David Franks built this one for the Fry

David Franks is a local Gold Coaster who works in the movie industry , but uses his ample skills to build some pretty nice wooden boards. This is one of two he built for the fish fry.

Nice to see guys putting in the extra effort. Thanks David.

Ian Zamora also send his best .

Ian came to the Fish Fry for the first time last year and brought with him what I believe to be the first Mini Simmons to Australia. He then left it with Evan down at Byron. He is a great shaper and very talented glasser as well. He is sorry not to be able to make it down again but things are tight in the States and we all understand what that is like. Thanks to Jim from Lok Box for bringing Ian down last year and thanks to you both for your support.

Best of luck from our mates in the States.

Sean and his mate Mike Hynson checking the finer points of one of Mikes quads.
Just got an email from Sean Mattison from San Diego to say hi and wish us all the best with this weekends Fish Fry. Sean and Scott Bass are the two guys that got me started with the whole Fish Fry thing after checking out their 4th one at Oceanside Beach 3 years ago. As you can see Sean is a hell of a surfer and a fish nut to boot.These are some shots by Michael Delanzo of Sean cutting loose on one of Mike Hynson's Black Knight Quads. A big thanks must go to Sean and Scott for their support with holding the Fish Fry concept down here on the Gold Coast. They have both been down here in the past which was great and have helped spread the word back home. Scott has taken things more than one step further with organising the Sacred Craft event . A great concept and another way of showcasing the craft of board shaping and building. www.surfboardshow.com   May 16 & 17 2009 Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Something different ?

Here are a few different boards from Orange County California. Album Surfboards.

Ronnie Goddard from Coffs Harbour

Ronnie Goddard from Coffs Harbour sent me this pic of one of the boards he is bringing to the Fish Fry. He has been shaping since 1971 and now mostly shapes fishes and longboards. But fishes are his passion. He is a one man band who hand shapes and glasses every board .

One week to go...

Well we are one week away from Fish Fry 3 and there seems to be a fair bit of interest in this years event , which is great given that the surf industry is having a tough time of it. And it shows that the guys that are in for the long haul and still have the passion are prepared to tough it out and still inspired to turn up with examples of their skills and craft. Such guys as Paolo Bianchinotti from Sydney who sent me these shots of an interesting little 5ft 7" reverse rocker hyperbolic fish he is bringing. Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh. I know of a number of guys that are making something special for the Fish Fry. I would like to thank them for their support as this what the Fish Fry is all about. The guys that shape these great little and and some not so little craft. There will also be a number of wooden fishes coming on the day , and this is no surprise as there seems to be alot of interest in wooden boards. 

All glossed and polished for the trip across the ditch

Roger Hall from Surfline Surfboards in New Zealand has been a great supporter of the fish fry and here is a board he has made especially for this years get together. He sees it as a great opportunity to experiment and pull together some of his ideas and thoughts into one board rather than just small progressive tweeks to his regular line up. And hopefully this is what the fish fry is about. A source of inspiration for experimentation to try new things or combinations of old ideas and see where they lead. With 9 stingers and some complex curves it also showcases Roger's talent and craftsmanship as a handshaper. Great to see . So come along to the fish fry with an open mind and share the talent on display and talk to the talented buggers who will be there.

Meet the shapers the night before the Fish Fry.

Saturday night before the Fish Fry come on down to Coolangatta to Sean Scott's Slide Cafe and have a few quite beers and meet some of the shapers. Local musician Kym Campbell will be playing live. Also check out Sean's great photography of all things to do with the surf and the sea. Make yourself known and I look forward to catching up before the Fry.

There's been a bit of swell at The Alley lately

Rogers board for the Fry is is taking shape

9 stringers , flyers , swallow tail and an array of concaves but fins ? There is enough going on on the underside maybe there won't be fins.

There's heritage in these tails...

What the fish fry is all about...

Evolution and creativity lead to interesting concepts that need to be shared. That is what the Fish Fry is about. These two boards come from the same blood lines some 40 years apart . It's great to see people pushing the boundries and trying new things with a twist. 

Local Gold Coast board collector Carl Tanner shared one of his interesting boards with us last year. A Bear Mirandon Twin Pin. A very interesting board to say the least. I sent the pic off to find out a little more about it and here is the reply ...

My name is Croyde Mirandon and I am one of Nicholas' sons. This is a Surfboards La Jolla twinpin from my father and his brother Barry's company. That was shaped anytime between 65'-69' I suppose. My father created the twinpin / twinfin concept and Bear and him refined it together along with the bottom curve and nose template...long story. I am currently working on a book on them I have to put the real story out there...it is a good one! There was an article on them a couple of issues back in the surfers journal that shows some other boards and tells a little bit of the story and their is a new web site that is in the works but you can check it out www.surfboardslajolla.com. I am not sure when it will be done...
I can tell you that my father and Bear have been busy shaping these days and are doing Balsa twinpins, a bit of Redwood and doing some replica and more modern twinpin boards as well. I have been surfing these and loving it...
My father, my brother Eli and I have also been working on a new board concept for some years that is based on a design that my uncle did in the 70's. The porpoise board. The new boards are under our line called Mirandon Surfboards and can be seen on www.mirandonsurfboards.com. The boards are like nothing else and perform amazingly...it is a feeling in surfing for me. Eli has a video teaser on the site so that you can see an couple of turns on one if the boards. Also Eli is shaping the Mirandon fish his design for a fish and  they are going great as well...
Would you happen to have a contact for the gentlemen that owns the surfboard in the photos? i would like to maybe interview him for the book...thanks for any info...
have a look at those sites and thanks you for the e-mail!
regards
Croyde
also my father can be reached at 858 204 7005 and Eli can be reached at 858 945-8733

When you look at the Mirandon pin twin and the Bob Simmons hull shaped way back , you can be inspired to do many things. So bring your new ideas and if you have some classics like Carl share them as well. That's what the Fish Fry is all about . Fishes.

More of Sams boards

A great collection of ideas and shapes coming to fruition in the garden shed literally. Good on you Sam for keeping the spirit of the fish alive and kicking. Aloha mate.

Sam Yoon cranking out the fishes for his friends

Sam Yoon is a local Gold Coaster with a love of fishes and builds some beautiful boards in the shed out in the back yard at Tugan. Flying Soul is his label and he loves a long speedy fish. Peter Mo has done some great resin work with him to finish them off.

Son of Sea Creature a test for the sander

Roger is at the glassing stage with the board he is building for the Fish Fry. Sure is going to test the boys out with all these complex shapes. Mate she is looking good and can't wait to see the final result.

FAQ glassed to go for Brad

5ft 6" x 22" x 2 1/2" FAQ Fat Arse Quad

Here is a board I am building for Brad in Sydney and hope to have at the Fish Fry . Thanks to Dan for letting me use his shaping bay. Single into double and concave deck.