Today's episode of Boardz N The Hood is all about creativity. Tom Curren thankfully broke us out of the 6'2" x 18 1/2" x 2/14" shortboard stagnation by riding a 5'7" Fireball Fish in macking Indo back in the mid-90's. From that point on it was open season: The crew at ...Lost riding riding 5'5" x 19 1/4" boards at Waimea shorebreak to Jamie O'Brien doing step offs on Costco Wavestorms at Pipe to Chippa Wilson and Dane Reynolds riding modified bodyboards. Doesn't matter what the size, shape, age, etc of the board is- if it's funky, then paddle out. My neighbor Tait Hawes embodies that philosophy. With a diverse quiver, everyday is a good day. He doesn't care if it's blown out, big, crowded, cold, sharky (ok- he probably cares that it's sharky), but you get the point. He's got the right board for the right condition. But that's who Tait is. He's creative. So much so that his choice of boards seem to follow his choice in a career- art director at Capitol Records to art director at Vans to creative director at Reef. Wonder why Apple has been at the forefront all these years? That's right- Think Different.
Tait now has a couple boys of his own and they're starting to follow in his footsteps- creative, surfers, and positive attitudes. Here's more on Tait and his oldest boy Walker:
Tait Hawes bio:
- Age: 45
- Height: 5'8"
- Weight: 150 lbs
- Years surfing: 36
- Favorite spot: Any right, anywhere
- Favorite board: 5'8" Chingadera
Quiver:
- 4'4" Softech Rocket
- 5'4" Larry Mabile Twinzer
- 5'8" Eric Christenson Groveler
- 6'2" Grain x Vans Collab
- 5'8" Eric Christenson Rounded Pin
- 6'4" Superbrand Step Up
- 5'8" 80's Twin Fin Garage Sale Special
- 6'7" Haut Single Fin
- 9'0" Wavestorm
- 9'6" Gordon & Smith Longboard
And here's Walker's quiver. At only 8 years old, he's already got 3 boards ready to go once the beach ban is lifted. Here's what he had to say about each one:
Walker Hawes bio:
- Age: 8
- Height: 4'8"
- Weight: 56 lbs
- Years surfing: 4
- Favorite spot: Cardiff Reef
- Favorite board: 5'0" INT
Quiver:
- 4'4" Softech Rocket
- 4'10" Superbrand Toy
- 5'0" INT
Special thanks to Tait, Walker, and the rest of the 'hood for sharing their boards with me and the rest of the world during the quarantine. The end of the ban is in sight but before then, I've got a few more special episodes of Boardz N The Hood to share in the coming week. Make sure to check back every few days and hang in there!
