The OTF Board Chronicles

It all started at the AB3. My wife and I had a nice day off from life. We call it a "Day Date". We found friends to watch the three younglings for the day, and headed down to the AB3. Lately we have been really enjoying these "day dates." When we met, we spent most of our time surfing together, not going out to dinner and clubbing. Since the grems have come along, surfing together is rarely an option. So instead of recruiting people to watch the kids, so we can go out at night on a date, we have "day dates" so we can surf together, then go out to lunch, etc. So, getting back to the chronicles. As many know, the surf was pretty bad that day. I brought alot of boards down for people to try, but the surf just didn't cooperate. By the time we walked down the way to go out to lunch, nobody had tried one of the boards. When we came back, OTF, was walking down the beach with one of the boards that I shaped. He took it out, and had a good time on it. He was actually the first person, besides myself, to ever try one of the boards I shaped. Meanwhile, my wife packed up to go pick up the kids. I waited for OTF to get out, but really didn't have time to discuss how the board went for him. Family duty was calling. It's kind of funny because I didn't realize who it actually was that tried the board until later. You see, OTF, is one of the people who posts over at the Surfermag BB. I've seen numerous pics of him, but never met him in person. He's had a rough time the last few years. He was diagnosed with mouth and throat cancer and beat it. So, the OTF that I had seen pics of, wasn't the same guy I had seen in those pics. He looked good, but just not the same as the pics I'd seen. So it really never clicked who it was that was trying the board. I later learned who it was, and with talking to him, found that he had a good time riding my board. I was stoked. Earlier in the day, my wife had won an Ice-9 blank, for best artwork on a board. So, I felt it would be a neat thing to shape OTF a board with it. We discussed it and he said he would want the same board, but a 5'10. So, I did what I could to make it as similar as possible. He also said that he wanted it to be airbrushed 80's Newport Neon. I knew Peter St. Pierre would be taking on the challenge, so that part was easy. What actually blew me away was that the fine people at Moonlight comped the glass job for OTF. Also that Jimmy and Casey at Lokbox donated the fins and boxes. So, here is some photos of the process and the finished product. Thanks to Moonlight for making a hacker shaped board look like a masterpiece. I hope OTF enjoys it.





On a side note, OTF picked up the board. He so far has had real positive things to say about how it rides. Early this morning he took off on a dredging wave and was driving down the line and took some gas. At some point, he was hit by the board. Ended up having to go to the ER and found to have an Orbital Bone Fracture. I hope he gets better soon, and that he finds piece with the board. G