I made boards at the time and called these things "Centerfolds". People would come in with a magazine spread, "I want a board exactly like this". I couldn't explain that it might not be what they need and my business suffered; but I got more waves because these "magazine surfers" couldn't hardly catch a wave on these things. MUCH different now, everyone is so HOT.

Sam George's journalistic endeavors are always passionate and eloquent...and it is reflected in his words and voice. Imagination and experimentation are at the heart of wave riding culture and history, and Mr George effectively reveals the historical zeal to advance our understanding of riding riding...

sam...Very interesting...but wasn't a shaper in Oz name Webber and a surfer named Shane...that started the whole potato chip thing...Yancy III

Sam George intends these passages on surfboards well, but his tone seems a bit too much. His research is top notch and I enjoyed it, but the narration needs to improvement. I do not want to seem negative, but I think Sam is trying to project his vocabulary and syllables. Again, excellent presentation historically and well thought-out, but please...just mellow out the narration.

I used to experiment a lot in high school. Those were the days. Now I go for foam cuz Im old and lazy. I still like to experiment though.

These are great articles, "If These Boards Could Talk," and I hope that you, Sam, compile them all in one DVD for purchasing at a later date. Mahalo for this

Hey Sam another good job you are a helluva writer I enjoy your work.

yeah, this design solution was short lived but far reaching. i left the surfing world in the winter of '99/'00. i didn't touch it again 'til 2 summers back. had to borrow a friend's board which was hanging in the joists of his garage. AND GUESS WHAT.. it was one of these GD potato chips (we called 'em that too). F!!! what a miserable POS! Thing is 6'3" x 18.5" x some tiney tiney number. i'm 165#'s. Thing didn't float at all. I caught waves and did something akin to riding them. lol.

believe it or not, i had a little surfboard business in the late 60's and 70's. In 69 i made the first 3 finned board ala thruster. I was even acknowledged for it at my 20yr class reunion at Laguna Beach high school in 1990! There was a main fin, slight V and 2 fully foiled additional fins on each side, more foiled on the outsides...even have the scar on my back when nailed by one of those suckers when i surfed the wedge in 70....anyway...who gives a hoot, but its true.

EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! Somebody get this guy a thesaurus!

interesting board---and while interesting, i'm not sure it is one that most surfers can relate to riding(except in their minds). for the majority of surfers these glass slippers were a design dead end that actually hurt the surfing of those whose skills and daily waves did not match the reality of those boards. Still one can dream?

always a catch isnt there....good article now join surfing heritage

I was surfing the Hawaiian Islands around the time that Slater started riding this board. For several years after that I would see guys in lineups with boards that were almost opaque! Unfortunately for them they lacked the skill to ride their copycat shapes--mostly bogging down and simply unable to catch a wave. We called them potato chips, the boards that is, not the boneheads on them.

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