I spent a night at the fabulous Pacific Hotel Yamba. Classic view of the surf and as I watched the waves a sole surfer paddled out. Knee boarder! Whatever. Late afternoon, sundown, I'd already had a surf, relax, another beer. Watched some more. This guy is having fun! Small crappy surf but he is getting wave after wave. Nothing too flash but glide, turn, drop, paddle out again. The old adage is the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun. He was the best surfer in Yamba that day. No question.

Shoulda chucked rocks at the cripple

In the 80s/90s there were a few kneeboarders here and there at most surf spots- but they must be almost extinct these days. Does anyone still shape them?

They were/are probably frowned upon by stand up surfers as they had an easier learning curve than stand up surfing.

Agreed that if he was having fun that is most important matter.

Clarence

Boogie boards killed them off, here in the states Boogie boards are still very popular.
Especially at places like the Wedge when it's going off.
Rigid kneeboards, haven't seen one of those in decades, not in the water anyway.

Could he have been on a Boogie board? Those do get ridden that way also.

Forum member Smicko is a knee-boarder. I think Dave Smith from Katana shapes his boards for him...

I occasionally see an older guy out at North Mullaloo (WA) in Winter... and now that I think about it I saw one at Lancelin last weekend...

Still some around in Cronulla
Occasionally see one at Cronulla Point or at Shoes
Have one made by Jacko in the 80's on the wall in a bedroom
Grand-kids all mystified as to how it 'worked'
Mmmm - the old days -

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theDoctor said..

Shoulda chucked rocks at the cripple

One of the best surfers down here is a kneeboarder who is out in the biggest swells. He charges, snaps hard and gets some monster barrels.

Theres another in Margs who is a barre master extraordinaire. 12 foot ledges? Pfft. Nothing to him.

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theDoctor said..

Shoulda chucked rocks at the cripple

As John Lennon might have said. "one thing you can't hide, is a cripple inside"

My pop was a kneeboarder so I have given it a try in my lifetime and it is solid fun! especially if you have very agile board. I can standup also and know the difference. On a stand up you carve pretty tight and get on top of the wave easily but on a kneeboard it just gives you that closeness to the wave that surfboards don't give you. There is an extra dimension of "flow" to kneeboarding where you pick up a lot of speed and cruise through sections easily but with a bit more "grace" than standup riders. The one thing I don't like about it though is the wipe out because you can't bail like you can on a surfboard so what I do now is go out on a bodyboard and split half the session kneeboarding/bodyboarding on a bodyboard.





Charger!:



Also: watch this movie i put on youtube:

More from the way-back machine.
A guy that I got to know when he used to windsurf in my neighborhood, north of Santa Barbara.

Still a few around..

This clip is pretty recent. Some bloody good surfing in it.

Id say I've seen more Knee boarders lately then previously for sure..Buggers catch waves super early

Lets just hope we don't see a return of Goat Boaters

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jbshack said..
Id say I've seen more Knee boarders lately then previously for sure..Buggers catch waves super early

Lets just hope we don't see a return of Goat Boaters

Some say if there's a session with body-surfers, surfers, boogie boarders, knee-boarders, goat boats, sups, windsurfers and kiteboarders the apocalypse will ensue. Or something.

I'd like to see it.

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evlPanda said..

jbshack said..
Id say I've seen more Knee boarders lately then previously for sure..Buggers catch waves super early

Lets just hope we don't see a return of Goat Boaters

Some say if there's a session with body-surfers, surfers, boogie boarders, knee-boarders, goat boats, sups, windsurfers and kiteboarders the apocalypse will ensue. Or something.

I'd like to see it.

I know i joked, but honestly i don't see a issue with anything in the surf as long as the operator has skills not to kill me

Neil Luke still shaping and ripping !

George greenough moved to Qld in the seventys , still there I think .

The art of surfing Dropknee on the ever versatile Bodyboard has killed kneeboarding and in my opinion, rightly so!

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SandS said..
Neil Luke still shaping and ripping !

George greenough moved to Qld in the seventys , still there I think .

That's correct, however he commuted between Qld. and the central coast of California pretty much all thru the 80's, that's when I got to know him. He made many friends here using his spoon w/the aluminum fin, homemade sails, homemade carbon booms, and unique harness with that extended hook that would hook between the nubs of a MBX tire glued to the inside of his boom arms.
Crazy times with some crazy equipment, but it worked.
George sailing off Pismo Beach, where I lived at the time~

We've got four kneelo's at my local, all older gents who have been at it all their surfing life and still kill it on the the bigger days. Whatever gets you out there.

Whizzy dizzys and $hit are fine but this is what a kneelo is for.


And comparing dropkneeing to a kneelo is like comparin an alaia to a high performance surfboard, there's just no comparison. No drive and flow, just slipping and sliding.

all this kneelo vision is making me keen to dust the ole Niel Luke kneeboard off and get back out there after 15 years of it being a shed ornament since taking up kiting.I surfed with Simon Farrer back in the 80s in the schoolboy titles in wa.

Here's a bit more of Sparra, it illustrates the speed and flow of his surfing, always in the most critical section of the wave and rarely does his tail slide, it's all high speed rail work and positioning. Flow.
There's not many crew that read a wave as well.

And again, here's Simon with Bert and Chayne in Vicco. Flow and positioning vs tail slides. He goes alright for an old fella.


There's an active movement at present to raise the profile of kneeboarding by one crew that regularly surf and film together and they're taking the slash and air route to do it. Personally I reckon flow and positioning is much better to watch. But in saying that I'd rather watch Mick and Parko lay rail than watch JJ and Medina's air show.

For me, the thing I love about kneeboarding is the low centre of gravity and that feeling like being on rails when you come flying out of a pit and get that perfect hook in the pocket.
Speed and flow.
It's addictive.

Interesting vids there, some nice waves too! As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life! Think I'll stick to my whizzy dizzy for now tho