Bruce Fowler
Well-Known Member
The Backstory on my Team Model dates back some years to one of my customers in Montauk wanting an 8'6 longboard. He gave me the length & left the rest up to me.
I grabbed a blank & mowed out what I considered a 'tried 'n true' shape thinking nothing of it...... Dan, my main man back in New York, who deserves tons of credit for promoting the V Machine, brought me the order and told me the customer had launched a business that skyrocketed with success....... 'became a Unicorn' almost overnight & "he wants his own logo if that's alright"...?
Sure.
He had a graphic artist do some stuff, we mulled it over then once finalized, I had my guy print the. logo.
The board got glassed, packed, and I sent her on her way. Not long after that, I got a Ride Report:
"The board works fantastic! I've let the whole crew ride it, and everyone LOVES IT......... THEY ALL WANT ONE".
Uh, okay, that's good...... grabbed the same blanks and shaped three more & sent them.
RIDE REPORT: "They ride good but not as good as THE MAGIC ONE".
"Hmmmm, I didn't detour off what I usually do, that board was shaped from years of doing it..... was pretty much on 'automatic' to be perfectly honest. Okay, are you willing to send it to me? Yes, good...... sooner you send it sooner they get done before summer ends."
Much to my surprise, the board showed up via UPS in a travel bag....... no box. I didn't know they would do that! Dang, live n learn.
I've always had a very good reputation for my ability to dupe boards. Sometimes they were my own, sometimes they were from another shaper that died or had quit shaping or lived far away or for some other reason. This time I decided I'm gonna work smarter than harder.
I had Marie Ward scan it.
Yes, I 'Reverse Engineered myself'. I knew a lot of the guys on Sway's would have a hissy fit over this, but I reminded them I SHAPED THE THING IN THE 1ST PLACE.
I also told them "a Planer is A MACHINE, all you so called "PURISTS" aren't for reals unless you go out into the forest, find just the right tree, chop the f-ck'n thing down, drag it home with a Donkey or Clydesdale and shape it with an ADZ."
IOW, sh-t the f-ck up.
No wonder I liive at Jamboards now. (Note: Sways has majorly stagnated ever since........ no tears here..... move on...sic).
The boards got made. They loved them......... "damn, we all swapped & they all ride just as good as "Miss Magic"......... "kudos, props, mahalo, blah blah.
Okay.... problem solved........ on to the next.
I decided they weren't all gonna be "Unicorns"........ I mean, some guys just envison a Dike Bar or something from that name so I named the File "Team Model" which TBH I remember the old Owl label when I was growing up, Jeff had a "Team Model" we rode........ this was post "Poor Boy" - which was an early cheapie affordable sled ($89) View attachment 48899 , probably from the foam they poured themsleves while still in Summerland. Jeff told me they used to sleep in the molds with Army blankets esp. in the winter becuz the "molds were still warm from doing pours that day".
Fast foward to today & the Team Model is alive & well. It is also known as the Aviator Nation "Hybrid" & Longboard which has really taken off in popularity this year.
Regardless of the Proprietary Graphics by Paige, or the very Limited Edition of Unicorns, or the Cut Lap Resin Tints you see here....... that shape "I did on automatic" has earned a place in the BF lineup.
End Story.
I grabbed a blank & mowed out what I considered a 'tried 'n true' shape thinking nothing of it...... Dan, my main man back in New York, who deserves tons of credit for promoting the V Machine, brought me the order and told me the customer had launched a business that skyrocketed with success....... 'became a Unicorn' almost overnight & "he wants his own logo if that's alright"...?
Sure.
He had a graphic artist do some stuff, we mulled it over then once finalized, I had my guy print the. logo.
The board got glassed, packed, and I sent her on her way. Not long after that, I got a Ride Report:
"The board works fantastic! I've let the whole crew ride it, and everyone LOVES IT......... THEY ALL WANT ONE".
Uh, okay, that's good...... grabbed the same blanks and shaped three more & sent them.
RIDE REPORT: "They ride good but not as good as THE MAGIC ONE".
"Hmmmm, I didn't detour off what I usually do, that board was shaped from years of doing it..... was pretty much on 'automatic' to be perfectly honest. Okay, are you willing to send it to me? Yes, good...... sooner you send it sooner they get done before summer ends."
Much to my surprise, the board showed up via UPS in a travel bag....... no box. I didn't know they would do that! Dang, live n learn.
I've always had a very good reputation for my ability to dupe boards. Sometimes they were my own, sometimes they were from another shaper that died or had quit shaping or lived far away or for some other reason. This time I decided I'm gonna work smarter than harder.
I had Marie Ward scan it.
Yes, I 'Reverse Engineered myself'. I knew a lot of the guys on Sway's would have a hissy fit over this, but I reminded them I SHAPED THE THING IN THE 1ST PLACE.
I also told them "a Planer is A MACHINE, all you so called "PURISTS" aren't for reals unless you go out into the forest, find just the right tree, chop the f-ck'n thing down, drag it home with a Donkey or Clydesdale and shape it with an ADZ."
IOW, sh-t the f-ck up.
No wonder I liive at Jamboards now. (Note: Sways has majorly stagnated ever since........ no tears here..... move on...sic).
The boards got made. They loved them......... "damn, we all swapped & they all ride just as good as "Miss Magic"......... "kudos, props, mahalo, blah blah.
Okay.... problem solved........ on to the next.
I decided they weren't all gonna be "Unicorns"........ I mean, some guys just envison a Dike Bar or something from that name so I named the File "Team Model" which TBH I remember the old Owl label when I was growing up, Jeff had a "Team Model" we rode........ this was post "Poor Boy" - which was an early cheapie affordable sled ($89) View attachment 48899 , probably from the foam they poured themsleves while still in Summerland. Jeff told me they used to sleep in the molds with Army blankets esp. in the winter becuz the "molds were still warm from doing pours that day".
Fast foward to today & the Team Model is alive & well. It is also known as the Aviator Nation "Hybrid" & Longboard which has really taken off in popularity this year.
Regardless of the Proprietary Graphics by Paige, or the very Limited Edition of Unicorns, or the Cut Lap Resin Tints you see here....... that shape "I did on automatic" has earned a place in the BF lineup.
End Story.
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