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| MANUFACTURE
MANUFACTURER: Ron Wade Surfboards, Mona Vale NSW SHAPER: Probably Ron Wade (see Correspondence, below) DESIGN: Greenough Flex Spoon DESIGNER: George Greenough |
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| SPECIFICATIONS
CONSTRUCTION Stringerless blank, Volan glassed with pigment laminate on bottom, black resin pinlines. DIMENSIONS
Nose: rounded Tail: rounded square Deck: flat with spooned rail Bottom: flat, with chine rail Rails: Rocker: |
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| NOTES
BOARD HISTORY Dimensions and photographs Sydney Surf Auction, Mona Vale Hotel, Sydney, 30 October 2005 Catalogue No. 73. Notes by Mick Mock ... RON WADE SPOON KNEEBOARD early 70's, 8/10 all original classic, very hard to find in this condition. Thanks to Mick Mock. Thanks to temporary surfresearch assistant for board holding. See below. CORRESPONDENCE Josh Dytor wrote in December, 2005... re : #320..."Possibly shaped by Ron Wade". I confirmed this with Ron as I had a suspicion Ted Spencer may have shaped the spoons. Ron told me he made nearly all the spoons. That board is
of the Velo type early spoons, Ron Romanosky made "Mellow Velos" with less
depth in the hull.
For more on spoons see www.flexspoon.com I've attached a few pictures of my 1967 Ron Wade Spoon. ... I really enjoy riding my spoon. Thanks to Josh for
his contribution.
DESIGN HISTORY Originally based on a spooned deck balsa wood kneeboard, the Greenough Flex Spoon (Velo 1) was molded off the bottom and then had foam block rails added. This construction method was not followed by other manufacturers - a full blank was shaped with a thin foam base that was removed after laminating the bottom. First used in Australia in 1965, George Greenough's performance had a huge impact on many Australian designers. The design was given
exposure in the surf media as was George Greenough's surfing and surf photography.
The design peaked
in popularity around 1970 with the release of George Greenough's The
Innermost Limits of Pure Fun - featuring some his surfing
on Spoon and inflatable mat (see #66)
but most famously included on-board footage of radical performance surfing
and serious tube rides.
Initially Peter Crawford
simply filled in the spooned deck to greatly increase floatation and expand
the wave range, but over a long life the Slab was apadpted with a range
of rail shapes and fin configerations, see #
58.
Greenough's extreme
design was attempted to be recreated in stand up boards, most infamously
by Nat Young at Gordon Woods Surfboards in 1965, see The
Nautilas.
In 1967 Midget Farrelly, Bob McTavish and other shapers in Sydney developed a short deep vee bottomed board that had strong elements of George Greenough's influence, see # 26. REFERENCES
Bob
McTavish : 'Bout a Spoonful
The
Australian Surfer's Journal
Film:
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