McElroy


I know nearly nothing about this board and for the first time I don't want to know.
I simply want to sit back and and admire its simple beauty without becoming clouded by the history and politics of its life story.
The clean lines of the single fin shilouette. The bold, fun use of early 80's color. The handsome use of the pin line. The blue accents on the rails. The gloss finish. The semi translucent fin with rice paper decal inlay. A fine example of applied art meets scultpure. Rip and Tear indeed.










ad from Surfer 1982

15 comments:

  1. kennyfaass@ cox.netMarch 31, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    McElroy is from San Clemente California and was the board to have in the 80s especially @ trestles. Archibold and Christian Fletcher rode his boards as well as lesser mortals. What happened after his run I dont really know . Some say he crawled into a bottle and never came out . His brother is the football coach at the local community college

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    1. AnonymousMay 13, 2014 at 1:14 AM

      I actually had the pleasure to work and live eith mcelroy 7 yrs ago .... He lives in his beach mansion in front of one of the best surf breaks in mexico ( close to cabo) were the beer is cold and the beaches arepristine and still virgin... He lives like 30 mins from a beautifull oasis town in the mid of the dessert were he gets to surf hang out with good friends and still will shape an awsome board for a good friend or a tallented enthusiast

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  2. AnonymousMarch 28, 2014 at 12:50 PM

    he lives in mexico and currently lives back in san clemente, homeless

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    1. AnonymousMay 13, 2014 at 1:16 AM

      He is a good friend are you seriously saying he lives homless in san clemente?? I live in santa barbara and could help him out,, do you have any more info??

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    2. AnonymousJune 7, 2014 at 6:56 AM

      Sad to say, I lived with him also, 15 years..... Love of my life. Can't compete with the bottle.

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  3. AnonymousMay 13, 2014 at 1:20 AM

    Id like to add hese allso a musician ... We used to rock out don in his beachmansion in mexico he actually built his surfboard shaping shop obtop of a greAt big basement that he converted into a music studio with all the tools of the trade we used to rock out oldschool.. Good times

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  4. AnonymousAugust 13, 2014 at 8:13 AM

    I remember Chris and his surfing mates at Uppers. Would have thought that was in the late 70s. His first boards, though nice looking, broke up pretty quickly. Must have been something in the construction or materials. I shifted down to Lowers in the early 80s and finally over here to Australia in '84. Always wondered what happened to McElroy.

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    1. AnonymousDecember 25, 2023 at 6:42 PM

      My name is Ty and I have two of his boards, from over 30 years ago, custom made still in my garage. One is still almost in perfect surfable shape. Fkn magic boards, I watched Christian pull 5 different airs in a 5 wave contest at the pier and blew all the local boys clean out of the water…and Dino surf a wave like Jesus walking on water so deep off the point he was on the swell long before it was even a wave! Literally walking on water! If your McElroy boards broke up like you forgot your leash surfing Rockpiles, what a kook statement to a master of our time and a friend of all us who were blessed to surf everyday back in the day! What a dork

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  5. VinnyJanuary 16, 2015 at 8:23 AM

    Chris is a great guy, I had the pleasure of meeting him recently in Mexico. Super passionate and talented.. grateful for his land and his friends. I wrote an article about him and my trip. See here: http://shapyr.com/blogs/news/16474149-shapyr-feature-1-chris-mcelroy

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 28, 2015 at 7:32 AM

    I have a old McElroy board, the name is in block letters not script. I used to see him at the hut at uppers and remember him talking about moving to Mexico for good.

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  7. AnonymousMarch 7, 2015 at 1:07 AM

    I'm trying to reach McElroy's old partner Laura. We go way back to the Rio Dames Motel days. Search me in Manhattan, Illinois

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  8. AnonymousMay 21, 2017 at 8:29 PM

    I hope , i am reaching out to the right channel. I am looking for Christ Mcleroy because one of his friend Robert Henry garrish died in Bali on May 10th, the Us Consulate in Surabaya could not find his friend family to claimed the body, I am really desperate to find Christ McLeroy. please help me. thank you all in advanced.

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  9. Blake CanasMay 18, 2018 at 2:37 PM

    Met him at a local spot in san clemente. Great guy, got to know him well very quickly. Beautiful sunset reading viewing the ocean when i hear a cherish voice telling jokes to people walking up and down the steps. I turn around and the rest was laughs and chats. Many of the locals knew his name and he is a regular. The update is living in a car by the andino's and had a cell phone. He mentioned he was gonna head back to mexico where he lived.

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  10. UnknownFebruary 8, 2019 at 11:48 AM

    I JUST SAW THE POST ABOUT ROB GARRISH I USED TO DATE HIM. I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR THAT HE PASSED IN BALI ON MAY 10TH 2017 AND NO ONE CLAIMED HIS BODY. DID THEY EVER FIND HIS FAMILY?

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