Atlantic Surfer: Conway on Chops
- Cord Surfboards
- 15 hours ago
- 4 min read
UK Surfboard Shapes of the Seventies
In 1978, the debut issue of British surf magazine Atlantic Surfer dropped. Atlantic Surfer was a 28-page UK-focussed DIY surf publication that helped to lay the foundations for the surf magazines that we still enjoy today such as Wavelength which was founded by John Conway who wrote an article all about Cord Surfboards co-founder Peter “Chops” Lascelles in that first Atlantic Surfer.
Conway’s article, titled “CHOPS” details the development of the UK’s surfboard industry through the 1960s, and the upheaval caused by the shortboard revolution that actually had its first moments in the Cord Surfboards factory in Caloundra in 1966. By 1976 Chops had settled in St Agnes, Cornwall, and was putting his many years of experience working in Australian surfboard factories to use as the new co-owner and shaper at Tris Surfboards at Porthtowan, which is where Conway’s story finally introduces us to his article’s protagonist.
“Shaping is a highly individual craft; one of the finest exponents in England at the moment is Australian born, Peter Lascelles,”
What we get is Chops’ thoughts on the best surfboard design features for British waves. What’s remarkable is how, 48 years on, his preferences reflect some of the features of our newly released Otter model: width and volume for paddle-speed, pronounced rocker, and swallow tails. Surfboard design has developed a lot over the last five decades but the fundamental features that make surfboards perform the way they do remain and that knowledge runs through Cord surfboards DNA, as Chops’ youngest son Markie continues his dad’s legacy of designing and shaping the finest surfboards.
Take a look at the full Atlantic Surfer article, below:
“CHOPS”
It all started in 1962, in a small lock-up garage in Newquay. The man responsible for the first surfboards to be built in Britain was Bill Bailey. Bill made a board a week and the waiting list was quite considerable. To fill the demands, Bill went into business with an Australian surfer called Bob Head and Bilbo surfboards came into existence.
Bilbo cornered the market, and expanded into what was to become the biggest surfboard factory in Europe. The original factory at Pargola Road was made up of temporary site huts, until a permanent purpose-built factory could be erected.
Throughout the whole building programme, surfboards were being produced at a rate of 40 per week. On its completion the spacious, modern factory was a board builders’ dream, especially well equipped shaping rooms, a large laminating section, and a dust-free finishing room for glossing and pin lining. All this was a far cry from Bill Bailey’s lock-up. The future seemed good for Bilbo, and surfing in general. The demand for custom-built boards in the 65-67 period was tremendous. But something happened in Australia that was to bring about the end of the large-scale surfboard building business. Surfboard design took its first giant step forward. A new concept in surfboards, designers chopped two feet off the regular board and overnight boards went from ten feet down to eight feet.
Throughout the world the wind of change blew through surfboard factories. Most had large stocks of off-the-peg ten feet boards, and to them this stock represented a lot of bad money. In England the transition was a more gentle progress, surfers were becoming discerning and wanted for the first time in England, a true custom built surfboard.
In the sixties shapers from other parts of the world had worked at Bilbo’s and their extensive knowledge was passed onto English surfers, who were now setting up what was known as ‘Back Yard Factories’.
The stage was set; the era of functional board design was about to begin. The movie, ‘Evolution’, said it all, a very young Wayne Lynch surfing in France at La Barre, hung like a fly in the pocket of a huge left hander, carving tracks across perfect walls on a new surfing vehicle, the V bottom. The evolution wasn’t just taking place in the water, it also extended to the shaping room, English shapers such as Chris Jones, Tris and Martin Geary designed boards for English waves.
From 1970 things went berserk, every conceivable alteration to the basic board shape took place. In the States, sales of surfboards were on the decline, big surfboard manufacturers started to introduce new boards in every issue of Surfer Magazine. These new concepts, endorsed by top surfers, only served to confuse the average surfer. From this period came some good things, shapers tried and tested different designs, discarding what did not work and refining what did. The basic geometry of the surfboard has been laid down, surfers are starting to re-examine shapes of the past, such as the twin fin, Mark Richards is proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that the twin fin actually works; that they were not a gimmick of a past era, as some would have us believe.
Shaping is a highly individual craft; one of the finest exponents in England at the moment is Australian born, Peter Lascelles, aged 26. “Most people call me Chops! Although I have been surfing 17 years, I didn’t start shaping ‘til I came to England in 1975. Tris showed me the basics of working with foam, I had worked in surfboard factories previously but not as a shaper.”
Chops is now in partnership with John Manetta, together they make Tris Surfboards (Tris himself having left). He has very definite theories on shapes for English waves.
“English waves on the whole being slower and fuller you need more release, boards with constant rocker lines, lots of curve, 19 ½ - 20 inches wide and around three inches thick, basic loose designs, naturally a curve will do that quicker than a straight. Tail shapes run more to personal preference, although I find swallow wings, swallows and rounded square tails give me more drive in a straight line, but will break free when necessary. All my shapes have pronounced vee’s in the bottom for easier rail to rail transition. I consider 6’4” to 6’7” a good length for English waves."
John Conway
Atlantic Surfer Issue 1, 1978
See how Chops' design principles have developed into our modern high performance surfboard shapes such as the new Otter:
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