Aloha! Welcome to the 19th episode of The Temple of Surf Podcast.
Today with us surfboards collector @Davesvintagesurfboards from Miami, Florida.
https://www.instagram.com/davesvintagesurfboards/
Let'd discover more about him , his passion for Greg Noll and Bing , surfboards and much more!
You can find the episode in all major podcast platforms or read it below, please forgive us if you can spot some mistakes as we are using a software to transcribe it.
TTOS: Hi Dave and welcome to the show, where are you today?
Today I am in Deerfield beach, Florida
TTOS: How things are going over there in this time of coronavirus?
Things are going somewhat better than they were a month ago. The beaches are starting to open up restaurants, but still a lot of people are freaked out….I would say everything is getting quite back to how it used to be slowly.
TTOS: Today we are going to talk about surfboards, surf and of course, about your incredible surfboard collection.
First question that we have for you is what, in your opinion, is the most important thing in surfing?
In my opinion, the most important thing of surfing is pure fun of it….. Just having fun.
TTOS: What was the first surfboard that you ever bought?
The first surfboard I ever bought was a $50 surf board, I found at a garage sale.
It was actually an old, single fin from the seventies. It was a “Nomad” surfboard from South Florida.
TTOS: do you still have that surfboard?
Yep. I still have it and I think I'll keep it forever.
TTOS: it is amazing that you still have that surfboard, doesn’t happen often to keep it…
Yeah. No, so far the only one that answered that is still as is his first surfboard. So as I collect or most of us, you know, like kind of,
Yeah. I think I will keep it forever. It has a super special place in my heart just cause when I look at it, it reminds me of just the start of everything. It really means a lot to me.
TTOS: When did you start realizing that you became a surfboard collector?
I guess I realized It when I really started to just acquire a lot of vintage surfboards because they really caught my attention. When I had about five of them, I started really collecting them. That was four or five years ago.
TTOS: Tell us about, more about your collection. How many surfboards do you have and what is the most representative board of the whole collection or the one that you are very attached to?
I'm only 24 years old and every Wednesday night my friend Craig would host a surfboard repair night and we would start repairing surfboards.
He's the one who had a bunch of old sixties boards from the sixties, cause he's actually in his mid-sixties.
He grew up surfing those boards and then he's the one who actually got me into collecting old boards. He really loved Greg Noll and he taught me a lot about him and Bing Copeland…. he shared a lot of stories with me about all the old timers in the sixties.
https://bingsurf.com/pages/bing-history
That's why I really love all the boards and all the guys from the sixties.
Today I have about 40/45 boards and I truly love the sixties, big boards, pigs, like my Greg Noll’s and my Bing’s
TTOS: Is there a particular board that you feel like is the most representative of your collection or one particular board that you really, really are attached to?
Yes. It would be a 1960s early Greg Noll pig.
It has a blue chopstick fin and just that classic feel.
It was actually the first board from the sixties that I got and I actually ride it sometimes.
In effect, it's the only sixties board I really ride……that's the most special board for me.
TTOS: Those boards are very heavy, right?
Yeah, really heavy, this one is about 35 pounds and 10 foot, two inches. I only ride it on really small days
TTOS: Have you ever sold one of the boards of your collection or you always like keep accumulating surfboards and you will never separate from them?
There was a time where I wasn't selling any of them.
I was pretty much just holding them, but over the last year, year and a half, I've been trading and buying mostly selling and trading.
My collection's kind of been going down just because of just sharing the stoke and passing them on.
I don't feel the need to have too many, so I'm going to continue selling them to people who are interested in them just to pass on the stoke.
TTOS: have you ever regretted to have sold a surfboard to somebody?
I don't think I've ever regretted selling a board. Maybe I got sad for a few days and then pass it on. Just happy to say, like I just sold, I just sold my black Greg Noll, Micky Dora DaCat last week.
I guess I kind of regretted it for a day or two and then I just, I got over it cause yeah, I was happy and now I'm happy that it's gone in a new home.
TTOS: I thought that for the collectors will consider that a crime, but still, if it makes you happy is okay. In your opinion, what is the most important thing in collecting surfboards?
I think just to really appreciate the history of every board that you have and just to really appreciate how they used to surf… each board, just to really vision the feel of it.
And also if he could surf every vintage board that you have, if it's a water tight, I think that's really important in collecting just so you know, how, how they all, all used to ride and feel under your feet
TTOS: looking back, have you ever imagined to become surfboard collector?
Looking back? No. When I first started surfing, I really didn't imagine that I would really get into the old surfboards just because it was really new to me and I actually I never really thought but when I saw the beauty of them and how awesome they were, I just couldn't get enough.
TTOS: Let's talk about you as a surfer. What is your favorite board to use today?
I was riding a nine foot six Bing California square tail for about three years.
That's the board I have mostly learned how to longboard on.
I guess that is my favorite goto board as of now, just because it taught me so much, a lot of new things that I didn't really know how to do on any other longboard.
TTOS: I assume that you are a very big fan of Bing, right?
Yeah, they are amazing shapers…
TTOS: We're going to finish our interview of today with a short Q/A session, please answer the first thing that comes up to your mind….
The best surfboard that you ever ridden
Probably a nine foot/ two Donald Takayama Bing model from the late sixties, I rode that board at Swami’s beach in Encinitas, California. That was probably the most fun session I've ever had and favorite board.
TTOS: The best shaper of all time..
Best shaper of all time would definitely be Greg Noll
TTOS: In your opinion, the most promising shaper today, a young talent….
My favorite shaper today is Ryan Burch. I think he has a lot to offer to the young surfers growing up.
He inspires them just the way he surfs on the boards. He makes great longboards twin fins, but pretty much all his stuff is really awesome.
TTOS: Your favorite surf spot?
My favorite surf spot is definitely Swami’s beach in Encinitas, California, as well as Old Man at Saint Onofre, California in North San Diego County, both really good waves and swell pretty much all the year around
TTOS: The best surfer of all time.
I would say, in my opinion, Joel Tudor, just because of how smooth he is.
He could surf pretty much anything on any board.
I've actually seen him serve probably the most out of any professional surfer and it's just really awesome to watch.
TTOS: And the last question is a little bit unusual and has nothing to do with surf….. we want to know your best relationship advice.
To always be happy, just always stay humble, stay happy and just always stay positive. Cause you never know what the next chapter holds for you…
Recorded in June 2020
