Lost In The Ether For Another Year

Dreamboard By Andrew Kidman

"The early development of the shortboard was actually hampered by a few things. I didn't ride stand-up boards  at all, so I didn't know what they were feeling. I could watch them and make suggestions and shape boards, but it was hard for me to get into the fine-tuning aspects of their boards. And that's what good design is. Just about anything will work if the handling is tuned in, but stuff like the fin set up is hard if you're just making a stab at it. You have to ride the same kind of board for years before you can understand all the nuances, and the shortboard thing was moving too fast for that to happen."

George Greenough

"It was one of those boards that you ride and you cannot work out for the life of you, and then you'll just get a wave and it'll be so unbelievable. Then it'll take 2 or three more waves to find that line again and it'll be unbelievable."

Garth Dickenson

Annual Report for 2015

First and foremost, our thanks for being here and looking at this currently so unfashionable 'blog' business. It's been a somewhat hectic year, even by the stupidly hectic standards of life today, and thus there were moments where it all took more time than it should have. This blog is still standing though, and will continue to do so and will be far more of a priority this coming year. There's going to be boards from Neal Purchase Jnr. and Andrew Kidman flowing soon (we hope) as well as the Mackies and Parmenters and a bit of a resurgence of the Hydrodynamica boards, and that may well just be a start. The obsession with surfboard design gets stronger as we focus in on what seems to work, and that too will be something that we will be trying to focus on over the coming months, and Kidman's 'Lost In The Ether' book/film is providing a bit of a jumping off point. It's the best film about the dark arts of surfboard design made we believe, and it opens some interesting lines of thought and discussion that seem to want to be followed. So, as a new year stumbles into gear, here we go again......

Swallow Tail Widowmaker by Andrew Kidman

Yes. Just simply, yes. There's one of these going to be coming up from Andrew as we will hopefully be getting some of his boards in the boxes coming from Purcho. If you're interested in something from either of them, let us know.....

Board Of The Week- 6'3" Mackie Stubb

Hard core s-deck Stubbie hull action here from Mick Mackie, and rarer than the proverbial Hen's Teeth given he pretty much just builds sidecut fish now. 6'3" x 21" x 2 3/4" with all the old school tricks- s-deck, rails pinched down nice and bladey with the foam under the chest and a custom hand foiled flex fin you could slice your camembert with. Not an entry level board at all, but it's going to be a rocket on a nice point wave. Price is at the original exchange rate level too, so a steal at $775. Email info @ foamandfunction.com for details.

Derek Hynd, Motorcycles, Dirt Quake and Surfing....

Dirt Quake IV from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.

"Bikes were ridden faster, boards the same. It's almost impossible to let kids know how important motorbikes were back then all over Australia- just rockets to death, but what a way to go. It was just huge."

Derek Hynd, master of speed and sliding turns, talking to Andrew Kidman in The Surfer's Journal Vol. 11 #1. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to make my annual U.K. visit and combine some surfboard delivery and action with a trip to Norfolk to experience the complete Experience that is Dirt Quake. Speed and sliding galore, Derek would have loved it. Here's a few of the craft involved, most of them as hand made and eclectic as any board you'll see here.

The Purchos are coming....

Right now, these boards and a few others are bobbing around on the briny deep, all cosy in bubble wrap onesies and a nice box, somewhere between Sydney and LA (with a stop in Korea thanks to the byzantine complexities of sea freight). They'll be here in the first week of the new year and will hopefully provide a lot of stoke in the post-Xmas doldrums. We've got this process fairly well figured out and we're ready to go on a new batch. If you're interested in one of Neal Purchase's really awesome surfboards, drop us a line at info @ foamandfunction.com and we'll give you the details.

Spirit Of Akasha Deluxe

Heath Joske (photo Trefz)

Matty Yeates & self shaped quiver

Sam Yoon & self built hot tub

The above images are all from Andrew Kidman's 'Spirit Of Akasha' film which is a seriously excellent piece of work, a riff on where all that Alby Falzon documented in his seminal 'Morning Of The Earth' has gone or is going. In true Kidman fashion, he's  gone the extra distance to present his vision as entirely as possible, and there's a beautiful deluxe edition of the film soundtrack that includes not only music on CD and vinyl (with music by The Windy Hills, Tom & Leanne Curren, Bonnie 'Prince' Billie, Grouplove, Dirty Three, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Atoms For Peace and more) but also a 'Morning Of The Earth REDUX' DVD, a bonus 7" a shirt, a film poster and an amazing 120 page hardbound book from where these images were grabbed, all in a printed box. The book features not only photos and stills from the film, but musings on design from Dave Parmenter and Terry Fitzgerald, stories of Curren's footwear, Sam Yoon & Alan Byrne and of course Alby Falzon explaining 'why'. It's quality beyond the expected levels and mirrors the quiet but intense  passion the participants in the film show. It's an attempt to make something lasting and function and beautiful, and it works. There's a matching 'Morning Of The Earth' set featuring the film's original soundtrack and the 'MOTE- Reimagined' album which features the original tracks covered by many of the same artists featured on 'Akasha', both on vinyl and CD as well as an exclusive 7", a MOTE shirt and the film poster as well as a 120 page book with original images from the film. Beautiful stuff and heinously limited but we have a single copy of each box available at $130 each. Email info @ foamandfunction.com for details. 

Golden Mean Machine

This one, dear readers, is mine. I've coveted this shape since I first saw RK's one some time ago and after much delay I have it and I couldn't be happier. The deal is, Daniel Thomson is a really decent guy- he has this fantastic setup with Firewire to produce his boards but he also made provisions to do a limited number of the CyberSim and GMM shapes for Hydrodynamica through XTR. This one is a 6'2", a boat by Daniel's standards where 5'2" is more the norm, but I wanted that rail length and planing area while still have something that's about 'normal' shortboard length. After 1 surf in small and mediocre conditions (which is the majority of what we have to surf in LA) it was obviously the right call, but I can see why Daniel likes to make 'em small- a 5'6" would be quite functional and I think a 5'2" would be fun, but at 6'2"- this thing is a monster. It paddles beautifully, gets into waves easily and just flies- get it on the face and it's away- comes off the mark like a sports car and feels incredibly responsive but solid on the wave, not a hint of the twitchy HP board feel. It'll see some water time for sure, and I would unhesitatingly recommend it as the sort of board you'll use in 'normal' conditions. Let me get into a bigger/better wave and I'll report back, but I have a feeling it will be equally at home there. XTR has all the info here, and the newer version in stringerless epoxy sporting the Evo style channels looks like a winner. 

Board Of The Week- 6'6" Mackie Sidecut

Photo: Guy Turk

Glide X Mackie Designs At The Heavens from Glide Surf Co on Vimeo.

Sort of boards of the week here as Mick Mackie has just paid the golden shores of the USA a visit, and left a trail of boards and serious happy surfers behind.  Mick is pretty much focusing on shaping his sidecut fish now because they're incredible boards basically, and he's found a nice niche and rhythm with them (This means the two single fin hull-esque boards I have here are the proverbial hen's teeth now, but more on them at a later date).  Mick is basically the reason we branched from surfing books into surfing boards- after trying his sidecut at the recommendation of Andrew Kidman, it was all on. The boards are an incredible ride: fast, flowing, responsive and super functional. Hooked is too mild a term, it was simply a case of wanting to help Mick get these amazing craft from his central NSW hideaway into the hands of the worldwide surfing public who had no idea what they were missing out on. Currently, we have 2 in stock- the pictured 6'6" x 22" x 3" EPS 5 box  and a matching 6' version. Although that may seem like a lot of foam, Mick is a master at distributing it where it needs to be and the board feels great under the arm and beyond great in the water. The boards we have are $850 without fins, although we can definitely organise a set of hand crafted quad fins from Nine Lights at a very good price if required. Meanwhile, east coasters should go and check out Glide Surf Co. in New Jersey where Mick shaped a batch of boards including some flex tails, and if our sizes don't work for you Mick did a few for Ryan Lovelace's Trim Surfshop in Santa Barbara in both EPS and Poly construction, sizes 6'4" to 7' if I remember correctly. To enquire about the boards here (or anything else we have) the email is as always info @ foamandfunction.com.

Litmus/Glass Love/Psychic Migrations

It's been a flurry of nice Kidman related high quality soundtrack releases and here's the latest- 'Litmus' and 'Glass Love' are finally available, as CDs, LPs and in a lovely box set package from Anthology Records. The genre redefining films are available from us here at Foam and Function as are the soundtracks (on vinyl  CD) of Andrew's latest cinematic extravaganza 'Spirit Of Akasha' and it's inspiration, the classic 'Morning Of The Earth'. Seriously good stuff. Meanwhile, freshly minted and quite epic is Ryan Thomas' 'Psychic Migrations' opus which is now available via iTunes & Amazon. Having this and 'Akasha' released within mere months is a pleasure....

Kidman Surfboards!

Those above are surfboards made by hand in Andrew Kidman's shed in Australia- a Splice, a Tigertoe and a classic fish. Andrew makes very clean very functional surfboards, but he doesn't make a lot and  he's not particularly keen on marketing himself, so they have been far from available. Until now, at least sort of. We've got a good functional and affordable way to get boards up to the U.S. and Andrew   is ready to shape a few for interested parties. This might be a limited time offer so if you're interested please let us know. As always, email info@foamandfunction.com. Very stoked this is happening.....

Board Of The Week- 5' 7" Simster

This here is a sparkling new Simster that I've not been trying very hard to sell, but I have one of my own and this needs to go. Back in the heady early days of the Simmons discoveries, the initial excitement over the performance of the (now) classic mini Sim immediately sparked a need to see what the design could be moulded to, and this was an astonishingly good variant. Still wide enough for planing action at 21", but with the tail stepped down courtesy of the wing to a more turning friendly width, but still within Lindsay Lord's proscribed sizing for clean water release. The twin keels are augmented by a trailing fin the result isn't so much a shortboard style Simmons as a whole new bag. These boards are fast and have that feeling of lightness and flight that a mini Sim gives, but with whole new turning radius action- they can be thrown around like the most high performance of shortboards then accelerate out of the business like a true Simmons. Immediately a favourite with the young Windansea crew, they've always seemed to me the important link from Simmons to Tomo, but I take this stuff way to seriously. EPS construction of course, Hank Warner shaped and a complete bargain at $800. Email info @ foamandfunction.com for more details.....

Neal Purchase Jnr

The first batch of Neal's boards is done an en route to Californian shores, and we're getting the next shipment together. If you're interested in a board, let us know and we'll give you pricing and details- info@foamandfunction.com is the email address to use. Duos and Quartets and Sweet Peas definitely, but don't forget Neal does a really good single and he's a true master with the 2+1 widow maker set up....

A Day At The Beach Sideburn style....

Brilliant, and here's a day in the snow Simmons style courtesy of the good folks at December Snowskates....

20/20 3D Powder Hull — YES. Snowboards from Boardworld on Vimeo.

Board Of The Week- 6'7" Aleutian Juice MPegg

Finally getting the available surfboards for sale organised, cataloged and listed. Here's the first and it's a beauty of a Parmenter. 6'7" x 21" x 2.65" MPegg single fin, pale avocado tint and comes with a Parmenter templated raked single fin. This disc is no straight retro replica though, it's definitely got the genes of the boards MP rode at Kirra, but built with the knowledge from decades of refinement in board design to help  trim the experimental weirdness and keep the elements that fundamentally work. Wide point forward with straighter rails for projection and drive in everything from thigh high mush to a hollow screamer, and those rails are low, soft and rolled so they avoid the twitchiness hull rails are prone to but the thickness is foiled so they don't feel fat and slow. The bottom shifts from a convex hull-y nose to a flat v-panel in the tail so the board planes beautifully and is still responsive. It's a lot of subtlety and design history in a very clean package, and it's an extremely fun board. This one is $850 with the fin, or we can do a custom to what specs you feel will work for you. Email info @ foamandfunction for more details or with any questions.

Spirit Of Akasha & Morning Of The Earth Limited Boxsets

This is pretty cool- in the merch stack for the Spirit Of Akasha tour that arrived (late) from Australia, there were the last 2 limited box sets for the films. Both are sealed and and fabulously deluxe- the Akasha box contains the double soundtrack CD, the MOTE redux vinyl, the double Akasha vinyl, a 7" single with bonus tracks, a fantastic 120 pg photo book, a t-shirt and a poster! The MOTE box meanwhile features the original film soundtrack (which holds up seriously well) as well as the  MOTE Reimagined version, both on CD and vinyl, a 7" single, a 120pg book with Alby's original images from the film as well as a shirt and a poster. Well cool, and as far as we know the last two available. Price is $130 each, email info @ foamandfunction.com for details.

Psychic Migrations

This is premiering tonight in Newport Beach and will be henceforth out in the world and so worth the effort to see. RT is a scholar and a gentleman as well as a bloody good filmmaker, Burch is a complete goof and Ozzy Wright a madman, but all 3 are epic surfers. Definitely better than me, probably better than you. Check this out.

Akasha Travels

Since we're just making the tour mech available (it arrived more or less at the end of the West Coast sojourn- thanks Fed Ex) here's shots from the central California portion of the tour. Thanks again to D. Parmenter & P. Trefz for their hospitality and to all those who came out to see the film. As mentioned, soundtrack vinyl and CDs are available, email us at info @  foamandfunction.com and we'll sort you out.....