Hyndline: A thirty year timeline of foam and fibreglass
The revivalist movement comes at us in various forms. From retro longboarders to straight remakes of famous boards - think Lopez Bolts or the Reverse Vee Project - or even the hamster wheel of fashion with its nod to styles’ past.
Improbable as it seems, Derek Hynd has also entered the fray, having announced a project that unashamedly peers into the rearview mirror while being loaded with Hynd’s peculiar worldview and performance sensibilities.
Hyndline is the name of the venture and, for want of a better description, it’s a surfing timeline presented in foam and fibreglass - with associated screeds, as is Derek’s wont.
The project represents the intersection of three strands of surf history: thirty years of board design; a corresponding time frame of surf culture; and Derek’s own place within said culture.
Ostensibly, Hyndline is thirty boards - one selected for each year spanning 1973 to 2003 - emblematic of either Hynd’s own history or its broader historical significance. The decision is his. He’s at once the curator, the shaper, and the mercantile man too.
Will the 'Litmus' fish make the cut? Hynd's already let slip what some of the coming boards will be but is yet to mention the Skip Frye fish.
Though Hynd didn’t shape the originals, he’ll be making the reproductions, albeit with a few caveats.
Although the boards will be hand-shaped, the rockers will be machined to maintain precision. “There's a lot to be said for machined rockers if the object is reproduction of faithful boards,” says Hynd.
While the idea was in gestation, Hynd visited a factory where one of Chris Brock’s boards was getting its rocker cut. Enquiring about the process, Brock was pleased with the outcomes, and, according to Hynd, “If it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.”
Each board is then hand-shaped with Hynd spending up to three hours replicating the board. And unlike some modern remakes they’ll be faithful to the originals, so no modern twists or old-meets-new hybridisation.
Says Hynd: “Respectfully though...the greatest respect...I'm ironically doing them as originally planted, no tweaks from me, just some predictable imperfections - fair call.”
The first board in the series - 1973 - is a 5'3" Barry Bennett
The boards are getting glassed in a factory - a “small, old school operation” - on the NSW Mid North Coast by Justin Schley. Hynd bumped into Schley several years ago at The Pass. “It was an easy match up for us,” says Hynd. “Super easy fella.”
When sold, the original shapers will get a cut of the sale. “Every board, no qualms about it,” explains Hynd, “a decent whack of the price goes their way, and with thanks.”
In its entirety, the Hyndline project will see 300 boards shaped, glassed, and sold. That being, ten limited edition copies of each chosen ‘year board’ selling for just over $2,000, and there’ll also be associated commentary putting each board in context. Don’t expect the dry copy of a museum label.
Hynd’s been shaping since November and board ‘73 is now on sale, it’s a 5’3” Bennett with the cut of the sale going to Russell Head - “the great Australian board industry stalwart”.
Read more at www.hyndline.com
Comments
I really like the idea, how everyone gets their cut, and the history of surfboard design from Derek's perspective gets capitalistically honoured. Be a shame to see it get stuck on a year due to lack of sales though...
Interesting.
Personally, there is no board from my more distant past I would like to surf again for pleasure - except perhaps to emphasise how much boards of all types have improved
true, although that little single fin there looks it would be a hoot to ride.
great fun in the join the dots point surf I've been riding the last few days.
What size Chris Brock board is being produced? Not from the east coast,but have seen some beautiful clean wide point behind centre boards he’s made.
Good luck with the project,it will shine a light on the shapers designs and provide a great timeline.
Yea I’d release them all and get the $600k upfront Kickstarter style. Then everyone can rush to buy the jbay fish and finless gun...
An intriguing project. Hopefully the boards will actually get surfed rather than just ending up hanging on someone's wall.
As is Derek's wont?
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Cheers MoS....
Sorry but did he plan to plant?
Says Hynd: “Respectfully though...the greatest respect...I'm ironically doing them as originally planted, no tweaks from me, just some predictable imperfections - fair call.”
:-). You’re more likely to remember it next time, Stu. Try to get it into an article again within a week or two to reinforce it.
What's wrong with "as is Derek's wont"?
Nothing now. It was edited :)
Great the have a guy in the mix like Derek makes you think and consider then say Nah those boards were crap. Totally agree with Frog, today's boards as so good...as are motorbikes, cars, guitars (amazing quality for money), tennis rackets, you name it. Fun for nostalgia reasons but if it is serious latest is greatest. Finally, single fins were crap, are crap and always will be a turd.
Oh, I dunno about that so much. I was surfing at Sri Lanka in Bali one time, nice little head height right handers. All of a sudden as the tide sucked out I'm in a frickin' surf movie (not literally) with triple overhead monsters with barrels you could park a combi in - scared the shit outa me. I was just sitting in the channel wondering how the hell I was gonna get in but enjoying the show - it was carnage. Half a dozen snapped leggies, three snapped boards and people getting bombed everywhere except for this one style master on a single fin - paddling in way deeper than anyone else and just getting tubed like nothing else. He didn't take a single wipe out!
Doesn't really support the single fin comment but it's a good memory and I like telling the story :)
Fuck yeah...and I liked reading it.
Well I'm taking that as a compliment from a great story teller. Cheers.
Was that stylemaster on the single fin a small framed Aussie chap who lives in village close by....How wild is that end section when the water drains ?
Not sure if it's the same Aussie but yes, he was a local expat. Looked awesome. Crazy wave when it's on - just gets super shallow inside.
I’d what much rather watch footage of Jeff Hakman at Sunset bottom turning than a rider on a 6’1”concave thinking they are killing it in sub 3ft waves.
Guess you need to ride bigger waves to appreciate being single.
Yeah but I would much rather watch JJF on his Pyzel tearing the same waves as Hakman apart top to bottom. His performances on those big chunky numbers is so far beyond anyone in the past or present it is freakish. Even looking back at Andy, JJF has progressed even more. No way could he come even close on a boat anchor singly. I started on those things and never, ever want to go back.
Haha, yep totally agree. I just wanted to tell my story, the single fin worked on that particular day because it was just big and hollow - drop into the wave, pull into a stupid big tube and ride it till it spat you out then get off the wave and do it again.
I write that like I was participating but in truth I just watched and caught a wave in between sets that wasn't gonna kill me. Freaked out the whole time I was going for it too in case I missed it and got cleaned up by the sets. I quite happily sat my ego waaaaaay at the back of the bus.
Great story above, and I'm all for the singly. Right one of course but they are insane.
I reckon it depends on your expectations. If you're a shredder you'll probably be disappointed, but if your idea of good surfing is style, flow and positioning then I think good surfers on singles can be well worth watching.
MR. Hawaii. Mid-70s.
Great idea..interesting that machine shaped rocker is more valued than hand-shaped.
It puts that video of Ben Aipa into perspective (watched after his recent passing RIP) -where he bilateralyl cuts out the rocker curve onto a virtual rectangle blank - before cutting out the plan/tail shape etc...love the individual approach that is Derek Hynd.
Is there photos/video footage of each board released(vintage or modern) to see how each one goes?
Adam Robertson has done a few short vids riding different boards.
Maybe a video of someone like him riding them?or Derek himself
The most significant aspect about single fins was the extreme forward weight shift, rail holding emphasis where 80 - 90 % of the rail was buried during a bottom turn and the fin barely holding in, almost on the verge of spinning out.
Nice shot
It's just a millisecond. After BK does this turn he virtually stops.
If I built a quiver of boards I would go back and assymetricalise certain retro designs and therefore bring them into the future.
For example the Stinger design.
Only have the cutaway rail on the cutback side so you could still do really good sharp cutbacks.
The problem with the cutaway rail on the toe side meant that if you were standing an inch or two further back than normal you would do too sharp a bottom turn and if too far forward a more gradual turn, the boards were too sensitive, a bit skitzo in that sense.
I think the step bottom might have also contributed to this as well.
I would definately put in the step bottom, you get a unique feel when standing forward with your back foot above the step and get a pumping racy rhythm happening, great for down the line small point surf.
Also 5 fin boxes with an 18'' centre box, would love to try a 2 and one setup, gullwing fin centre try right up front of box, raked back thruster fin toe side and a really flexible fin on the heel side.
You can try assymetrical fin setups on any board with fin boxes.
Another design worth assymetricalising would be the Laser Zap, keep the plan shape the same on the toe side but make say an area pintail on the heel side for sharper cutbacks.
The future is assymetrical especially if your a natural footer and your go to wave is a right hand point.
Look, DH is an interesting cat. Buy him lunch, sit back, and enjoy the journey.
There are lots of great still shots of radical turns from the 60s and 70s. The huge bottom turn above is one.
But virtually every time I have seen footage of the wave which included a classic shot from way back i have been disappointed in the action. Great surfers but the boards were limiting factors.
Early Tom Curren and Occy footage is the turning point where boards and talent came together and the footage stands the test of time.
I think this is one of the very rare occasions I disagree with you Frog.
I personally think the reverse> a lot of that single fin surfing stands up but the 80's thruster surfing has aged very poorly.
Short vid about 'Code '73':
Was thinking 'wow it looks like a kneeboard'
Pin stripe renaissance?
Three of them getting laminated:
Hilarious. Boards that don't go for people with lots of money. Remember Hynd developed 'The Search' advertising campaign. Enough said.
Yep.
And how many retro boards are under peoples houses gathering dust.
Probably tens of thousands just in Australia.
I have 4 up in the rafters in my shed.
One Nat Young double ender single fin good condition.
A smaller Nat that I converted into a thruster.
An old Jackson with a strip of glass peeled off on the bottom, repairable.
And an early single fin with wide point forward, with no fin that someone dumped in the carpark at the Pass.
Cupla pics of those be gd Philo ?
Same thing I was thinking.
Whack up some photos, Philo.
Can't be bothered climbing up in the rafters and getting them down.
But I did find the exact plan shape on the Surfresearch site.
Here is a photo of the fin I ground off from the one I converted into a thruster.
Surfresearch mentions Nat was experimenting with fin bases as short as 3''.
This fin has a 4 1/4'' base and the fin area is about 25% less than the normal size fin on my other board.
Link https://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000356.html
picture upload sites
Here is a tip if you ever make a gullwing fin put the screw tab at the back, this allows you to have the fin more forward in the finbox.
There seems to be a general consensus that more forward closer to your back foot is better.
They are a great fin in a 2 and 1 setup.
This fin was made from fibreglass offcuts which I scrounged from the skip out the front of the glassing factory at Byron.
When you think about it every board that gets made has 12 pieces of offcuts that end up in landfill so why not recycle and make fins yourself, 20 something bucks for a tin of resin at Bunnings and your away.
Cheap as when you consider fin prices.
I lay my fibreglass on a sheet of glass.
Cut out the fibreglass pieces about 1/4'' bigger than the fin size you want and about 20 plus layers later you have your fin template blank ready for shaping.
Great single fin planshape on the first board.
I reckon a key step in single fin evolution was bringing the wide point back from forward of half way to half way, hence the term double ender.
The bottoms of his boards have 'V' in the tail into flat and very slight concave for the last foot under the nose.
The Jackson thruster I had custom made was based on that planshape.
The reason I got into Nats boards was that I was doing my apprenticeship at Enfield about a mile away from his surfshop at Belfield which seemed to be hardly ever open, but I would often look in the window and drool.
There was alot of experimentation with design during that period as the Surfresearch site shows.
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