Opening the Door on the Quiet Revolution

Posted on October 31, 2008 @ 11:14 AM

It does seem like it will take a minor miracle for the thrusters to be usurped in the immediate future though?
In terms of performance, Duncan and I both agree that thrusters have been a great design. Obviously, they’ve got three fins. We’re not dismissive at all of the thrusters; you can’t argue with the level of surfing that goes on with those boards; it’s absolutely incredible how much surfing has evolved using them. But our basic premise is that it’s a three-fin triangulated system, which we pioneered, so we have no axe to grind. We just feel that there are inefficiencies inherent in that fin setup, and we feel that the Bonzer, all in all, is a much more efficient and versatile system. That’s the whole point of using the fin system and bottom design in tandem – working together in synergy.

The high technology and glossy R&D associated with some manufacturers doesn’t seem to sit well with your approach?
I met with one of the partners in the design of Future Fins at a trade show in Japan. They’re doing all kinds of really neat stuff with various fins and tricked-out foils – some really complicated stuff. I think his name is Vince. He’s a very bright person, and I believe he has an engineering background; he’s doing some great work. But the fact is that if you take the fine, triangular keel shape of an original Bonzer side-fin, which is basically a slab of fibreglass, and stick it on your board in the proper position, you’ll make that board go faster and turn better. It’s pretty low-tech, but it has a high-tech result. It’s very simple, and you don’t need an engineering background to make your board go better. You don’t need high-tech facilities to mould all your fins. You can be a kid with a piece of glass, lay up 13 layers, cut out either a five-fin setup or an original Bonzer three-fin setup, and sand them by hand with a sanding block. Stick those on your surfboard and you can improve its performance – for pennies. Anyone can do it in their backyard.

That’s where I stand on hi-tech. It’s about the whole system, not about an individualised foil. Definitely foils can make boards work better, but the dramatic difference that you’re going to get is not going to be as much as if you stick Bonzer fins on it. Again, the challenge is there to any shaper: Take your favourite board, stick the five-fin system on it, and see how it goes. You may not like it better at first; it all depends on how open people are to feeling the change and putting a bit of time into learning it. The people that get into Bonzers seem to be a bit more open-minded in general than what we’ve experienced over the years. We’ve made major changes, and we’ve been a major influence, but it’s been behind the scenes. You have so much preconditioning that it keeps you looking at other things. You’ve got to be open minded – not so open minded that your brains fall out, but you’ve got to be open to new experiences.

You feel that’s the secret of progressing surfboard design in the future?
It’s the nature of things. Originally, in the ’70s, there were people making all kinds of crazy stuff; it was a really fun time. Especially the early ’70s, because people were making all kinds of wild stuff – flex tails, different tail shapes, different types of fins. Then surfing got bigger, and professional surfing began to change the nature of things. Advertising dollars changed what would go forward in terms of design, so it was a bit of a double-edged sword. You can’t just make stuff for the sake of making it. Back then, people were truly experimenting because there was a whole open new field; the boards were shorter, everything was wide open and as things did or didn’t work, they became a bit more refined.

You’ve never followed the route into large-scale production as many of your contemporaries have.
I’ve been shaping since 1968. From then until March 2007, I’ve always had a secondary job in order to continue to make Bonzers [Malcolm shaped for Al Merrick at Channel Islands from 1985 to January 2007], but they’ve never been my sole means of support until this year. So in terms of the passion that we have for the design, there’s very little connection with money, otherwise we would have quit doing it years ago. I could have made all kinds of other surfboards under ‘Campbell Bros’ and had a much bigger business, but we’ve chosen to stick with the Bonzer because we truly believe it has the potential to continue advancing performance and driving progression through design.

To make a unique statement the boards have to be unique themselves?
Yes, the Bonzer experience is somewhat unique. We haven’t kept making them just because we’re stubborn and egotistical. To do what we’ve done and stay focused has taken passion. I ask people, “Why would I spend two thirds of my life making and riding surfboards that weren’t as good or better than anything else around?” You’d have to be masochist or an egomaniac. For the small amount of notoriety over 30 years (and even less money), ego doesn’t play much of a part. We’ve just been really focused on what we want to do, and it’s been a very personal thing for us.

My dad was the original inspiration for doing the three-fin. Along with him working together on the original design, there was our small group of close friends: Russ Short, Charlie Womack, Cliff Collinge (Duncan’s best friend and an incredible surfer and airbrush artist), and another friend, the photographer Craig Fineman, who shot all the photos of us. They were such an integral part of the Bonzer project. My dad passed away in 1976 when he was 58. Cliff died of cancer in 1993 at 38, way too young. My mom died that year as well. Charlie, who was an inspiration for the five-fin in 1983, died three years ago near Santa Barbara when a huge landslide covered his house. Shortly before that, Craig passed away after a long illness. It’s a shame that the people who were such a big part of the Bonzer experience aren’t around to share the bit of notoriety and the credibility that the boards are now getting. Again, this is such a personal thing in terms of our lives.

Do you feel that ‘Campbell Bros’ stands for more than just you and your brother – more like a brotherhood, a tight-knit community?
It was a really close-knit group of people who were together for a long time. I think it’s somewhat a unique circumstance because it required a number of people that were willing to live on the outside of what everyone else was doing in surfing. They rode different boards and just fit in with the nature of the area. Oxnard was out in the hinterlands of Southern California surfing during the ’70s. Now, since around 1990, a second generation of close friends has provided the energy and support to keep the Bonzer experience vibrant.

Do you think that Bonzers will suffer because of the Quad?
No. I pay little attention to what anybody else is doing. I have tremendous respect for the tried-and-true craftsmen in our business, but I have to admit that, as far as design goes, I pretty much keep my head down and stick to my own path. The point is, the Bonzer has survived every single design change and every fad. Thrusters aren’t a fad; they have developed into a mainstay. At the ripe old age of 37, Bonzers can still be taken out and ridden at the same or a higher level of performance than any design that exists. In terms of where other people go, I’m not concerned at all. We’re not in it to say we’re the be-all and end-all; we’re in it to provide the most versatile high-performance surfboard possible.

When I say ‘versatile’, it’s important because the Bonzer can be made to any shape and size to ride in any surf with the same fin system. From kneeboards to tow-boards to high-performance contemporary shortboards, longboards, and sailboards, the exact same fin-system can be used. You don’t even need to change the size of the side fins – just alter your centre fin. It works on anything in any condition, so it’s basically the Bonzer.

In a way, I kind of feel in the center of the cyclone; it’s the calm in the centre because it’s been there from the beginning of shortboards, and it’s still there now. It’s the performance that dictates whether it will be around or not, and it’s not going away. The volume of boards that we sell is just a relationship to how many guys get on it and find it enjoyable.

Where do you go from here?
My fundamental concern is making custom boards and to continue to refine our designs. As long as everyday surfers enjoy the boards, we’ll be okay. It would be great for a couple of top surfers to put Bonzers to the test in the competitive environment. If this doesn’t happen, so be it. I do think that if someone went out and showed the judges something a little different in terms of more speed, better use of their rails, and more efficient transition between manoeuvres, the judges would take notice and reward them.

What would you like the Bonzer’s legacy to be?
That it be seen as an archetype of the modern shortboard by pioneering the three-fin concept and the introduction and development of the single-to-double-concave bottom. In a human sense, though, I’d like the Bonzer to represent what can be done if you are passionate and stay focused on a dream. A few years ago Billy Hamilton said to me, “I can’t believe you guys stuck with it all this time, but I’m sure glad you did.” I can’t begin to tell you how much that meant to me. The Bonzer experience is and has been a ‘quiet revolution’, and that’s the way I like it.



Simon Buck is an award-winning freelance photographer based in the eastern badlands of Norfolk, England. A regular contributor to the surfing press, he lives with his fiancée, Rachel, and is the proud owner of two Campbell Bros Bonzers, which he claims to ride terribly. Visit: simonbuckphotography.com

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