SurferMag Message Boards: The 13 footer Hawaii Challenge board

No. Bull$hit. Let’s cut the revisionist crap and deal with a few of the things you are conveniently leaving out. What you are omitting is year after year after year of Roy initiating innumerable online attacks on shapers and their work. These are shapers who aren’t even aware of Roy and who have no online personal presence. Roy has attempted to make a name for himself by attacking shapers of recognized stature, somehow feeling that if he can bring them down a notch, it will mysteriously elevate him and his work. A number of these attacks have been against people that are longtime personal friends/associates of mine. Friends that I have watched toil for decades to carve out a niche and make some sort of a living from something that has been a lifelong passion for them. IMO, when he slanders their work, he is attempting to take bread out of their mouths. These people have families they are supporting, kids in college. Roy doesn’t give a f__ck about anybody but Roy. If he thinks it will benefit him, he’ll attempt to screw them. Without hesitation.

I have told Roy repeatedly, in private and in public, that I dig what he does. I like out of the box stuff, I like the fact that he is attempting to do something different. What ruins Roy is Roy. He’s an asshole . A used car salesman that will say absolutely anything in an attempt to promote himself. Repeatedly I have suggested to him that denigrating someone else’s work doesn’t make his any better and that he should lay off with the publicity hound attacks/slander and concentrate on his own stuff. I’d be a Roy advocate if he could just do that. But he can’t do it. Because he’s obviously an insecure little prick who just has to attack others to make himself feel better. It’s absolutely selfish, insecure, juvenile behavior.

Roy has also told me, in private, that he has been attacked and even physically threatened in NZ for making his boards. So, the attempt to make this some kind of “yank” issue is laughable. From what he’s told me, Roy has had worse treatment in NZ. Now, I’m second generation in this sport. I grew up in it. I started surfing so young I don’t even remember my first wave. I make my living in this “industry.” In all those decades and decades of surfing, I can’t think of one shaper that was ever physically threatened for making surfboards. And yet Roy was. He gets crap in NZ, and he gets crap in the US. Why do you think that is?

I’ll tell you why.

No matter where Roy goes, there Roy is.

The problem isn’t everyone else. Roy is the problem. And until he accepts responsibility for his actions and changes his behavior, it will NEVER change.

Now, Roy obviously put a ton of work/labor/knowledge into that board. There have to be a huge amount of man hours in that board. To take one of his babies and send it off into the sunset to people he doesn’t know took some courage. For that, good on him.

But now the board has only been in Hawaii for a few days and Roy is insulting Hawaiian surfers for not immediately flocking to ride his board in waves of consequence. Not very bright. And once again, indicatory of Roy’s core problem…

No matter where Roy goes, there Roy is.

All his problems are his own creations. He owns them. And sadly, I don’t think that will ever change for him.

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"It's the sixth turn man. It's always the sixth turn. That's... the one."