Comments on: Legendary Shaper Mike Croteau Passes Away http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/ Rusty.com Fri, 11 May 2012 22:16:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: cliff west http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/comment-page-1/#comment-13023 cliff west Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:50:17 +0000 http://rusty.com/us/blog/?p=1059#comment-13023 I had the pleasure to live, work and surf with mike in the early seventies, in Santa Cruz, Ca. I met mike at the Haut Shop on swift st,in the early seventies. I worked next door for The Overlin Brothers, making surfboards. I had heard Mike purchased a Husky 650, a very fast, hi performance dirt bike. Mike always wanted the fastest and the best of everything. Then I heard about the accident. Mike had not seen a cable, streched access road, as it was getting dark. Mike took it in the gut,like a cheese slicer, at 60mph. Mike was in Intensive care for 6 months and pronounced dead 3 times. But he pulled through as the cat with nine lives. One morning while checking the surf at the Lane, and there was Mike, kind of. He looked very thin, grey, and fragile, hardly being able to stand. We talked and he needed a place to live and work. I took him in and gave him a room in our house. I had my own fiberglass shop at the time, with a spare shaping room, and offered to let Mike use it. Mike worked a deal with Mike Mitchell, who was managing Oneills showroom, to put target boards in the showroom. Oneill was going to start making Reno Abillera and Shaun Thompson models and send them to their dealers, and Croteau, was to be the shaper. Mike also had a good custom board following, so he had plenty of work. Mike got stronger and stronger every day. Mike could not just live life, he had to take everything to the max. Surfing, music, cars, alcohol, drugs, ideas, all went to excess. One side of Mike was the Mad Chimp, you just wanted to stay out of his way. The other side a big puppy dog just wanting to please you and have fun. Mike was one of the most creative and imaginative people in everything he did. Mike had an altered sense of realty. One reason, I was told, as a child MIke was always the biggest kid on the block. He always got what he wanted. Money for Mike, was just a means to an end, here today gone tomorrow. One innovation of Mikes was the diamond nose, the start of(rounded) blunt safety noses on surfboards, that became a standard. At that time, all noses were leathally sharp and pointed for asethics. One night at dinner, mike sketched a radical design on a napkin. Wings were very popular, single and double, so mike designed a triple wing. The board had a bullet concave leading to a double concave feeding into the triple concoave wings. The next day the napkin became realty, Mike was truly a foam sculptor and designer. What a challenge to glass and sand. The finished board was a sculptued work of art. Mike gave the board to Tim Watts, one of Mikes teamriders to test. I saw tim shred big center peak at the Lane and the board worked flawlessly. From Napkin to reality in less than 24 hours. I really felt, at the time, Mikes ideas and shapes were so advanced, other shapers were contantly trying to find out what he was up to and creating their shapes from his designs. Mike could create. Like it was said before, everyone who came into contact has a "Mike" story or three. I feel very fortunate to have shared some time with Mike,and experianced some of these "stories", first hand. RIP Mikey Cliff I had the pleasure to live, work and surf with mike in the early seventies, in Santa Cruz, Ca.
I met mike at the Haut Shop on swift st,in the early seventies. I worked next door for The Overlin Brothers, making surfboards. I had heard Mike purchased a Husky 650, a very fast, hi performance dirt bike. Mike always wanted the fastest and the best of everything. Then I heard about the accident. Mike had not seen a cable, streched access road, as it was getting dark. Mike took it in the gut,like a cheese slicer, at 60mph. Mike was in Intensive care for 6 months and pronounced dead 3 times. But he pulled through as the cat with nine lives.
One morning while checking the surf at the Lane, and there was Mike, kind of. He looked very thin, grey, and fragile, hardly being able to stand. We talked and he needed a place to live and work. I took him in and gave him a room in our house. I had my own fiberglass shop at the time, with a spare shaping room, and offered to let Mike use it. Mike worked a deal with Mike Mitchell, who was managing Oneills showroom, to put target boards in the showroom. Oneill was going to start making Reno Abillera and Shaun Thompson models and send them to their dealers, and Croteau, was to be the shaper. Mike also had a good custom board following, so he had plenty of work.
Mike got stronger and stronger every day. Mike could not just live life, he had to take everything to the max. Surfing, music, cars, alcohol, drugs, ideas, all went to excess. One side of Mike was the Mad Chimp, you just wanted to stay out of his way. The other side a big puppy dog just wanting to please you and have fun.
Mike was one of the most creative and imaginative people in everything he did. Mike had an altered sense of realty. One reason, I was told, as a child MIke was always the biggest kid on the block. He always got what he wanted. Money for Mike, was just a means to an end, here today gone tomorrow.
One innovation of Mikes was the diamond nose, the start of(rounded) blunt safety noses on surfboards, that became a standard. At that time, all noses were leathally sharp and pointed for asethics.
One night at dinner, mike sketched a radical design on a napkin. Wings were very popular, single and double, so mike designed a triple wing. The board had a bullet concave leading to a double concave feeding into the triple concoave wings. The next day the napkin became realty, Mike was truly a foam sculptor and designer. What a challenge to glass and sand. The finished board was a sculptued work of art. Mike gave the board to Tim Watts, one of Mikes teamriders to test. I saw tim shred big center peak at the Lane and the board worked flawlessly. From Napkin to reality in less than 24 hours. I really felt, at the time, Mikes ideas and shapes were so advanced, other shapers were contantly trying to find out what he was up to and creating their shapes from his designs. Mike could create.
Like it was said before, everyone who came into contact has a "Mike" story or three.
I feel very fortunate to have shared some time with Mike,and experianced some of these "stories", first hand.

RIP Mikey
Cliff

]]> By: Bruce Fowler http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/comment-page-1/#comment-11853 Bruce Fowler Thu, 24 Feb 2011 04:25:55 +0000 http://rusty.com/us/blog/?p=1059#comment-11853 I had Mike build some boards when I oversaw the "O-Shop" around 1980. He always had a devout following of guys ready to try his latest ideas. As a shaper myself, I had a keen appreciation for Mike's ability and dedication. He was leading edge to the end, and his courage in designing what you believe in will always serve as inspiration to me. I had Mike build some boards when I oversaw the "O-Shop" around 1980. He always had a devout following of guys ready to try his latest ideas. As a shaper myself, I had a keen appreciation for Mike's ability and dedication. He was leading edge to the end, and his courage in designing what you believe in will always serve as inspiration to me.

]]> By: Glenn Fye http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/comment-page-1/#comment-10011 Glenn Fye Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:05:16 +0000 http://rusty.com/us/blog/?p=1059#comment-10011 Mike was one of the people that made La Jolla magic. I have great memories of knowing him. I shot the photographs for the Aqua Jet ad and remember the day we went just north of Windansea to take his picture for the ad. Mike was one of a kind! Mike was one of the people that made La Jolla magic. I have great memories of knowing him. I shot the photographs for the Aqua Jet ad and remember the day we went just north of Windansea to take his picture for the ad. Mike was one of a kind!

]]> By: Tasha http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/comment-page-1/#comment-8282 Tasha Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:17:42 +0000 http://rusty.com/us/blog/?p=1059#comment-8282 Uncle Mike was a very humble man and will always be remembered by his daughter Beaulette and son Titan. We were admiring some family boards the other night that we keep in the dining room. Uncle Mike was a very humble man and will always be remembered by his daughter Beaulette and son Titan. We were admiring some family boards the other night that we keep in the dining room.

]]> By: Rick Novak http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/comment-page-1/#comment-3712 Rick Novak Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:20:32 +0000 http://rusty.com/us/blog/?p=1059#comment-3712 Wow, just now belatedly heard that Mike had passed. RIP bro. Mike stayed a season with us at the house in Sunset Beach that Lynn and Jim Richardson and I rented. I remember that "airboard" too, and listening to facinating debates re its merits between Mike and Jim. And I remember fin-and-hotcoating a lot of those Equipe target logo boards too, probably including the Prawn's. Mike's favorite trick for getting waves at crowded Sunset was to let someone surf past him, and then take off air-dropping into the wave behind the guy and yell him off the wave. Mike would just free-fall into these solid 10 foot Hawaiian waves like they were little shoulder high beachbreak peaks. What a character! Rick Novak. Wow, just now belatedly heard that Mike had passed. RIP bro. Mike stayed a season with us at the house in Sunset Beach that Lynn and Jim Richardson and I rented. I remember that "airboard" too, and listening to facinating debates re its merits between Mike and Jim. And I remember fin-and-hotcoating a lot of those Equipe target logo boards too, probably including the Prawn's.
Mike's favorite trick for getting waves at crowded Sunset was to let someone surf past him, and then take off air-dropping into the wave behind the guy and yell him off the wave. Mike would just free-fall into these solid 10 foot Hawaiian waves like they were little shoulder high beachbreak peaks. What a character!
Rick Novak.

]]> By: Guy Hansen http://rusty.com/us/blog/2009/05/25/legendary-shaper-mike-croteau-passes-away/comment-page-1/#comment-1066 Guy Hansen Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:36:33 +0000 http://rusty.com/us/blog/?p=1059#comment-1066 Rusty, Your memory of events and accounts of and with Mike are spot on! Wow, I remember the "air board" you mentioned with the 2" holes in them. It took over 2 hours to sand that board's hot coat just to get the foil and farings back to Mike's original shape! (The board worked really well at Sunset Beach.) Very pleased and very relieved with the turn out of surfers and shapers from Central and Northern Cal who showed up to pay their respects to Mike and support his family at the Steamer Lane Memorial Paddle out. The local Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper ran a front page article on Mike which was also published in newspapers in San Jose and Monterrey as well ( Link to this article - http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_12408441?source=most_emailed) Mike definitely impacted many people in the surfing world with his design genius, and magical boards. Perhaps his greatest legacy though was his incredible skills with his high performance modified shaping tools. Absolutely legendary to anyone who ever worked beside him... Rest in peace brother indeed... Guy Hansen Rusty,

Your memory of events and accounts of and with Mike are spot on! Wow, I remember the "air board" you mentioned with the 2" holes in them. It took over 2 hours to sand that board's hot coat just to get the foil and farings back to Mike's original shape! (The board worked really well at Sunset Beach.)

Very pleased and very relieved with the turn out of surfers and shapers from Central and Northern Cal who showed up to pay their respects to Mike and support his family at the Steamer Lane Memorial Paddle out.

The local Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper ran a front page article on Mike which was also published in newspapers in San Jose and Monterrey as well ( Link to this article - http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_12408441?source=most_emailed)

Mike definitely impacted many people in the surfing world with his design genius, and magical boards. Perhaps his greatest legacy though was his incredible skills with his high performance modified shaping tools. Absolutely legendary to anyone who ever worked beside him...

Rest in peace brother indeed...

Guy Hansen

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