talkingturkey, Mon 22 Aug 2016 06:18
Now that's some surf journalism! Hot stuff! Stoked I've still got a coupla boards from a coupla of the blokes mentioned.
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 06:29
Great to see Mike Davis get a mention. I had a series of boards of him in '74-75 and enjoyed some great Boneyard sessions with him. A great character who is still shaping. He's based in Noosa these days.
freeride76, Mon 22 Aug 2016 06:30
Nice one Stu......really good read.
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 06:32
Oh and was Jick Mebane a real person? I thought it was Glen Brown or Frank Pithers in disguise!
stunet, Mon 22 Aug 2016 06:38
Check this BB, obit for Jick snr.
http://www.dodomortuary.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=653023&fh_id=11845
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 06:49
Thanks Stu.
udo, Mon 22 Aug 2016 07:52
Blindboy or anyone surf movie VerticalDrive do you remember this movie ?
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 08:23
Heresy zen, not liking a board because it's red. I am seriously worried, I only have one in the quiver at the moment.
zenagain, Mon 22 Aug 2016 08:27
Great Article.
Jeez I kick myself sometimes for never holding on to boards. I had a wicked Murray Bourton 6 channel bottom pinny that I loved in the mid-eighties and not long after that picked up a Byrning Spears that I rode till the death (actually my bro finished that one off at Kirra).
For a very short time I picked up for a song off a mate a Zappa that was unlike anything I'd seen before or since, it had four very shallow belly channels and a double step down to the tail. I can't remember what happened to it but the only reason I didn't like it was because it was red. Go figure.
Really enjoyable article Stu.
zenagain, Mon 22 Aug 2016 08:29
One board BB or one red one?
I've never been into coloured boards. I've got a sweet new ride with black rails which was a nice surprise when I picked it up but that's about as funky as I get.
udo, Mon 22 Aug 2016 08:35
.
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 08:38
One red, currently total of 5 in the quiver from 6'0 to 7'5" which is over the top. I am aiming to sell two!
tonybarber, Mon 22 Aug 2016 08:38
Gordon Merchant (Billabong) used 'chimes' on his boards back in the late 60s which are similar to the Greg Noll slot bottom. Again similar to the channel bottoms but maybe not as pronounced. They worked well with tucked under rails.
zenagain, Mon 22 Aug 2016 09:04
Chimes TB or 'Chines' like on a boat?
stunet, Mon 22 Aug 2016 09:30
Zen, I've read about five of your posts that include the line "...I lent it to my brother" when describing how a surfboard died.
I'm hoping you got to balance the ledger somewhere along the way.
zenagain, Mon 22 Aug 2016 09:44
Yeah, he's amazing. Holds on to his own boards for years, picks up one of mine and it explodes in his hands.
Nah, he's a good lad, good surfer and in the brotherly stakes I probably owe him.
crg, Mon 22 Aug 2016 10:06
Great article...in my reflections on all time favourite boards...6 deep channel bottoms are always part of the conversation...love 'em!
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 10:33
Hey zen I hope you are staying nice and dry! We were just watching the floods on NHK news.
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 10:34
.
zenagain, Mon 22 Aug 2016 11:10
Cheers BB. Typhoon right over us now, heaps of rain and wind but we're high and dry here watching tele.
So much surf too. Been non-stop swell for weeks but I'm out for a few weeks recuperating.
blindboy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 11:50
Good to hear zen, grab a few for me when it cleans up. Nothing but ankle crushers here!
benski, Mon 22 Aug 2016 12:20
I enjoyed that too.
My first board (after the McCoy coolite) was a channel bottom by Rod Dahlberg (got it second hand at Coogee Bay Surf). I was a kid riding a lid at the time and decided I couldn't be bothered learning to surf when all my mates were getting barreled and I was back feeling like a kook. Figured I'd get back to it one day... I gave the board away to some family friend in Brisbane a few years later. Dunno if the board was particularly special but sometimes I wanna punch young me in the face.
And that USO thing, isn't there one of them hanging up on the wall at the Pacific hotel?
BenMondy, Mon 22 Aug 2016 13:01
I grew up in Redhead where channels were the norm and Col Smith and his boards were the highest art form. As a grom I just assumed most other surfers rode channels, why wouldn't you? They've stayed with me for life, with AB providing 20 years of channel bottom pleasure after Col passed. Anyway a great piece, thanks Stu, much appreciated.
MRsinglefin, Mon 22 Aug 2016 21:26
Now that is the best surfboard design history article I have ever read. I've had channel bottoms from Col Smith, Tommy Peterson (best board ever), Al Byrne (surftech), Albert Fox and will be ordering my next one from Corey Graham shapes in Torquay. Actually Tom Peterson is down in Torquay now shaping a few customs. If you have never ridden a Fireball fish do yourself a favour and order one. Can't believe I traded mine when ordering a new MR (even Mick Adam regrets selling it to a backpacker for $150)
eyrehead, Mon 22 Aug 2016 22:18
One of the most articulate and well researched design articles i've read in 35 years, and I've read a few...
Well done!.
tootr, Mon 22 Aug 2016 22:27
Remember an epic sequence in SW years ago of Col Smith. Don't really see cutbacks that big these days.
stunet, Mon 22 Aug 2016 22:40
This one Tootr? (this version was taken from Deep, but the same sequence ran in SW):
tootr, Mon 22 Aug 2016 22:49
That's it. Love it.
Prolly wouldn't score in a contest these days ;-)
stunet, Mon 22 Aug 2016 23:00
Cheers Ben. A few months back I bought a board off eBay and the seller lived at Dudley. Curiously enough the board was an AB-shaped six channel Byrning Spears and I rode it at the nearby point. After the session I darted south over the headland to Redhead simply because of its significance. With a six channel in the back of the chariot it just made sense.
tonybarber, Mon 22 Aug 2016 23:24
Yep, I stand corrected, 'chines' like a boat. Similar to channels and given the time Merchant used them maybe a lead up to channels.
stunet, Tue 23 Aug 2016 00:47
Great footage from 'Fantasea' of Col Smith riding Pollards channel bottoms, even includes a straight to camera piece with Col expanding on the design. Well worth a watch:
radiationrules, Tue 23 Aug 2016 03:29
best journalism on surf design ever..well, right now anyway, i dunno about "ever"..as there's always another untold tale to unravel from somewhere..having said that seriously awesome and exciting Stu, the direction you are taking your surf journalism.
Also, I was very happy to read about Marty Littlewood's significance, having recently interviewed him and featured one of his shapes in my Frontier Surfing exhibition. At the time I was thinking his depth of knowledge, wry humour, scientific disposition and sheer range of experimentation must come from somewhere deep, and now I know it truly does.
zenagain, Tue 23 Aug 2016 04:09
Can't remember ever seeing that clip. Cheers.
@3:10 burns that guy and looks to me like the bloke attempts to spear him.
Hawaii 'eh? Then and now, some things don't change.
wingnut2443, Tue 23 Aug 2016 05:44
Yeah, nothing like venting the frustration of being dropped in, and channeling that into the energy needed to get your board into the back of the offenders calf, knee, leg, back or head. Just what needs to be returned to the Qld points - might make a few of the repeat offenders think twice before dropping in?
wingnut2443, Tue 23 Aug 2016 05:47
Great article Stu, and onya swellnet for taking this line of content. I can see a book at the end of all these articles. Each article being a chapter, matched with pictures etc.
Also hope ya syndicating them into the inflight magazines of all the airlines flying to surf destinations. Just what surf travelers need to read while heading to surf some exotic location.
freddieffer, Tue 23 Aug 2016 06:06
Still go my '79 model 6'4" Col Smith Channel pintail gun. Been with me everywhere for the last 35 years. That board holds incredible memories, and probably has a place in most of my top 10 highlights in my life. It doesn't get to taste much salt water these days, but the last quote in the story really defines this board "The straight channels are like a race car" - so so true; and the story on the evolution of channels correlates with my journey with them too. I had a Free Flight channel hydro tail that was simply amazing to ride, and have regretted parting with it ever since.
Thanks Stu, you were spot on with telling the story of the channel evolution and with identifying many of the nuances that contributed to the overall development of not only channels, but its linkages found in some contemporary board designs.
saltman, Tue 23 Aug 2016 08:31
Second that - remember having a long chat with Mike in his Kiama Shop around 1980. He was making some nice channel bottoms then and was totally sold on the design
He also had a theory that the nuclear tests in the pacific created freak easterly swells that lit up breaks inside Jervis Bay
toneranger, Tue 23 Aug 2016 10:04
i had a Rod Stock thruster with channels bought in 1982.it was 6'3 and i surfed it exclusivley for 15 years.admittedly that was during the kiddy upbringing years hence the longevity.Rod was from the mornington peninsula and was doing a bit of experimenting with them.luved that stik
morg, Tue 23 Aug 2016 12:10
Great article Stu. It's interesting and rings bells for those of us who grew up through those periods and rode them. As a grom I had a Jim Pollard with channels that looked a bit like corrugated iron, and then a few others before settling on twinnies with four deep channels. They disappeared when I got my first thruster. Looks like my next board's going to have channels :-)
velocityjohnno, Tue 23 Aug 2016 12:44
Great article Stu. My first thruster was a Byrning Spears 6 channel, Mr V8 doing the glassing, and what a board it was, to this day probably the best thruster I've ever ridden. Of course, it was loaned to a brother's mate, who snapped it in 2ft surf...
So in 2009 I asked AB if he would do a '1988 replica' of the 6 channel thruster I had, he kindly agreed and shaped an amazing board. That's a keeper.
memlasurf, Fri 26 Aug 2016 06:06
Just read the article what a ripper. I had a few of those belly channels up until the very early 90's. Bean down here is shaping a lot of channels at the moment. One his more bizarre boards he made back in the 80's was called the golf ball (he loves golf, can't fathom that). The bottom was covered with mini hemispheres to help lift and separate. Nightmare to shape and glass I must ask him how it went.
stunet, Wed 31 Aug 2016 00:33
Just found this photo of Phil Myers with a few variations of his Hydro Tail. When looking at the board on the left it's damn easy to see where Tommy Peterson got his inspiration from. That channel set up is a Fireball a decade before the world knew what Fireballs were.
udo, Wed 31 Aug 2016 00:46
NC has a new 10 channel from Phil ...pics and ride report Nick ?
simba, Wed 31 Aug 2016 05:26
Had one of those step tails years ago and really liked it,loved the way he did his rounded channels..so many good sessions on it.Ahead of his time in a lot of ways the old Phil....
udo, Sat 17 Dec 2016 04:58
Anyone ever heard of a channel bottom flextail ?
stunet, Sat 17 Dec 2016 07:52
Mark Rabbidge has!
udo, Sat 17 Dec 2016 08:01
Shit theres some wild stuff on his insta.
Gumtree Rose bay there is a channel flextail for sale
stunet, Sat 17 Dec 2016 08:07
Fuck! It's far out, isn't it?
Might give the fella a call and drive down for a chat.
I couldn't find the Gumtree board?
udo, Sat 17 Dec 2016 08:20
605 step up epoxy flextail channel bottom channel rails.
udo, Sun 29 Jan 2017 04:03
Curved Belly Channels are back.
Tokoro surfboards insta.
stunet, Sun 29 Jan 2017 04:22
Very nice. Might have a chat about his thoughts about them:
Meanwhile, here's my latest board, though I haven't taken delivery yet. It's not asymmetical but it does have ten mother truckin' channels.
udo, Sun 29 Jan 2017 04:41
Very surprised the 6'6" AB channel bottom on Gumtree Pittwater area hasnt sold
probably a bit thin for most at 2 1/4
Described as off the rack cond..its a collector.
groundswell, Sun 29 Jan 2017 20:01
Cole Smiths son lives near me and is just as good to watch at the reefs around here as Ry Craic and crew.And his Dad. they all love there channel bottoms.
Will have to upload some footage one day on here.But sometimes my camera/tripod cant keep up with how fast they are going. :)
lostdoggy, Mon 30 Jan 2017 23:50
There's an Erle Pederson jet bottom on gumtree too.
stunet, Mon 30 Jan 2017 23:59
Got the URL?
lostdoggy, Tue 31 Jan 2017 00:09
It's not cheap, but looks like perfect nick and full gloss finish.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/mooloolaba/surfing/black-widow-shaped-by-earl-pedersen/1134247278
Looks like a fairly recent one.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/zhrFda5.jpg[/img]
stunet, Tue 31 Jan 2017 00:19
Cheers LD. You're right, it's not cheap, but if we're being honest it's worth every last cent the fella is asking. The amount of work that goes into those boards is extraordinary.
If I wasn't buying the above Free Flight I'd be all over it.
udo, Tue 31 Jan 2017 02:06
VitaminSea did a Torpedo shaped Belly Channel.
udo, Sat 04 Feb 2017 23:15
$600 will buy the Red Earle supposedly.
udo, Sun 05 Feb 2017 10:00
Rawson 7'8" Channel Bottom Swallowtail Glassed in fins - Kong Elkerton Replica
Troy Beros insta
stunet, Mon 06 Feb 2017 00:10
Hmmmm...not as excited by a replica as I am by, say, this board, which I got an eyeful of over the Xmas break.
[img]https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16403219_1801336460117023_4990741737134051683_o.jpg?oh=bc0054067bd8f0d4ea02845d55ba236f&oe=5902B610[/img]
[img]https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16463794_1801336470117022_4989499172968047721_o.jpg?oh=c9f744f38c31a0a6b9807591c0085b4d&oe=590A1F9A[/img]
udo, Mon 06 Feb 2017 00:16
What a Weapon !
lostdoggy, Mon 06 Feb 2017 00:17
Wow!
What's the length on that?
stunet, Mon 06 Feb 2017 00:24
It's 8'0". More detail from Gav here:
https://www.facebook.com/thesurftrip/posts/1801338806783455
He's got a couple of Kong's boards.
udo, Fri 10 Mar 2017 08:48
No channels in this one - 7"10 Al Byrne pin Single box - fcs plugs side bites
Gumtree Redhead -$1000
udo, Tue 21 Mar 2017 09:42
Interesting comment from Christiian Bradley re [belly] channels on his insta
Found the perfect positioning for them....but when we followed them through to the tail they did not work so im thinking its a compression and lift kinda thing.
Eugene Green, Tue 21 Mar 2017 13:19
Great article Stuart. Just found it. Better late than never. Love a good channel bum!
udo, Wed 22 Mar 2017 04:41
Simon Jones m.ot.e. 4 days ago cut a few deep ones..
stunet, Wed 19 Apr 2017 01:26
Alex Gray riding a modern channel bottom with curved channels. Check middle board:
More I think about it the more I dig the concept. Aside from straightening the rocker, channels help direct water toward the tail, meaning you can have a vee bottom but not lose water off the rails, it gets shunted toward the rear giving the board lift and drive. Having the channels subtly curve inward at the rear would appear to accentuate that function.
And yeah, it's one of the boards that got destroyed in the recent baggage handler brouhaha.
lostdoggy, Tue 09 Jan 2018 01:52
Mint (never waxed) AB gun.
At a fair price too.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/tugun/surfing/allan-byrne-7-2-six-channel-thruster-/1171213577
And an early 90s AB Hot Stuff, also very fair price
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/aspley/surfing/allan-byrne-surfboard-/1171218012
eat-your-vegies, Tue 09 Jan 2018 06:50
Nice. That 7,2 looks gorgeous.
Can’t justify it though cos I already got 25 boards clogging the place up
lostdoggy, Tue 09 Jan 2018 06:54
Haha, well one sold, and the 7'2 has just had $300 added to the price.
stunet, Tue 09 Jan 2018 07:59
Ha ha ha...Ken rang me and I advised him to up the price just a touch. Apologies if I stuffed anyone up who thought they'd get a bargain, but you guys know as well as I that an unsurfed AB...an unsurfed six channel flyer swallow tail AB, no less, is worth more than he offered.
Course if I had the money I woulda taken it ASAP.
udo, Tue 09 Jan 2018 08:27
Na gd on him i would have listed it for 2k not a penny less.
udo, Tue 09 Jan 2018 08:31
Only 70 views and Ken has upped the price
Finntim, Tue 09 Jan 2018 09:43
Great article stu, I picked up a mike davis channel bottom from hard rubbish awhile back. Needs some serious tlc but still nice to have for local sentimental reasons and also a piece of pretty specific surfing history. I might have it fixed up one day. Anyhoo, good stuff and all the best for new year.
lostdoggy, Tue 23 Jan 2018 07:39
This one went cheap, hey Stu?
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-style-Jet-Bottom-thruster-/253376387118?ul_noapp=true&nma=true&si=wElBQZbevXwHT6jNTpnItckvkPY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
stunet, Tue 23 Jan 2018 07:42
Damn it...missed that.
Great price.
lostdoggy, Tue 23 Jan 2018 07:44
It was in my watch list but I forgot about it.
udo, Tue 23 Jan 2018 08:57
Kenny's unridden AB still on GumTree
$1300.
lostdoggy, Thur 25 Jan 2018 07:46
Back to the original price of $1150.
That's $120 worth of fins, $100 worth of board bag
So a brand new AB gun for $930.
And now Stu has cost him all those top ad fees for the extra time it's been listed, haha.
stunet, Wed 11 Apr 2018 01:10
Adam Robbo recently riding a 6 channel Allan Byrne swallow tail in waves that some people would say aren't suited to channels: bumpy and soft off the top.
udo, Mon 16 Apr 2018 23:33
_Jay Phillips throwing around a 6 channel single fin in 1 ft surf on his insta
Stylish...
stunet, Tue 17 Apr 2018 01:55
Jay on the Free Flight six channel singley...
Hover the cursor over the image, then click the 'right' button to go to the video.
stunet, Thur 09 Aug 2018 23:23
Alejo Muniz captured at the Four Seasons comp in the Maldives by Sean Scott.
And out on the face on the same board:
udo, Thur 18 Oct 2018 09:31
A brand new 7'0 Gunther Rohn channel bottom never waxed never ridden
$395 gumtree Byron Bay...
truebluebasher, Fri 25 Oct 2019 15:26
ABC cool series 'Frayed' set in Newcastle 1989...episode.1 Pause Vid [16:54]
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/frayed
Sea Flight channel thruster shaped by Jack Knight for Mr X Glen Winton
tbb last rode boards before this era so don't take my word for it.
[15:31] Retro Skateboard + surfboard...
The family live on the beach & a keen eye will notice retro boards are scattered about.
If your into 1980's boards then tune in.
udo, Mon 09 Dec 2019 03:03
Shapers have a good vid out with Dale Wilson Byrning Spears
And if you like to see nine foot six inches of Beauty
Gumtree Mount Barker 9'6 x 21 1/2 x 3 1/8 Triple Stringer Channel Bottom $1300
surfstarved slip around and put a deposit down for Stu would ya..
udo, Fri 13 Dec 2019 05:45
Big price drop to - $1000 unmarked as new
comes with daycover and travelcover and a big wave leggie
any budding Billy Kempers out there...
udo, Wed 27 Jan 2021 07:14
Jeezus - Wild
https://www.instagram.com/p/CImaEHznGyr/
And Channel plugs
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKgds6mHUsG/
simba, Wed 27 Jan 2021 07:28
wonder how those fin boxes handle it........
mpeachy, Mon 13 Nov 2023 22:01
Bought a second-hand standard thruster shortboard with about five deep channels on each side maybe ten years ago, it went well. Assume they're too hard to pop out so they never caught on.
Mccutty, Mon 13 Nov 2023 23:42
Got 4 AB shaped channels for sale if anyone is interested, 8×21×3 black marlin, 62×19×2.5 GT, 6 3×19 1/8, 6x19 1/8 on market place torquay
tiger, Tue 14 Nov 2023 00:16
This article was awesome when it came out, and even better now with the added info. Great work Stu!
Robwilliams, Tue 14 Nov 2023 00:18
Another excellent Informative and reflective piece, I look at the years pre 90's and think what a time. Before the status q arrived and dominated. Been interested in channels for a longtime but it is rare to find much insight and development of the actual understanding of how they all come together. When talking with someone who is not a shaper.
Radical ideas that progressed to their own. Interesting how technology and fashion has moulded our thinking somewhat limiting it openness to anything that rocked the staus quo. As stated rocker and concaves reverse v, or perhaps the simplicity of application took lead.
Killer article stu as good as old cheap ford rims and stubbies well earned. Graceful and smooth and still outside the status q somewhat.
icandig, Tue 14 Nov 2023 00:30
One of my favourite boards was an AB Byrning Spears in the late 80's. Snapped it clean in half at Spot X had it repaired and a couple of months later scored my best ever barrel at Kirra on the same snapped board. Titch - Michael Anthony did heaps of clinker channels out of Springer in Anglesea - also a favourite board back in the day. I think Murray Bourton worked out of there for a while, so he might have had some influence. I was lucky enough to get a Byrne belly channel back in the day too. I tried revisiting channels semi recently (I think after watching Mikey Wright at Bells). I found it a little too lively for my skillset - or maybe just too old and fat to do it justice. Thanks for the updates Stu. I'll set some time aside to read through this properly again tonight.
I focus, Tue 14 Nov 2023 01:30
Thanks Stu I have a EPS blank in the rafters waiting to become a 6'6" channel pin / round tail and been having a internal debate on what style the channels will be.
So many choices so little time, thinking I'll head down Rod Dahlberg's path.
the-u-turn, Tue 14 Nov 2023 01:40
Jeez, you write well, Stu. That's a brilliant read. Many Thanks.
udo, Tue 14 Nov 2023 02:14
Busy in Java...
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cydcx0TpN9d/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-ZBfgj1uI/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgOtQx4hfnF/
82shoes, Tue 14 Nov 2023 04:54
Great article Stu as always well researched and written
Wondering if there's any pics of the Dahleberg/ Occy skins board floating around?
burleigh, Tue 14 Nov 2023 05:06
Ian Byrne (younger brother of the late AB) is shaping some awesome curved channel twins.
frog, Tue 14 Nov 2023 06:48
Anyone ridden exact dimension boards with and without channels in similar waves and care to comment on the speed difference?
Is it just a bit faster or really noticeable?
Balbero, Tue 14 Nov 2023 08:05
Good article, Earn Byrne and Wayne Lowen could have been throwin a mention...
Well over 35 years each,producing some of the finest boards ever to grace world class waves globly.
Still progressing....
dbsurfs, Tue 14 Nov 2023 09:01
The story misses Paolo Biancinotti - PB Custom in Mona Vale. The guy is a walking encyclopaedia on channels. Formerly at CIS through the 90s. Makes an incredible board.
https://www.instagram.com/pbcustom/?hl=en
udo, Tue 14 Nov 2023 09:57
Ken Godfrey once made a 12'6" 6 Channel ...
morg, Tue 14 Nov 2023 11:52
Really enjoyed reading your updated story. Thanks.
spookypt, Tue 14 Nov 2023 20:46
Stu, great read. 2 questions… (apologies if not seen above)
1. Did you come across anything on the golf ball dimple bottoms in your research?
2. Did you happen to find Jim P. I’ve been trying for years. My ex neighbour from Caloundra circa 1985 ish. Spoken to him over email many years ago but lost contact maybe 10+ years ago. Last I heard he was in Bundy? He’d be getting on now.
Regards matt
spookypt, Tue 14 Nov 2023 20:48
Ps I’ve seen him and Jack Knight have caught up a few times… he may know…. ?
backyard, Tue 14 Nov 2023 21:05
Stu Nettle, I reckon you've got a book in you. Such intelligent, subtle writing. I've been slow to subscribe, you are the reason I have done so. Keep on, and thank you.
GONAD_MAN, Tue 14 Nov 2023 21:18
In the late 80s i had six channel 5'8'' FM Surfboard from Torquay. It was the fastest board i have ever owned. Was Red with sick Blue and white graphics on it. I should of kept it just to hang on the wall. Sigh. :(
spinafex, Tue 14 Nov 2023 22:52
I'm not an engineer but ... it appears the force being applied to the glass on the stringer side of the box, will be perpendicular i.e the fin will tip toward the rail and lift the glass inside the channel, whereas with a normal set up it's more oblique i.e pulling as well as lifting. Maybe they run tape or rovings inside the channel.
udo, Tue 14 Nov 2023 23:09
From July 2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDK1fD1nxiZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=592114f2-d635-4a33-9262-cf0b60ea9a91&img_index=1
Komodo, Wed 15 Nov 2023 08:22
Power on.
Channel Surfers!
udo, Wed 15 Nov 2023 09:10
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzdWjukxx3R/?img_index=1
Optimist, Thur 16 Nov 2023 04:18
I’m fortunate enough to have lived through that era and to have ridden most of those channel bottom boards in the different brands.
I even had a channel bottom single fin very very short board with an adjustable fin shaped for me by I think Johnny ware from friar tuck near mid 70’s.
I used to surf winkipop at the bower religiously with a crew of knee boarders who were flying thru the slab barrels on these as knee boards. The standup he made me became a favourite and I could adjust the fin forward on weak beachies.
The standout to me was a 6’5” Al byrne 6 channel swallow tail at very solid perfect Burleigh heads in the mid eighties. It was the fastest I’d ever gone on a board until I rode a ci black beauty which was as quick on great waves.
I can see why Al byrne ended up with that design testing them there a lot.
Another interesting story would be who started the hard rails from nose to tail.
My ci black beauty and Maurice cole boards featured these rails and vees and both were crazy fast boards on good waves. Maurice’s boards are just beautiful
Keeping the water trapped under the boards on great waves gives next level speed.
Great story and memories thanks and cheers.
udo, Thur 16 Nov 2023 05:26
Gordon Merchant was responsible for Nose to Tail Hard Rails
From Farrely :
With gradual refinement down rails and tucked edges (Gordon Merchant) brought the rails of a surfboard alive.
Optimist, Thur 16 Nov 2023 06:04
Surfed with Gordon several times. Good surfer and nice fella too. Probably still surfs good even though he’d be getting on a bit.
Robwilliams, Thur 16 Nov 2023 07:33
Swaylocks channel links
https://forum.swaylocks.com/t/anatomy-and-physiology-of-channels/48287
https://forum.swaylocks.com/t/channels/41654
https://forum.swaylocks.com/t/what-are-your-opinions-about-channels-etc/34823/6
https://forum.swaylocks.com/t/curved-vs-straight-bottom-channels/41511
https://forum.swaylocks.com/t/channel-and-suction/46388
stunet, Thur 16 Nov 2023 21:56
Golf ball dimples seem to surface every few years though they seem purely experimental, no-one continues on with them, and for that reason I didn't include them in the article.
When I originally wrote the article in 2016 I searched for Jim yet had no luck. Haven't heard anything about him in the intervening years.
stunet, Thur 16 Nov 2023 22:03
That'd be a great experiment. Had a mate do a similar thing with identical boards, both the same dimensions, except one cut from a PU blank and the other EPS, just to get a true read on the differences in construction.
I'd venture that doing the same but altering the bottom would also give a good comparison.
PS: In my experience, channels aren't always faster - at least in a pure straight line sense - but they usually do feel more responsive which may be interpreted as speed, as in quick to react etc.
stunet, Thur 16 Nov 2023 22:06
Not sure, but here's a great photo of Occ on a 6'8" version used in an FCS ad.
stunet, Thur 16 Nov 2023 22:08
Cheers Backyard, and thanks for subscribing.
lostdoggy, Thur 16 Nov 2023 22:14
I find when you set up the sweet spot of the channel bottom up with the engine room of the wave’s pocket they really take off like they are jet powered.
udo, Fri 17 Nov 2023 20:57
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG4c2kvnleg/
purny, Sat 18 Nov 2023 02:08
Had a cracker AB stolen out the back of my car when living at Dudley late 80s, kept my eyes peeled for that thing for years.....it doesn't have green sticker does it ??? hahaha.
Oh Swell, Sat 18 Nov 2023 06:05
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdO7wQhgSZX91ogkKKHnDhs3LBVxG4yo8O1uCou47DzLSTlCQl7ZbDs9B-kK4k71ip2w5l37RvEoCICI50DzmDvAf8GO86jh39TwkJ_7sTof3w4mlKZ41OcZnEncJyPu9o9qBDoIfN50Qn4EuP5A8okXm5Ce818l9wViWyV3sEj2lf55vbd3YczBe8Z6GcRubMOCS60dl3r7-l_vFS5Oxm4_1nIo88oQ3Qz9H8jOQL1q31fhWFHecG7PJYUj0fY7jWY_xf5C8KHfbOxz31Mja8aHfqmN9qtuGGziyPQxVMeyB0Il3Qg6mmlegJu4WWpI0a-8u7kxGGscw9hxawRls0dL5tiLUNkGTo_Ga-_QdTr51AA3yaDIdEYCXzID9L1cKo43GvBUeEFt1rRrhiR2WyzDYmZQXLizuLKp4HsTMW6uzQqL24KDERIlxA3lsxAJK0nXaIGJLkWNW_exHWUiNPhLRpyRk70TFvjeeTDZ5N9glsyFPereEhSN6nnRYNFT9m0ODuX6GZ7aQ7PCYQ1tuvXB4RmVmVs8jBrKC3VNA40wfvw2IXwSTlnRxTsnMFCZevf9jeSxkUfw-jHY8FrNJaJUEQbw-JSCGOpDZVJrRqjhSaeC1W90lxQbHzk_7_BSWUuR8KheZfJstj1e0JqXC7ePviyoxbML-Lx-jh5RUyCgLBt-5oacvqGSZVwls4O4VQAzPFwlL3nwo5zPcRSV6jhOfYKa4XreaHi9aw8xwYUie1voJkX9La-7qar7zcvGen8PvFeFw4aRXjPb5zJh_8JxbMeMFoROxt0BpcmfeTna04EXHccxuOJKeE9UIbTt19xcfRFPQ13fV9aerc8kdxWOHdUsyAnBptXlVSl1Fte3u7CNV0fUpiB5c0ZyviEq-tcj_8HYoDrJyZNnQ=w597-h797-s-no?authuser=0
a pic of a 9 6 mal the legendary Walshie at Del in New Plymouth shaped for me a while back, based on a 9 2 which is certainly the fastest mal I've ever owned (based on pic I showed him from some mag, has chine rails).
Some scumbags stole the 9 6 from my sisters garage in Manly. I have plans to get the 92 to Noosa soon (almost impossible to fly with a mal o/s now), to outrun the current Little Cove runners.
If you see it say hello and I'll pursue the thieves.
cory, Sat 18 Nov 2023 07:50
Great article Stu!
You mention so many great men that have contributed so much to surfboard design.
Unfortunately not enough of the younger generation of shapers actually know how to shape channels properly.
Channels Rule!
paul.benney, Sat 18 Nov 2023 13:06
l still have a board made by Jack & Gordon Knight when l was staying in Manly back in the '80s. l was good friends of Ching and Lee Burns Manly Lifeguards who introduced me to them. As a traveling Cornish surfer l made several Cornish winter trips to stay in Manly and work in Sydney "When you could afford Manly prices" Now in my 70s l surf a Mal mostly and spend my winters in Sri Lanka
Oink, Fri 24 Nov 2023 22:55
I still don't understand the difference between channels and clinkers?
stunet, Fri 24 Nov 2023 23:26
No difference, clinkers are channels, however the distinction is that they're set in vee bottoms, which, when combined with deep channels, accentuates the vee even further. Add to that sharp edges and you have a construction that looks very similar to clinker hull boats where the hull is made from overlapping panels.
Fliplid, Sat 25 Nov 2023 00:20
Taking it to the next level
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy69zDxSDvs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
simba, Sat 25 Nov 2023 00:32
jeez how good do those carbon channels look.....
Oink, Sun 26 Nov 2023 04:34
Thanks mate. Now I appreciate my confusion
Fastest board i owned had belly channels.
it didn't understand what a close out was
stunet, Wed 13 Aug 2025 04:52
Courtesy of Phil Myers. The history of channels and finless boards has been added to with this find: A finless kneeboard/paipo shaped by Mike Perry in 1969.
basesix, Fri 15 Aug 2025 22:24
crazy. any pics of the top?
(when's the book? there's this neato little publishing mob called Schiffer that are open to making surf books if they are really, really, really good ones. The owner is a straight shooter and the media publicity gal is an absolute peach)