Fernandes via Larson

My name is Dave Fernandes. I was curious about an old Liddle I picked up 15 years ago and wondered if you could shed some light at your convenience concerning the time it may have been made. I was working at a customers house in Woodland Hills and noticed an old Weber hatchet fin longboard in the rafters. Both boards had been there for a long time. I climbed up and noticed a short board on top covered in about an inch of dust. I pulled the board down and noticed it was an old Liddle. My oldest brother Tony Fernandes, and mid brother Jere both rode Liddles for years at Malibu in the early seventies and beyond. I remember the excitement of tagging along and going to your shop out by Agoura while my brother ordered a 7'- 6" egg and watching him on a big south swell around 1975 nipping away at Jerry Lopez heels from behind as he flew across the bay towards first point Malibu following him all the way to the sand down by the pier on the 7'6". Both of my brothers bought boards from you and I learned on an 8'-3" Liddle owned by my brother Tony. Many of there friends rode Liddles including Chris Romcome, Tim and Tom Duffy, Howard Grobstein to name a few. I was excited to find the board and find out about it from the customer. The board belonged to a fellow named Gary Larson whom I believe bought it just down the street from there house at your Woodland Hills store. The board is 6' 4" with a 17" nose and 14" tail. The deck is really domed on the tail with a pronounced hull bottom and an almost S shape when viewed from the side. I believe the original flex fin is still in the board. The board had been split in 1/2 about 2' up from the tail but was repaired really nicely. Gary I was told lived to surf and unfortunately passed away at a very early age from Melanoma in the early seventies. The father and I discussed the boards and he agreed to let me have them as long as I held onto them. I told the father of my excitement and how I believed Gary would look down and smile if he new the boards were being ridden and enjoyed instead of gathering dust. The egg really flies once you get it up and going and I have enjoyed it at Malibu, and other long Baja point breaks. The board appears to be very old based on the time frames I was given but I was confused by the small size of the board based on the time frame I was told. I was so inspired by the board it brought me back to a different time and changed the way I viewed surfing and the way I have surfed since the day I rode the board. I became engrossed in the feeling of trimming and just going as fast as I could with the least amount of effort. My brothers and I regret all of the boards we sold over the years but I will hold onto this one as long as I am alive. My buddy Rob Sherman and I have shaped a handful of boards for ourselves after riding the board because the high was so good and I could not find anyone that would try and shape boards similar to our liking as they all seemed determined to shape what they wanted or thought would work best. I am a self confessed garage hack and started trying to shape and ride these boards many years prior to the recent resurgence we have seen around here in the last few years and it has brought me a lot of enjoyment. I do not even remotely understand the concepts and subtleties of the boards you make but that board I found in the rafters taught me how great it is to let myself feel the wave and its energy from the bottom of the board straight up through my feet and up to my brain as opposed to trying to dictate to the wave by smashing it and pushing water all around.  I rely mostly on low rocker to go fast but your board I was lucky enough to stumble upon has really changed my understanding of enjoyment in the water. Thank you for your boards and your time to listen to my rambling. Dave

Mahalo to Dave and Gary R.I.P