OG Surf
Words: Dibi Fletcher
Photos: Walter Hoffman
Photos: Walter Hoffman
Surfing is an old sport. It has been an important part of Hawaiian culture for hundreds of years, practiced long before the first wetsuit was donned or any sponsorship money was paid out. And while we will never be able to directly applaud the true originator—the first person to stand up on an opportunely shaped slab of driftwood—there are a few known pioneers to whom we can pay homage.
One of these men is Walter Hoffman. An original big-wave charger, influential board builder, and surf-inspired textile innovator, Walter’s contribution to surf culture cannot be overstated. As father to Dibi Fletcher and Joyce Hoffman, father-in-law to Herbie Fletcher, and grandfather to Christian and Nathan Fletcher, Walter has been generous in passing his gifts down to his family, whether by nature or nurture.
Dibi Fletcher: Where were you raised?
Walter Hoffman: Between Hollywood and Laguna Beach. Both places. Wintertime in Hollywood, summertime in Laguna Beach.
DF: When did you first start surfing?
WH: Nineteen forty-seven.
DF: What was the board that you surfed on made of?
WH: Balsa-redwood.
DF: Who shaped it?
WH: It was a Swastika board that I got at Snuffy’s Sporting Goods
store in Westwood.
DF: Was that a brand or a model?
WH: It was a brand. It was made by that big company that made balsawood in the old days…that carried balsawood that everybody bought.
Herbie Fletcher: Pacific Homes?
WH: Pacific Homes.
HF: And they ran out of balsawood and that’s why they created foam, right?
WH: No, that’s not right. Grubby invented the foam blank along with Hobie. The process would revolutionize surfing, making lighter boards. They always had balsawood. 
DF: Who was the most influential shaper when you were a young man?
WH: Everybody wanted a Simmons board, but I don’t think they were the best. I think the best shapers in those days were Joe Quigg and Matt Kivlin. I think they made the best boards in those days…had the best-shaped boards, and rode the best.
DF: How heavy were those boards?
WH: I’m saying between 20 to
35 pounds.
DF: And they were single-fin?
WH: They were all single-fins. Bob Simmons had a lot of double-fins—twin-fins.
DF: At that time surfing was more about trimming [basic angled path across the wave face]. So how big were the actual fins at that time?
WH: Six…seven-inch fins, except in Hawaii where they used eight-inch. ...I’m talking shapers here, not
in Hawaii.
DF: So who were the most influential shapers in Hawaii?
WH: Ooo, that’s a good one. That shaped production boards in Hawaii? Probably a Wally Froiseth, George Downing. And they bought a lot of the balsa-redwood boards from here when I first went over, and there may have been some guys over there that did boards.
DF: So was weight, speed, or flotation the most important, or a combination of all of those things?
WH: Performance! A good riding board had to be able to be fast, catch waves…the same thing it is today, as far as I’m concerned. (laughs)
DF: When you spent time in California, in Laguna, did you surf up and down the coast?
WH: Yeah. Up and down the coast, from Rincon mostly, down to Wind ’N Sea.
DF: And was there a sense of localism at the different beaches?
WH: No. Not really. Everybody knew everybody in those days, and everybody got along.
DF: Looking back, how many surfers were there?
WH: Fifty surfers from Malibu area, 50 surfers from Palos Verdes, 25…30 surfers from Laguna, not too many from Oceanside, 150 surfers from the San Diego area.
DF: What kind of music were you listening to then?
WH: Whatever was popular at the time. I don’t know.
DF: What year do you think that was? Forties?
WH: Forty-eight. Right around there.
DF: OK, so at that time wasn’t
there a lot of Hawaiiana music that was popular?
WH: Yeah. We all listened to Hawaiian music. That’s right.
DF: Steel guitar and all this. ’Cause you had told me at one time that you went to what club in Hollywood to listen to Hawaiian music?
WH: Waikiki Tavern it was called.
DF: And they played the steel guitar?
WH: All the Hawaiian bands had steel guitar.
DF: Where did you surf primarily in those early years?
WH: If I lived in Hollywood, in the summertime I surfed at Malibu—in the early part of the summer. And then from about May I’d come down and start surfing in Laguna Beach, San Onofre, in that area, all through summer. And then at the end of summer—this is when I was going to high school and college—surfing Malibu, and then towards Christmas time we’d surf the Overhead, Palos Verdes, Rincon.
DF: When was your first trip to Hawaii?WH: Nineteen forty-nine.
HF: Who would you go surfing with when you went up to places like Malibu and Rincon?
WH: In the water, everbody. Buzzy Trent, Flippy [Walter’s brother], Joe Quigg, Matt Kivlin, Dave Rochlen…everybody.
DF: So your first trip to Hawaii in ’49, did you surf?
WH: Yep.
DF: Where’d you surf?
WH: Waikiki. Only Waikiki.
HF: What spot?
WH: Well, we got there, we surfed Castles the first day I got there. Then Big Publics. As good as it gets, too. And then, mostly from there, Queen’s.
DF: So the first time you went there, did you think, Oh my god, this is for me?
WH: I liked it, yeah. It was great.
DF: And how old were you in 1949?
WH: Probably 18 or 19.
DF: When’s the first time you went to Makaha?
WH: I would say 1951, I think.
DF: And were you there on a vacation?
WH: No, I was in the service. I was in the Navy.
DF: So during your Navy duties you were able to go out and go surfing in Makaha?
WH: Yeah. Matt Kivlin took me out there the first time.
DF: And what kind of board did you ride there?
WH: Good question. Probably one of my own 100% balsa, I think.
DF: And you made it?
WH: I think I made that board. If I didn’t make it, Matt Kivlin made it. It was all balsa.
DF: The waves were big?
WH: No, they weren’t that big. They were probably six…seven foot the first time I went out.
DF: You had surfed big surf on the California coast and whatnot. Did you prefer that to the smaller surf, or was surfing surfing?
WH: Surfing was surfing. But the bigger the waves, the more thrilling it was, naturally.
DF: What year was it that you were first in the Makaha contest?
WH: The first year they had it, I think. Fifty-three…’54…’55.
DF: I think I have a picture of you and it’s earlier than that. I think it’s like ’52 or something like that. You were young.
WH: Whenever it was.
DF: When people think of contests today, they think of shortboard contests, but the Makaha contest at that time was—
WH: Longboard and tandem.DF: And you were a tandem surfer.
WH: Everybody entered everything.
DF: And what was your famous pickup line?
WH: I don’t know. What was it?
DF: Something about, “I guarantee I won’t get your hair wet.”
WH: (laughs)
DF: Did they have a women’s division?
WH: Oh yeah. Boy’s, men’s, tandem, and they had paddling, too.
DF: So it was kind of an all-around contest then, just like there would be today. But nowadays it’s more shortboarding.
WH: Well, longboard’s pretty big, too. They have a lot of contests for longboards, too.
DF: You still surf. Where’s your favorite spot to surf now?
WH: It depends where I’m at. What do you mean? Where I surf now, or what I would like to surf now?
DF: What would you like to surf now?
WH: Padang [Indonesia] I think is the best wave. That, and Makaha when there’s nobody out.
DF: So you’re never doing that, because there’s never going to be no one out, right? (laughs)
WH: Well, I’m too old for that, I think. And I don’t get over there enough. I don’t surf enough anymore.
DF: Who do you have the most fun surfing with now?
WH: Today? No one. (laughs) I’d rather surf by myself with no one out.
DF: If you weren’t a surfer, what would you like to have been?
WH: A motorcycle rider.
DF: Street, desert…?
WH: All kinds. Miler, on the mile, would have been the greatest.
DF: Flat track?
WH: Flat-track miler. Dirt racing.
DF: What do you think is the greatest innovation in surfing?
WH: The boards, skateboards, and the leash, so everybody could surf and not lose their boards. They didn’t have to know how to swim! Different deal all together.
DF: Did you ever think that you’d see something like tow-in surfing?
WH: Yeah, I thought so. They were towin’-in years ago behind boats and stuff. It was like water skiing. “Pete” Peterson, I’ve seen him let go up in Santa Monica behind a boat, on
water skis, and ride a wave. I’m talking in 1949 or 1950.
DF: So surfing was always going to evolve, like everything else.
WH: Right.
DF: Your grandkids surfed, your kids surfed, and everything else. Do you think that it was because of your influence that they picked up surfing, or they would have picked it up on their own?
WH: Living at the beach, there was nothing else to do, so they’d surf.
DF: So now there’s surf-heritage museums, and people are trying to go back and collect the history of surfing.
WH: Right.
DF: Do you feel that some of that history is being lost or changed because of the way it’s being interpreted?
WH: No, I think it’s good. I think the Surfer’s Heritage Foundation is doing a good job.
DF: You have a lot of boards in there. It’s interesting to go in and look through the evolution of the surfboard, isn’t it?
WH: Right.
HF: You’ve got to get the history before it’s gone.
WH: And they’ve really done a job on old photographs and all that stuff. Jeez, it’s unbelievable.
DF: Don’t you think that the history of surfing is really the history of Southern California?
WH: And Hawaii. Oh, absolutely.
DF: It’s evolved into a whole culture. It’s evolved into the beach culture, which is indicative of Southern California and Hawaii.
HF: And a lot of it started right here on the beach.
DF: As your business—Hoffman Fabric—has evolved through the years, you were very responsible for helping to spread this surf-culture idea through all these companies.
WH: OK. That’s right.
DF: Did your artists work with artists from the other companies, or did the artists that you had on staff come up with a lot of the designs?
WH: In the early days, we did the designs for most of the companies, because they couldn’t afford artists in those days. Today, they’re doing a lot, and they give us directions, and we do a lot.
DF: How important has the Hawaiian shirt been in the last 50 years?
WH: For who? Fashion-wise, it comes and goes.
DF: Was there really a whole industry built around that and the board short?
WH: Yes. The surf industry was built around the board short first, then the Hawaiian shirt, because it fitted in with surfing. Everybody dreamed of Hawaii. So the Hawaiian shirt was with the trunks.
DF: It’s certainly been one of the most relevant fashion happenings, so to say, in the last 50 years, if a whole industry could be built around a board short and a Hawaiian shirt.
WH: Yeah, but then it expanded out of that. The board short is probably where it started, and then it went right away into Hawaiian shirts.
DF: When you were young, what were the first board shorts made of?
WH: Probably we just bought board shorts from Jansen, made out of
cotton, or a blend of poly-cotton.
DF: When I was young and you took me to Hawaii as a kid, the “in” board short was a very heavyweight canvas.
WH: Denim or twill from M. Nii probably, Taki’s, and Lynn’s. Those were the three major labels in the early, early days.
DF: So canvas, because it doesn’t dry fast…I never understood that. It’s gotta be uncomfortable as hell.
WH: Yeah. Horrible. It wasn’t canvas. It was a twill.
DF: It was a look, then.
WH: Naah, those were the major fabrics that were available, and the cotton-poplin was probably the best of the three. Then later on everybody got into nylon.
DF: A technical advance in fabrics. So then they got lightweight and
dryfast and all that stuff.
WH: Yeah, I thought so. They were towin’-in years ago behind boats and stuff. It was like water skiing. “Pete” Peterson, I’ve seen him let go up in Santa Monica behind a boat, on
water skis, and ride a wave. I’m talking in 1949 or 1950.
DF: So surfing was always going to evolve, like everything else.
WH: Right.
DF: Your grandkids surfed, your kids surfed, and everything else. Do you think that it was because of your influence that they picked up surfing, or they would have picked it up on their own?
WH: Living at the beach, there was nothing else to do, so they’d surf.
DF: So now there’s surf-heritage museums, and people are trying to go back and collect the history of surfing.
WH: Right.
DF: Do you feel that some of that history is being lost or changed because of the way it’s being interpreted?
WH: No, I think it’s good. I think the Surfer’s Heritage Foundation is doing a good job.
DF: You have a lot of boards in there. It’s interesting to go in and look through the evolution of the surfboard, isn’t it?
WH: Right.
HF: You’ve got to get the history before it’s gone.
WH: And they’ve really done a job on old photographs and all that stuff. Jeez, it’s unbelievable.
DF: Don’t you think that the history of surfing is really the history of Southern California?
WH: And Hawaii. Oh, absolutely.
DF: It’s evolved into a whole culture. It’s evolved into the beach culture, which is indicative of Southern California and Hawaii.
HF: And a lot of it started right here on the beach.
DF: As your business—Hoffman Fabric—has evolved through the years, you were very responsible for helping to spread this surf-culture idea through all these companies.
WH: OK. That’s right.
DF: Did your artists work with artists from the other companies, or did the artists that you had on staff come up with a lot of the designs?
WH: In the early days, we did the designs for most of the companies, because they couldn’t afford artists in those days. Today, they’re doing a lot, and they give us directions, and we do a lot.
DF: How important has the Hawaiian shirt been in the last 50 years?
WH: For who? Fashion-wise, it comes and goes.
DF: Was there really a whole industry built around that and the board short?
WH: Yes. The surf industry was built around the board short first, then the Hawaiian shirt, because it fitted in with surfing. Everybody dreamed of Hawaii. So the Hawaiian shirt was with the trunks.
DF: It’s certainly been one of the most relevant fashion happenings, so to say, in the last 50 years, if a whole industry could be built around a board short and a Hawaiian shirt.
WH: Yeah, but then it expanded out of that. The board short is probably where it started, and then it went right away into Hawaiian shirts.
DF: When you were young, what were the first board shorts made of?
WH: Probably we just bought board shorts from Jansen, made out of
cotton, or a blend of poly-cotton.
DF: When I was young and you took me to Hawaii as a kid, the “in” board short was a very heavyweight canvas.
WH: Denim or twill from M. Nii probably, Taki’s, and Lynn’s. Those were the three major labels in the early, early days.
DF: So canvas, because it doesn’t dry fast…I never understood that. It’s gotta be uncomfortable as hell.
WH: Yeah. Horrible. It wasn’t canvas. It was a twill.
DF: It was a look, then.
WH: Naah, those were the major fabrics that were available, and the cotton-poplin was probably the best of the three. Then later on everybody got into nylon.
DF: A technical advance in fabrics. So then they got lightweight and
dryfast and all that stuff.
What has the board short evolved to?
WH: It’s been polyester. In the future I think it’s going to be more technical, lightweight, and also another direction is cotton.
HF: What about the recycled stuff? What are they gonna do with that?
WH: The small companies and the medium-sized companies will use it. It’s good for trunks. You can make trunks if they’re sewn well and everything like that. But it’s expensive. Today, it’s all price. That’s today, ’cause we’re in a recession, basically—we’re supposed to be coming out of it—but it’s all price today. The big companies can’t afford it, really.
HF: I noticed Billabong has it, and Volcom, they’re doing the recycled deal.
WH: Everybody does the recycled thing. But you’re talking real big
volume that’s not there yet. It’s gonna be there in women’s wear in the big women’s houses that have retail stores.
DF: Don’t you think that’s also because women are more willing to spend more money on their clothes?
WH: Right. It could be great if the price of the fabric is much more expensive. That’s the problem. And I think most of it’s coming from overseas now and they’re taking advantage of the prices—getting a big price for it, ’cause it’s an “in” thing today. And it’ll come down. It’ll be at volume two years from now. Everybody will be using it. We run a bamboo cloth, and it’s expensive compared to everything else. As soon as you tell them the price…“Well, I’d rather have a print in all cotton or in nylon,” ’cause it’s cheaper. So limited market for the beach people at this time—that’s my feeling. T-shirts, that another story. They can do it and come out at a decent price where the average person can afford it. And that’s where it’s really good.
DF: What’s the difference in the fabrication of the shirts that most of the companies are making? Are they going more green, or is it still the price point, with the men’s clothing?
WH: They’re going to novelties. They don’t make too many novelties in the green fabrics.
DF: How have surf-clothing companies changed in the last decade?
WH: Surf became more popular as time went on, and the garment people got into it. Everybody got into the surfing area. When it got hot it was a fad, and then it turned into a regular business. Now it’s a fashion. Everybody’s in it, kinda.
DF: Now a lot of companies are public, and they have to be, because they couldn’t stay just small surf companies.
WH: Right.
DF: Do you see us coming out of this recession any time soon? There’s so much clothing out there and available, have you seen any kind of pickup with some of these small to medium companies being able to buy?
WH: It depends on the areas. Hawaii is turning around, which is amazing. California has gotten a little bit better, but not real strong. It’s not strong. There’s a lot of closeouts, so it’s really a tough question. A lot of the big guys are dumping, and a lot of the medium guys are getting hurt by it.
DF: Because of off-shore manufacturing, your business, over the years, has had to dramatically change, and has had to reconfigure itself, because, just like you said, the companies couldn’t afford their own artists. Now they all have their own artists, and do a lot of things in-house that they weren’t able to do before.
WH: We mainly deal with the medium to small manufacturers—the more creative guys that aren’t in the giant, giant volume.
DF: In some ways that’s more interesting.
WH: Oh, yeah. It’s more fun. We also do the quilt end of the business, too, which is a great end. That’s where there’s really creative people.
DF: So you’re selling to mom and pop stores?
WH: Quilt stores, yeah.
DF: And do they do a lot of “Hawaiian fabrics” in the quilting?
WH: “Tropical.” I call them “tropical,” which is another word for “Hawaiian fabrics” in general. We do all kinds of patterns, from paisleys to palm trees.
DF: You’re going on a surf trip coming up here real soon. What do you do to prepare to go on a surf trip now? Do you do something different than you would have done 20 years ago? Or is it just, pack your board and go?
WH: Pack my board and go.
DF: You usually go someplace where there’s warmer water.
WH: I go to Mexico, mainly.
DF: Because of the convenience?
WH: Convenience, right.
DF: How many people do you usually travel with to go on these surf trips?
WH: A couple people. Maybe three. Friends in my age group, pretty much.
DF: So you’ve lived a pretty nice life, kind of within the realm of surfing always.
WH: Tried to.
WH: It’s been polyester. In the future I think it’s going to be more technical, lightweight, and also another direction is cotton.
HF: What about the recycled stuff? What are they gonna do with that?
WH: The small companies and the medium-sized companies will use it. It’s good for trunks. You can make trunks if they’re sewn well and everything like that. But it’s expensive. Today, it’s all price. That’s today, ’cause we’re in a recession, basically—we’re supposed to be coming out of it—but it’s all price today. The big companies can’t afford it, really.
HF: I noticed Billabong has it, and Volcom, they’re doing the recycled deal.
WH: Everybody does the recycled thing. But you’re talking real big
volume that’s not there yet. It’s gonna be there in women’s wear in the big women’s houses that have retail stores.
DF: Don’t you think that’s also because women are more willing to spend more money on their clothes?
WH: Right. It could be great if the price of the fabric is much more expensive. That’s the problem. And I think most of it’s coming from overseas now and they’re taking advantage of the prices—getting a big price for it, ’cause it’s an “in” thing today. And it’ll come down. It’ll be at volume two years from now. Everybody will be using it. We run a bamboo cloth, and it’s expensive compared to everything else. As soon as you tell them the price…“Well, I’d rather have a print in all cotton or in nylon,” ’cause it’s cheaper. So limited market for the beach people at this time—that’s my feeling. T-shirts, that another story. They can do it and come out at a decent price where the average person can afford it. And that’s where it’s really good.
DF: What’s the difference in the fabrication of the shirts that most of the companies are making? Are they going more green, or is it still the price point, with the men’s clothing?
WH: They’re going to novelties. They don’t make too many novelties in the green fabrics.
DF: How have surf-clothing companies changed in the last decade?
WH: Surf became more popular as time went on, and the garment people got into it. Everybody got into the surfing area. When it got hot it was a fad, and then it turned into a regular business. Now it’s a fashion. Everybody’s in it, kinda.
DF: Now a lot of companies are public, and they have to be, because they couldn’t stay just small surf companies.
WH: Right.
DF: Do you see us coming out of this recession any time soon? There’s so much clothing out there and available, have you seen any kind of pickup with some of these small to medium companies being able to buy?
WH: It depends on the areas. Hawaii is turning around, which is amazing. California has gotten a little bit better, but not real strong. It’s not strong. There’s a lot of closeouts, so it’s really a tough question. A lot of the big guys are dumping, and a lot of the medium guys are getting hurt by it.
DF: Because of off-shore manufacturing, your business, over the years, has had to dramatically change, and has had to reconfigure itself, because, just like you said, the companies couldn’t afford their own artists. Now they all have their own artists, and do a lot of things in-house that they weren’t able to do before.
WH: We mainly deal with the medium to small manufacturers—the more creative guys that aren’t in the giant, giant volume.
DF: In some ways that’s more interesting.
WH: Oh, yeah. It’s more fun. We also do the quilt end of the business, too, which is a great end. That’s where there’s really creative people.
DF: So you’re selling to mom and pop stores?
WH: Quilt stores, yeah.
DF: And do they do a lot of “Hawaiian fabrics” in the quilting?
WH: “Tropical.” I call them “tropical,” which is another word for “Hawaiian fabrics” in general. We do all kinds of patterns, from paisleys to palm trees.
DF: You’re going on a surf trip coming up here real soon. What do you do to prepare to go on a surf trip now? Do you do something different than you would have done 20 years ago? Or is it just, pack your board and go?
WH: Pack my board and go.
DF: You usually go someplace where there’s warmer water.
WH: I go to Mexico, mainly.
DF: Because of the convenience?
WH: Convenience, right.
DF: How many people do you usually travel with to go on these surf trips?
WH: A couple people. Maybe three. Friends in my age group, pretty much.
DF: So you’ve lived a pretty nice life, kind of within the realm of surfing always.
WH: Tried to.
Nice
Post new comment