it's here: Erik Otto on Gary Hanel
A month ago, I started looking for a new surfboard. I've got a great 6'1" shortboard up here and another 7'2" for bigger surf, but I need/want a fish for smaller and softer days.
Planning on getting one shaped, I spent a week looking through boards at every shop in SF + Pacifica. A board I found at Mollusk - awesome shop, sweet vibe, great people - ended up being exactly what I was looking for. The board was a classic 5'11" quad fish from Gary Hanel, a shaper in Leucadia with a sterling though relatively underground reputation for his fish in particular. So I sat down (well stood, actually) with the guy at Mollusk to work out the details for a custom board order.
As we were talking, we both kept looking over at the board and mentioning something or other about how it was exactly what I was looking for. Finally figured it out - why am I going to wait 10 weeks to get essentially this same board shaped for me? Epiphany. Walked out of the shop with it five minutes later.
A few days later it was at Erik Otto's studio. He's one of my favorite artists - it all feels right to me - and I'd been wanting (more of) his work for days now. I love Chor's work on my last board, but it was time for something new.
And here it is.
5'11" Gary Hanel quad fish, beautiful lines, glassed-in bamboo fins. hand shaped piece of art.
Erik Otto, spray paint and acrylic on glass over fiberglass. beautiful lines, hand painted piece of art.
I think of it as art on art. It's going to be hard to surf something so sweet - but I figure surfboards are meant to be surfed. Many thanks to Erik and GH.
Check out Erik's post on the project, too.
