Kneeboards, who is actively shaping them, who is current and forward thinking?
how about bruce hart at flashpoint for thrusters.
i've always liked the look of neil luke/island kneebaords, but have never ridden one.
so, is that one of the new kneeons you have? they look like very nice boards.
Here ya go,Dave Parkes...........been around forever and rips.
Hey Chook I like Bruce's boards but am also looking for any young crew really motivated. (not saying Bruce isn't).
The kneeon is 18 month sold. It goes well in small barrels but is a bitch to carve off the top. Also has a tendency to get dragged up the face. I find when it turns it just goes clunk and jags in the new direction. Can't help but think the four fins or lack of rear fin is the culprit.
How do you put photos up? I will show you what it looks like.
after the young crew, eh. the kneeon guy(s) are the new kids on the block.
to put images up, go to http://imgur.com. upload image, cut and paste link from the "sharing" box and paste it in here.
Can't help but think I will end up with Bruce, Dave or Neil but keen to check the scene.
Thanks, images coming.
Here is the current board. Great at going fast in tight situation but hard to turn with any smoothness.
I use to surf with Neil Luke quite a bit when he lived down on the Island, one of the few knee boarders i enjoy watching, i have no idea about Kneeboards but here is his website, he is up Byron way these days.
indo-dreaming wrote:I use to surf with Neil Luke quite a bit when he lived down on the Island, one of the few knee boarders i enjoy watching, i have no idea about Kneeboards but here is his website, he is up Byron way these days.
Isn't he living in Peru?
Wbat, just added [img] and [/img] tags on either side of the photo links you added. Makes the images show.
floyd wrote:indo-dreaming wrote:I use to surf with Neil Luke quite a bit when he lived down on the Island, one of the few knee boarders i enjoy watching, i have no idea about Kneeboards but here is his website, he is up Byron way these days.
Isn't he living in Peru?
Yeah actually your right, seems he is in Peru now.
So Dale lives in Costa, Neil lives in Peru, Dave is in Byron, Bruce is in Brookvale and I'm in Margaret River. Talk about a long distance love affair.
You know, if anyone has any comments on the four fin to thruster situation I'm listening.
There you go lads .... one of Neil's going cheap
http://www.zaksurfboards.com.au/island-neil-luke-kneeboard-62-x-23-1-2-x...
here's peter ware from friar tuck talking about quads ...might give you some insight into why your board isn't working so well off the top.
I used to surf winkipop in the early 70's and was fascinated by Peter Wares boards and barrel skills even though I rode a standup. In about 1973 or 4, I asked him to make me a standup board like his kneelo with six channels, an adjustable fin box and double flyers. It was a lot shorter than normal standups then and it went insane. It was also cool to be able to slide the fin forward on fat days to turn easily on crappy waves. Still remember picking it up from the factory and frothing....loved that board, gave it to my brother and he lost it. Was a classic.
I think if you asked any of them they would acknowledge their debt in both performance and design to Peter Crawford who basically invented the modern kneeboard somewhere back around 1970 in collaboration with shaper Paul Connors. Then went on to set the standard in performance well into the 80s. He is usually remembered as a photographer but those of us who had the good fortune to surf with him in those days know that he was one of the best and most innovative surfers of his generation and was acknowledged as such by his peers including Michael Petersen and Simon Anderson.
He was a truly inspiring character who had a huge influence on modern surfing and, for a few years there, was way ahead of anyone. He was getting deeper, travelling faster and turning tighter than was possible standing up on the boards of that time. RIP. We still miss you brother!
All good info..Keep it coming.
Yes ive heard that too bboy
Early seventies a guy named Mark Ashby was a pretty good kneeboarder in Adelaide. He and a guy named Mark Rivett were among the best surfers in SA at the time, and were making forays to the west coast. Bluegrass music was the big thing, and my best mate's older brother used to have nightly jam sessions at their place, where Ashby and Rivett would hang, and we would hear all the banter. I ended up knowing Rivett pretty well. They were legendary figures back then, and I see a guy named Mark Ashby showed up in Sydney, highly involved in kneeboarding. Surely the same name/guy, unless a coincidence. If its the same guy, looks like he's still full on into kneeboarding. So he would have tons of info etc, as he's been doing it full on, for a long, long time.
Blindboys right, Peter Crawford was the man, he was everywhere back then.
Question: Apples, who is actively growing them, who is current and forward thinking?
Answer: Jonathon was the man, he used to grow apples in the past.
Mark: 0/10
Two words wrote:Question: Apples, who is actively growing them, who is current and forward thinking?
Answer: Jonathon was the man, he used to grow apples in the past.
Mark: 0/10
I feel enlightened.
We didn't get a mention for nothing!
Anyway, who is actively shaping knee boards, who is current and forward thinking about them? In the past? Now?
Maybe Wis?
Two words wrote:Maybe Wis?
Who is Wis?
Two words wrote:Early seventies a guy named Mark Ashby was a pretty good kneeboarder in Adelaide. He and a guy named Mark Rivett were among the best surfers in SA at the time, and were making forays to the west coast. Bluegrass music was the big thing, and my best mate's older brother used to have nightly jam sessions at their place, where Ashby and Rivett would hang, and we would hear all the banter. I ended up knowing Rivett pretty well. They were legendary figures back then, and I see a guy named Mark Ashby showed up in Sydney, highly involved in kneeboarding. Surely the same name/guy, unless a coincidence. If its the same guy, looks like he's still full on into kneeboarding. So he would have tons of info etc, as he's been doing it full on, for a long, long time.
A fearless s.a. kneeboarder was Grant Nykiel.
Also i was just looking at the plain shape of my board compared to the image above of the flashpoint and it is way straighter through the hip of my kneeon. I bet that is part of the "straight line" strength of the kneeon. Which as an upshot is great in the barrel but not as good to turn.
Mark Ward was another really good SA guy too. He rode different looking boards. Pointy, fine things. He was really into his hot cars though, so didn't really click with the in crowd. No idea if he still surfs.
wbat wrote:Two words wrote:Maybe Wis?
Who is Wis?
Wassy and Issy's kid. Not to be confused with Wiz.
Mark passed about 3 decades ago r.i.p.
He was a good guy. Straight up. His surfing was different, pretty advanced on his knee board, very attacking style.
Tons of interesting stuff. Insane construction and finish on some of those boards.
Hastoes wrote:
thanks for posting the link to native kneeboards. they look amazing. i was trying to remeber the name...but all i could rember was his extremely rude and crude screeen name from awhile back on a kneebaord forum.
so i take it Wis was she shaper of wis sticks kneeboards?
wbat wrote:Also i was just looking at the plain shape of my board compared to the image above of the flashpoint and it is way straighter through the hip of my kneeon. I bet that is part of the "straight line" strength of the kneeon. Which as an upshot is great in the barrel but not as good to turn.
i think i read a bruce hart interview where he was talking about the importance of the lack of straight lines.
'so i take it Wis was she shaper of wis sticks kneeboards?'
Was? Or is? He or she?
a neal cameron shaped pete berry design. very unique. i'd love to own one his boards. he had one in the surf shop at milton for a while.
[img]http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzIwWDk2MA==/z/RX0AAOSwiylXBh8R/$_20.JPG[/img]
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/manyana/surfing/kneeboard-surfboard-retro...
One link doesn't open, but the planshape on that gumtree one looks a bit like the boards Mark Ward rode.
Zen do any japs ride kneeboards ?
I'm sure they do Udo, but I've never seen one in my area.
Edit: Had a bit of a search around and came up with this.
of course there are kneelos in japan.
annual meetings in Shizuoka/Hamamatsu and Hamamatsu, Izu,
there are also a few kneelos in kamogawa, chiba.
Im a bit late on this one, but remember seeing Mark Ward beat Peter Crawford at '75 Aussie Titles I think. He was hot.
I am 53 and have been a kneelo since I was 15 yrs old. My first board was a Ripcurl slab a good beginners board. I then progressed to an Earthrise single with double flyers. It was a great board shaped by Steve Artis, my surfing really improved on this board. I then moved to Strapper boards (Torquay) shaped by Mick DeScascio I rode Strapper twinnies for many years the move from a single fin to a twin fin was amazing. In my forties Neil Luke shaped me a 'fresh fish freak' four fin and a 'freak' double flyer tri thruster. Both boards are amazing and I am surfing better now at my age than ever before. Great boards and a great guy!
Thanks TOPPA and all others great broad info, very interesting. I like the look and persona of the Neil Luke boards. Kind of a bit out there in a hippy/cruiser sort of way.
FYI I'm 53 as well. Surfed with Peter Crawford in Bali, quite early days.
All good stuff.
My last board was an old Strapper twinnie but a few years ago got a Neil Luke "freak", 6'0 swallow tail 3-fin. Goes great in bigger down the line waves (think overhead Winki or G-land) but does not like to turn. I should try a different back fin, bu might also try a 4-fin. I like the look of David Parkes boards, but also like Mick's Strapper boards.
Check your fin placement Crip. The 'freak' is a highly responsive performance board, Neil does recommend a particular fin set up for this board.
zenagain wrote:I'm sure they do Udo, but I've never seen one in my area.
Edit: Had a bit of a search around and came up with this.
2nd pic in that link- PC at DeeWhy ...scroll down some flextail kneeboard pics.
Toppa wrote:Check your fin placement Crip. The 'freak' is a highly responsive performance board, Neil does recommend a particular fin set up for this board.
Yep, thanks Toppa, I wasn't sure what fins to get when I picked up the board so I just went with what Neil recommended: "Vector" set of fins, which has a distinctive back fin that looks like it would give great drive but not so god for short snappy turns. Been thinking of trying to get a different one that would allow shorter-arc turns for smaller days.
wbat, i read your over in WA I recently sent one over there to Paul Taylor . It's a copper thread carbon Kook model. Contact him on FB if you want to check it out. My boards are all fully hand shaped with quality old school glass jobs.
Check out some more on my Native Kneeboards FB page too.
https://www.facebook.com/NativeKneeboards/?ref=bookmarks Cheers Al
NativeKB wrote:wbat, i read your over in WA I recently sent one over there to Paul Taylor . It's a copper thread carbon Kook model. Contact him on FB if you want to check it out. My boards are all fully hand shaped with quality old school glass jobs.
Check out some more on my Native Kneeboards FB page too.
https://www.facebook.com/NativeKneeboards/?ref=bookmarks Cheers Al
Cheers nativekb, I will check out the site for sure
.
Looking to get a new kneeboard and really short of options on shapers. Any thoughts?
I've got a four fin Kneeon which is great in short sharp barrels but really funky for carving. Also ridden a Dale Ponsford "Hardware" albeit quite old which was pretty good on the face. He is overseas now so looking for suggestions.