Not easy to connect the faces with the history...
Here with Popa Jim is Uncle Bill Bahne. Maybe for most people these are unknown faces, but if you’ve ever ridden a single fin, you owe something to this man and his brother Bob for creating Fins Unlimited. There's 90% chance the fin box in your board to be a Us Fins Unlimited. Bill was also the name behind the iconic Bahne Surfboards.
This place is called “The Hill,” one of the most iconic spots in Southern California surf culture. Founded by Tony Channin (Channin Surfboards) and Mike Diffenderfer, it became a gathering place for some of the greatest names in our culture: Tony Channin, Mike Diffenderfer, Bill and Bob Bahne, Dale Velzy, Bob Yater, George Downing (Hawaiian legend and Puka — Portuguese descendant), Dick Brewer, Donald Takayama, Pat Curran, Gary Macnnab, Bill Schrosbee, Popa Jim Phillips, uncle Hank Byzak, Matt Calvani, and many others.
Today Tony retired to Baja, Bob is no longer with us except in our memories, Bill is still here to tell the story, Popa Jim is still grinding a board a day, Matt Calvani continues carrying the Bing Surfboards legacy, and the Ding King Brian Szymanski carries the direct Diffenderfer and Channin's bloodline.
I figured it would be good to share this piece of history now that culture itself sometimes feels forgotten. Because the day these guys disappear, part of our culture disappears with them
@dingkingsurfboardrepair@jameskennethphillips@finsunlimited@bingsurfboards@bingcopeland@joeljitsu@gatoheroi
📸By @mysticsurfboards
Introducing a fresh addition to the lineup.
Born from a custom request and refined into something too good to keep as a one-off.
Starting with the proven Space Pin as a foundation, this new model evolves the concept with a wider, more rounded nose and tail, while maintaining the original rocker, bottom contours, and rail profile. The result is a board that hopefully feels instantly familiar underfoot, yet unlocks a new level of versatility and flow.
The added width up front boosts paddle power and wave entry, making it easier to get in early and set your line. Through the tail, the fuller outline provides smooth, controlled turns without sacrificing responsiveness. By preserving the core design elements, i hole this model keeps the speed, glide, and control that define the Space Pin just with a more forgiving and user-friendly approach.
News!
It’s a pleasure for us to welcome Nico (Wavegliders), one of the most insanely versatile shapers in Europe.
He’ll be coming for a few days to do a limited run of shapes! So yeah, having one of his boards shaped here in our workshop is something really special.
We’ve spent years learning and exchanging knowledge and experiences with different shapers, and being able to watch Nico tearing it up with the planer is a real honor for us!
We’ll be showing you some of his most iconic models, but you can also check out his Instagram or website to browse which models he can shape here in the south.
.
25 / May
.
We hope this becomes an annual thing!
.
#longwinterglassing #wavegliders #collab #southspain #portugal
After a full year of bringing her back to life, she’s finally off to the spray shop for a fresh new dress.
When I bought her from a friend who gave up on the project, I was told she was “ready for paint.” Turns out… not even close. Once we started digging, we found all the things hiding beneath the surface.
So began the real work—tracking down and fixing every bit of rot, restoring the original geometry, and slowly putting her back the way she was meant to be.
After a borderline obscene amount of euros and a lot of persistence, she’s finally ready for the next stage. One step closer to getting this icon of German engineering back on the road.
Some people might look at this and think, “Nico must be loaded.”
Truth is… I’m just broke and irresponsible 😅
@mercedesbenzmuseum@mercedesbenz_pt@melroclassics@jrc_portugal
