of the ocean and the nostalgic notion<br />
of hitting the road to find unspoilt and uncrowded<br />
breaks are stronger now than ever. However, a<br />
number of our iconic surf breaks are currently under<br />
threat from various unnatural forces. This book is<br />
a timely reminder of the contribution surfing has<br />
made, and continues to make, to our free-spirited<br />
culture, the protection of our ocean environment<br />
and the economic development of many of our<br />
beloved coastal towns.<br />
An Empty Ocean Road – Surfing History of the<br />
Mainland was self-published by Ian Surgenor in<br />
December 2018. It was proudly printed in the South<br />
Island by Spectrum Print of Christchurch.<br />
It is available online at https://kaikoura-museum.<br />
co.nz/product/an-empty-ocean-road/<br />
For further details please phone Ian Surgenor on<br />
021 0877 9101 or email nedsandwalker@gmail.com<br />
63
smorgasboarder<br />
support the grassroots<br />
surf directory<br />
alkali adorn<br />
Beautifully handcrafted artisan jewellery with rustic unpolished silver,<br />
shells and precious stones to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Inspired<br />
by the surf and the natural wonders of the sea.<br />
Instagram: @alkaliadorn<br />
the surf emporium<br />
Clothing, wetsuits, surfboards, surfboard and wetsuit rentals.<br />
Open 7 days 9am – 5pm<br />
3 Wainui Rd, Raglan<br />
P: +64 7 282 0018 E: info@raglansurfemporium.com<br />
raglansurfemporium.com<br />
the board shop<br />
New Zealand’s Surf Specialists – The Board Shop has been at<br />
the cutting edge of hi-tech epoxy surfboard, longboard and SUP<br />
technology for over 20 years. Drop in or check them out online.<br />
49 Barrys Point Rd, Takapuna, Auckland<br />
P: +64 9 486 0930 | theboardshop.co.nz<br />
coolest spot in town<br />
A front row seat to beautiful Lyall Bay, Wellington’s top surf spot and<br />
the best brunch around!<br />
Located at Lyall Bay in Wellington. Opened 7am – 5pm<br />
maranuicafe.co.nz<br />
island surf shack<br />
Gear we carry: Carve sunnies, watches, clothing, boards & surf<br />
hardware, Ocean & Earth clothing & surf hardware, Maddog Boards<br />
& surfing hardware, Bear clothing, Bamboozld Bamboo Socks &<br />
Boxer shorts, Mexican Bajas , Sunbum sunscreen, ILoveEarth<br />
recyclable collapsible reusable coffee cups, Old Guys Rule Tees &<br />
accessories, Nepalese woollen yin yang jumpers & ponchos, Golden<br />
Breed, Hawaiian dashboard hula girls, coconut soy candles, Kombi<br />
giftlines and replicas, fun beach and hawaiian gift lines.<br />
150A Thompson Avenue, Cowes,<br />
P: 03 5952 1659<br />
Holloway Gallery<br />
“Anatomy of a Wave” by artist Col<br />
Chandler, Holloway Gallery is at Moffat<br />
Beach, QLD. We specialise in unique art<br />
to fill your home.<br />
Come in store or see us online.<br />
1 Roderick Street, Moffat Beach QLD<br />
p: 07 5491 5557<br />
hollowaygallery.com.au<br />
64
smorgasboarder<br />
the heart of the surf community<br />
your original surf shop - packed full of the best gear<br />
Celebrating great customer service along with the latest surf gear<br />
and fashion for 44 years and going strong.<br />
T7, 119 Princes Highway, Woolworths Centre, Ulladulla<br />
P: (02) 4<strong>45</strong>4 4904<br />
Instagram: @southernmansurf<br />
southernman.com.au<br />
goodtime surf skate and sail<br />
Caring for a surfer’s every need since 1971.<br />
Goodtime Surf Skate and Sail @goodtimesurfandsail<br />
29 Ipswich Rd, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD<br />
Car-park at rear of the store, off Gibbon St<br />
P: (07) 3391 8588 E: info@goodtime.com.au<br />
www.goodtime.com.au<br />
surfware australia<br />
So much surf gear in store you will be amazed!<br />
From surfboards to skateboards, wetties, surfwear and all the latest<br />
gadgets. SPECIAL FOR THIS ISSUE: 50% OFF LAST SEASON<br />
WETSUITS (INCLUDES VESTS, SPRINGSUITS & STEAMERS)<br />
2 Bulock Street, Caloundra Qld<br />
P: 07 5491 3620 surfwareaustralia.com<br />
surfing accessories<br />
We have Australia’s hottest new surfing accessories to keep you<br />
in the surf longer. Our innovative products can help you enjoy the<br />
surf and outdoors even more and provide you with protection and<br />
comfort as you follow your passion! Stockists of H2Odyssey webbed<br />
gloves and X-STING-WISH®IT. Organic sting relief.<br />
seeyououtthere.com.au<br />
tried and trusted blanks<br />
Family owned and run for the past 56 years, our consistency is the<br />
best in the world. Our blanks come in a multitude of different lengths,<br />
rockers and weights. We also have an extensive variety of timber<br />
stringers of varying widths. And we have all the shaping tools you<br />
need to make a board from scratch!<br />
5 Stewart Road, Currumbin Qld<br />
P: 07 5534 3777 burfordblanksaustralia.com.au<br />
for your culinary delights<br />
The Rivermouth General Store. Great coffee + speciality teas,<br />
gourmet food, fresh juices, smoothies, art, awesome vibe, surfing<br />
stories + the floor is worth reading.<br />
101 Sunpatch Parade, Tomakin Nsw<br />
Instagram: @therivermouth<br />
Facebook: The Rivermouth General Store<br />
65
smorgasboarder<br />
support the grassroots<br />
raglan longboards<br />
Quality surfboards Long or Short<br />
Short or Long term rentals<br />
Mickey T. custom shapes<br />
Full repair service.<br />
P: +64 7 825 0544<br />
raglanlongboards.co.nz<br />
standup paddle boarding nz<br />
South Island’s complete SUP centre.<br />
Lessons, hire, demo, training, sales.<br />
Unit 2, 1030 Ferry Road,<br />
Christchurch NZ<br />
P: +64 3 384 5086<br />
groundswell.co.nz<br />
up surf coaching trips<br />
Travel with like-minded surfers at your<br />
level, surf fun waves with video analysis<br />
of your sessions, improve your skills.<br />
Designed for intermediate/average surfers.<br />
Locations in NZ, Indo and more to come.<br />
upsurfcoaching.co.nz<br />
surfboards designed and shaped<br />
by mike jolly<br />
Full repair service. Rentals, surfing gear<br />
and good advice.<br />
122 Seaview Road, Piha Beach NZ<br />
P: +64 9 812 8723<br />
pihasurf@xtra.co.nz<br />
piha domain motor camp<br />
PIHA<br />
DOMAIN<br />
MOTOR CAMP<br />
Camp on the beach in front of the iconic<br />
Lion Rock, at one of NZ’s top surf breaks.<br />
Rates from $18 a night for tent sites.<br />
E: pihacamp@xtra.co.nz<br />
P: +64 9 812 8815<br />
preece’s surf shop<br />
Plenty of new and used surfboards,<br />
bodyboards, wetsuits, clothing and<br />
accessories. The only surf shop right on<br />
the coast. Open 7 days.<br />
159 Esplanade, Port Noarlunga Sth, SA<br />
P: 08 8386 0404<br />
preece-sthport-surf.com.au<br />
indo surf travel insurance<br />
The NEW Travel Insurance that also<br />
covers<br />
SURFBOARDS - even IN USE surfing!<br />
$25 Million Emergency Flights & Hospitals<br />
Price Beat Guarantee!<br />
indosurf.com.au<br />
sup centre<br />
Life’s better standing up. A one stop<br />
shop for everything SUP with the best<br />
brands, range, prices and expertise. With<br />
access to all the major SUP brands in NZ,<br />
through a nationwide delivery service.<br />
20 Melrose Street, Newmarket, NZ<br />
P: +64 9 520 3366<br />
supcentre.co.nz<br />
brunswick surf shop<br />
Chock full of awesome threads, sunnies,<br />
surf and skate accessories, Therapy,<br />
Matt Hurworth and RA Hand Shaped<br />
Surfboards to have the locals frothing.<br />
1/12 The Terrace, Brunswick Heads NSW<br />
P: 02 6685 1283<br />
brunswicksurf.com.au<br />
66
GREEN MACHINE<br />
OLD SCHOOL 6’10”<br />
SINGLE FIN FLEXTAIL<br />
WITH TAHITIAN LIME<br />
GLASS TINTS<br />
OUTER ISLAND SURFBOARDS<br />
P: 02 6655 7007<br />
info@outerislandsurfboards.com