THE BLIMP
The Blimp is my version of the mini simmons design. I've Adopted many of the contours and features of Joe baugess’ original ‘mini simmons’, and combined them with a modified template featuring a more slender hip line to create an extremely easy riding and versatile board, suited to the wide variety of conditions we get here in the u.k. The soft forward rail combined with the belly entry gives you a smooth classic feel, while the concaves through the rear give you lift and drive out of turns. The end result is a blindingly fast and fun board, with the abititly to dominate in even the tinest and weakest of waves. (Want a mini simmons with a twist?! check out my " Po' Boy" on the next page.......)
STANDARD DIMENSIONS @ 5'6 X 22.5 X 2.75
History of the ' The mini Simmons' :
Bob simmons, an early 1950’s pioneer in surfboard design, didn’t actually invent the mini simmons. It was shaper Joe Baugess that made the very first mini simmons. A shaper since 1963 in both Hawaii and California, along side some of the most influential shapers of the times, it wasn’t until 2006, that the very first ‘mini’ simmons was born, by a chance order of someone wanting a shorter version of an old Bob simmons board. Joe was granted artistic license by the customer to build the board however he chose. This board became the very first and original mini simons. The little board..nicknamed 'Casper', due to its white finish and its user ‘ friendliness’ i.e the friendly ghost, conjured up the spirit of bob simmons 1950’s hydrodynamic endeavours, and shook the foundations of modern surfing, starting a revolution in shorter, wider, thicker boards. The mini simmons, by no means, just short, wide, and thick is a complicated design in a tiny package. Speed and release are the theories behind these Hydrodynamic planing hulls, a phrase coined by simmons back when invented his unusual yet revolutionary new boards back in the 50’s. When Bauguess shaped 'Casper', He kept many of simmons original signature marks: the round nose with its upturned rail and cambered belly, slightly pulled in tail, and of course the flowing ‘s’ curve deck line and dish like nose (originally introduced to remove weight from the front of the board) . and to thin out the tail . Baugess added to that by dropping the rails, adding a hard edge through the tail section, a single concave running from the fore mid section flowing into a double concave deep enough to form a slight vee through the tail section, before coming to a flat edge.