First of all, before I slide into this week's Wood Water Soul, I want to remind you that September 8th was the one-month anniversary of the Maui fires. The citizens had the largest paddle out ever on the islands. It was a celebration of life, renewal, tradition, and sorrow. The pictures are truly inspiring; here's a look: https://mauinow.com/2023/09/08/photos-paddle-outs-for-lahaina-draw-hundreds-in-unity-one-month-after-maui-wildfires/
I have a good friend who started a boutique guitar company, Santa Cruz Guitar Company, in the early 1970s. He's looking at 50 years of making high-end, high-performance guitars that are genuinely heritage instruments. Musicians from Brad Paisley to Tony Rice have played his guitars daily. He has a self-described "wood problem." Richard Hoover searches the world for the most extraordinary wood to build the finest guitars on the planet. He constantly searches for reclaimed wood to help his products be as sustainable as possible. This perpetual search is his challenge, and when he finds what he's looking for, he tenaciously makes sure it lands in his workshop.
I became involved in this project because Larry Fuller had the same desire and drive. Larry used a lot of reclaimed wood to create the surfboards featured in Addicted to Joy. Larry is a craftsman of the highest order; in fact, Richard Hoover used some of the wood for guitar tops that Larry found in his searches. They are birds of a feather. Many people have said that Larry's work belongs in a museum. Many of Larry's surfboards, as seen in ATJ, were featured in an exhibit at SFO Air Museum in 2019. These surfboards are works of art, and it was great to see Larry and his work honored in such a way. (there is no sound on the video)
Hawaiian Kings used to be the only ones allowed to surf, and the boards they used were made from redwood or koa. The designs were simple yet effective and were often designed for a particular wave or break, just as today's foam boards are designed. Here's a look at a set of local Hawaiian boards shaped by Tom "Pohaku" Stone on display at Turtle Bay on Hawaii's North Shore.
The wood boards were heavy and hard to maneuver, but they worked. The board in the lower right on the trolly is a 350-pound, twenty foot long Olo.
Is it a wood problem? I guess it's a wood obsession and a desire to create beauty from reclaimed natural materials. One of the main reasons I created the film Addicted to Joy was to celebrate the work of all the craftspeople involved, and give these beautiful surfboards a place in the world..