A picture of Mark in trim and the words “surf Capitola, practice aloha” speak to all who pass honoring the life of this great man. Now a plaque graces the promenade only a few feet from where this pic was taken. CJ’s greatest supporter and teacher in his element at the beach in Capitola. I have to say that the years riding Robbie’s boards were some of the most educational of my life. I remember a few sessions with them and feeling outdated and slow but very inspired.Ī mutual Japanese friend who was Robbie’s distributor asked me if I’d mind making my own boards to be sold through his distribution channels in Japan. Robbie K, Alex Knost, and Cody Simpkins were leading a new pack of kids tail surfing their logs in a traditional fashion. I could see the overall focus that had predominately been on noseriding starting to change at that point. I was having lots of fun building the team and working on the art direction with my longtime friend J Acuna who was actually the first artist of the brand.Ĭrazy times with lots of new and radical boards, fins, art and music coming through. Fin was an idea I had while living with Al and J-rad and the first time in my life where I had a brand of my own with a friend. I began getting a few boards from Robbie Kegal and traveling to Japan with his crew.ĭuring this time I was also working heavily on the creation of Captain Fin Co with my friend Mitch Abshire.Ĭapt. I needed to get out of Santa Cruz to see what else was out there. I moved in with my long time brothers Alex Knost and Jerad Mell in Costa Mesa after I signed with RVCA. My friends started shaping and longboard surfing started to change. Little did he know how huge his drawing would become. He got his inspiration from the Scarecrow Skateboards logo mixed with a nautical twist. Not too many people get to learn the way I did.ĬJ’s original hand-drawn anchor that he did during the conception of Captain Fin Co. My situation was extremely rare and lucky. I remember him pulling my file towards the end of my relationship with Arrow, it was insane to see all those order forms. Rockers, templates, materials, and numbers. I probably went through 600 or so boards during our years working together. I sat in the shaping room with Bob as much as he’d let me. I ordered ten at a time every three months for years and watched them all get built.
Neo classic torch and quiver meaning how to#
I lived in that factory learning how to build boards from the ground up. If you didn’t get what he was saying then you weren’t listening. I immediately bonded with his shapes and his work ethic.īob is a numbers and facts guy so his communication is spot on. Working under him was a picture perfect situation to build my quiver of Surfboards. I’d say about 4 years later and after lots of contest victories, I was approached by SC shaping legend Bob Pearson. CJ applying some switch stance theories to his 10’0″ Pearson Arrow model from the pages of Longboard Magazine. It was 1997 and I was focused on logging. I was hooked on the glide that captured my imagination as a child.Īt this point, my father moved me to Santa Cruz so I could focus all of my energy on surfing and get me away from the city/ skate life that was distracting me from my goals as a surfer. I remember getting that board and basically riding nothing else. This was a defining moment in my life where I had left my lightweight longboard designs for a total recreation of a 60’s longboard. I asked longtime friend and mentor, Michael Junod, to build me a couple boards, one very special one in particular.Ī ten-foot pintail made with Volan cloth and 3-inch balsa stringer that we designed together. The distance between where my boards were being built and where I was living started to become a factor so Dad and I thought it would be a good time to find someone in Northern California to build my boards. Rich built me boards for a few years and actually built me my first noseride specific surfboard which changed my focus quite a bit. It was awesome to see the business side of surfboard building from a true master.
Neo classic torch and quiver meaning professional#
Rich was definitely more professional about his production than I had been used too but I liked it. Our family friend, Terry Simms, was riding his boards and ripping so I tried a couple and loved them. Isreal’s board brand was on the decline so Dad hooked me up with his longtime buddy Rich Harbor in Seal Beach.
Pacifica CA, not far from his family’s home in the SF mission district.
15-year-old CJ cutting back on one of his beloved Isreal Paskowitz single fins shaped by Daryl Butsko.
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