“…CHUCK DENT…HEAVEN SENT, Mr. Wonderful,
Captain Dildo, ex-mayor of the Huntington Beach ghetto, the
original angry you man of surfing, the hurt-me kid, and one
of the most strung-out ego-trippers in surfing…”
“For the first time in my life I had done something
right; I was surfing. I wasn’t the whip-turn hang-ten
kid, but I could stand up, and I knew enough to keep my surf
knots bleeding and infected. I had all the image and status
trips down pat, too. Man I was heavy duty.”
-Chuck
Dent, Buried Alive on Main Street (There’s a message
here somewhere),
Surfing Magazine 1974
That’s Chuck Dent describing himself. Bluster? Perhaps,
but whether you loved him or hated him, you could never ignore
him. Surfing gave his life meaning and Huntington Beach became
his home. He was on the scene, man. From the early 60’s
to his death in 1980, Chuck was firmly at the core of the
southern California surf scene.
Chuck was a visionary of surfing and shaping talent bringing
together the likes of Billy Hamilton, Randy Lewis, Barry Kanaiaupuni,
Steve Bigler and many other talented surfer/shapers to shape
and ride for him. He felt that the relationship between surfboard,
shaper, and surfer was the key to the surfing experience.
An innovator in the image making and marketing of surfboards
(just check out some of his classic magazine ads and articles),
Chuck’s persona was infused with the style inspired
by the music and the vibe of his time. He recognized what
surfing was and could be. In many ways he foresaw in many
ways what Huntington Beach has become today.
Sadly Chuck Dent died much too young in 1980, but his ideal
of the relationship between the surfer and surfboard continue
at Chuck Dent Surf Center.
Below
are some old school Chuck Dent ads and articles written and
designed
by Chuck himself.
