once upon a time in a shaping bay lived a man

Down the road from where I live is a bloke called Lawrie, Lawrie Hohensee. We just call him H.
H is a quiet man who has a large story about a life passion. Lawrie is a board shaper and his craft is his passion and his life. H started his passion on the gold coast where he opened the first Qld surf board making shop.

Now in his early 70's H is still shaping and glassing boards. He does it by hand no machines nor production lines just a man who has a love for the cut and shape of the board.
Today Lawrie treated me.
I called round at his home to drop some lychees off i picked earlier while there I asked Lawrie if he could show me some of his old boards.

He agreed and took me over to his shaping bays and to my surprise shared with me a massive quiver of master class boards.
Although the boards were covered in sanding dust, wasps nests and cobwebs. I could tell they were quality and as I brushed the dust off I began salivating at the beauty before me. I saw them as great works of art held within a time capsule.

As my eyes drifted from one sculpture to the next my brain registered with a glory
H made in it in1962 he explained it was a comp board and the first of the cutaway fins
it was made with D fins only.
"I hope i get this right from Lawrie" the board was 9'1"X 19" 3".



Sorry its not my photography but the dust that makes this photo blurry …….but a bit of spit worked just fine.
























All the other boards you see in background and foreground are repairs.


Apologies to Towball for taking three years to post these pics. But more photos to come.

I love you Cobra a wicked body of work you have blessed us with onya H

I may be drunk - however that was magic. Thank you, to those who throw everything they have into their work. I say THANK YOU!

Great work Cobra. Standing by for the next instalment.

Cobra I know your a massive fan of H and rightly so with the history and all,his factory was 5 mins from my house,any chance you could score one of those old boards he has laying around for keeps sake

Nice work bro!!

Good read . To be doing all that by hand at his age is pretty impressive.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!!! and nice story too bud

Now Cobblers I have some questions
No 1 Laurie turned up over here about 1970 , he had a shop at Waihi which was my local , I always wondered why Waihi ?

No2 Running that shop was a guy named Lionel he stuttered a lot always wonder what happened to him ?
Last of all why come to NZ ? I do realise he also had a operation at Whangarai a friend of my cousin worked for him there. I did ask Roger Hall who started shaping in 1971 if they had crossed paths, but apparently not .

sorry for posting the wrong pick of the bottom of that board "the one with H in the back ground"..so manny boards i got confused………i apologise
it belonged to this board