This is the 9'6" and it has a 8' little brother coming too. Tom was bemoaning how he didn't know how it happened but he has become a slow 73 year old. I'm pretty happy that when I heard it was taking a year to get a board that I rushed in and ordered two. I know he doesn't get much kudos over East having disappeared into Margie's back in 72 or 73, but he brought the first twin fin into Australia and shaped with some big names back in the day and was an early pioneer for many of the iconic breaks over here.

So these will will be Tom Hoye Da Claw classics in a few years.

Its a shame I can't show how remarkably complex the bottom curves are as it warps from single to flat to double through vee, except a lot of those are curves and not straight. The vee for example is sort of diamond shaped.

Oh and there are chines.

And Da Claw.

Looks sick bro...can't wait to see them finished

Great stuff mate - that is history you can own in it's own right

Sounds like a great bit of history behind the boards,your correct I've never heard of him,I guess they are guns not longboards?

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Macaha said..
Sounds like a great bit of history behind the boards,your correct I've never heard of him,I guess they are guns not longboards?

Yeah semi-guns. I don't surf big enough waves for them to be true rhino chasers. Tom described the 9'6" as suitable for Waimea if I was that way inclined, but it would be the "hot dog" board out there. Initially it had a much thicker nose with a great flat spot to pick up anything (he got excited adn side-tracked) but after talking to me again, he then mowed that out and rockered up the board to aid turning. The boards are for 5-8, and 8-10.

Tom was Californian champion in the late sixties and spent several years in Hawaii where he was invited to the Duke back in the day. He has a photo of Ken Bradshaw dropping in on him at 25' 'bay in the office of his factory.

Google Tom Hoye twin fin and you'll find a nice little article on him in downsouthsurfing. It won't let me copy and paste the url for some reason.

Nice looking boards Drip. Keep the pics coming.

Beautiful boards drip. You must be absolutely stoked on those two beauties.

Looking forward to seeing the finished claw!!!

Nice boards Drip
Tom Hoye for ya mate. surfingdownsouth.com.au/2016/08/10/origin-of-twin-fin-surfboards-in-oz-by-tom-hoye/

Beautiful looking boards, I bought a 6'4" of him in 86 it was a sweet ride snapped it at Lefties of all places, 73 hey time flies great to hear he is still going.

Looks like a great shape Drip, whats th rest of the dims

I am eagerly watching this for developments good work drip.
it would be epic to meet the fella let alone get a proper board.
can you run an interview with him?? I'm not talking like some **** on TV like maybe give him a piece of paper and say hey man can you give me a quick story or something.
he would have more than a tale or two to tell.
you would be the purveyor of historical information and we would all thank you.
alternatively I will just face the front and drink my beer and await the next update

What he said

And super nice sleds mr drip

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chrispy said..
What he said

And super nice sleds mr drip

Well said.

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thedrip said..

Macaha said..
Sounds like a great bit of history behind the boards,your correct I've never heard of him,I guess they are guns not longboards?

Yeah semi-guns. I don't surf big enough waves for them to be true rhino chasers. Tom described the 9'6" as suitable for Waimea if I was that way inclined, but it would be the "hot dog" board out there. Initially it had a much thicker nose with a great flat spot to pick up anything (he got excited adn side-tracked) but after talking to me again, he then mowed that out and rockered up the board to aid turning. The boards are for 5-8, and 8-10.

Tom was Californian champion in the late sixties and spent several years in Hawaii where he was invited to the Duke back in the day. He has a photo of Ken Bradshaw dropping in on him at 25' 'bay in the office of his factory.

Google Tom Hoye twin fin and you'll find a nice little article on him in downsouthsurfing. It won't let me copy and paste the url for some reason.

Drip please stop challenging the east coaster manhood in a public forum mate..

Makes getting the Skis out on the goldy when it gets to head high seem pretty soft..


Great boards... Keep the updates coming.

any update images?

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MickPC said..
Looks like a great shape Drip, whats th rest of the dims

Thanks for all the positive comments.

I'm not sure of the dimensions exactly and they will be on the bottom when I get them. I asked for the 9'6" to be as thick as he could get off the blank. The last time he waved the calipers over I think it was coming in at 3 3/4. The 8' board is 3 1/14.

So: 9'6" x 13N x 21 1/2 x 13T x 3 3/4, and 8' x 12 3/4N x 21 1/2 x 13 1/4 T x 3 1/4. I may have the tail widths 1/4" too narrow.

The swallow tails are a four inch block on the 8' and two inch block on the 9'6".

Mac, i got sent some pics today with glass on. He will be foiling the fins today and expects pick up to be in two weeks. I will post the pics tonight.

He is a funny man. The text he sent regarding the glass and decals read: "I know I said you didn't want red. I decided red was what you wanted."

More Tom. This is like being in the room with him. Just insert thick Californian accent.

surfingdownsouth.com.au/2017/03/22/1983-cowaramup-bay-shark-story-by-tom-hoye/

And aome pics with glass. The decal on the nose will become a "cosmic squiggle". Tom swears these make boards go better in the barrel as the squiggle winds its way out of the tube.

They're coming up a treat drip!

Really impressed with the nose and tail sizes now you are talking serious waves.........if you are game :-)

They look so good Drip.

I got some more pics yesterday.

Tom said he had scraped back the overlaps , felt good about the glass, the fins are foiled and waiting for him to get into place tomorrow . He asked if the last time I put them under my arm I felt that i could deal with the volume. I said, no worries. According to Tom these are momentum monsters , and should be easy to surf. He really likes both of them. He reckons my friends will be like WTF.

The tails are in line in the wall photos, find the 9"6.

They look awesome Drip.

You will be able to push into / down the face against offshore breeze with those, plenty of lift in the nose for the square bottom when you're late.....smoking.

Love the look of the 8'0 you'll be frothing to get them wet 3 3/4 thick on the 9'6 hope you can set the rail off the bottom on that in big waves or it won't be pretty

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Ricardo1709 said..
Love the look of the 8'0 you'll be frothing to get them wet 3 3/4 thick on the 9'6 hope you can set the rail off the bottom on that in big waves or it won't be pretty

I think it'll be fine. Some people bag Tom's short boards because he does unusual things with the rails and bottom that mean they hack like a champion but don't really snap out of the lip. No one bags his guns though. Hacking hard would suggest setting a rail and holding it isn't a problem. I have had seven boards off him up to 7'2" with his recommended bottom so I have a fair bit of experience with him.

The 9'6" has a fair old chunk of vee through it (I think it was two inches) and then there are chines running the full length of the rail line to help the transition to rail. He also puts a sort of flat spot on the rail so the rail isn't a continuous curve, but a three face thing. Yep. Weird. Works though.