white's wise words.

the text reads:


"Ride a door. Why not? If every wave you caught performed just like every other wave you caught, you could ride just about anything. A door. A tabletop. An ironing board even.


Before you start tearing up the house, though, I had better warn you: the totally predictable wave is not here. Yet. But its coming. No question about it. We'll have it just as soon as we have man-made reef and the man-made bottom.


The first step will be to construct the reef that'll give us whatever conditions we desire. Small, medium, or large conditions. Shallow, steep or critical conditions. Anything we want. Then we'll design the and build bottoms that will guarantee that when the swell rolls over it, the waves will lift, break, peel, and end in a desired manner.


We'll have waves breaking fast, breaking slow, closing out, feathering off, going right, going left, etc. etc. etc. We can even build in an Ala Moana bowl, for that matter. Or a Waimea shelf.  The man made surf condition makes a pretty good dream, doesn't it. (Who said money can't buy waves?) And I am sure that the entire surfing community shares my impatience for this dream to become a reality. But I don't dream of the man-made surfing condition only because it'll give more surfers more and better waves to ride.


I foresee additional possibilities. I foresee a whole new kind of vehicle specially constructed for riding totally predictable waves. And it isn't a door. It's a large board, a board designed specifically for catching waves, but not intended for riding them.


Here's how it works. After you've caught the wave you can be sure will perform in a given manner, you really don't need that big board anymore. So you trigger  and arrangement that releases the tail section of your board. The mother board then falls back and is engulfed in the break of the wave. You are left on a small slalom device, the most responsive craft you ever rode a wave with because its the most diminutive craft you ever rode a wave with. You slip into the most critical part of the wave, the hook. There, you maneuver in and out.  You're hardly aware of any board at all- because there's hardly any board to be aware of.


Now that's the ultimate. Being freely involved with the wave. More than anyone has ever been. But first things first. And first, somebody will have to design and build one of these two-stage vehicles. Somebody will have to make it work. Who will meet this challenge? Who will try and fail and keep trying until he finally succeeds? No body can tell for sure, but it's safe to say that it'll be one of the leaders, not one of the followers. Matter of fact, I'll go out on a limb right now and predict that it could very well be one of these three: Bing. Morey-Pope. Me. Naturally, I'm hoping it will be the last mentioned.


You can be sure of two things: 1. The innovations come from the innovators, never the imitators. 2. When the man-made surfing condition comes, the innovators will be ready with new ways to surf it.


(Its kind of funny. The waves haven't changed in eons. And just as we're coming close to designing the best vehicles for riding them, we go out and design new kinds of waves. Which means we've got to start all over again.) But don't get me wrong. I don't mean it's time for us to stop trying to improve on the traditional kinds of surfboards. Not in the least. Traditional waves are going to be around for a long, long time. The surfboard hasn't gotten to be like the bicycle yet. (See any improvements on the bicycle lately?) Anybody who bought a surfboard a few years ago knows what I mean. They're still changing. Still evolving. Mostly for the better, too. 


Which brings me to my favorite subject (and my favorite object): The Bob White Surfboard. The Bob White Surfboard is, we thing, a little ahead of other surfboards. (We'd like to keep a lot ahead, but the other innovators move pretty fast, too.) Without going into a lot of stringer and glass talk, let me say just this: at Bob White, we try very hard to give you the next year's board, this year. Which is saying quite a bit. 


The Bob White Surfboard is made of the best materials. We order all our foam blanks from Gordon Clark because we can't find foam that beats Clark Foam for unvarying uniformity. We've always equipped all of our boards with Morey-Pope fins because we know of no fin that exceeds theirs for general, all around excellence. 


The Bob White Surfboard is a totally fluid, hydrodynamically-designed surfing vehicle. Take our most popular model. The Real Macoy. With it, we've eliminated the platform, buried the barge concept forever. There are no parallel areas, no straight sides. Rail to rail, it offers you pure fluid dynamics. If you're a serious surfer, make it a point to see the Real Macoy. (It'll be easy to spot; its distinctive-but functional- nose indicator sets it apart from the crowd.) More importantly, make it a point to try The Real Macoy. It's unique engineering features set it apart in the surf. Where it counts.


And if you're a dealer, make it a point to get in touch with us. We're located in Virginia Beach, Virginia (23451). Our address is 700 21st Street. That's what it says on our door. "


                                                                                                         -Bob White

interesting words on the subject of surfboard design from bob white. east coast surf innovator. founder of wrv (wave riding vehicles). published in a march 1968 issue of surfer magazine. a time when words like these couldn't have been more poignant. the next two years would see some of the most rapid and drastic design changes in the evolution of surf craft. fucking rad bob white.

Some of the many radical designs and innovations aforementioned in the text above. ive had the pleasure of seeing some of these and some of his other designs in person. never afraid to think outside the box it seemed.