Tinker had Dale in Rockaway, NY for a demo. Dales teeth were in terrible shape and he had a throbbing toothache. Dale gets Tinkers ammo can of tools and finds channel lock pliers inside. This is not something you ever want to witness! Soon he has the offending tooth out and in short notice has a bag of jelly doughnuts, munching away on them. It makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it. Bill Bahne eventually springs for a set of dentures for Dale.
While riding for Donald Takayama, Dale sits in on his new shape. Now only those of you that have EVER shaped a board for Dale can really appreciate this; Donald is done and Dale asks if Donald can make it any thicker. WTF? Donald bends down and scoops the foam dust off the floor and tosses it back on the shaped blank.
About 2002 I shape Dale a Surfboards Hawaii. Dale has ridden for EVERY southern California label and he come back ranting that this is the best board yet. The next day he comes to me and says, "You know I rode the board at low tide and it ripped, but when I took it out at high tide it did NOT float me as well with all that extra water under it.” There was ABSOLUTELY no point of arguing with him – he fought any explanation tooth and nail that he may have been wrong.
Dale hated the nose rider I shaped for him. Only at the insistence of others who rode it also did he relent and get back on the board. He took the board he hated so much to the Oceanside Longboard Club Noseriding Contest and ripped. He won the contest on it beating the competition by a total of 2 minutes of nose time and took home the grand prize of $3,000.
Dale loved his boards until the 28th or 29th of the month, then they went on the auction block to pay the next months bills.
Dale does not surf anymore. He had nerve damage in his neck and had been sober a long while, but the alcohol was a self-medicating haven for him. He also suffers from sever depression. From what I have seen of his childhood, I would be seriously emotionally depressed too.
God love him and watch over him
11 comments:
Thanks so much for the short stories, I enjoyed reading about your adventures. Also, a BIG thanks for the update about double D. I am a fan of his and was wondering what was up with him after all these years. He's one of the best longboarders I ever had the pleasure of watching in the line-up at the reef. Such a talent on the longboard, I am saddened to hear of his situation. What a loss to the longboarding crew. He's regarded by me and many others as one of the best-ever, no doubt about it. I am sure he is truly missed. Is he in the surfer's hall of fame? If not, he certainly deserves to be.
Best regards,
jd
Check out the Brown Fish blog...this story is about Dale: http://brown-fish.blogspot.com/2009/11/confrontation-with-legend.html
Met Dale at a Swami's Surfing Association meeting this past Tuesday night. Looked like he was in great shape and full of great old time stories.
He's solid gold
BC
Firstly, while exploring your subject, record the primary focuses in dab indicate shape,right here utilizing just a couple expressions -the aforementioned will shape the primary structure for your paper.
D. D. Master of the longboard. Best rides I ever saw at the old Lums restaurant beach at A1A and Berkeley st. In Satellite Beach Florida. This was in the 60s.Ripping overhead left tubes after a storm with a steady 6mph offshore wind. Effortlessly switching stance on the nose while tubed. I lived down the street from there and had seen nothing like it.Before or since. I watched from an old concrete picnic table that was there and his image is etched into my mind till this day. Guy was amazing.
D. D. Master of the longboard. Best rides I ever saw at the old Lums restaurant beach at A1A and Berkeley st. In Satellite Beach Florida. This was in the 60s.Ripping overhead left tubes after a storm with a steady 6mph offshore wind. Effortlessly switching stance on the nose while tubed. I lived down the street from there and had seen nothing like it.Before or since. I watched from an old concrete picnic table that was there and his image is etched into my mind till this day. Guy was amazing.
Hi JP... How's it Brah? Its Greg Nenson, Water Rockets, here, still alive and well. Glad to see that you're still the 'Genuis' Thanx for all the inspiration and the crazy, fun times we had at the old dandee bakery/Surf Factory in old downtown cocoa, next to the Moody Williams Bros. liquor store. With the Bros playing 456 off the loading dock... lol! I still see Craig Carroll now and then he married well and still owns his surf school in CCB. Me... I finished working for Universal Studios a while back and now have my own business/carlot in Melbourne Fl. Im still surfing its a lifetime thing now. Luv to catch the waves with my son, Garrett, whose a grown young man now. Sorry your x is gone now, we used to run into one another and laugh about the good ol days at JP's Surf Shop. God Speed Haole Guy. Your Friend Gregory Nenson
My very first surfboard was a Dale Dobson with a logo of the Dophine it was 6'6 sigle fin. I gtow up in the southbay. Not sure what surfboard store my Mother bought the board from but i remember leaning to surf and after that i was hooked with surfing . I still surf and i live in Hawaii now . Just thought of Dale if still shaped anymore . Good memories..
Heya Dale......I hope you get to read this one, cuz I will never forget you Brah! We surfed together at the HB Pier northside one fine day in/around 1978 or so after I had picked up my new Dale Dobson model 9.0' at the shop across the street. It was promptly stashed inside my vehicle to await it's first day out. I was riding my 9'06" Becker nose rider in the dinky shore break surf and You were styling it big time Bro. You finished your session and went back to work across the PCH, I kept on surfing until I broke the Becker in half on a piling, shooting the pier and did not miss that piling! Pier shoots from the Northside are not common but it was a tinky day so I thought it might work. NOT!! When I walked into the store with the busted Becker to see if you guys could fix it, you thought it was the NEW Dale Dobson Model and freaked. HA! Not so I am still glad to say; THANKS FOR THE BEST LONGBOARD THIS OLD DUDE FROM EARLY 60'S SURF DAZE EVER HAD !!
I just wanted to drop a quick note of thanks for your article. Your perspective and insights have given me a lot to think about, and I look forward to exploring this topic further.
Awakesurfcollective
Jim Phillips
Greg Nenson
Hey Jim... Glad I found this site and its great to know you're still shaping boards and still one of the best. I left the surfboard trade years ago when a doctor told me that I had way to much chemical absorbtion in my body, imagine that. Spent damn near twenty years producing and repairing art work for Universal Studios Orlando.
Happily retired now and loving it. I ended up buying a condo right on the ocean in Cocoa Beach a few blocks south of ron jon's and right down the street from the Waffle House. I spend most of my time out in Christmas where my long time gf lives and I own a double wide that backs up to sixteen miles of pristine wilderness...
Take Care my old friend and thanx for all the good times and knowledge you passed on to me. I am forever great full to you and miss having you around to talk to... Greg Nenson
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