Maurice Cole and Tom Curren relaunch the Reverse Vee
In 1990, following a chance encounter at La Graviere, France, Maurice Cole shaped a board for Tom Curren. The meeting was a happy accident; the Aussie expat shaper and the then-two time world champion were sharing the same bank. Cole surfed well, Curren struggled, and afterwards in the carpark he shyly requested a board.
The board that MC shaped followed a similar trend - it was another happy accident. The surfboard blanks were disfigured during shipping with 3/4 inch more rocker in the nose and tail. Unperturbed, MC whittled away and the board that materialised from under the foam dust bucked the shaping wisdom of the day, it had a vee section under the front foot and not between the fins.
Curren rode the board and immediately ordered more. He rejoined the world tour surfing through the trials events winning Bells and the Cold Water Classic at Santa Cruz, then ultimately the 1990 World Title. Come the following Hawaiian season and Curren won his first and only Hawaiian event - the Wyland Gallery Pro at Haliewa. That achievement was arguably overshadowed by one photo, a shot by Tom Servais of Curren. Servais' shot is one of the the great surf photos; the great Californian stylist at the peak of his ability, riding a logo-free 7'8" Maurice Cole Reverse Vee.
Now, 25 years later, MC and TC have reunited to release a limited run of Reverse Vees. Swellnet had a quick chat to Maurice in California just before he hopped on a plane to fly home.
Swellnet: Whose idea was the reverse vee resurrection?
Maurice Cole: It's been in the pipeline for five years. I've seen a lot of retro stuff come out, but from '90 to '93 I worked with Tom on making all his quivers that he won from trials to the world title, and then the design quantum leap which was the Reverse Vee.
I shut down from the media for 2 1/2 years so I could just surf and shape and journalists could not get to Tom thru me - introvert/extrovert - and no-one has heard the story. But now that it's the 25th anniversary....
How many are you gonna make?
There will only be 300 replicas of the 7'8" which is the famous Backdoor shot. They'll be packaged with a pretty upmarket book and a framed photo - the cutback at Backdoor - with a collage of photos on the border.
There is a six pack of boards and the book telling the story thru the boards with photos by Art Brewer, Jeff Hornabaker, and Sylvain Cazenave.
What construction methods?
We will replicate exactly how they were made.
Who wrote the book that comes with the boards?
Nick Carroll
Has Curren been riding them lately?
He's been riding a Metro, and Protows just been delivered and we have a couple more in the pipeline.
Will the boards be available in Australia?
I am leaving USA today, I'm not sure if there will be a release in Australia.
The concept was launched at the Boardroom Show where you won Best Designed Eco Board. Can you describe the board?
The board was a hybrid Mermaid - the new Dirty Dingo - with a Marko recycled EPS blank, Entropy Bio Sap resin. The waste was recycled for injection moulding. The fiberglass is a new plant-based carbon fiberglass.
Visit the Reverse V website here.
Watch a vid of MC talking about the Reverse Vee.
Comments
Here's MC talking about the origins of the Reverse Vee (EEV) and what's happening with the design now:
No mention of the cost.......2k - 3k or more you think ?
Well if gerry Lopez sells his lightning bolts for 5k, I reckon they will be a similar price ?
If you could get hold of one of those badboys for a Swellnet giveaway I bet you'd see some increased web traffic.
Given away in near new condition, with the lightest of heel prints, almost clean wax, and sweaty finger prints all over.
Hey Brutus the concept of reverse vee is almost the exact opposite of what your doing now with the really deep concaves.
Hope he makes a few at reasonable cost for the working man.
What a legend MC is. I acquired my first MC board about two years ago after I borrowed a mates Metro and haven't looked back. Having surfed for twenty five years on all sort of craft I have never had a better board than the Metro I have now, I cannot see myself straying too far from Maurice's shapes. Thanks MC
Yeah I agree Gordie, I have a few Metro and Pro tows .... all paddle well and are lightning fast . Just got a new 6'9 pro tow for up north this year and can't wait to put it through it's paces when the conditions warrant using it.
Best board I ever owned was a reverse v. Nev shaped it. I'd love an MC model.
I'll swap for my Taiwan-mass produced-stick. Caaarn, you know you want to.
Got a MC 6'6" reverse V from the original batch shaped back in 92 # 428
Easily the best board Iv'e ridden in 40+ years . Sits in the laundry and gets ridden a couple times each year when conditions suit, it loves Lennox!
Post some board pics brevil, did you get it brand new what did it cost back then ?
new and 500 odd from some shop in Adelaide on the way cross country
probably get a 6' if price is ok
7'8" only.
What a humble dude you are Maurice, 8739 is the no of sticks you had shaped up until then I see.
I have a stick a got from the Curl many years back, there was about 4 guns near the front door for months and no one seemed to want em, l got a 7'0 fixed fins lots of rocker, I still have it to this day and probably will never sell it, thanks Mr C, love ya work ........
Hi Simba...actually the deep concave boards are an extension of the EEV......basically straighter bottom line and the curve is all on the rails...before with Vee between the fins ...the rail line was traight and the rocker was on the central stringer line...so was a complete change in the Hydronamic formula for the bottom shape......
We just had a sort launch at the Boardroomshow....Tom rolled in on roller skates.....and just rolled around the show....bloody weirdos!
At present I am concentrating on the USA/Europe/Brazil........and am still working on what to do in OZ ,as I have pretty much retired here...and just do a limited amount of customs and R&D on new models.....
Simon Anderson - Bells 81 replicas $A1500
North shore single fin $ A1700
M.R.s FreeRide/twinfin replicas much the same pricing
Baddy Treloar Mote single fin downrailer $A1800
How much are these Reverse Vees Brutus ?
Hi Udo....we will be releasing a collectors pak of 1 x 7 8 replica and Book which tells the story of Tom and I in France 90 - 93.....never been told as I did not talk to the media for 2 1/2 years......and a framed photo collage .....for above the fireplace...all signed ...so the pak will be $5K......and very limited in numbers...check out reversev.com...
Ouch........Any sold off the plan yet.....USA richies will snap them up.
Does that fall under the Govts 20grand tax write off for small businesses?
Or could one negatively gear the investment?
Asking for friend.
We had 20 x $25K paks..most gone......will probably just release the book here.......
FR76...what language is that ......???
guys I am semi-retired here in OZ.I don't do bds for any Aust contest surfers...just a few off the website and friends......I don't want be part of a very broken system that just produces journeymen.....which means ahhhhh......surf shape a few bds hang out with Familly......so no hard sell here,or even soft hehe......
Hi Brutus, do you make boards for non Aus contest surfers? Is it just the Aus system that is broken that your referring to? Cheers
the Aust system is seriously broken...and the kids are not being given a chance.....its all about the bureaucrats and sponsors...........I still make bds O/S for some contest surfers......but mainly concentrate now on servicing local customs and customs in other markets.....
Brutus what happened looks like you had the thing down and fine tuning it then it was usurped by CI and the Slater potato chip? Also not following you on why the young'uns are getting a fair go looks to me like there are plenty of boards on offer for the up and comer in comparison to 30 or even 20 years ago.
edit: ...I had a dumb question..(delete)
ZaK surfboards blog from 2013
Reverse V - Nick Carrols words and some pics.
Does anyone know if the infamous , 'wash away' model is available. It comes bolted to the roof of a replica, stinkin hot, tricked up red cortina... with bad boy a huntin' and shootin' racks included?
The original Tom Curren reverse vee is up for sale:
I wonder why Tom was riding a 7-8 in fairly small waves ?
That wave may have been 8-10 ft on take off Simba, often at pipe and backdoor the waves taper off quickly
Pete Mel chats to Tom Curren about the Reverse Vee. Great surfer, terrible interviewee..
Mr Curren, such a cool cat. Seemed like he just wanted to exit, stage right.
Surely by now everyone knows how interviews with Tom Curren are gonna go?
Next time if the producer comes calling for a Curren interview just speak straight to camera, mention Curren's achievements, talk about the boards, then pan over to Tom as he gazes silently out to sea. Everyone's happy...
Stu not as tough as Lou Reed when he was around. Notoriously difficult to interview.
Darius Boyd is quite economical with his words too.
Lets not forget Tom Waits.
you seem to be the only one unhappy , but then a journalist that doesn't even know who owned the bd??
Who's this comment directed at?
you!
So you're upset that I don't know who owned a board that was ridden by someone 25 years ago??
Ha ha...
nah not upset, I thought you seemed that way , by saying that its not worth interviewing Tom ......now that's real journalism,haha.
Leave it out MC, the two aren't even related.
I had the pleasure of chatting to him at a little concert here. He's really good live. He actually approached us before and after because a mate and I were the only gaijins in the place. He's happy to chat freely, really nice bloke. I was trying real hard not to show how in awe I was of him. But so stoked to just talk over the course of the whole evening while everybody (understandably so) wanted a piece of him. Totally cool, not a hint of pretence. To this day he is still my favourite surfer.
just watched the interview , shit that's about as good as Tom Curren gets, but seems like he was pushing a commercial for Cole , but that original bd sold for more that $20 K AUD, hope he got some!
To be fair, the whole point of the interview was about Maurice's boards.
Also, the board may have sold for $20K but neither Tom nor Maurice get any of that. Only the bloke who sold it.
Stu, shit , Tom gave Maurice a pretty good pitch , and also Maurice got the $20K, looked it up , him and Tom were at the auction ,pity Maurice seems to have abandoned Australia , but from what I read here no fucken wonder!
Just cos they were at the auction doesn't necessarily mean MC owned it, every SoCal surf celebrity turned out for it. Far as I knew - and I could be wrong - a collector in California, Mark D'Arico, owned the original 7'8".
Stu ,check out MC's Instagram he was stoked to get the $'s , plus I get bds sent over here from him , and easy to contact him on his website.