Photo by Steve Wilkings Hello, In the early 1960’s, Dewey Weber was one of the top surfers in So Cal. His slashing style was one to emulate when riding one’s own wave anywhere. The slashing bottom turn, the top of the wave slashing cutback were the moves everyone wanted to be able to do on every wave. But, only Dewey Weber and his small stature was able to preserve it on every move he made on any wave. Lower center of gravity? Perhaps, but skill and ability was probably the real reason. Remember, these are/were 40-50 pound surfboards usually 9 to 10 feet long. He was also noted for his nose riding skills. The style created a new line of surfboards specifically built for nose riding. A planning surface just from the nose back about 12-14 inches. My brother was one of the first teens to be able to afford a Dewey Weber Nose riding surfboard. He had a good time trying to get to the nose on almost every wall on a wave. He was not successful most of the time. But, for some reason, the board allowed my brother to make hard cutbacks on every ride he took, small waves and larger waves in most places we surfed together. In the photo above, at the beginning, showed the shop and folks outside, Dewey Weber is sitting on the far left. The person on the far right was one of the primary shaper, Harold “Iggy” Ige. “Our head shaper in the 60s, Harold (Iggy) Ige, making a beautifully functional sculpture. Iggy grew up on Oahu and over his lifetime he became an icon and was known as an artist in the shaping world.” We met Iggy at Malibu one summer and then later on at Trestles in Camp Pendleton, when he brought a few friends to surf the powerful South Swells rolling into the breaks. The South Bay of Los Angeles did not get waves during the Summer Swells. The beaches except for Malibu are facing the wrong direction. Jnaki My brother must have like the Los Angeles South Bay Surf Shops as he traded in his nose riding special Dewey Weber Surfboard for a new custom made for his height and weight, Hap Jacobs Surfboard. That surf shop was just down the street. So, overall, the nose rider worked in mysterious ways. The custom shaped Jacobs Surfboard made my brother a smoother stylish surfer. Smooth action on all parts of the waves we rode… YRMV
40’s-early 60’s Indy tires, prized by most Dry lakes and Bonneville racers up thru the 70’s and later. Many new and used ones came thru the Inglewood Tire Service after the 500 and sold to them. It was just off Florence Ave across from the Inglewood Park Cemetery.
The Jalopy Journal
