the bottle ???

[Zippy da Pinhead]

I like the pics, my Bottle doesnt have the underside bevel that yours does. Mine has a bigger waist (thinner throat) than yours. Mines hammered too, just shows they are fun to ride. They turn like a board 2 foot shorter.
I buggered a side fin at Shark Island years ago and then knocked both side fins out totally and the board still turned really well.
Imagine if they did an 8 foot version !!

LInk to my pic...
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225 ... elist1.jpg

[skabab]

G'day folks,
Have been interested in the debate re the bottle design by Frank Latta. Not too sure who zippy da pinhead is but howcome no one knows about your boards or previous take on this design in the early 90's? My bottle is 8'8" and I picked it up the day Sydney was announced as being host city for the Olympics - approx September 1993. My one is in mint condition (heavy duty board bags help!) and easily the best hybrid board I've ever had.
My one has decals on its tail giving credit to Stewart Surfboards of the USA stating that the design was a 'hydro hull' - possibly the bottom. The beveled/ chime rail is a winner as is the accentuated kick throughout. Frank said to me when I asked him how do you shape a board such as that , that it all came around to two lines! I was always under the impression that Stewarts were the ones who put an end to Frank shaping these fantastic designs. He shaped three more boards for me after the Bottle, all great. Since then Bob Brown has been doing the honours for me. If Zippy da pinhead stopped Frank doing these boards - well yep, the guy IS a pinhead supreme. I look forward to getting my hands on a Meyerhoffer.

[skabab]

On a roll here, just read Zippy's comment above mine and checked out his photo of the board Frank gave him. "Imagine if they made it in an eight footer"- well the guys at Skipps at this time ( Tom Storey in particular, if memory serves me correctly) did have a test model that you could borrow and I was fortunate enough to have a lend of this board, an eight footer, for a week or two. The thing went like the clappers and worked a treat at north end Stanwell for the time I had it.
Hey Zippy - if it's your design, how come you never made yourself an eight footer. I look forward to reading about your patent attorney and yourself taking Global Surf Industries or Thomas Meyerhoffer's design studio to court. Where can we buy one of your boards from anyway??? Are you designing , shaping or just thwarting others and litigious??

[Zippy da Pinhead]

Hi Skabab, Im glad you like the design. Frank did a great job. All of the answers to your questions are in earlier posts on this thread.
I had nothing to do with a Hydrohull design but its a great addition to The Bottle planshape.
Back then my boards were available through myself or Aloha at Brookvale but we didnt make any longboards.

[skabab]

Greetings Mr Zip!! I read your other posts - it's obvious I didn't before I wrote mine! Apologies for not doing my reading.
Really good to see some photos of the old Bottles. I always remember turning up for a heat at a longboard comp in the early 90's and in my heat was Frank Latta surfing the first bottle I had seen ( it blew me away ) AND he was wearing a black Gath helmet with pull down spray visor!!! Shades of Darth Vader was my reaction, but the board intrigued me. Not only that, some other guys at the comp from the Gong were also riding them who were in the DV8's - I'll spare you the names here.
The two photos on the blog exemplify the breadth of extremes that the design had - and there were some extreme looking ones.
I've seen fit to give a handful of mates the opportunity to ride mine on trips away and the response is always the same - they try it out of curiousity, get a few waves on it and can't shut up talking about it once they come in. Then the analysis around the campsite/weekender comes into it with much debate, handling and close observation. Offers to sell it have been made and hard cash produced on a few occasions, but for the life of me I'll never sell mine ( and coincidentally either have the owners of the two whose photos accompany the forum!) - I regard it as one of THE best boards I've had and a work of art - it's priceless to me.
The Meyerhoffer appears to have some of the elements of the Bottle but I have yet to see one in the "epoxy flesh" so to speak. Sadly Frank has hung up the planer after all these years and was not even shaping Bottles for a long while prior to retiring from shaping, so I am very keen to get my hands/eye on a Meyerhoffer.
I will dig mine up from storage and take a few photos in the next few days and put them up in this forum. Also Mr Zip, any chance of a photo of your design as I would be keen to see it as well - have been searching for the Morey and Webber variations since reading about them here.
Also any chance of getting some response from Frank on all this - if he is reading this up the coast, hopefully he is getting some joy from all the banter. He should recognise my board when he sees it, as his comment the last time he saw it was " Check out the Stewart decals and have a go at the condition its in!" As stated earlier - padded bags and a good Skipp glass job helped in this regard.
Till next time.....cheers.

[Zippy da Pinhead]

Skabab, Ive always considered Franks work to be amazing, thats why I offered to collaborate with him on the design.
I had a patent ( 64790/93) on the design pertaining to a divergent /convergent surfcraft outline, but it has lapsed so anyone can now shape their own version of the design.
I think if Frank was to see whats happening the the Meyerhoffer et al shapes he would have a wry smile, as I do , to see these "new" shapes hit the market.
They are only scratching the surface of the design and are missing the subtlety of the concept.
Frank had it down to a tee.

[Zippy da Pinhead]

For those on the Northern Beaches of Sydney , theres a letter in Todays ( Sat 4/4/09 )Manly Daily about my boards and the Meyerhoffer.