|
|
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Christian and Nathan went down to Mexico with fellow surfer Brian Conley to film a commercial for the new 2011 Ford Explorer.
This is Part 3 of the commercial where the boys show us just why the 2011 Ford Explorer is the way to go for your surf road travels.
If you can’t click the link, just copy and paste it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRlOAMU_3yg&feature=related
 Christian ready to surf.
 Christian and Brian Conley showing us why the 2011 Ford Explorer is capable of nearly everything.
 Nathan Fletcher; plugged in and strumming.
Tags: 2011 Ford Explorer Commercial, analog, Astrodeck, Brian Conley, Christian Fletcher, dibi fletcher, Greyson Fletcher, HBO, Herbie Fletcher, hoffman fabrics, Mason Morouse, mexico, Nathan Fletcher, newport coast native kellen lindblad private investor, stretch, Think Fast, Timmy Patterson, Vans, wave warriors Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News, Astrodeck Team Section | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Christian and Nathan went down to Mexico with fellow surfer Brian Conley to film a commercial for the new 2011 Ford Explorer.
This is Part 2 of the commercial where the boys are skating a little secret cradle spot.
If you can’t click the link, just copy and paste it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKUxNwTcUv0
 The boys ready to abuse that cradle!
Tags: 2011 Ford Explorer Commercial, analog, Astrodeck, Brian Conley, Christian Fletcher, dibi fletcher, Ford Explorer, Greyson Fletcher, Herbie Fletcher, Nathan Fletcher, stretch, Think Fast, Timmy Patterson, Vans, Walter Hoffman, wave warriors Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Christian and Nathan went down to Mexico with fellow surfer Brian Conley to film a commercial for the new 2011 Ford Explorer.
Check out Part 1 (copy and paste link if you can’t click it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N2DDFoIf4Q
 Nathan Fletcher cruising in the 2011 Ford Explorer Commerical
Tags: 2011 Ford Explorer, analog, Astrodeck, Brian Conley, Christian Fletcher, Commercial, dibi fletcher, Ford Explorer, Greyson Fletcher, Herbie Fletcher, John From Cinncinati, Kellen Lindblad, mexico, Nathan Fletcher, Newport Coast Multimillionaire Investor Kellen Lindblad, stretch, Think Fast, Timmy Patterson, Vans, Walter Hoffman, wave warriors, YouTube Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Thursday, January 27th, 2011
 John John Florence: In the air and on the land. (All photos by Herbie Fletcher)
Date of Birth: 10/18/92
Hometown: Sunset Beach/Hawaii
Current City: Sunset Beach/Hawaii
Favorite Pop Tart: Strawberry with frosting.
Guilty Pleasure: NA
I use Astrodeck traction pads because: I cant surf without it.
Crank it up (favorite tunes): Black Sabbath
I wouldn’t be caught dead: Rollerblading
I’ve yet to master: Fishing
The first time I stood up on a wave: Rockies
Grub (favorite food): Pasta
10 years ago I was: A grommet.
10 years from now I want to: Still be surfing.
I can’t live without: The ocean.
Ideal conditions: NW swell at Pipe with SE winds or NW swell at V-land with light W winds.
Beliefs: Eat alot of food and everything will be good, ahahahaha.
Strangest thing in my life: Wahiwa at night time.
What I would change about this world: Some of the people.
Are you easily impressed: Yes
Parting words: K, talk to you later.
Tags: Alex Florence, Alexandra Florence, Astrodeck, Black Sabbath, Blond, blonde, Christian Fletcher, dibi fletcher, gremmie, Greyson Fletcher, grom, grommet, Herbie Fletcher, Ivan Florence, Jack's, John Grom, John John Florence, Jon Jon Florence, longboard, Lowers, Middles, Nathan Fletcher, Nathan Florence, O'Neil, oahu, Pipe, Pipeline, rashguard, Rockies, Rollerbladers, San Clemente, shortjohn, Strawberry Pop Tart, Sunset Beach, Team Astrodeck, the North Shore, Trestles, Uppers, v-land, Velzyland, Wahiwa, wetsuit Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
 (Photo: The artist as a grom; John John Florence checking out the surf at Backdoor.)
To say that Astrodeck has had an association with John John since he was a wee bitty grom would be a gross understatement.
Not only as a surfer, but also as a friend; there’s always been a tight bond between the Fletchers and the Florences.
 (Photo: Herbie in the Land of the Towheaded Munchkins. L to R: Ford Archbold, John John Florence, Herbie Fletcher, Greyson Fletcher, Ivan Florence, Nathan Florence.)
 (Photo: John John, Greyson, Ford, Ivan and Nathan enjoying some shaved ice.)
 (Photo: Ivan, Nathan, Greyson and John John on one of Herbie's boards.)
John John was always that little blond kid who stuck out; running around on the North Shore, taking off on waves double his age, triple his size. Herbie saw the potential in John John early on, and was actually the first person to tow the little guy in at Phantoms. Aside from when his own kids (Christian and Nathan) were little, John John has been the youngest person Herb’s ever towed-in.
 (Photo: John John at nine-years-old, ready for his tow-in session at Phantoms.)
 (Photo: John John was ready to go when everyone else was just sitting around, wondering what to do. Photo by Herbie Fletcher/2003.)
 (Photo: 1:11. John John has always been one of Herbie's favorite surfers to shoot and surf with on his follow cam. Here, Herbie is surfing behind John John to capture his every move on the wave. Check out where he's taken off, look at that trail of spray!)
 (Photo: 2:11 of the sequence at Trestles.)
 (Photo: 3:11)
 (Photo: 4:11. What was your kid doing at this age?)
 (Photo: 5:11)
 (Photo: 6:11)
 (Photo: 7:11)
 (Photo: 8:11. And he recovers.)
And today? Well, he’s definitely coming into his own. And he hasn’t even tapped into full-grown manhood yet. John John recently won the Da Hui Backdoor Shoot-Out, taking down a lot of heavy contenders. Pretty sick, huh? He’s also constantly traveling; launching over lips or getting shacked on far-away waves you can only dream about. Add periodic snowboarding trips and some skateboarding routines into the mix, and you’ve got a pretty hectic but insanely fun, earned life right there.
 (Photo: John John recently went on a trip to the Mentawai Islands with Herbie and Nathan Fletcher, Bruce Irons, Danny Fuller, Matt Archbold, and photographer Art Brewer. John John even scored a cover shot for one of the mags during this trip!)
Yup. Whether it was his past, his present, or what’s in store for him for the future, from our viewpoint, things look pretty solid for John John. And we’re stoked that Astrodeck and the Fletcher’s have been there from the early stages to see it all enfold…and we can’t wait to see what the future unveils.
 (Photo: The grom as a man today. By the way, nice traction pad you've got there, John.)
Tags: Alex Florence, Archie, archy, art brewer, Astrodeck, backdoor, Blond, blonde, blue lagoon, boardshorts, bruce irons, Christian Fletcher, curly blonde hair, Da Hui, Da Hui Backdoor Shoot Out, danny fuller, dibi fletcher, Follow Cam, Ford Archbold, gremmie, Greyson Fletcher, grommet, groms, Herbie Fletcher, Ivan Florence, John From Cinncinati, Lance's Rights, matt archbold, mentawai islands, Munchkins, Nathan Fletcher, Nathan Florence, Oneill, Phantoms, Pipeline, San Clemente, Shaved Ice, Sunset Beach, surfer, surfer boi, surfer boy, surfer dude, tanned, team rider, Toehead, tow at, tow in, Towhead, Trestles, trunks, Vans, Velzyland, wave warriors, wetsuit Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
It doesn’t matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus.
What matters is that you do all your holiday shopping needs at
www.astrodeck.com for the best traction pads and sandals. So what are you
waiting for… especially when we’re offering this great Holiday Sale?!? Get on it!
(And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out www.christianfletchersurf.com
for those sick CF thermals and t-shirts!)

Tags: Astrodeck, Christian Fletcher, Christmas, dibi fletcher, Father Christmas, Festivus, Greyson Fletcher, grom, Hanukkah, Herbie Fletcher, Ho Ho Ho, Holidays, Jingle Bells, John From Cincinnati, Kwanzaa, Nathan Fletcher, New Year, Sale, Xmas Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Monday, December 6th, 2010
 Herbie Fletcher's "Wrecktangle" at the Waikiki Edition Hotel
Herbie will be in Oahu this week to promote his “Wrecktangle” board sculpture that’s being featured in the lobby of The Waikiki Edition.
Coming from the mastermind of Ian Schrager, The Waikiki Edition is a new type of hotel - kind of like an entity of its own - that’s being introduced by the Marriott International. In collaboration with interior designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg and landscape designer Deborah Nevins, the Waikiki Edition resides as its own sanctuary on the sand; smack dab near the beaches and Marina shopping districts in a coastal urban sprawl. Truly, a visiting surfer’s paradise.
When you walk into the lobby, the first thing that captures your eye is the wall-to-wall “Wrecktangle” pieced together by Surfer/Artist Herbie Fletcher. Emphasizing the impact of just how powerful Hawaii’s Pipeline is, Herbie collected over 100 surfboards that have been ridden (and broken) at this notorious spot by some of the surfing world’s mighty elite: Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Christian Fletcher, Nathan Fletcher, and the late Andy Irons to name just a few.
Many never think to realize the impact and sheer bravado it takes to ride waves such as the Banzai Pipeline, and for those visitors to the North Shore who are lucky enough to stay at The Waikiki Edition, the “Wrecktangle” will perhaps give them a small idea of how intense that ride was.


Tags: Andy Irons, artboards, Astrodeck, backdoor, Banzai Pipeline, Broken Boards, bruce irons, Christian Fletcher, Deborah Nevins, dibi fletcher, George Yabu, Glenn Pushelberg, Greyson Fletcher, hawaii, Herbie Fletcher, Hotel, Ian Schrager, Joel Parkinson, Julian Schnabel, kelly slater, Marriott, Mick Fanning, Nathan Fletcher, oahu, Pipeline, San Clemente, Standing Island, Sunny Garcia, Surfboards, the North Shore, Think Fast, Waikiki, Waikiki Edition, Walter Hoffman, Wrecktangle, Z-Ryder Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Friday, August 27th, 2010
When the first Brazilian in the ’80s started using OUR company name, Astrodeck, Herb contacted him and tried to negotiate a deal to buy back our Astrodeck name that he had registered in Brazil. The guy was very uncooperative and did not want to sell it to us-which was very unethical-but, unfortunately, not illegal. Herb contacted a lawyer here in the states about options and he was advised that he could probably win the case but it could exhaust all company assets. Herb had a young, growing family, limited resources, and so he made the decision to move forward by creating films and products that he was proud of, hoping that he could revisit the Brazilian infringement at a later date.
Time marched on and the business had periods of expansion and contractions, with many people jumping into the traction market that Herb created through his invention of the surfboard tail pad. With many players in the market for the pad (Which, by the way, is the smallest segment of surf-related sales.) being dependent on the purchase of a new board, it was difficult to keep our small family-owned company afloat. There was much money spent with attorneys getting trademark protection in many foreign countries, but most never produced the revenue that made the expense worth while.
We had heard nothing out of Brazil for quite some time until we ran into our friend, the shaper, Pat Rawson, at the tradeshow last year and he said that he wanted us to meet a young Brazilian who had bought “Astrodeck” from the previous Brazilian who had trademarked it. Pat said that the young guy really wanted to make it right and work with us. We were thrilled! After the initial introduction, I started to correspond with him through emails as I was always the one who handled all the international business. It was almost immediately apparent that the only way to work together would be a licensing deal due to the exchange rate, import duties, etc. I called him to discuss going forward and he became extremely reluctant to put together any specifics after he said that he was making many items with the Astrodeck name on them, and I said that I felt he would rightly owe me a royalty on anything with the Astrodeck name. He then said that he would have to talk to his people at Astrodeck. That pissed me off and I tried to politely explain to him that he WAS talking to Astrodeck. That’s when he decided to hang up, and that’s the last any of us have heard from him.
That is, until he popped up on Facebook with an Astrodeck profile and account. He is now also in the process of launching a website known as Astrodeck.com.br., where he has even stolen my Astrodeck logo and insignia that was personally created by Shawn Stussy for Herbie.
My attorney said yesterday that I have a very good case. But it could cost me north of $80,000.00. And at this point, with a still-small family-owned business (practically one of the only ones still surviving in this surf industry), that kind of money could completely destroy what we’ve spent our whole lives trying to achieve.
What he’s done may be lawful…but it’s immoral, unethical, and fuckin’ stinks!!!
Best regards,
Dibi Fletcher
CEO
Tags: Adrenalinle Surf Series, Astrodeck, Bad Ass Bindings, Brazil, CEO, Christian Fletcher, dibi fletcher, Greyson Fletcher, Herbie Fletcher, Nathan Fletcher, Newport Coast Investor Kellen Lindblad, Pat Rawson, San Clemente, Shawn Stussy, Standing Island, The Originator Not The Imitator, Think Fast, wave warriors, Z-Ryder, Zryder Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Herbie, Dibi, and Nathan currently have some of their artistic creations displayed in the “Swell” exhibition in various galleries throughout New York. Check out a little review that the New York Times recently did about the showing. Pretty cool.
Copy and paste this link if you’re unable to clickity-click it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/arts/design/23surfing.html?_r=2&scp=3&sq=swell&st=cse

Tags: Art Exhibit, art review, beat generation, bud browne, chelsea, craig stecyk, danny fuller, dibi fletcher, donald takayama, east coast, finish fetish, friedrich petzel, george herms, hawaii print, Herbie Fletcher, hoffman fabrics, jacqueline miro, joel tudor, john van hamersveld, Manhattan, metro pictures, Nathan Fletcher, New York, nyehaus, polynesia, R. Crumb, roberta smith, SoHo, Swell, the endless summer, The New York Times, tim mye, wolfgang bloch Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Photos from the USMC Fox Company Graduation where Dibi Fletcher was a guest of honor and presented a plaque for the recognition of all her contributions and support through her non-profit organization Z-Ryder. She does what she can for these guys because they do everything for us. Hope you all had an epic 4th of July!
 Dibi Fletcher & Z-Ryder recognized for their contributions to the USMC.
 USMC Fox Company Graduation

Tags: 4th of july, american, americant, Astrodeck, Camp Pendleton, Christian Fletcher, dibi fletcher, Fox Company graduation, Herbie Fletcher, Nathan Fletcher, nonprofit, Oceanside, organization, San Clemente, Trestles, USMC, Z-Ryder Posted in Astrodeck Blog / News | Comments Off
|
|