So four years ago when all the doo-doo hit the fan I took my kids away to Montauk at the end of Long Island for a vacation. As you all may or may not remember, my vision of the kids truck is to roll up to my favorite surfing beach with my boards in the back of the truck. So, four years ago, the kids were all upset about their mom and dad breaking up when I took them on vacation. My daughter was just a baby at 2 years old. The big surprise for them was that I put them in surf camp for a couple days when we were out there (just the boys of course, my daughter being too young). They were totally stoked (surf terminology for you land-locked truckers). Got just about the best picture of my boys ever on the beach just as they were about to go in for the first time. They are standing next to and holding up these impossibly big surfboards with the biggest and somewhat toothless grins on their faces. Owner of the best surf shop in Montauk (a serious surfing mecca) gives the boys the lessons himself and they all stand up and ride the very first day. Too awesome. We become fast if infrequent friends, the boys and I and the owner of the surf shop. Kind of a soft spoken guy. I stop in a few months after our first experience and give him a 5 X 7 of the picture. He looks at it and says thanks, not much else. Ever since, he has used that pic in every one of his surf camp ads and on the brochure. My girlfriend and I go out to Montauk this weekend for the day to chill on the beach together. Naturally we go to say hello to Stew at the surf shop and set up a lesson for her daughter. Girlfriend's daughter has a serious crush on his son and has had several lessons (surfing of course) from him as well. Every year I get the kids new surf shop T-shirts whether they go surfing in Montauk or not. As I'm browsing the T-shirts, I pick one up that has the shop logo on the front and I turn it over to see a great big screened print of the back of a five-window AD with a bunch of boards sticking out of the bed. I bought five of them. The kids are going to be so stoked. The owner wants me to bring the truck and the kids out to the shop. Another stop on the list of places to go when it's rolling. If I could find my darn digital camera, I'd take a shot of it and post it. I'll post a picture of the surf camp brochure tomorrow. Andy
What? No smoker? That story is tooo cool, Andy! Just think if a shirt comes out that is a photo of them, you and your truck?! The shirts with the picture of the AD with the boards only needed a smoker being pulled behind it!
Great to hear of others using there trucks for surfing. I have taken mine to one or two local show and shines and I stick my Yakima racks on my 50 Panel. I have 4 surfboards that I use for surfing here on Lake Michigan and I stick a couple on the roof when I go to shows. Always draws some looks especially here in the Midwest where most people think I just have them on just for show. Surfed 6 to 7 foot waves in South Haven MI 3 weeks ago. I usually surf into the winter until the ice freezes the Lake over. Some of the locals surfers are who inspired me to find my Panel truck in the first place. They had VW campers and I wanted something different. Keep up the surf lessons with the kids and be safe. Nothing makes a surfboard look better than a great truck under it. Or if you don't strap em down good, nothing looks worse than a surfboard with a truck on top of it! Aloha, Brian
Hey Andy! Cowabunga, Dude! Here's what you need for your next project! "I've got a '34 wagon and they call it a Woodie...Surf City, here we come"
There was one of those in the So-Cal shop on Klein Cemetery Road a few years back. Red paint, flathead and Hawaii plates. Did you catch any fish?
