Jim Phillips Surfboards Hawaii AAA

[Bruce Fowler]

I love that two tone blue Bruce, that looks magic.

Bob Haakenson did a perfect fade @ the step!
;-)

 

[DKNJ]

W

Has anyone had any experience riding these, or know much about them?
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What a beauty

 

[shapewright]

Thanks Ben, this is exactly the find of feedback I'm hoping for. How did it turn? Anything else you can add? I'm also wondering if JP has done some modern tweaks to the board or stayed true to the original design.

The outlines were straight off the originals, the rails of the originals were pointed knife rails.
So for acceptance to the modern public it was decided to do a modern longboard rail.
Instead of stopping the glass top and bottom to single layer top and bottom at the step, the deck full Length both layers.
This follows the problem John spruce was having with them snapping at the step.
The top floor of LaPaloma had a room filled with snapped model A and AAA that he wanted no one to ever see.

 

[walkingtheplank]

The outlines were straight off the originals, the rails of the originals were pointed knife rails.
So for acceptance to the modern public it was decided to do a modern longboard rail.
Instead of stopping the glass top and bottom to single layer top and bottom at the step, the deck full Length both layers.
This follows the problem John spruce was having with them snapping at the step.
The top floor of LaPaloma had a room filled with snapped model A and AAA that he wanted no one to ever see.

that's damn interesting, Jim - so they actually double-lapped both rails to increase torsional strength for the stepdeck. wow...cool little design tidbit

 

[Bruce Fowler]

The outlines were straight off the originals, the rails of the originals were pointed knife rails.
So for acceptance to the modern public it was decided to do a modern longboard rail.
Instead of stopping the glass top and bottom to single layer top and bottom at the step, the deck full Length both layers.
This follows the problem John spruce was having with them snapping at the step.
The top floor of LaPaloma had a room filled with snapped model A and AAA that he wanted no one to ever see.

The Stepped Deck created 'shear point'. I know you're aware of that but the concept was foreign to some people you would expect to be aware of this. This is a primary reason glassers were told to NEVER cut the Deck or Tail patches in a straight line rail to rail.

It reminds me of the early days when Al (Merrick) was getting established in SB. He had bought a couple Bradbury's for reference as to what was considered THE magic sleds for the area. He emulated them and did some with single 1/8" Balsa stringers to keep them light. The first swell @ Rincon they were coming back snapped at the leading edge of the single 10" Bahne box. C.I. did not make good on replacing or refunding them. Those were the early days of Channel Islands on Helena Ave. and they were struggling to make it each year. Luckily there weren't a massive quantity of them produced this way, and the event wasn't widely circulated.

Live n Learn the hard way.

 

[surfore]

From stories Jim has told me, that sheer point of the original builds (filled the upper floor of the factory with broken boards) that the model was jokingly referred to as the Model B and the BBB. Until the design, step deck build and glass placement, was changed. Love and learn.

 

[Sax-son]

........We called it "responsible nose riding" versus mindless nose riding characterized by slow mushed out time on the tip".
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Those boards are awesome!

 

[Unleash My Log]

Hey @Zenzen!

(copying @walkingtheplank and @shapewright)

I love to see some other AAA's and Model A's out there! Just took these pics...

Old A and AAA are consecutive serial #s, circa 1995(?)

AAA has been my go-to for 7 years...The new one is 2022, custom for me. Old one I bought used.

Old AAA: I used a California Classic, then a 10.5" 4A, which I liked better. Long relaxed bottom turns.
New AAA: Jim likes a 10" KD Miss Lucy, helps w/ noserides; I've been using an 8.5" Performance Retro by FU, which is looser and awesome.

Knee high, steep & fast beach break, OH point break...I've surfed it all on the old one, with the 10.5" 4A. These are 11', longer than yours...so yours will probably turn easier...but I never had any problem once I started pushing hard with my back foot. I just committed to the board and figured out how to surf it in anything. Loved it, so I ordered another!

Jim made the rails sharper on the new one...and it's amazing.

Edit: inserted full images

 

[surfore]

Go to my Instagram Andrewdiengott