When I first started surfing in 1977, I immediately became aware of Jay Novak of Novak Surfboard Designs through his incredibly stylish and tube-savvy surfing and the fact that he along with Mike Richardson and Dave Craig were part of IB’s elite group of master surfboard shapers. Jay is still shaping and surfing in IB and around the world.
I’m lucky to have him shape my surfboards, which are among the best I’ve ever surfed. Jay’s innovative and groundbreaking quad surfboard from 1980 is on display at the Imperial Beach Surfboard Museum at , or the second floor of the lifeguard station. Jay recently also had one of his surfboards featured on the cover of Surfer Magazine.
IB Patch: When did you start shaping?
Jay Novak: I started shaping in high school in the 1970s. At that time surfboard design was going through a major period of change. In 1968 the first shortboards were used, all but replacing 9-foot and longer boards. But the issue with the new more sensitive and maneuverable boards was that no one had figured out exactly what design features made a board surf well.
Therefore many different shapes and sizes of boards were used. Anything from 8-foot V bottoms (they looked like cut-off 9 footers) to 7 1/2 foot by 18 inch Hawaiian influenced single fins to 5 1/2 foot twin fins with wide tails and everything in between. It took years and many different ideas to reach a bit of a design standard.
IB Patch: What is the history of the quad you shaped that is on display at the Dempsey Holder Safety Center?
Novak: The quad board in the IB Surf Museum is my personal board from 1980. It was one of my favorite boards ever. This board was also the model for the Imperial Beach Outdoor Surfboard Museum—the red metal outline sculptures—at Seacoast [Drive] and Palm [Avenue]. I was surfing pretty well at the time, at least surfing pretty often. Most of my customers wanted twin fins, although maybe 25 percent of my orders were quads. The 3-fin Simon Anderson era was right around the corner. I thought the twins were a little too sensitive and harder to control backside.
Changing to 4-fins seemed to correct these issues. I was one of the last to switch to 3-fins as I thought they were slower and not as free to turn as the twins or quads. Remember the boards of this era were thick and had less rocker. It would be quite a few years until boards thinned out and performance took a leap forward. I also remember I could tell how many fins were on a board by the way it worked in the water.
IB Patch: What is your relationship with AKA Surfboards?
Novak: I have been shaping for AKA [based in Encinitas] for six years now. The company has shown quite a bit of growth to the point now where we send boards all over the world, have high-profile team riders and are known throughout the world.
The June issue of Surfer Magazine featured Peter Devries, one of the AKA crew, on the cover. This is a big deal in the surf industry! I have been shaping for Peter for five years. He is Canada's best-known pro surfer. (Serge's note: I surfed with Peter in Canada—he shreds!) Working with surfers like Peter to get boards "just right" forces me to keep current, lose any complacency and the end result is a better board for all my customers.
IB Patch: How do you use computers in your shaping?
Novak: I shape about 75 percent of the AKA boards with computer assistance, versus maybe 50/50 of my total workload. The computer allows an exact duplicate of a board to be shaped. Besides saving time, we are increasingly asked to shape a particular "model" of board, moving away from a custom shape for an individual.
For example AKA has 18 models and I can change size and dimensions on all of these models up or down for each customer's needs and get a perfect result. Although I really feel creative when I hand shape a board from start to finish, there is a place for both and the end result should be the same. I have always kept detailed records of the boards I have shaped.
IB Patch: What is the state of surfing in Southern California today?
Novak: I think that surfing today in Southern California has progressed greatly in the past few years. I am nothing if not a surf observer. About 350 days a year I start my day by walking to the beach and looking at the waves, hoping it will be good enough to motivate me.
About 10 years ago I observed that surfers were using boards that were either too small or too big. The 9-foot longboards had become popular but these boards were not meant to be used every day, especially here in IB where the waves can on occasion break shallow and hard. Better to use them when the surf is head high or less. The short boards of the time were narrow and had low volume, making them suited for larger waves with more power.
IB Patch: What kind of surfboards work for IB?
Novak: Things to consider when surfing in IB: What kind of surf do we have in this area? Average size shoulder high? Not particularly good? Something in between the two extremes of long and short should work when surfing in IB.
I am glad that it has again become fashionable to ride short boards that have added width and thickness. This has certainly helped the average surfer to get more rides with better results. I personally enjoy egg shapes in the 6 1/2- to 8-foot size and small 4-fin fish shapes. Of course I will ride my 9-footer often and my short board when the conditions are better.
In the last three weeks I have surfed a different board each time I went in the water, hoping to choose the right one for each different day. The surfboards of today are better than ever. It is easier to learn as well as quicker to become an accomplished rider. Perhaps that is why there are so many good surfers now.
Serge Dedina is the Executive Director of WiLDCOAST and the author of Wild Sea: Eco-Wars and Surf Stories from the Coast of the Californias. He is currently on assignment somewhere on a coastline in Europe and promises to report on his adventures there.
