Art Boards Preview

November 2008

The Wavescapes Surfboard Art Exhibition is part of the Wavescapes Surf Film Festival. The art exhibition comprises nine beautifully crafted egg surfboards decorated by top South African artists, and haunting shark photos by Tom Peschak. The boards, with five signed shark photos, will be auctioned by acclaimed comedian Mark Sampson to raise funds for the Shark Spotters and NSRI at the end of the exhibition.

The surfboards will be displayed with 40 haunting photographs of sharks by marine biologist Thomas Peschak, on behalf of the Save Our Seas Foundation. From the large-format, framed photos, five will be signed and auctioned with surfboards. Click here for info on the shark photos. The auction takes place on Wednesday 3 December (VEO Gallery, 28 Jarvis Street, de Waterkant).

NB To place a reserve or attend, call 021 421 3278 (Riaan or Thalea)

THE SHAPE

The boards were shaped by Greg Stokes from Magic Shot using an Egg surfboard template from Donald Takayama, the 66-year-old Hawaiian guru of surfboard design. It is based on a design surfed in the 1970s, a hybrid between a long and a short board. It has a rounded tail and nose, hence the egg moniker. It is not to be confused with the spoon, a weird shape by George Greenough in the late 60s who gouged out the deck of a board, making it concave like a spoon, literally.

DONALD TAKAYAMA

He can be found in his shaping bay at 2.30am, escaping the hordes who vie for attention, before going for a dawn patrol surf. He hand-makes wooden surfboards using balsa and redwood. His craftsmanship is legendary. His beautiful longboards are sort after. If you own one, you have a special treasure. Takayama has shaped 1000s of boards over 55 years. Takayama is 5x US surfing champ.

WHAT IS THE EGG FOR?

The egg is a fun board for mellow hotdogging in weak or small waves. The egg is a cross between a long board and a short board. Its volume and forgiving curves make it easy to ride, perfect for beginners, but also for experts to enjoy hotdogging and fluid, carving moves. They turn beautifully and easily, great for round house cutbacks and flowing off-the-tops. Eggs are wide, easy to paddle and quick to plane. This means it performs to its potential at low speeds (great for small or weak surf). Eggs have lots of volume - you can create speed in relatively flat-faced waves. Eggs tend to lack control, particularly when the surf gets bigger and more critical.