Single Pin Spears

This is Peter Connelly with a couple of single fins 1974. For a little while, after Dad started making Valla Surfboards, he actually made boards with Peter under the 'Joske & Connelly' label. My understanding is that Dad would shape and Peter would glass.

I love the spearish look of a lot of the 70's single fins. Quite a few of dad's boards from this era also had deep concaves and hard down rails the entire length of the board. I've ridden some of these boards from our collection and found them challenging to ride. Hard rails forward are sensitive and can catch in chop or if you mistime your turn. The release off the edge is nice though.

Peter and my father are still friends to this day, going surfing togther when they get the chance.

arvo slide

Late arvo slide. Caught up with Sage on his way home from the goldy earlier this week and got this picture, I mostly shot video, so hope to have a little mini clip up soon on the blog

Pic// ST surf images

Logging Days for Mac

Mac's brand new Vice. Happy Days bro.

First Three

These are the first 3 boards I that I made when I started learning the craft from dad. Stumbled across this pic when I was looking through some old photos the other night.

From left - 6'0" thruster, 5'4" Lis fish, 6'1" thruster.

The two shortboards are beat up. I snapped the 6'0" and the 6'1" is hidden away somewhere. My Lis style fish is still around but it has seen better days too. I can remember it took me about 18 months to learn how to ride it.

Valla 70's

I am not sure if this is Paul Joske or Peter Connelly. In either case it looks like they were having great time. Valla early 70's.

Arvo glass off..

Sage and I caught up yesterday arvo at a fun little right hand point on the Coffs coast as he was on his way home from the Goldy and I was on my way back to Byron. We had the place to our self and surfed till the sun went down. Either way it was a nice way to break up a journey home.

Cheers to STsurfimages for the pics.

So I am invovled in a new project.
Goose Cotton.
A Collective of Young.
On subjects that Interest, Inspire, and Excite.
Things that young Partake in, Create and Experience.

Verity.

5'0.

Noosa.

Keith Novosel

Fish Eyes at Fish Fry

A few pics snapped at the Fish Fry at Currumbin this year by Marion Poehland. I particularly like the Fish Eye view.

New Joy

This is Katherine Hall with her new 6'6" PJ Special Single Fin. The outline is based off my dad's favourite board from 1970. Katherine's also a designer - check out her Drawn Lines blog here.

I hope this board gives Katherine a lot of Joy.

Pics: Joe Hall

Critical Sliders by Nathan Oldfield

Critical Sliders from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.

Same board different mediums....

My favourite fish is the styro, stringerless volta. I just love the way it flexes and accelerates faster than any other board that I have ever riden. Below is a woodsy shot awhile ago now on my once snow white styro volta thats had a little makeover as she was showing her age.

Just before Noosa Sage hooked me up with a brand new volta, I was stoked. This time just a standard PU blank and resin. Its strawberry red and grey and goes like the clappers, I have been having a lot of fun on this board. I'm finding it interesting riding these two boards lately as I am learning alot about the differences in performance and flex patterns due to the different mediums used and the effects that a stringer plays. I am finding it a little hard to put my finger on the exact variations as they do ride very similar and the variations are very suttle. I have found that the styro has a sense of aliveness about it that I have not yet experienced in other boards and that the volta model itself is a really good all-rounder. Below are a few pics that Woodsy snapped up over Easter down home on my new board.

White Fish

Foam fish forms pre-glassing. I've always like shaped blanks... they look so fresh and crisp, sort of like a starched white shirt freshly ironed.

I love Japan

Some shots I stumbled across the other day of my trip to Japan last year. Top left is myself, Yuta, Matt and Christian. The other shots are of the Japanese Fish Fry.

Will be heading back to Japan towards the end of May to check out the Greenroom Festival and hopefully go to the Fish Fry again. Can't wait. I love Japan.

Joe's New Toy

This is Joe Hall with his new 9'3" Longboard. Joe lives down the Central Coast with his wife Katherine (also a Valla owner) and has his own blog. Check it out here.

Alaia Wanderings

Spent last week shaping Alaia's. One of the benefits I find in the shaping process is the space it gives my mind to wander. As I was planing/sanding away I found my thoughts drifting to hawaii.

The boards the hawaiians rode. The sort of waves they might have rode them in. The tales I read in Tom Blake's book 'Hawaiian Surfriders 1935'. The Hawaiian Chiefs. The Priests. The Missionaries who came towards the end. The tales my father shared with me of his visit to the Bishop Museum then later on when he met Tom Stone and shaped a board from Wiliwili with him. The waves I've ridden on my replica Alaia's and Kiko'o's. Catching one wave on the Olo Tom Wegener took with him to King Island.

To me riding an alaia is a lot more than just riding a piece of wood. I have had quite a few people joke with me - calling the Alaia an ironing board, or making jokes about chopping it up for firewood. Thats ok... Maybe they can't see the subtle curves which blend seamlessly together. Maybe they don't realise that in times past surfing was sacred and these were sacred craft. I love the idea that in some small way, I'm sharing in our rich surfing history that spans possibly 1000's of years. And I also love that I can have a heap of fun even when I'm simply trimming.

A Dusty Week

Spent the lion's share of the last week just through the doorway above whitling away Paulownia slabs, creating Alaia's. Was a lot of fun - wood has an inherent beauty and I love working with it, but by Friday I was a bit sick of the wood dust.

Mid Way Through

This will be Katherine Hall's new board... a 6'6" PJ Special. Which means the concept for the board is inspired by one of my father's favourite boards he made himself in 1970.

Here the board is mid-way through being finished. It's shaped, glassed with resin tint, and filler coated. Only need to put the fin box in, the through-the box legrope plug, sand then gloss & polish.

vector review

I've just done a short product review on the Valla "VECTOR" surfboard..... a radical new creation from the mind of Sage Joske.

CLICK HERE to read all about it! 

ST surf images

lunch break

Got these shots of Sage on monday, while he was on a lunch break...... he is a busy little bee in that factory of his lately, got to see some beautiful looking wooden creations been carved out earlier in the day.

Full tilt on the Vector

CLICK HERE to read more about this little session on the ST surf Images post from easter monday

Road Trip

My good friends Anna and Erik (from the left) and John and Rosie stopped in the factory last week on their way up to Byron. As you can see the car is ladden with boards and it looks they'll be in for some sweet rides. Happy Travels.

New Boards for Kade & Bruce

Bruce (left) with new 5'9" Verve Quad and Kade with 6'0" Shorty - he did the Poska art himself. Nice.

Got a text from Bruce yesterday and it seems like he's already having fun times on his quad. Happy riding.

Sam Rogers' Valla Quiver

Not only is my buddy Sam a great bloke, he also has a great little quiver of Valla Surfboards including shortys, quad shortys, fishes and a Log. Hope your having fun bro.

Paul Joske, chilling with some of his handcrafted boards.

Pic: Angela Raab

70's Spears

A couple of 70's Single Fins by Paul Joske.