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Grant/SumatraGrant Miller/North NarrabeenMarie Miller/1978

*** IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT JULY 2011 ***

GRANT MILLER TAKES SABBATICAL       TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF MILLER SURFBOARDS

During the past 3 years both of my parents have passed away. My mother Marie and I were especially close, and so her death in late 2010 has affected me significantly. I am unmarried and have no other close family.

Consequently I've made the decision to take some significant time out from work and throw myself into life again with no schedules or deadlines. Whilst I love shaping surfboards...after 12 full on years since my return from California, its time for a break. Life is uncertain and needs to be lived "deliberately" as Thoreau said so long ago. Here is my plan.

As of June 24th 2011 I will be withdrawing my business entirely from the Mona Vale facility.

After due consideration I've decided against licensing anyone else to produce Miller Surfboards in my absence. I have developed unique procedures over many years which I use in assessing each person's surfing requirements and which I also use to record each board's technical composition. These procedures cannot be easily taught. In addition, there is no one else in Sydney who I regard as sufficiently competent or familiar with my methods and who cares enough.

For the remainder of 2011  I will not shape in Australia. I'll be visiting friends on the West Coast of the U.S. between San Diego and Northern Oregon. Mainland Mexico is also a strong possibility since their best waves occur during the hurricane season from July---September. I have a V.W. Kombi in storage in California just rearing to go.

Later in the year I may return to the Indian Himalaya for more adventures up high, or to the Freeline surfcamp in South Sumatra which has almost become my second home.

I'll resume shaping in 2012 back here at a location not currently known.

From time to time whilst I'm away I'll update my diary entry, so if you'd like to know what I'm up to feel free to check the site. However I will be unable to reply to any emails since my internet access will be sporadic, and in addition, it is my heartfelt wish to really step back from work for the moment and lose myself in my wanderings.

I want to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks to my many loyal clients who have in some cases become good friends. I have always put as much of myself into your boards as I possibly could and have worked on your boards as if they were my own. However without your continued loyalty, input and feedback I would not have enjoyed the process as much as I have, or experienced the success that I have. Thank you once again.

Sincerely
Grant Miller.

"He is lucky who, in the full tide of life, has experienced a measure of the active environment that he most desires. There is much to be said for a philosophy which aims at living a full life while the opportunity offers. There are few treasures of more lasting worth than the experiences of a way of life that is in itself wholly satisfying. Such, after all are the only possessions of which no fate, no cosmic catastrophe can deprive us; nothing can alter the fact if for one moment in eternity we have really lived." Eric Shipton, Apon that Mountain.

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible". T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

In 2012 there are many different surfboards to choose from. Their quality and design rationales run the spectrum from excellent to complete rubbish. Although there appears to be a massive choice of surfboards.....much of what is presented is merely marketing hype/distortion of the truth and often outright lies...particularly in relation to the various imported boards and American brands. So paradoxically, in terms of legitimate surfboard design and build quality, there are very few to choose from.
Here.....we build some of the finest surfboards available.

Grant Miller has been designing and shaping surfboards both here and internationally for the last 34 years and has shaped in excess of 22,000 boards.

Whether you are a highly experienced surfer or a raw beginner, your situation will be treated as unique. You will receive equal time and attention from Grant, who will work closely with you to design a board which meets your needs now....and also those needs which will naturally emerge as your surfing progresses.
Check our testimonials. Welcome.
We will happily trade in your used Miller board on a new custom or stock board.
Waterskate V-SKATE F-SKATE Powerglide Semi-gun Gun

Waterskate, V-SKATE, F-SKATE, Powerglide, Semi-gun and Gun. What's the difference? Head to The Boards page and find out!
 
Monday, 23 January 2012

MEXICAN POSTSCRIPT

As some of you would be aware, I recently returned from a 5 month trip to the U.S. and Mexico. I drove down to the Mexican mainland from San Diego California via Arizona and the Sonora desert in my 1971 VW Kombi. I was travelling with Eric Erickson, an old surfing friend from Central Calif. We had 10 boards between us.
Some highlights.
# Surfing perfect headhigh machine like quality lefts at Aticama with only Eric and I in the water.
# Near perfect double overhead 200 yard long lefts at Santa Cruz with very minimal crowd.
# Pumping double overhead+ rights at Pascuales.....a super heavy beach break in the state of Colima.
# Perfect triple overhead 300 yard long lefts at Rio Nexpa with only 4 in the water. I've surfed Nexpa when it was really huge on a previous trip and its a truly outstanding wave. On this ocassion, it was in between glassy and just slightly offshore with not a drop of water out of place. Its a cobblestone bottom pointbreak that can be like a machine in the right conditions. Its like a mixture of North Narrabeen and Ujung Bocur, the left at Freeline's South Sumatra land camp.

On the way back up the coast we stopped in at Pascuales again. It was huge, 5 times overhead plus with some perfect rights which were shifting around dangerously on the bank. I'd twisted my back on the last day at Nexpa and was in two minds about paddling out on my 8'5". We watched a mate of mine, Alan Cleland, a fantastic American surfer who lives at Pascuales struggling for ages to get into position, and I stayed on the beach. A couple of jet ski's were towing in (cheating) and making it real hard for Alan who was paddling. New school versus old school.

We met some really nice people down there like Karen and Bryce from Tofino in Canada. This couple surf year round in freezing water up north where there can even be snow on the beach. They were loving the 30 degree Mexican water and we had some really good surfs and dinners together. The local people were also super friendly, frequently going out of their way to assist us. In terms of personal safety it was sketchy. Lots of guns down there and people prepared to use them. Not suprisingly there was a huge military presence on the roads and in towns, with troops using balaclavas or full face paint and carrying machine guns and plenty of checkpoints/roadblocks. We camped out from time to time but did not travel at night.

However apart from being hammered by a category 4 hurricane for a few days on the way down, we had no trouble. The VW did its thing and apart from a faulty starter motor early on and a broken clutch cable on the way home, the 6,000 mile roundtrip passed smoothly. My VW is now back in storage on Tim's property in San Diego waiting for the next trip.

I was really happy with the way my boards worked. I mostly rode either a 7'0" rounded pintail Semi-Gun or a 7'6" pintail Gun. These boards were perfect for early entry into powerful waves and then for driving on down the line. These are the same types of boards I build for bigger waves at Narrabeen and for Indonesia.

CURRENT
Apart from last Wednesday when Narrabeen was really pumping, the surf has been very marginal since my return. After coming down from the trip I've been catching up with some overdue projects and working on my house and garden on the Northern Beaches in Sydney. I also did a quick trip to the NSW South Coast and scored good waves at a couple of spots.

I have no plans to begin shaping again just yet. However having said that, I am doing some design work with quads in the F-SKATE and V-SKATE and also in relation to fin positions and rockers with all the other models. Before ceasing production last year I shaped a whole series of F-SKATES, V-SKATES, Semi-Guns and Guns with various modifications in each of them. I've been running these boards through their paces since then in different conditions and will incorporate the accumulated data into your boards when I resume shaping. Other than that, I'm really enjoying being off schedule, being in the moment and surfing as much as I can.

I appreciate the many emails of support and thanks from existing clients which I have received during my time away. Also, quite often someone will paddle up to me in the water to say hi and maybe have a quick rapp about their boards. Since surfing and shaping are such a big part of my life, it really heartens me to be reminded that there are so many stoked surfers out there on Miller Surfboards.
With thanks.
Grant Miller.