Fat Penguin

[lessormore]

Anybody tried one of these or have any thoughts on the design?
http://www.theleader.com.au/news/local/ ... 34944.aspx

587823.jpg (27.34 KiB) Viewed 5999 times

[oldman]

"It failed to take off with the big surfing manufacturers and Mr Cole says the sport's various associations also frowned upon the design, claiming it would offer an unfair advantage."

Of course the question has to be asked, who is it who gains the unfair advantage.

God it looks like a dog. It would have to go great to get around its horrible look.

[puurri]

^ so the article says he's spent a lifetime designing surfboards, now has a life threatening level of emphysema, all to reach THAT as his zenith??

looks like the rocket ship off mr. squiggle..

.............................on acid

[lessormore]

Well, a National Party MP says it's great so it must be good!

[pridmore]

any surfers, shapersith any cred involved ? or just some crook old bugger and a politician ???
hey I have an idea, if the design is any good, put it out there for the surfing public to trial, maybe pass it around for feedback ??? think its been done before..... good on him for trying different designs but seems like a sympathy trip tellin us about how he has done it tuff and he is crook and all IMO....and this was from the 70's and has it evolved since then or what ??? any footage of people riding them ??? it is one thing to have a new ( from the 70's ) or alternative deign but you gotta have some proof to show that is functional and it really is worth spending your hard earned on,
and the 'unfair advantage ' comment, well FFS.... anyway, I'd love to ride one if he wants to send it around...I would be very happy to try it and even happier if it went well....

[lessormore]

Comments have now been entered at the bottom of the story.Feel free to advise him what the "Realsurf" "establishment" like or dislike about the design.

[steve shearer]

I met Paul at Scott's Head circa 1997.
He was there for some Rip Curl grom comp that Hynd was running.

He left a deep impression on me.
A sad eyed man with a very gentle, humble nature. Softly spoken and with a deeply evangelical air about him like a preacher.
In fact he reminded me of Preacher Casey off the Grapes of Wrath, or the Preacher off of Deadwood.
Both men who's faith had been sorely tested and the ensuing doubt and confusion only heightened their essential humanity.

I pegged him for a simple man who's dream hadn't done harm to nobody and yet he wore scorn and humiliation with a christ-like fortitude.

He had a young woman with him. A buxom lass with a doe-eyed innocence about her.
I'm ashamed to say that later that night at the Gig she pressed her warm lips to mine and then came back to live in my caravan at Broken Head.
Two weeks later she vanished without a trace. I didn't even know her last name, this lost little faery, but tracked her down through a mutual friend to make sure she was alright.


I hope she went back to him and believed in his dream.

I hope there is something in that design for him, some shred of dignity to salvage from his quest.

Meanwhile crooks, shysters and phonies reap the earthly rewards.

[pridmore]

buxom you say ??? I dont wish anything bad to others especially surf loving like minded people but the way that story came across was pretty lame SS, I wish him all the best...now more about the buxom one...

[steve shearer]

yeah, well it was kind of confused whether she was with him or not......

a confused time.
glad to get through it.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Well written Steve, nice words.

You'd make a fine writer!

[speedneedle]

You'll find the Fat Penguin in the Archives at www.swaylocks.com

Paul and a sidekick repeatedly bombed sways with heavy claims, and they were torn a new asshole...here's just one claim -

"THE NEXT EVOLUTION IN SURFBOARD DESIGN IS HERE AT LAST!"

http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1005911

And another:-

"I dare say our Fat Penguin is the most radical new surfboard design ever to be created! Greatly advanced beyond anything ever conjured by Dick Brewer or George Greenough."

http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1005996

Whatever the merits of the design, the approach to promotion shot it down...

Josh
www.joshdowlingshape.com

[speedneedle]

Here's the girl...the only thing most people enjoyed about Fat Penguin promotions...

[surfar]

lol

the OLD fat PIGEON design....

i've ridden half a dozen of the early ones...

to be specific.... 1...2...4 and 5.....owned one that was about 7-12(just not sure where it was in the sequence)

all surfboards work....some better than others....

thats why the FP is ??????????....it doesn't work better than a normal thruster or quad...imo

the performance claims are HIGHLY exaggerated...

definitely the cutaway nose WORKS....definitely it will carve short arcs,make any board with the wide point so far behind centre and it'll manouever really well...

but how do u make it run....the front fins/keels do that to a limited extent....

he is probably using my rail design and fin templates that i suggested and he incorporated in 94

the refinements that have happened since then...i hAVEN"T seen.....but i'll asume that they are not significant after viewing all the links in this forum...

jackos made a couple of the early ones(i rode both) and they are available there apparently

complex to shape and sand....so lotsa extra labour time....

ride b4 u contemplate buying....different surfers like different aspects....

VIC FORD rode one of the jackos really well i thought,but didn't like it?

MARK RABBIGE thought it needed more refinement(the early 70's rails didn't impress).....it was one that paul shaped...

both highly credentialled surf industry people....

some other random people that i gave rides to liked them.....some didn't....

ride it and draw yr own conclusions

[speedneedle]

No thanks. Im happy to put shit on it without any first hand knowledge what so ever.

LOL!

[surfanimals]

In April '09, I took a trip to Byron with a travel companion.....while 'Surfar' met a woman in a room for a rendezvous, I ventured into all the usual board haunts to say hello and kill some time while the NE'er blew and the crowds totally made a joke of Tallows.

A surf trip that took a slight turn the other way but rest assured I managed to convince him that surfing was the better option. Women only play tricks with ya'.

At Munro's factory in the Byron Estate, sitting on the ceiling rafters was a Fat Penguin. Apparently the responsible party stopped by and shaped a few a long time ago and in Munro's opinion, totally wasted his time on them but he apparently did OK when it came to 'real' work in the factory.

So, if your up Byron way, grab it and ride it - I didn't bother. LOL.