Yeaaaaah! Dane Gudauskas landed the cover of the newest Transworld Surf. Way to go!

And here’s a pic of Dane and brother Tanner when they stopped by Astrodeck to pick up some traction pads for their Winter stay on the North Shore. And from recent photographic proof all over the ‘net, looks like the boys are making a huge scene out there. Just like we knew they would.

We’ll be posting up a little Summer update on Nathan next week. But, for now, here’s a little somethin’ somethin’ that should tide you over:

Nathan Fletcher getting a nice one at Pipe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klW56C2FHtc

(If you can’t directly click on the link to view the video, just copy and paste. Simple as that.)

Happy Father's Day from the Astrodeck Family

Astrodeck has been family owned and operated since 1976. So we know a little bit about longevity, loyalty and the drive to keep it all together.

And through all the years of spectacular highs and dismal lows, the one thing that we’ve always been consistent and proud of is that Astrodeck has always kept it Fletcher. We’ve always held that bond; from Herbie to his own sons Christian and Nathan, to Christian’s boy Greyson, there’s a strong patriarchal influence and kinship that’s thicker than water.

This Father’s Day, we just want to give a shout-out to all of our friends, riders, fans, supporters and even the occasional passerby… because we know there’s a father in that mix somewhere. And whether your own childhood was memorable (or scarred) because you had the kind of dad who yelled at you about forgetting to turn the light off, or you had the kind of dad who got on your nerves and embarrassed you in front of your friends, or you had the kind of dad who gave you a break even after you messed up the umpteenth time, we just want to take this time to acknowledge all the dads out there. We know that they’re not perfect men but we hope that they at least tried.

And one last thing… if you were lucky enough to be that kid who hung out with your family at the beach, especially with your dad, make sure you let him know how grateful you are because of it. And if he was the kind of dad who pushed you into your first wave, give the guy a hug. Come on, don’t you think he deserves at least that?

Happy Father’s Day!

(Astrodeck Team Rider Shane Beschen)

It was a pleasant surprise yesterday when Shane Beschen came by the Astrodeck office with his little grom, Noah.

Shane and brother Gavin have been long-time Astrodeck team riders. Their loyalty, support and belief in knowing that we produce the best traction pads has now transcended to the new generation - their own offspring of mini-rippers.

Noah is 10-years-old and is going the way of his dad and uncle. In other words, the kid rips in the water and apparently he’s no hack with a skateboard either. Greyson’s had a few sessions with him at the local skatepark and both “sons of” had a pretty good time landing a few.

(Noah Beschen with the Astrodeck Black & Green Crossroads traction pad.)

Check out the 113 Shane Beschen Traction Pad. Not only do we have this in solid back, but there’s also a camo version as well.

113 Shane Beschen Black

113 Shane Beschen Camo

And it wouldn’t be nice of us if we didn’t include and produce some pads by Shane’s little brother, Gavin, right? So here they are. Another one of our more popular models. Solid and sick.

148 Gavin Beschen Black

148 Gavin Beschen Camo

We’re really stoked here at Astrodeck that we actually have a relationship and rapport with all of our team riders. In fact, we consider them friends first and foremost. How many companies can claim that their riders come to their offices to just hang out and get caught up and shoot the breeze? Not a whole lot.

As is often the case, we’ll get weekly visitors. You’ll never know who will pop up. We’ll have Reef Macintosh come over and get some sandals for his size 13 feet. Or Nathan will drop by with best buddies Mr. Buzz and Bruce Irons, or maybe Shane Beschen might bring his little groms and chat skate with Greyson. It’s like a constant who’s who of popular surf culture at Astrodeck.

In fact, Danny Fuller just swung by yesterday. He picked up some of our sandals; his favorites are the MG1 and the ML3, as well as some of his traction pads, the 405 Danny Fuller pads, both in black and white and black and green. He talked some art with Herbie and also told the A-deck crew about SUP guys doing tow-ins at Puerto Escondido. Haha, what a trip that is!

Danny likes the MG1 Sandal.

He also picked up some ML3s.

The 405 Danny Fuller Pad in Black & White

The 405 Danny Fuller Pad in Green & Black

Anyway, it was great seeing Danny - one of the nicest guys ever, and one of our favorite surfers of all time.

Danny Fuller gettin' some.

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.

(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.)

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.

Hi, this is Herbie Fletcher, inventor of the EVA Tail Pad, Kick Tail, Arch Bar, and Multi-Gridlock tread design that I named Astrodeck in the late ’70s. I created and promoted my products in magazines and surf movies, including the Wave Warriors series presented by the Astroboys, which, at the time, was the film division of my parent company Astrodeck. The origins, history, vision, and inventions coming from myself and Astrodeck has been a 30+ year experience.

I’ve had the good fortune to work with the greatest surfers from all over the globe in perfecting the Astrodeck tail pads, and I’m stoked to be known and respected as the Godfather of Traction.

To know that some impostor has stolen - not only my brand name - but my history and all the artwork from my ads to promote his inferior line of traction, is not only insulting, but I can’t imagine that the international surf community and all the great Brazilian surfers would condone such a blatant case of misrepresentation and fraud.

We’ve had the heaviest team photo shoot in the history of surfing; right on the beach in front of the Pipeline House that I owned with Gerry Lopez. This young kook stealing my name would not have been allowed on the beach (had he been born), neither would have been his predecessor; the guy who originally stole my Astrodeck name.

Thanks to all of you who know and continue to support the real Astrodeck - the originator, not the imitator!

Herbie Fletcher

San Clemente, CA

Click on the photos to see enlarged images.

Herbie Fletcher created the Astroboys Wave Warriors Series. And what does the Brazilian imposter create? Nothing. He doesn't create. He steals.

Herbie actually surfs. This just looks like the guy has his foot pushed down on a board in a swimming pool.

Damn, even our old Astro Wax wasn't spared from their blatant plagiarism.

Lack of moral fiber and credibility.

Herbie went on a boat trip to the Mentawai Islands this past fall. It was all-time. With a crew that consisted of Nathan Fletcher, Bruce Irons, John John Florence and Danny Fuller, how could it not be?

Herbie Fletcher: Photo by Art Brewer

When Herbie came back to San Clemente, he came back in typical form: with lots of great tales of near-perfect surf and good times. He also took a bunch of photos for definitive proof of all of this. Always stoked, always amped. So Herbie.

Here Herbie takes us back to last October and how it all went down. Read it through and check out the pics while you’re at it. To say the least, Herbie and the guys were going mental at the Mentawai Islands! This is Part 1 in the series, with more to follow in upcoming blogs.

I was sitting at my desk at Astrodeck, working on some new traction pads when Nathan called me and asked if I would like to go on a boat trip that he was putting together. I hesitated for a moment because I wanted to go, but knew that something like this was going to be a big commitment. I was thinking about all those waves I had seen from photos and about being on a boat for two weeks. If the waves were going to be good, it would be such a great trip.

Nathan told me that Archy (Matt Archbold), Bruce Irons, Danny Fuller, and John John Florence were the surfers he had picked to go, with Art Brewer taking photos and Joel Guy as the videographer. Such a core group of guys. Hard to pass up.

It was a perfect time of the year for surf and the winds…well, it’s an island, you know? No matter what the wind does, somewhere it’s offshore. At work, things were slow. Business usually is during Mid-Fall. And at the islands during this same time, there are hardly any boats because the season is coming to an end. So that also means no crowds. Not that that really matters, I guess, because I always get my quota. So, keep in mind, all these things factored into my head real quick about whether or not I should go. Then when Nathan said that it would only be the six of us on that boat, I was so stoked. Just us at that break. And I couldn’t think of a better group to go with.

I mean, I’ve known these guys since they were groms. Archy, Nathan and I used to surf all the time together. California, Hawaii, Mexico, etc. Archy would come by just before sunrise and get the coffee going. It was a trip to see him now with a fat ass gun, laughing and joking. “Fuck Herb!” he’d yell. And Nathan would be right there chomping at the bit, so excited to surf with Arch, knowing that he was going to have a good day.

To watch Arch surf was the best because Archy is the man. Archy surfed fucking great. Always doing new and innovating things. His surfing has always been radical and he put himself in critical positions, and pulled it off, frontside and backside. There are only a few great surfers that push the limit every five years. Kids have always been coming up, changing and pushing the old guys, and Archy was one of those kids.

Bruce Irons is another one of those surfers who has always been gnarly. He’s been blowing minds from a young age. Bruce and Andy would come by Astrodeck first thing in the summer on their way to the NSSA Nationals at Trestles. They’d stock up on Astrodeck for the contests so they’d have more control with their boards and be able to push the limits in the air and on edge. As they grew-up, they’d stop by my house at Pipeline on the North Shore. Bruce and Andy would hang out with the best surfers of the time. This was the Wave Warriors house that I owned with Gerry Lopez. The Pipe house. We’d lock the gate to keep the posers out. To get through the gate was a big deal, and I knew that Bruce and Andy were going to be part of surf history somewhere down the line. Coming from a big surf family based out of Haina, Kauai, they just had the “It” factor, and I got to watch them develop their talent. Lucky me.

Danny Fuller also came from Kauai and surfed the North Shore ripping Pipeline. He’s so casual and smooth, with lots of style. He’s part of the current gang dominating the Pipeline line-up. He’s very versatile; from hot-dogging small waves to tow-in’s at Teahupo’o. He’s also one of the most friendly and happy-go-along guys I’ve ever known. Always smiling and laughing.

John John. The tow-headed North Shore grom. I’ve watched John John surf since he was eight-years-old and now he’s suddenly turned into “da man” at places like Pipe and Backdoor. Here he was on this trip, still only 16-years-old, but hanging with all the older guys. But the kid surfs like you can’t even imagine. He’s the future. Being raised on the North Shore among surfing’s powerful elite, and learning from them, watching them, surfing with the best of the best, has all contributed in allowing John John to take it to the next level. His surfing is what the other kids are going to try to live up to. He tows-in when big wave riders won’t even paddle out. He walks right by them and says, “See you out there!”

Matt Archbold, Danny Fuller, Nathan Fletcher, John John Florence.

Nathan has always surfed…since he could hold on to a boogie board. I think even before he could walk! I’d play with him, float around with him in the water. He always rode the big waves. In Hawaii, I would have to pull him up from under water by his leash. Nathan is a true daredevil. From motorcycles to snowboarding to skateboarding to big wave surfing. He’s a master of it all and with respect. When he was younger, Nathan always had to keep up with Christian and the other older guys, and so that would just push him. And then some. Everyone has always loved Nathan because of his talent and his mellow vibe. He just does what he does, hanging out and loving it. Surfing, traveling, making movies, doing magazine articles, designing and shaping surfboards, painting, taking photos, etc. He’s a real artist-in-motion.

Art Brewer. I’ve known Art since I was seventeen. He’s always had a camera around his neck. I really got to know him when he and Spider Wells moved in next door to me in ‘69 at Pipeline. It’s been a long road. He’s been on the cutting edge of surf photography for over forty years and still has the stoke to go on surf trips. He’s paid his dues and got his rewards. Art taught me how to work a manual camera back in the mid-seventies, and he’s still teaching me.

So this was our little group. No tourists allowed. This was a trip that only Nathan could put together. No maggazine or clothing company could come up with something like this, with these group of guys. From 16 to 60. And what an adventure it was.

It began when we flew into Singapore and found out that there had been an earthquake in Padang. Padang is where the rest of us were to meet up with Bruce and John John at the boat. There was no chance of us getting a flight into Padang after the quake. So we hung in Singapore for awhile, some of us just prowling through the city of lights, some of just trying to get some rest while we had to wait around.

Finally, after about two days, we were able to head for Padang, where we met up immediately with Bruce and John John at the boat. And right off the bat, we went to Lance’s Right for sunrise services. It was head high and overhead for a few days. The goofy-footers wanted to go to Macaronis.

Herbie Fletcher going mental at the Mentawai

Check out our blog on Part 2 as the journey continues…