At 71 years of age, and with every board still handshaped, Tom Hoye has slowed down but still turns out awesome "shooters".
I spoke with him today and he reckons he is doing the best shapes of his life right now. In the classic Hoye way he said, "I can't put it into words, but I'm seeing them differently and they're just really neat."
I have seen his longboards surfed - never had a go in one - and the bloke (who had only surfed longboards for the last 25 years - including all the heavy reefs of the north and south west) reckoned they were the best longboards he had ever surfed.
The five stage vortex transfer vehicle bottom translates from a 5'10" twin fin to a longboard to a 12 foot gun.
Seriously. There is a 12' gun in the front of Tom's factory that a bloke stores there. I have seen pics of it in use at Margies when the board looks small.