shipyardskates

Mike Conroy "ZOMBIE STATE"

2012-02-01T06:44:00.001-08:00

Over the last year, I had the opertunity to work with Mike Conroy and Chris Main on his "Zombie State" deck! Joe McDonald at Pennswood Manufacturing really brought it all together! Below is are some pics of the manufacturing process!

enjoy!

Screen printed heat transfers

Wood Presses

Blanks are cut!

CNC cutout scrap of Mike's deck

Joe hand stained each blank prior to clear coat

Pretty little maids all in a row!

Clear coat applied!

On the rack!

Applying the graphic!

The finished goods!

Packed up and ready for shipment!

THANKS AGAIN TO MIKE CONROY, CHRIS MAIN, and JOE MCDONALD FOR MAKING THIS COME TOGETHER!!

Grab yours at www.shipyardskates.com/

Pugsly Sticker Company

2012-01-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

Wrapping up the last batch of decks for Pugsly Sticker Company way over there in Texas! Great people to deal with and great artwork by Micheal Sieben (http://www.rogerskateboards.com/)

here are some pics!

Order Of the Owls

2012-01-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

here is a fun one I did for my buddy from his wifey pooh for Christmas! good times! and getting a lot of good response! they may become a Shipyard deck this spring!

thanks for looking!

THE NOMAD!!!

2011-12-28T07:34:00.001-08:00

Our buddy Bill sporting a Shipyard "Hold Fast" T!!!

get yours today at www.shipyardskates.com

Well It's Been Awhile

2011-12-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been awhile since I posted on this thing! chugging along nicely! ran a new shop shirt, as well, as compiled some footage of "team rider" Mike Conroy doing his thing! Mike's deck will be available late winter, early fall!

as, always, thanks for the support!

WELCOME to Shipyard!

2011-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Got some great new decks in for Jay at Welcome Skateboards (http://welcomeskateboards.com/)! they are sick! get on one today!!!

As always! THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT

www.shipyardskates.com

Pugsly Sticker Co boards

2011-09-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this quick little video of our friends at Pugsly's boards being screened!

So what have you been up to this summer?

2011-09-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

We have been skating! Lots of great sessions this summer with some great peeps! here is a little Video Travis Beattie put together!

enjoy!

Summer 2011 sessions at Laurel Skatepark, Richmond, VA. Riders: Mike Conroy, Brian Walton, Dwayne Sawyer, Dave Weaver, Bernie Mcgrew, Travis Beattie, C.J. Titus, Dan Titus, Robert Roper, Tim Bearse, Dan Ciminelli, Nathan Hillbish, Hank Fauerbach.

Never Again

2011-07-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

Our friends at Never Again Clothing have got some great t's out this summer! They didnt skimp on the quality on these. Never Again used only the softest, smoothest, best-looking T-shirt available anywhere! American Apparel 100% Fine Jersey cotton construction! Durable rib neckband. and the best part...American Apparel is MADE IN AMERICA!!!

Mens T's

Praying Hand's T
Art by the late Joel "SEY ONE" Santana.

Skully T
Art by the RYZART

Uncle Chuck T
Artist UNKNOWN

Wolfsie T
Art by the JOHN BICKNELL

And They didnt forget about the LADIES!!

100% Combed Ring Spun Cotton These lightweight fabrics are washed to provide unbelievable softness, stretch, memory and reduced shrinkage.

Ladies Skully T
Art by the RYZART

So please take a moment and stop on by! they also have flannels, back packs, skateboards, hats, wheels, and more!! Their fall line is going to be sick so get some summer gear now while it's available!

www.neveragainclothing.com

o3o Skateboarding...Man Wrestles Bear...

2011-07-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

Just finished a fun run of decks for my bud Dennis at o3o skateboarding! these were done on some nice translucent green decks!

enjoy,

Hank

started with the nose graphic "art by dan bob thompson thanks"

Then the white background layer

2nd Color was a nice bright blue bear..."7 rounds"

followed by tan...

black... "man wrestles bear"

Lastly the two color tail graphic..

Fin...

Thanks again Dennis! these were a lot of fun, and a different graphic style then what I have been doing lately! stoked on how these came out and look forward to the next o3o run!!

as always, thanks for the support

www.shipyardskates.com

DEMON SEED DECKS ON SHIPYARD!!!

2011-05-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Got a batch of decks in from our friends at Demon Seed! they are killer! shapes, pops, and all kind of rad graphics! 13 questions with Wade Ulrich in the works now!! THIS IS NOT CORPORATE SKATEBOARDING!!!

get one now!! as always, thanks for the support

30 Shops in 30 Days!!!

2011-04-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Twas cool to be asked a few questions by Transworld Business for their 30 Shops in 30 Days feature! check it out here!!

as always, thanks for the support!!!

Shipyard Skates Keeps It Old-School

2011-03-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a little interview I did with RVA Magazine's Jamie Turko! feel free to check it out!

thanks for the support!

Shipyard Skates Keeps It Old-School

13 Questions with Peter Furnee

2011-02-14T06:13:00.001-08:00

This installment of 13 questions, I had the chance to catch up with the one and only Peter Furnee! Peter probably hits the road more then anyone I know and has skated every spot I ever dreamed about skating! Plus he is a family man! I am amazed at the board time this guy puts in! Truly one of the elite that finds the time to skate and lives to skate!

Photo: Bryan Karl Lathrop

Hank
Let's start with the basics. Where ya from and how long have you been doing this?

Peter
From? Laconia, New Hampshire. I started messing around on a skateboard about 1983 or '84. My brother was at UNH in Durham and we'd go skate these quarter pipes on occasion. It wasn't long until he and I hitchhiked to Johnny Carwash's ramp. It was my first time playing ping pong and I loved it - even as a flat dweller. Seeing Jeff Thompson and the Godoy Twins there showed me that even in rural EBF New Hampshire, that shit in the magazines was real. I hated the cold that New Hampshire suffered from, and in 1989, jumped at an opportunity to finish High School in Virginia, which is code for living 25 minutes from Cedar Crest.

Hank
Cedar Crest was one of those places that in my mind was legendary. There were a ton of great skaters there! I never got down that far south or had the opportunity to skate it. What was it like during its heyday? Who were you skating with back then?

Peter
Cedar Crest was an amazing place. It wasn't just a Vert Ramp, it was a temple. Seriously, there was more shit going on in the air. I remember that every time I turned down the gravel road into the Country Club, my pedal foot would start shaking in anticipation. Some will heckle when I refer to it as a religious place, but they probably never got there. I wasn't part of the start up scene at all, having only visited from NH about 20 times before moving down in '89, but even as a visitor, the locals were always great. I guess because it was a destination, the true locals were used to the nomads rolling through, and they were always welcoming. I had friends there before moving. As for who I was skating with back then??? Anyone who had a need to Feel the Steel.

There were a lot of guys that stood out though, not only for their ripping skateboarding, but for their attitudes. The Bethesda Boys always stoked - Marcus and Chip were almost always smiling and ripping. Pat Clark was a huge part for me, as he lived in my neighborhood. He always had the shotgun seat available to get me there and back, and his skating was motivational. Christian and Kentucky... Hard to really point out individuals...this second, I think of the Melachi Brothers, Marvin, Rat, Jaime, Denny... Then its of course Micro, Umbel, BA, Houndog, Sean Jones... Chris Darby, Raul, Opie and of course Vince Bownick... Vince ruled. He'd just get so high and drive that boat of a car around the grounds.

Hank
Obviously all things always come to an end; what brought the end of CCCC? Was it the transition from vert to street? People move on? What happened and were did you go after CCCC was closed?

Peter
From what I know, and I tried to distance myself from it, the Country Club was alleged to be running into financial issues, and either the bank or insurance company did not want the ramp. It had nothing to do with a dying scene. They had it locked and we'd go at like 8:30 with bolt cutters, session as long as we could. Sometimes we'd get busted and kicked out and others we'd be done and leave. This really only happened a few times. It wasn't long before somebody ordered a bulldoser to run through the flat...

About this time, Prince William County recognized their municipal obligation and hired RAMPTECH to build the Scott D. Eagles Vert Ramp at Veterans Park in Woodbridge. It was basically the same ramp, a little more flat, but still steel. The tough thing there was that they opened with a requirement for a Pad Nanny... The gate and ramp were both locked unless the park was open. This kinda lead to people not going because they had no idea when it would be "open". There was some barging on occasion, but it was tough to get the timing down on when someone would be there, then when there'd be anyone to skate with. Eventually, I got sick of driving the two hours to the ramp only to sit there for four waiting for the nanny to show up and have it never happen. This specifically was what precipitated a waning focus on vert skating for me. I was living in Sterling at a rented house with a pretty big yard. A buddy and I built a nice mini ramp there and that was pretty much it. That house had a fire, other facets of life started happening and suddenly there wasn't that much skateboarding going on. I hit Laurel in Richmond a few times when I could get past the Wrist Guard Nazis, and of course went by Vans Woodbridge on occasion but not enough.

Hank
Sounds like everyone has that time when things change, slow down, and get screwy before they get better. When did you, Kevin (Lane) and Mike (Neimann) hook up? How did you get involved with Cockfight?

Peter
Now would be a good time to get a cold beer... Around '89, Donalson and Pennington came up to CCCC. They were there on their own, I kinda acted as ambassador and brought them to some of the other DC area spots and we became pretty good friends. They invited me to come down to Texas for a while, so that summer, I took off and went to Houston for a month. Both of those guys had shit to do during the day, so it was pretty much dropping me off at the Skatepark of Houston on their lunch breaks or whatever, then come by the park after school/work. During those afternoons, I'd skate with this one guy Brett Roper... You might have heard of him. Anyway, we became good buddies and skated together pretty much every day that month. All of the life shit happened above, and fast forward to 2007. The whole social media thing was taking off, and I reached out to some of my Texas friends. Within two phone calls, I found out that Brett lived near me! I was immediately stoked. Within 24 hours, we were on deck at the Chaumpa Ramp.

So Brett and Money had been lifers and Mike and Kevin reached out to Brett about their plans with Cockfight Skateboards, basing the whole thing on Good Wood, Good People and Good Prices, oh yeah, Pool Coping and Cold Beer too. Roper was their obvious choice for the first Model. I was really stoked on the concept, the people, what they stood for and wanted to do anything I could to help. Getting to know Mike and Kevin more as they put together this really fucking excellent, no drama, skateboard company just pushed me harder. They saw my stoke, showed me love, which stoked me more... Its just a great thing. They haven't changed their direction at all since inception. I think anyone that is a friend of the fight sees this and their stoke makes Mike and Kevin stoked. Stoke Reciprocity would be a good phrase. They give back to true skateboarding in every facet. Just recently, they put out the Hard Livin graphic, which is an exclusive for the Eastern Bloc contingency of Friends of the Fight. Its a tribute to all of us that stand strong and still skate through the shitty weather and winter tribulations. Its not anyone's model, its everyone's. Its their way of saying thanks for the support.

Photo:Scott B Greene

Photo: Eric Attleson

www.cockfightskateboards.com

Hank
“Good Wood, Good People, and Good Prices” can go a long way. Cockfight has some great people for sure. Everyone I have worked with through here or Never Again has been really awesome! That is half the fun of all this, working and skating with some great people who are doing it for the right reasons! I know Mike speaks highly of you and when I asked him about flowing you Never Again clothing he was stoked on it! The Hard Livin’ deck is really cool. Shows what type of people Mike and Kevin are. It is not exactly cheap to run a deck like that and none of us are making any money off this shit so for them to put out that deck is really cool! When you are working with people like that it is easy to stand behind their products!

2010 seemed to be a pretty good year for ya, you had a damn good turn out at the Veterans of Vert, Combi, and WVert this year! Talk about a trifecta! Care to elaborate on your perfect storm of a year??

Peter
It would be hard to call it a perfect storm. A lot of things extremely positive happened for sure, but the year was really tough in other areas of life. Being self employed in an industry which relies on manufacturing really didn't help the wallet that much, which of course doesn't help the stresses of being a Dad. I am happy to have very supportive Wife and Kids and of course, to be right in the middle of a great scene.

As for the events, I am the type of person that enjoys the shit out of anything festive. The Veterans of Vert was something obvious. We have a growing Vert Scene supplemented by a lot of the veterans of the local scene we had in the 80's. Again, the social media. It revealed that everyone sought an excuse to get together. This past year we had a pretty good turn out. Anytime you can combine loud music, vert skating and a grill, you have a winning combination. I didn't get a chance to skate in the Combi contest itself, but skating in the practice sessions was a ton of fun. That Combi is perfect and for me with a flat wall background and a round wall desire, It was pretty easy to skate. I was stoked to place well at the Olney MASS event too, but again, the camaraderie of that event really outweighed the placing results. A few folks rounded up an ECTT reunion, and Heyman had the party after.

Skating in the Rock the Cradle for Johnny Romano event in Houston was an absolute highlight. Being on deck with childhood heroes, yet new friends, basically equalized by the fact we all skateboard in our late 30's and early 40's, was amazing. I think everyone knows I have a hard on for Texas, but if you know anyone from, or if you've ever been a part of anything there, you'd know why. I was hurt from a stupid slam and still wasn't skating that monster that bad. I wish I had the time and money to get to other events. Travel helps one.

As for WVert, well, that's just a dream come true. Where I live, there really isn't anything too big to skate. We finally have Front Royal which is a great concrete park, but nothing over 9' tranny. Olney is over an hour and a quarter from my house, and the Chaumpa Ramp is just under two hours. Vets about the same. So really, a large chunk of "Skatetime" has been taken up with getting to and from the skating. WVert is 14.9 miles (yeah, I know the tenths) from my house. It is indoors and I have a key. Since its inception, I've skated at minimum of two times a week. A four hour window means 3.5 hours skating! This has been great, and I feel I am skating better now than ever before. At my age, I am for sure enjoying it more, as there is nothing to take for granted. It has also introduced larger transitions and big flat wall skateboarding to a ton of kids in my area. Outside of my own selfish enjoyment, to see younger kids get exposed to the ramp and dig in and aspire, it really makes me feel like I've done something for skateboarding. Hearing an 11 year old local kid get his first frontside grind on pool coping, something that without WVert might never happen, is a huge smile. Recently the big girl has reminded me of my vulnerability and age though.

Photo: Rob Henson's Surf Shots

Photo: skatehouston.info

Hank
Speaking of supportive wife and kids, how do you do it? How do you fit everything in to one day? I know you are the family man and active in your kid’s lives and doing the Cub Scout thang. Where do you get all this time from?

Peter
Ha, this is where my wife starts to laugh... No matter what I do, I end up short changing something, which sucks. I probably have a diagnosable form or ADD, ADHD or OCD or a combination of all three, but I refuse to call it a disorder. Anyway, there isn't a point in doing anything unless you're going to give it 100%. I want to live a full life, so I always take on more shit. Sometimes it works, sometimes stuff comes up shy. Really, I think it boils down to having a really cool wife. I'm learning that a little communication goes a long way. She knows what skateboarding means to me, and as long as I pull my weight and communicate my desires, she pushes me to go skate. She knows what I get out of it. It has to be that or my fit 18yr old physique, although I suspect its not the latter. My kids are the best ever. As for my kids, well, there is never enough time available to spend with them. If I could snuggle up with them and watch mindless TV on the couch all waking hours I would. Of course this wouldn't be productive for them or I. Its a hard balance I attempt. You make it sound like I am always successful - I am just good at bullshitting. Besides, we all know Facebook takes up the most time.

Hank
A supportive wife is awesome! She was stoked on opening day of WVert for you! Awesome to see her and the Kids up on the decks! You must have your hands full with the two boys for sure!

WVert, it is a sick sick beast of a ramp! What went into putting that together?

Peter
Lots of wood. Ha. Lets see what went into it? Really, there has been talk and desire for having something indoor for a few years now, but you know how it goes. You have 100% of the people that are stoked and want it to happen, and maybe 30% who say they have something to contribute to making it happen. That is usually followed by less than 50% of those 30% actually contributing anything other than hot air. This was not the case at all with WVert. Wes Meadows, David Byrd and I were bullshitting one day about what it would really take to do something. I came home and did some math and we came up with figures. When I gave those figures to the other two, they said they were in.
Rewind about 2 years. I was tipped off about a vert ramp in the woods in Winchester. This thing was built like a fortress. A handful of us went out in the woods and took this thing apart, and managed to bring it in sections to Harper's Ferry, WV. We were stoked as we had a yard for it and everything. Turns out the property wasn't really the homeowner's, then the promises of help dried up and as far as I know, the damn thing sits in a field. Who knows, I might go get the tranny's one day and make a mini ramp. We cut it six feet up, so it would be a good lip.
Anyway, we approached Tim at 180 SkateShop in Martinsburg and asked if we could put a vert ramp in the space he was kinda using for storage. After minimal negotiations, it was on. The three of us had planned to finance the whole thing and just get it done, but like most projects, we went way over budget. This time when I reached out, I got a lot of positive answers. Donations came in quick, and the rest of the wood was purchased. Federal Stone Industries really helped out too, as we wanted a premium pool block for the thing, but didn't have premium money. They really worked with us to incorporate a product of theirs that hadn't really reached their skateboard market yet. Its a great compliment to their standard block. Byrd flew in a friend who helped with the initial lay up, and before we knew it, Wes and a buddy Jeff Lambert had construction in full swing. For anyone that doesn't know Wes, he doesn't do half-assed shit. When you skate this ramp, you feel the craftsmanship... Unfortunately, when you slam, you feel it too. Its amazing in every facet. If things go as desired, and the park itself expands, there is widening in its future.

photo: Eric Attleson

Hank
It was great to see all the kids the grand opening amazed at the level you guys are skating at on opening day of WVert. I was on their website the other day and saw some pics of kids skating the ramp. WVert is the biggest new ramp I have seen go up at a park at a long time. However, the concrete parks are putting in some deep bowls. It is good to see kids having monster ramps and bowls to skate when they are young enough to bounce back quickly. In general do you think vert is on the comeback or do you think it will always be kind of underground?

Peter
There are deep concrete bowls going in? Where? Ha! Finding good true vert in a concrete bowl these days is pretty hard. I think Norfolk, VA and Bedford, VA are specified to have one foot in the "deep" ends. If we ever get Veterans Park funded, planned and built, it is supposed to have big tranny and big vert in a concrete bowl. Its tough really, as these municipalities are building skateparks, and you don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth as it were, but stop building "to vert" shit. Make a small flow bowl so all the parents can drop their kids off at the park to have it babysit them, then build something big where aspiring skateboarders have the chance to develop and maintain the challenge. I think some of the problem is that these municipalities hold the planning meetings under cover, playing the political game. They never actually listen to the people who fund the tax base and actually skate. Back to Vets in Prince William County, VA. The vert skaters came out in force - about 25-30 of us at each meeting, balancing with the street guys. We beat the shit out of the ARC dude who wanted some generic “drop in place and run” metal shit. Basically, the people did not back down, told him to design the park we wanted with the elements we want, not the shit he wants to do. So what, he had to work for his check, but I think in the end, PWC will get a park that maintains its place on the Skateboarding Map, and with that, will continue the tradition of having VERT available.

As for vert making a comeback? Sure. It will also thrive underground. I know that having WVert, there are about 12 kids that come out at least once a week and aspire on it. We all know that the magazines are partially responsible, whether it is editors or more likely the advertisers, but who cares? Where the vert is now, is back in the backyards. I don't want to be exclusive and say thats where it belongs, as it belongs everywhere. The backyard is by far the best, but again, its hard for the average tranny loving kid to stumble upon a backyard scene and get welcomed. Even with the facekook, there are still too many "Secret Sessions". Again, this is the reason that more public parks need to have something vertical. I'm not saying there needs to be a vert ramp at every park. There needs to be a keyhole, peanut, clover or simply an egg, and it should have specs that allow for a foot and half of vert...

One of the things that is great is that all the vert events are becoming available as webcasts, both live and after the fact. When people log on and see that shit in Malmo, or can watch a "Weekend at Bucky's", or Rumble, they can get stoked. I can't wait for some rockstar rippers to roll through and hit WVert... I think when kids see that what they have available is just like the stuff on TV and it can be skated at a pro level, they'll pay it a little more attention.

Photo: Haydn Sweterlitsch

Photo: skatehouston.info

Photo: Wes Medows

Hank
I think a lot of what is real is happening in the backyards, garages, warehouses, etc. Dylan Jones out of Texas that rides for Never Again is constantly putting footage on the web. Some of the sickest stuff he puts up is from skate spots all around Austin. The parks are great, but I think there is a better vibe in a backyard session with friends. I don’t think you get that at a park. I think the same is true with riding boards from companies like Cockfight, Never Again, Big Mess, American Nomad, Wreckroom etc, etc. You get on a personal level with the guys putting out the decks and you can tell they appreciate it and are doing it for the right reasons. How do you feel about the “sport” of skateboarding has become?

Peter
The backyard vibe is the only vibe. We've had some great sessions at public parks. Last summer, I was taking the extra effort and bringing the extension cords and music to some park sessions. That really got it going, but yeah, we all know that how we act in private versus in a public setting makes a huge difference. There is a soul to skateboarding, and that is part of it, and like you referenced, the good companies putting out Made in the USA products are also the companies that are part of that soul.

How do I feel about the "sport" of skateboarding? Well, if someone is rolling on a skateboard, I think that is excellent. If someone wants to classify it as a sport, as long as it never takes anything away from the person riding their board in their own way, then who gives a shit, right? Do I think ESPN is kinda gay in their wishy washy approach to skateboarding and vert in particular? Of course, but then again, I am stoked to see automobile and fast food companies spending money on Skateboarding. To see what VANS has done for their riders is great, so if it being a sport makes the cash machine rev up, as long as it is someone like VANS who puts it back in, lets keep it going. Same with Energy Drinks... You look at Rockstar. They sponsor the shit out of events and riders. Making sure their team travels to events, etc. I have yet to see a Monster or RedBull event recently where its obvious they are the engine behind it. Yeah, they have their riders, but lets see Monster compete with Rockstar and cough up the $35K to keep the Houston event alive... This is why the Pool Party is such a great thing.

The whole Walmart and Target thing however? I guess it still boils down to as long as the skateboarder themselves are getting out of it what they want as individuals its cool.

Chris Gentry and ProRiders is kinda cool, in that they are kinda the checks and balances between the ESPN's & Dews trying to exploit the riders. They pretty much are organized and require a certain level of respect to the riders, whether it be life insurance or proper paychecks. I think in a way, that reminds the corporate folks that Skateboarding is in charge.

Hank
so what is on the docket for 2011? Any trips planned?

Peter
Well, nothing really planned yet. I think there is some Michigan in my future. Hopefully some opportunities are coming up which I can capitalize on. I really want to get back to the Combi and find a way to hit Pier Park again as well. We've got so much to skate now, and the weather is already starting to warm... Who knows where I'll end up?

I just want to stay healthy and strong. I have learned some stuff this winter on flat walls, so if nothing else, I want to work for consistency on the round ones.

Hank
With only a few more questions left, let's switch gears a bit to another important subject... GRILLING!!! whatcha been cooking on the Weber recently?

Peter
Man... I'll put pretty much anything on it, but recently, its been lots of chicken and burgers. We did get a pretty good deal on some pork tenderloins the other night. That was good as shit! As much as people think grilling means cooking outdoors, and I don't want to be pretentious, its gotta be on charcoal or even better, straight wood. A bad storm ripped through my area last spring, and I helped a buddy clear some fallen trees. There was as shitload of oak and hickory. I love cooking over hickory. I have lots of chunks now!

My wife isn't really into the smoked flavor, so I have to moderate it a little. I do throw some mesquite on the grill when doing burgers. I'll cook mine about 2/3 and set it aside, let the chips burn off and cook hers and the kids. I'll throw mine back on to finish and warm back up.

There are a lot of secrets to learn from the Texans though. Donalson should be a f'ing chef. There is a lot to learn there. In fact, I gotta go, chicken breasts are about ready...

Hank
I hear ya on the charcoal and wood! I start my smoker on charcoal is switch to hickory. I love smoke. a lot of people don’t care for it, but hickory is my favorite! I am going to head to Huston sooner then later and need to make sure Mike takes me out! What and where was the best food you had in Texas.

Peter
Man, the best food I've had in Texas? I am going to have to say that it was at a Sugar Shack show. That was a husband and wife in the back of the bar carving brisket sandwiches. I think there were like 5 dollars a pop, but they were so good I had at least two. Roper was there, and he can attest they were the best ever. They use different wood down there. Back to Donalson though, He has one hell of a jerk chicken recipe. There's also some really good eating on the el paso side.

Hank
Last question is yours. any last comments, questions or concerns???

Peter

Probably a good idea if I keep my mouth shut at this point, no? We have a good scene and plenty to skate. AMF!

Hank
If you say so! Thanks again for you time! It was great picking your brain and I am sure we could go on for hours! I’ll be seeing ya soon at WVert... However, I will be skating WVini!

Wreckroom Chris "rhino" Ronney deck available now

2011-02-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

Wreckroom Skateboards has put out another great deck for Chris "Rhino" Ronney! Rhino is a freelance photographer who has worked with the likes of Thrasher Magazine! Get this limited edition deck now! as with all our wood, they are AMERICAN MADE!!! 8.5" width 14"wb Art work by John Bicknell (www.steelcity-pa.com)

Thanks for the support!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT... 13 questions with RYZART

2010-12-14T05:02:00.001-08:00

HANK
Tell us a little about your self, name, rank, serial number so the people on the interweb know who you are

RYZART
my name is Richard "ryzart" Janusz. I work a 9-5 job during the day & custom paint/pinstripe by night. I am from Westfield NJ. I enjoy long walks on the beach in the dead of winter, crime novels & ass fetishes. Not in that particular order.

HANK
How did you get involved with painting / pinstriping? Is this something you grew up on, or is this something you found all on your own?

RYZART
I always loved art since i was a kid. I remember trying to draw the cartoon characters on my cereal boxes and in my comic books. I remember it coming very easily for me...i wanted to be an artist for as long as i could remember. I wanted to be a comic book penciller but often found myself getting discouraged with it. When i got my drivers license everything had changed. For a few years i had dropped art entirely and focused on automobile customizing and since then have owned a few lowriders, custom trucks and custom motorcycles. I found myself getting back into art again but i figured what better way to be involved in the automobile field and do art at the same time than to do custom painting for the vehicles. I had picked up airbrushing first and then tried my hand at pinstriping as well. I had seen a pinstriper at a truck show working his magic right there on a truck with just a little brush and a can of 1-shot paint !! I thought it was the coolest thing i have ever seen. From then on i have pinstriped literally everything and couldnt stop !!! From there it has been alot of trial and error and i am still learning but i had to learn on my own how to do everything besides reading magazines on the subject, attending panel jams, etc. All i can say if you want to learn this stuff is to practice, practice, practice !!!

HANK
I have had mixed feelings on being involved from a business aspect of something I
love. With Never Again it can be difficult to do something you love that you know will not sell. With Shipyard it’s a little different since I am very small time and I can pick who I want to work with. How is your customer base? My impression is most of the work you do is probably something you want to do. Do you get a lot of goofy requests that you have to talk people out of doing?

RYZART
In the beginning, yes i had alot of goofy requests or requests to do stuff that i wasnt really feeling. But in the beginning you just want to get work and get your name out there so you pretty much do anything. I would say by now though i get people that come to me because they like my style and they "trust" my judgement that i will do a good job. They give me alot of"creative freedom" and that is when it doesnt feel like a job at all because you are doing what you love and also what is inspiring you at the time. I still like to get guidelines from my customers as far as what colors they would like to use, or even supply me photos of either my paintjobs or others they have seen that they like, so i get a good idea of what they are looking for.

HANK
Do you ever turn work away based on the idea compromising your integrity and if not, would you turn work away that you feel just isn’t what you stand for?

RYZART
Absolutely ! I havent really turned anything away yet illustration wise but i would totally turn away something if i deemed it offensive for me, not really for anyone else. If it was something religous or political that i didnt agree with i would also turn a job away if i didnt agree with it. Even painting wise i have turned away paintjobs where the customer said he was going to do the bodywork himself and i get the tank and its really wavy and i wouldnt paint it. Reason is i dont want my name on it and someone to think that i did that terrible bodywork job on the tank ! I like to have total control over the job from beginning to end that way if anything happens its my fault and 10 other hands werent involved in the project.

HANK
I respect your ideals on not compromising on your values (religious or political) to make a buck! That is the type of person I want to work with (and why I work with you)… it says a lot about a persons dedication and seriousness about what they do and ultimately will produce something much better then someone slinging paint for a quick buck!

Have you tackled any cars yet? Would love to see a nice laced up and faded low rider…

RYZART
Nope..no cars yet. I have definitely striped & lettered cars but that's the extent of it. I would love to do a car (especially a lowrider) but I currently do not have enough room in my shop to do so. I have been a fan of lowriders for a very long time & even owned 2 lowriders in the past. Maybe someday in the future if I expand to a bigger shop than I will definitely be painting cars as well..but in the meantime it is strictly bikes.

HANK
I was amazed at the helmets you painted for Zito’s ride to skate at FDR. I don’t think the raffle winners really understood what they got. Tell us a bit about the helmets and what all went into them!

RYZART
Thanx man ! Glad you liked it ! Well the helmet was originally a Biltwell helmet that was in a metalflake gold finish. I scuffed the clear on the helmet and proceeded to start doing the artwork on there. The side panels have a snakeskin type of effect going on while the very top panel i had airbrushed brains in it. The panel that kind of wraps around the rest of the helmet i freehand airbrushed a woodgrain effect. On the back i did the letters "RTS" in gold leaf and some scroll type striping in the panels on the side. So it was pretty involved but very fun to do. Clarke from the www.freakoutthesquares.com blog gave me the initial idea to do the woodgrain effect on there along with a snakeskin type off effect as well. So yeah it was pretty involved, but a blast to do.

HANK
What about the praying hands helmet? was that a give away too? it was getting alot of attention at the Ride to Skate table. do people realize the amount of time you got into these things??

RYZART
Man I know I have to get better at keeping my hours jotted down for each project but I get careless sometimes...there are EASILY over 20 hours each into both helmets. I would say the woodgrain one has more hours into it than the "praying hands" one. The woodgrain one was given away as a prize at the RTS show and the "praying hands" one I delivered for a customer at the show.

HANK
The Never Again “skully” design has been a big hit. It was the first graphic we did on Never Again and one of our most popular. Who or what are an influences on you when it comes to your pen and ink style?

RYZART
Mike Giant is a huge influence of mine for sure...he is probably the biggest but others are Pushead, Brian Morris, Jim Phillips, Mr. Cartoon, Fudemae & I am really sorry because his name slips my mind right now but the guy who did all the old Suicidal Tendencies shirts and flyers. I use to do a lot more color illustrations years ago but since I am painting motorcycles now I get my color fill with that stuff so I like to keep my illustrations simply black & white.

I totally dig on the Cholo style as well. The art, the lingo, the way they dress...everything. I got into it years ago when I was into the lowriding scene and it has stuck with me ever since. You can see a lot of the cholo influences in my illustrations and lettering I think. Checking out some old cholo style graffitti from southern Cali is also an inspiration & influence as well.

HANK
Yeah, I hear that. I really dig the Dia de los Muertos style sugar skulls and the use of religious imagery in a lot of the different Mexican art forms. I think one of your sickest works has been the Lady of Guadalupe tank you did. It’s classic, not to flamboyant just the right amount of stuff going on on that tank to make the design pop but not be too gaudy. Talk us through the process of painting a tank like that. What were the different steps? What’s the time frame on something like that?

RYZART
Well since I paint part time the process takes quite a bit of time. I had about 2 weeks into the lady of guatalupe alone...if I were doing it full time it would of probably taken me a week. The whole tank (including bodywork time which I farm out) took about 2 months. In the end hopefully for the customer it was worth the wait :).
As far as the process it starts out as a bare metal tank that needs some bodywork especially if its going to be all black & have black in it its gotta be straight. After bodywork & primer its the basecoat. A lot of times I like to lock in my base with some clear and then its artwork time ! Then there is a lot of taping out of the panels and the design in the panels. Leafing, striping, airbrushing, that tank has got it all. A lot of clearcoating has to happen as well to lock everything in & level everything out so when its all said & done all the artwork is buried & none of it is felt with your hand. You want it to look like glass ! A lot of people do not realize how much a tank like that would cost in materials alone let alone your time you put into it. That's why a tank like that can cost easily a $1000 or more.

HANK
I love the lace look on tanks and fenders and have stole that idea from seeing some of your stuff on the interweb... I have painted a few decks with some lace and fade and I love that 70's biker look and feel. it is cool seeing a lot of the 70's bike culture in Jersey and the Philly area... we dont have much of that in RVA.. I am big into cafe's too and would love to build another someday... kind of a bobber / cafe mix would be fun... any new trends happening in the North East that may be segregated to that part of the country?

RYZART
Its kind of hard question...I really honestly can't pinpoint one type of style of look that's only segregated to our area here in the northeast. I think its pretty universal. Sorry.

HANK
I think you are just holding out on us... dont want the rest of the world (especially the Discovery Channel) knowing what is going on over there!!!

So how did you and Tag meet? You were ultimately responsible for hooking Never Again up with Tag. I know you painted his bike. Were you friends with him or was that a Zito connection or otherwise? Thanks again for doing the artwork on his NA deck! it was killer! one of my favorites for sure. the flying pig on the danzig cross / slayer logo top looks killer on the shape we came up with for Tag. I want to screen them on black veneer with faded rails this winter!

RYZART
Hey man no problem on the hook up with Tag. I am really stoked to be on board with you guys and design cool stuff and I only want to help you guys out & grow as I do for myself as well. Thanx for the kind words on the Tag artwork as well. You know I must say you are the brains behind it all...I am just a monkey that makes your vision a reality ! Haha ! But anyway I met Tag through a friend of mine : Mike Pallazzo of 47 Industries in Manville, NJ. Mike Pallazzo met Dan Tag through Christian Marsh from Xianleather. Mike was doing some fab work on Tags bike and anything that needs paint in Mikes shop comes to me. So that's how we met. Tags a cool dude & I was really stoked to paint his bike for him.

HANK
what projects do you have on the horizon? anything cool in the pipeline?

RYZART
I had a pedal car I was going to customize for my son but that got put on the back-burner because I've been so busy with other things. I also was doing some work on a Schwinn lowrider bike as well that got put on the back-burner too. That one is going to be a complete frame off project. The frame has a few panels welded in & is going to have a lot of hours of bodywork in it when its all said & done. Hopefully I will resume work on those soon. Ultimately I would love to do a lowrider next but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Moneys tight..I'm sure you know what I am talking about.

HANK
there has to be some great eats in your area... I have had my share of what Philly has to offer, but what does Ryzart pig out on? there has to be one vice you like to treat yourself too?

RYZART
The one vice I have that I pig out on actually isn't food but a beverage and its chocolate milk and no I am not kidding. Haha !

HANK
Thanks again man for all your time, and what you do for Never Again. It was fun picking your brain! your work continues to amaze me! I most likely will be "building" a bike again one day just to have you paint it!

enjoy the last few pics and hit up Ryz's site and blog for more! www.ryzart.com www.ryzart.blogspot.com

www.ryzart.com http://ryzart.blogspot.com/

Trucker Hats...

2010-12-10T04:51:00.001-08:00

Being I have a rather large head, I have been a trucker hat man for some time now... this being the case, I decided to run some trucker hats from our friends at www.broprints.com

Stoked on getting these in stock and on my head! I will be kicking one of these in free with each board purchase! if you dont want a board and just want a hat, they will be $12 shipped to your door!

Artwork by John Bicknell

The LOST BOWL

2010-12-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

Our mate Pat has got himself a nice little project he would like some help with! Click the pictures below and donate some of your hard earned cash to Pat's LOST BOWL project! $5 is less then a pack of smokes nowadays and goes a long way!

I got to see the LOST BOWL when I dropped off some HELL'S SATANS decks for Pat. It is sick and going to be fun fun fun!

Click the picture below to be redirected to Pat's Kickstart page and give whatcha can! This will be a must skate in RVA sooner then later with help from yall!

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!!

hank
www.shipyardskates.com

the Prokjeckts Skate Shop decks

2010-11-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

...here are a few pics of some wood I had the opportunity of screening for my bud Adam at the Projeckts skate shop! swing on in and support the cause! the Projeckts is located at:

133 East Atlantic Avenue
Haddon Heights, NJ 08035-1901
(856) 546-0230

tell him hank from shipyard sent ya!

thanks for the support!

www.shipyardskates.com

The latest Installment of DAN TAG Crappy Decks...

2010-11-16T07:51:00.001-08:00

...are in stock and waiting to be ridden! These decks are American Made and screen printed by Shipyard Skates! 6 color design on multiple veneer color options... get one now!!

Tag doing his thing at Rumble in Ramona

Legendary ripper Jay Henry thanking me for one of the "prototypes"

Screening Some Tail...

2010-11-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

just finished my tail rig and gave it a whirl today... a fun little project! looking forward to some more!

More Screening... Never Again "2 years" deck

2010-11-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a 6 color pig I through together for my brother Mike at Never Again Clothing (www.neveragainclothing.com).

enjoy!

Screening DAN TAG's Crappy decks

2010-10-13T06:13:00.001-07:00

I was under the gun to get these Crappy prototypes out the door and off to Ramona for Tag last week, and they came out "ok"... I am not happy with the registration on a few of them and need to make an adjustment to the white layer but hey, they are prototypes and I had two days to get them printed, shipped, and out to the Rumble...

white base layer, with cream cone (print 2)

"dodo" brown layer (print 3)

"poop" brown layer (print 4)

black layer (print 5)... here is where the problems began... the registration was off a tad.. so in lieu of tearing down my rig, cleaning, drying, and resetting it up, I tried to make an adjustment on the fly... bad idea... if these weren't going to Ramona the next day it would have been a no brainer... so I gambled and a few of them are off a bit...

red lips (layer 6)

all and all I am happy with these and learning a lot!

"production models" to follow shortly!

Screen Printing a "Shop" Deck

2010-09-30T11:14:00.001-07:00

My first deck was a Santa Cruz Micke Alba "crash test" deck, so I figured what better way to spend the day then printing a shipyard knock off! I would love to have that deck now, but until then this one off ebay special pig will have to do!

Thanks for the support! www.shipyardskates.com

Black is Back

2010-09-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Time to get yourself a nice 8.25" Never Again "praying hands" deck, with black Never Again "skully" park wheels and a set of black ACE 44's and get rolling! and guess what, it qualifies for free shipping!

Working on an Interview with NA artist Ryzart! chcek back again soon for updates!

Speak of the Devil

2010-09-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

not moments after the first post on the new Big Mess deck, the pops arrived! get one now! these are sick and wont last long!

What's new at Shipyard?

2010-09-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

The new Big Mess decks are done and we will be getting some of the popsicle in for your skating pleasure! they are 8x32 with a 14in WB and are bad bad bad! Art work was done by Lucas Musgrave (aka GOON)! If you are a man who likes some shape, click the pic below and you will be taken to the Big Mess site where you can by direct for the "Factory"...

Thanks for the support www.shipyardskates.com

Some Screenin' Boards for Pat

2010-09-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

My buddy Pat is raising money for his DIY pool so I screened up some boards with his moped club logo! I hope he likes them as much as I do! Once these are gone we will be screening some more!

put the white down first and let it dry...

couple hours later (after some wings and beer) but the red layer on!

stacking them up before shrink wrap!

I love the white and red on the black veneer! Check back soon for more!

thanks for the support! www.shipyardskates.com

Cock Fight "Bubbles" and "Sinking Feeling" Back in Stock!!!

2010-09-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Our friends at Cock Fight continue to put out deck after deck after deck and two of my favorites are "bubbles" and "sinking feeling".

Bubbles measures in at 33" Length 8.8" Width 14.75/15.25" Double Drilled Wheelbase!

Jesse Davis' model "Sinking Feeling" comes in at 32" Length 8.6" Width 14.75" Wheelbase

remember, free shipping on all orders over $75 so grab a set of ACE Trucks and get one of the raddest boards with a set of the raddest trucks shipped to your door for free!

thanks for your continued support

www.shipyardskates.com

Watson Laminates

2010-06-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Came across this nifty little video of Watson Laminates in San Diego! These guys have been doing this since the 70's! check em out! http://www.watsonlaminates.com/

Save 10% Now till Sunday

2010-06-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Sending out a props to all the Dads out there that are teaching their kids how to rip! Enter DAD at check out and save 10%!!! now here is a completely unrelated video!

enjoy,

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT
www.shipyardskates.com

Danforth's are Back in Stock

2010-06-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

Once again American Nomad has sent me some sick sick color combos on the Danforth deck! Gettem before they are gone!

THIS IS NOT CORPORATE SKATEBOARDING
www.shipyardskates.com

FUNHOUSE SKATEBOARDS AVAILABLE NOW!!!

2010-06-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Coming Next Week!!! FUNHOUSE!!!

2010-06-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

We are excited to get two new FUNHOUSE designs in stock! the first is the "Tattooed Man" deck! The dims are 8.5" x 32.5" with a variable wheel base (14.75"/15.5")

The second FUNHOUSE deck coming our way is the "Death's Brother"... not quiet Death, but his brother will have to do! The dims are perfect for us bigger guys!!! 9.5" x 32.5" with a variable wheel base (15"/16")!!!

looking forward to getting these in and out! As with all boards on shipyard, these are 100% AMERICAN MADE!!! I am looking forward to doing a 13 Questions with JJ before months end and cannot wait to get some more of their products in stock!!! if you are in the New York area, check out the Dawn Patrol Jam on June 21st!!!

As always, thanks for the support!!!
THIS IS AMERICAN SKATEBOARDING!!!
www.shipyardskates.com

13 Questions with American Nomad JAY KELLY

2010-06-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

The 13 questions section is probably my favorite part of the blog! It is great to do a little research on peeps that I am "interviewing" and try to ask them so questions that may not have been asked before. This month I got to pick the brain of Jay Kelly, partner in crime with Bill Danforth of American Nomad skateboards! Knowing a little about Jay, I decided to split this up between skating and tattooing! In addition to some kick ass skateboards, Jay is slinging so kick ass ink! After you finish this little Q&A, make sure you head over to www.americannomadskates.com/ and www.shamrockcustoms.com/ and show some love!!! Without further ado... JAY KELLY

Name, Rank, and Social Security Number…

My proper name is Thomas Jason Kelly but I go by my stage name of Jay Kelly. Rank here at American Nomad....I would have to say Army mom. My social....7

How, when, where, and why did American Nomad start?

We started getting the ball rolling in the fall of 2003 but didnt have boards in hand until Memorial day. So pretty much almost 6 years ago to the day that we had the first 2 models in. I say 2 models but it really was just 2 different graphics on the same shape. Bill had the shape already to go at this woodshop so we saved money on set up charges for a custom shape. That fall Bill flew out here to CT. with Bart Saric, Tom Allen and Kevin Wirth to film Skinned Alive. We were driving out to Fred Smiths tattoo shop to do some filming and we just started talking and bouncing some ideas back and forth. I dont think we ever had any idea that we were going to start a company..Hell I never thought of it and it just happened.

The team is stacked… Fred Smith, Danforth, Monty Nolder, Ward Cramer, Bill Tocco and Schultes!!!… You guys have a hell of a line up there! I am amazed! What’s it like working with these guys?

It couldn't be better.. Pretty much the entire team are good friends of ours. These are the guys that we would want to go and skate with.

It is just mind blowing that every shop doesn’t have an American Nomad deck on its wall with a team like you have!!! It’s a sacrilege! WTF is wrong with kids these days?... How do you get them to look past the MTV/X Games bullshit and realize what skateboarding is all about… Do you even bother targeting today’s youth or do you strictly target “our” generation?

We don't really push our product on that type of skater. I would love to sell 7.5 popsicles to handrail kids. Hell we would sell a lot more decks. We did some smaller stuff but we sat on it. We are going to start doing 8.25 popsicles again and Nick Bratko is getting a board out that is a 8.5 popsicle. I dont really want to do any smaller than that..OHHH I special order Abe Towerys decks because they are a bit smaller. So if somebody is really looking more than likely I have something with a random graphic tossed on it.

AN has been putting out some great stuff this year! The Danforth fades were great! It’s great to see some really cool shit being put out by the smaller skater owned companies. What’s on the horizon for this summer?

We have some really great stuff coming out this summer. We will be doing a Eric Dressen guest model in the next few months. We will be adding a Nick Bratko model into the line up. Nick has been with us from the start and is a hell of a amazing skater. We have a bunch of early 90s type stuff coming out soon and the one that I am excited about the most is the STIMULUS PACKAGE. You will have a choice of a 8.25 popsicle or something larger with a bit of shape to it...and it will come with a tee shirt and maybe some other little extras. The killer part will be that it will retail around $36.95 to $39.95. On top of that its all American made. No china or mexico junk..

Tell us about the Svitak connection? He has an AN deck, Bill is on his wheels… Do you guys go back? Any future collaboration?

Bill and Kristian have been friends for a really long time. You know its sort of a tough question for me to answer on both sides. For me..I always like Kristians skating and happened to catch his Firsthand on fuel tv and I was really stoked on what he was doing with 1031. I was talking with Bill about it and he suggested doing a guest model for him. You should ask Bill when you interview him next month...Im sure he will have some great insight and probably a great story of them travelling somewhere.

Svitak’s young gun Raybourn absolutely kills it! I would kill to have a Ben Raybourn clone riding for me! That kid is sick and has a great style of old and new! Any young guns riding for AN?

Ben is amazing....He might be one of my favorite new skaters out there. As far as young guns...not really. Our youngest gun is probably 21 by now. I have my eye on a couple guys this year but nothing concrete yet.

So how is life as a tattooist? According to Discovery channel it is all parties and fun and glorious??? Is that true? How long have you been in the tattoo business?

the discovery channel can make cleaning toilets look exciting. For me tattooing is great. I have great customers that are pretty open to what I want to do. I guess it helps that I have been in the same shop since 1999(I started my apprenticeship in 1995) so I have built up a good amount of trust. I dont know about this party lifestyle you speak of...Hell, I dont even tell anyone that I am a tattooer when I am out in public.

I am pretty much an Traditional American and Japanese style guy myself… You have some great stuff on http://shamrockcustoms.com ! Who were your influences and mentors?

My first influence would have to be Fred Smith and indirectly Mark Mahoney. When I was a kid I used to go to Freds skatepark in R.I. I always was blown away by this tattoo of Einstein that Mark did on his elbow. Just insane.. Shortly after that I started buying tattoo magazines and got to see the stuff that Eddie Deutsche, Dann Higgs and Ed Hardy were doing and I was just floored

Any other art outlets other then tattooing?

I really wish I had the time. I do get to huff a bit of spray paint every now and then out in the garage. I have been doing some stencil work over the last year or so. I do want to start finding time to start painting soon.

What’s on the radio at the shop? Slayer seems to be common at the shops I visit…? Anything coming out of the North that I should be listening too?

Dinosaur Jr./J Mascis and the Fog/Nick Cave and the bad seeds album Murder Ballads. Probably 95 percent of the time it will be one of those 3. I do toss in some King Diamond to wake me up on those early saturday mornings. Actually a great listen for the shop is a box set out from Rhino records called NO THANKS for the 70s. It over 100 songs on 4 discs of great old punk.. Everything from the Buzzcocks to Blondie

Second to last question is for you… Anything you want to tell the masses? Speak up now!!

Support smaller dog shelters or my favorite which is actually a pig shelter called Ironwood pig sanctuary. They are out in Tuscon AZ. and you can check them out at www.ironwoodpigs.org I really dig what these guys are doing.

Next time I am in Bethlehem Pa, I may have to drive a few hours north for some ink/skating/eating/drinking… my right leg is a collaboration of PA Dutch style work… have to have you add to it! or maybe a nice Shipyard piece on my ribs…(that’ll never happen… I am a pussy now when it comes to terribly painful tattoos)… While I am up there, where is the one place I have to eat/grab a drink at? (I think I am going to start my own skating/eating tour on youtube and call it “the thirteenth question”)

Hank anytime you want to head up this way lets do it. Come up the week after Labor day for the 6th Annual American Nomad cookout. Skating/food/and a ton of beer. It started out as a sunday deal but every year has grown a bit longer. I pretty much take the whole week off as we have guys coming in from all over the country. Hands down you have to eat at Plan B. Its a burger place by the tattoo shop that makes the best mac and cheese you will ever have. We are talking about a $16 dollar mac and cheese with BBQ pulled pork or chicken over the top of it. It must be tried at least once in a lifetime.

Thanks again man! Super stoked to be carrying American Nomad and just amazed at what you and Bill have put together! Great company, great team, and most importantly high quality products made with integrity in the USA!

Check out www.shipyardskates.com and get on a Skater Owned Skater Operated board now!!!

Friday's Featured Board

2010-05-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

Friday's board is from our good friends at American Nomad! American Nomad continues to put out great shapes for killer riders such as the legendary MONTY NOLDER!!! We have a few of these left and they are a killer shape! They are on sale for $44.99 plus shipping... Not a bad deal if I must say so myself!!!

32.75" long
9"inches at widest point
14.75" wheelbase
6.75" tail
7.25" nose

Don't wait around... these will be gone before you know it!!!

13 Questions with the legendary Chuck Treece!!!

2010-05-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

What do you ask a living legend? Well I had to go through this once before with Bill Danforth and now I have to go through it again with Chuck Treece! Where do you start? Do you focus on music or skating? If you start with music, what do you ask, the man you gotta ask about McRad…then there is the Bad Brains, Underdog, and Urge Overkill! With skating there is the obvious FDR connection and the early days at Cherry Hill with Tom Groholoski and all kind of people and places in between! Being that this 13 questions goes hand in hand with the Keystone / McRad collaboration, I am going to keep the questions focused to the east coast and McRad… there! That narrowed it down! Without further adoe… Mr Chuck Treece!!

First off, let me thank you for your time and would you please start off by tell us a little about yourself for those that may be new to you?

MY NAME IS CHUCK TREECE.I FEEL LIFE IS MEANT TO BE LIVED TO THE FULLEST ON ALL THAT WE LOVE TO DO IN LIFE.MUSIC IS A BIG PART OF MYLIFE AND SO I SKATEBOARDING.IT'S GREAT TO BE A FATHER OF FOUR KIDS WHO ALL HAVE TIME GROW.I AM ABOUT TO TURN 46 MAY 30TH..I AM STOKED...HACING FUN...

What was it like growing up on the East Coast and skateboarding? It always seems like a lot of people think the West is the best but when I look back, yeah we mimicked what we saw in magazines and videos, but most of what we learned came from pushing each other and trying new things, not just from copying what was going on in California. Plus shoveling your ramp off after 12 inches of wet Pennsylvania snow really tells ya how much you love to skate!

I CAN LOOK BACK ON MY DAYS OF SKATING AND SEE WE ALL GET ATTACHED TO SKATEBOARDING REGARDLESS OF OUR LOCATION.THE WEST KNEW HOW TO PROMOTE SKATEBOARDING FIRST.MAINLY THRU ALL THE SURFING AND GREAT CLIMATE PEOPLE COULDS SPEND MORE TIME DEVELOPING SKATEBOARDING..THINGS MOVE QUICK OUT WEST..WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE LOVE FOR WHAT SKATEBOARDING IS..BASICALLY YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW..WE COULD BE TALKING ABOUT GOLF BUT WE'RE SKATERS.LOCATION IS A DECISION. ..WHEN YA RAISE A FAMILY THE AREA YOU LIVE IN INFLUENCES YER FAMILY..I SAW A KID RIDING DOWN THE STREET ON A SKATEBOARD IN THE SUBURBS OF NEWARK,DEL..I WAS 13..I PURCHASED AND PLASTIC SKATEBOARD SCRAPED MY KNEE AND STAYED ON FOREVER..WE ALL LEARN FROM WHAT WE LIKE..I LIKED STACY PERALTA'S ERA FOR SKATEBOARDING..ALL THE PROS BACK THEN HAD CLASS..TONY ALVA,SHOU KUB,MARTY GRIMES,JAY SMITH,BERT LAMAR,STEVE OLSON,BRAD BOWMAN...THE MAGS KEPT ME UP ON THE POEPLE I LOOKED UP TO..I LIKED LIVING AND SKATING ON BOTH COST..NOW WE CAN SKATE THE ENTIRE WORLD..WE CAN SAY THAT SKATEBOARDING IS WORLDWIDE..REGARDLESS OF WHERE YA GO IF YA LIKE TO SK8 YOU CAN FIND IT....IT'S ALL ABOUT LOOCHIE.IF YOU HAVE LOOCHIE TO TRAVEL U DON'T NEED TO BE PRO OR ANYBODY SPECIAL OR EVEN SUPER STOKED RAD AMAZING SKATER..AS LONG AS YOU SKATE YOU CAN DIG IN AT ANY PARK YA WANT..IT'S GREAT..ALOT OF IMPROVEMENT HAS GONE ON IN SKATING..MORE WILL COME...

There is always talk of you and Tom Groholoski; who was the rest of your crew that you skated with in the early days?

THE REST OF THE CREW WAS.JIM MURPHY,STEVE HEARING,BILL,MARK,DAVE,DICKEN GREENE,JASON FRANKS,RODNEY FROM SHUT,HARTSEL/FAM RIGHT THERE,JAMIE GODFREY,VICTOR PEREZ,STEVE SILVER,TZ,BILL,READING SK8 PARK,AL BAKER,ROCCO,GLUEY,BRAD,BLAZE,MIKE JESOLOWSKI

Has McRad been around forever? I believe I read you guys formed in the early 80’s! That is crazy, how was the music scene different then than now? To me you always here about the early 80’s east coast punk/hardcore scene being insane! What’s the Philly scene like now compared to then?

THE PHILLY MUSIC SCENE IS ALWAYS EXCITING.GOING TO SHOWS AT LOVE HALL ON BROAD AND SOUTH ST WAS ONE OF THE BEST TIMES FOR A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE..PUNKERS,SKATERS,ARTIST,GRAPH ARTIST,ACTORS AND ALL KINDS HUNG OUT IN PHILLY...WE ALWAYS WENT TO SHOWS..THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 10 PEOPLE WHO SKATED IN THE ENTIRE PHILLY AREA..SKATECORE WAS A CREW THAT WAS FORMED..WE WHERE THE FIRST SK8 CREW PERIOD IN PHILLY..STEVE EYE AND BRUCE SKATED CHERRY HILL SKATE PARK..THAT'S WHERE WE ALL MET WHEN I WAS 14..I LIVED IN DELAWARE AND MY MOM LIVED IN PHILLY..SO I WOULD ALWAYS BE HERE AND I ALWAYS SKATED CHERRY HILL WITH MY FRIENDS FROM DELAWARE AND PHILLY..I DIDN'T START TO HANG OUT IN THE PHILLY SCENE TIL 1982....TURNS OUT I RUN INTO MY FRIENDS AGAIN 4 YEARS LATER AFTER CHERRY HILL CLOSED DOWN..STEVE AND BRUCE WHERE A BIG PART OF THE UNDERGROUND PUNK AND ARTS SCENE...BOTHT OF THOSE GUYS BOOKED SHOWS WITH MINOR THREAT,BAD BRAINS,DOA,SCREAM,THE MEATMEN,FLIPPER,
FANG,MINUTE MEN,NECROS,JFA,MCRAD,YDI..SO WHEN WE FORMED MCRAD OUR CREW OF PEOPLE PUT US ON THE MINOR THREAT SHOW...I WAS 19 PLAYING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE WAITING TO SEE MONIOR THREAT...WE ALL LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER..EVEN IN THE CRAZY TIMES..

Stacy Peralta used McRad’s Weakness was in Public Domain and it’s definitely one of the cooler songs on the video. What was it like working with those guys on the video and any reason you never had a Powell Perralta model?

ONE DAY FOR A MODEL WITH POWELL..THAT'S A DREAM FER SURE..I WOULD BE JUST EXCITED ABOUT IT NOW..EVEN IF I HAD TO CREATE A COLLAB..WORKING WITH STACY AND CREW WAS ALWAYS AMZING..I TONS OF RESPECT FOR STACY..GREAT GUY..REALLY TOOK HIS TIME SHOW WHAT SKATEBOARDING WAS ALL ABOUT..HE REALLY USED HIS BRAIN PROPERLY..STACYE GAVE ALOT OF PEOPLE THE WAY INTO SUCCESSFUL...THANX TO ALL AT POWELL PERALTA FOR SUPPORTING MCRAD MUSIC..STACY SET THE TREND FER SURE..

Dan Scott has helped my brother and me out more then once in the last few years with Never Again and I was stoked to see the Keystone / McRad colab! I love the graphics, your signature layback in the liberty bell is bad ass! Tell us how that came about.

I TALKED TO RONNIE GORDON ABOUT DOING A SHIRT DESIGN WITH MY BEST PAL SU BEAR..WE HAVE A COMPANY CALLED BULL n BEAR..SU BEAR n MESELF..I TALKED TO DAN AND WE MET AT A SK8 PARK BENEFIT IN YORK,PAYEAR BEFORE..AFTER I TALKED TO RONNIE I EMAILED DAN AND WE TALKED ABOUT DOING A DECK...DAN TOOK CARE OF THE ARTWORK AND THAT TURNED OUT AMAZING..I FORGET THE NAME OF THE ARTIST..WANTED TO SEND A BIG UPS TO YA....GOOD TIME TRIP'N OUT ON IT...

How many Treece / McRad decks are out there? I know there were a few on Wreckroom and now the new Keystone deck. Any others we can search high and low for? What about wheels? You talk Dan into running some nice McRad crete wheels? That would be great…show Spitfire what they missed out on!

THERE ARE ABOUT 5 MCRAD DECKS..I WILL GET THE JPEGS TO YA SOME POINT...I WOULD BE INTO DOING A WHEEL.ALL PEOPLE KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO PROMOTE SKATEBOARDING..IT WILL ALWAYS BE TO THE CORE.

In exchanging emails with Jason Oliva about his House of Steam on line store (www.thehouseofsteam.com), we got talking about how the DIY concrete parks seem to have slowed down in the last few years and a lot of the guys that were the pioneers of it all are doing it for a living. Now it seems like a lot of the DIY attitude has been put into the skate companies. There is a ton of skater owned operations out there putting out some great stuff! To me, the smaller guys that are making little to no money on it are the ones that are keeping it real. I am not against growth or change, but it is nice to see someone doing it for the love of it and not the all mighty dollar. What’s your take on it?

YEAH WE ALL SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SK8 INDUSTRY AND KNOW IT'S THERE..I THINK OF AS THIS..WE SKATE ALMOST ANY TERRAIN TO GET BETTER..THE SAME SHOULD BE FOR WAY WE GO ABOUT THE SK8 BIZ..WE WILL NEVER AGREE ON ONE WAY TO PROMOTE SKATING..SKATING DOESN'T NEED THAT..WE STARTED IT BACK UP FROM IT'S FIRST CRASH..BIG COMPANYS WERE INTO SKATING BACK IN THE FIRST STAGES OF BIZ. PEPSI WAS ONE OF THEM..THEY HAD THERE OWN RAMP..BIG COMPANYS WILL ALWAYS MOVE THE BIZ LIKE A TIDAL WAVE..THE MORE MOUTHS YA HAVE TO FEED THE MORE THE ALL WANT WHAT THEY WANT...THE SMALLER COMPANYS WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE..EVEN IF THEY'RE RICH..IF YOU LIKE SELLING SMALL QUANTITIES OF HI QUALITY GEAR THAN THAT BECOMES YER BIZ OUTLOOK..THE REST OF IT IS BELLY BUST'N..GET IN AND GET DONE THE BEST WAY YOU CAN...

What was your involvement with FDR in the early days? I was disappointed Thrashers “Under the Bridge” didn’t have any footage of you. I am sure they could have found some if they look harder.

ALL FILM EVENTS ARE GOOD WHEN THEY GO INTO THE HISTORY.I CAN'T BLAME ANYONE FOR TRY'N THEIR BEST AT THE REAL HISTORY..I HAVE ENUFF FOOTY TO SAY WHAT I NEED TO SAY ABOUT SKATING...IT'S MORE ABOUT THE LOVE FOR IT...THE FACT I ALWAYS WANT MY BODY TO BE STRONG TO SKATE WHENEVER I WANT MY OVERALL GOAL..THE REST IS BIZ.....

I have asked this question numerous times, but how do you find time to skate, play music, and spend time with the family? You must be on the go 24/7.

I FIND TIME WHEN IT FINDS ME IN THE RIGHT SPACE OF MIND..THERE'S SO MUCH TIME...WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL FAMILIES THAT LOOK ONTO US THE BEST WAY THEY CAN..THAT TAKES TIME..HOWEVER MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT LACK OF TIME MEANS LACK OF HEALTH..THAT'S A LOAD OF SHITE..I HAVE WATCHED MY OWN BODY GO THRU THE CHANGES AND THEY WE ALL MENTAL..HOW COULD THEY NOT BE...WE HAVE TO WAKE UP EVERYDAY..THAT'S MENTAL ENUFF...

What are some of your current and future projects? And new music on the forefront or maybe another deck with Keystone this summer/fall?

MY NU PROJECT CONSIST OF A NEW MCRAD LP TITLED"NEVER ENDING DOMINANT FORCE",1965 PHL,CHELSEA ALLEN,DUB SABBATH,ROBOT GUTS DECK AND STICKER..I AM LOOKING TO DO A MCRAD SNEAKER,WHEEL AND THEN I WANNA START MAKING AMPS AND SOME STUDIO GEAR AND ITEMS THAT WORK GREAT ALL THE TIME....WE NEED MORE HIGH QUALITY ITEMS TO BY FOR GREAT PRICES..CARS AND ECT ALSO.

May 16th, McRad is playing FDR! Tell us a little about the Ride to Skate event Joe Zito and friends are putting on! What can we expect?

THE RIDE TO SK8 EVENT WAS THE BEST..GREAT PEOPLE AND A GREAT PARK..THE BANDS THAT PLAYED ON THE 16TH ROCKED..ALOT OF GOOD TALENT...FDR TINGZ...

Please settle this now… Best cheese steak in Philly…where can I get it…? I have been loyal to Pat’s…(Dan Tag continually refuses to mail me one..) am I missing out???

PAT'S COULD BE THE BEST..HOWEVER PHILLY IS ONE OF THOSE TOWS WHERE YA HAVE TO SEARCH THE NEIGHBORHOODS,...

GOOD FOOD EVERYWHERE..TAG ON'T MAIL YA ONE BECAUSE HE DOESN'T LIKE TO POST OFFICE.....THEY HAVE TO GO TO HIM...TAG ROCKS...

Chuck sporting a Never Again "OG Flannel"!

Keystone McRad Deck!

May 84 Thrasher Cover!

Cock Fight - Brett Roper -Decks in stock

2010-05-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Our good buddy Mike Niemann has sent us a couple of the Brett Roper decks! I am impressed with the silver in the graphic! The pics don't do this board justice! I tempted to keep these for myself!!!

32.75" Length
8.60" Width
14.75" Wheelbase

You can thank me later for getting this song stuck in your head!!!

thanks for the support!
www.shipyardskates.com

Overpriced Imports

2010-05-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

We pride ourselves on only carrying American made, skater owned / skater operated companies at Shipyard! We do not offer the $54.99 "corporate logo" deck on our site... If you want something different, created with integrity and originality, this is the place for you... if you want the latest and greatest overpriced import,... you best go someplace else...

The latest Never Again "Heraldry" deck is available now! these were limited to 50... each is numbered and ready to be ridden... there are only a hand full left at 8.5" width so get them now!!! sale ends 5/25/10!!!

American Nomad "prototype" Deck

2010-05-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's board of the day is the American Nomad "prototype" deck. This has the same "Brand X" influenced graphic as the Danforth, but with a bit different shape:

33″ long
14.5″ wheelbase
6.75″ tail
7.25″ nose
9.5″ wide

these are extremely limited (only 25 run) and I am lucky to have two in stock!

Once these are gone, I will be ordering some Monty Nolder decks! Jay has quiet the array of awesome riders on his team! more info on American Nomad at http://americannomadskates.com/

Thanks for the support!

Never Again Skully Park Wheels Available Now!!!

2010-04-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Skully Park Wheels are in stock and ready to be ridden. these are 56mm/99a "no flat spot" formula!! They are on sale for $24.99 (includes shipping) till Friday may 7th!! Getem now!!

And Now a Word From Me...

2010-04-26T08:27:00.001-07:00

The best part of starting shipyard has been the relationships formed with the people I have been involved with … I have met a lot of great peeps throughout this and it has been awesome to work with the likes of Russlell Phillips, Dan Tag, Dan Scott, Peter Furnee, Mike Niemann, Mike Fauerbach, Jason Oliva, Richard Kirby, Jay Kelly, Pat Bronowicki, Alex Duke, John Bicknell, Richard Janusz, Joel Santana, etc…etc…and it is great to see these guys doing this for all the right reasons! At no time have any of these guys said to me…”do you think this will sell”… It has always been for the love it and for what they want, not what some marketing study thinks the current trend is and what will be a quick buck or two… When I hear what is on the horizon at Cockfight, Big Mess, Keystone, Never Again, and American Nomad, it is going to be a great summer! I have quoted Kirby before and I am sure I will in the future, but he has nailed it on more then one occasion in regards to the little guys keeping “our wheels on the ground, our ear on the street, and the industry fresh”! Just want to give everyone a “thanks man” for helping me get some great products in the hands of people that are not happy with the current trend and want something that is original, high quality, and made here in the good ole’ USofA! If you are leery about buying from a company you haven’t heard of…remember where you came from and what you love about skateboarding before you drop $52 bucks on another imported corporate logo deck!

Thanks for the support…

Hank

Big Mess "Corporate" Deck Available NOW!!!

2010-04-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

The latest and greatest board from Big Mess and one of my favorites! Alex Duke lent his pen for the art work! We will be featuring a 13 questions with Mr. Duke next month (since I have been skating more then blogging and slacking with the questions)!

this decks speaks for itself and is available now! get one while they lasts!

Thanks for the support www.shipyardskates.com

Lots of Great Stuff Coming to Shipyard!

2010-04-20T06:15:00.001-07:00

Where do I start? I guess we will start with decks... Never Again, Keystone, and Big Mess all have new boards in the works and will be available this spring! Never Again will be releasing the graphics once the board is done! This one is killer and wont last long! This will be NA first full color deck and it is bad ass! John Bicknell did a hell of a job on these graphics! Everything is with Pennswood and should be available mid May!

Keystone has collaborated with Chuck Treece and put out a great new "McRad" deck! Also, I got a chance to run 13 questions by Chuck Treece and will be posting it as soon as the decks are available! I believe these are almost sold out, so the 3 I have for shipyard will be the last few available for GenPop.

The Big Mess Corporate deck is the latest deck in the Big Mess arsenal... In case you were sleeping..., Big Mess received a Cease and Desist from one of the big 5 Chinese board importers and Big Mess' has returned fire with their latest "Corporate" deck! The art work was done by our bud Alex Duke! this board is one of my personal favorites that Big Mess has put out and I am stoked to get it on board!

(right click to view the full size image)

Now onto wheels...

In addition to new decks, Never Again has a new set of 56mm black skully wheels in production and will be available by May 1st!! Some prototype wheels have been sent to Dylan Jones in Texas who has not been able to flatten them no matter how many powerslides are done! this will be NA second wheel release and we are looking forward to getting them on board!

Lastly, I talked with Kristian Svitak and will be getting a batch of the Landshark wheels in stock this spring! I was holding out till the Danforth's are ready but they are a few months out... I will be getting some of the smaller sizes in for the kiddies... they are all the rage!

I think that it is it for now! I am sure I forgot something...

thanks for the support
www.shipyardskates.com

Speed Lab Godoy Wheels

2010-04-20T06:05:00.001-07:00

We have one set of Speed Lab Godoy wheels left! get them before they are gone!

If these dont sell this week, I think I am going to skate em!

thanks for the support!

www.shipyardskates.com

Free T with any Purchase!

2010-04-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

The new shipyard T's are in! Get one free while supplies last! We have small to XXL

Thanks to Rick Kuebler for the art hook up!

Specify your size in message section at check out!
Shirts are "Ice Gray" to keep you "cool" this summer...I know...cheese

Thanks to Richard Kirby at BIG MESS for printing them up!

www.shipyardskates.com

Never Again Clothing Team Rider...Dylan Jones

2010-04-10T06:20:00.001-07:00

Never Again's Dylan Jones "VHS Part"...enjoy!

American Nomad Boards have arrived

2010-04-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Jay Kelly at American Nomad has set us up with some sick, sick Bill Danforth Models in blue fade! The current shape is Danforth approved and is amazing! The rails on the Danforth are hand sprayed and each one is unique! You will not see any of the big 5 putting this kind of attention into their boards!

The second American Nomad deck in natural is their new "prototype" shape! Equally as sick and I am torn as too which one I want to set up and skate!

Both decks are available now on www.shipyardskates.com. Check out American Nomad at http://americannomadskates.com/! be sure to check back for 13 question with Bill Danforth later this month!!

thanks for the support

...Stop Skating Overpriced Imports...
www.shipyardskates.com

Cockfight Boards Available Now!!!

2010-04-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

new Cockfight boards available now!!

Free Shipyard Skates T-Shirt available while supplies last!

13 questions with Michael Niemann of Cockfight Skateboards!

2010-04-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

1) name rank and serial number

Michael Niemann
40 years old
My partner, Fat Kevin Lane, is 24 going on 40.

2) tell us about cockfight, how did it start,and why did you start it?

Kevin and I started it back in 2007. We just saw a bunch of generic shit out there. We wanted to make boards we liked to ride.....we wanted to hook up dudes that we were stoked on. We wanted to make some shit that would make people nervous! We started by making one T-shirt. We just sold shirts until we had enough for a run of boards.

3) tell us about the team! ya got some great vids out there! are these guys long time friends or people you picked up along the way?

Kind of a combination. Right now we have a pretty large team of dudes we couldn't be more stoked on. Our crew consists of Oliver Bradley from Derby, UK (lives in Dallas now). he's a sick artist, bad ass carpenter, and all terrain shredder. Jeremy Smith from Spring TX, 16 year old skate historian, power beyond his years. Adam Wiggins, another 16 year old ATV, super loose style, skates fast as shit. Billy Fortier from Hawaii, back yard pool shredder. Wes Meadows, and Peter Furnee are our East coast backyard vert hold outs, not that they don't rip other stuff too. 9 yr old Matthew Niemann, gnarliest 9 year old out there, no early grabs, just raw hard pool coping grinders. Chris Schlag is our resident redneck pool killer, he drinks screw-top wine and says first wall tricks don't count...I've seen him take his belt off and threaten to spank full grown men for dodging coping.

We also have a bro-pro team. First and foremost the infamous Brett Roper. Also known as "Texas Glitter", Brett was the first dude on Cockfight, he's the coolest dude in Austin, TX, and hasn't lived there in like 5 years! Next is Dave Donalson, his car can pop wheelies, he grills better than Bobby Flay, and is probably the techest miniramp skater over 40. We also have Outer Banks killer Jesse Davis, drinks more beer than anyone, and can still toss up a padless eggplant in a backyard pool. and the newest addition to our family is the one legged maniac, Jon Comer.

4)what's new for 2010?

Got a couple of new shapes coming out. New Wilkes and Comer decks coming real soon. Hopefully some good road trips and lots of pool coping.

5)who are some of the artist you are working with on the deck graphics

Paul Neumann and Jesse Davis do most of it. Both are killer in totally different ways. We have also had help from Tim Shawl, Gordon "Freaky G" Smith and Wiley Robertson on a couple of decks.

6)one thing I am trying to convey with shipyard is it's much "cooler" supporting the little guys. how do you get the kids to realize that skateboarding is about individuality and not about having the latest overpriced imported corporate logo popsicle..? I understand logo decks are necessary, but it is annoying as hell to see companies with great teams putting out logo after logo after logo...

We just do our thing and try to have fun all the time. It's hard though....the masses believe whatever the latest magazines and videos tell them. Corporate skateboarding has completely lost it's soul! It makes you bang your head against the wall when kids buy into that shit. There are some kids coming around. I see more and more of them riding small brands and representing.

7)let's get off the band wagon for a minute and tell me about any music coming out of Texas I may be missing out on?

I don't listen to much new music, but 4 of my current faves out of Texas are: The Sword, Amplified Heat, Molotov Compromise, and Scott H. Biram.

8)back to skating...Texas has produced historically had some of the most iconic skaters of all time...any up and comers we should be looking out for?

Jeremy Smith, Nick Parenti, Dirty Joe, and Adam Wiggins are 4 to watch out for. Jeremy and Adam look like a flashback to 1989...but just flat out rip everything. Nick is an ATV with the most natural style I have ever seen. Dirty Joe is the resident pool destroyer. There are alot more, but those are the ones that I get most hyped on.

9)concrete disciples put out a great little spot on Cockfight! like you said, the sarcasm is great! one thing that I thought hit the nail on the head was "What skateboard company in it's right mind would strive to put the highest quality, USA made decks under the feet of their riders while making nearly a zero percent profit?". To me this is one of the most important things people need to know! Why is it more important to you to put out American Made and make no profit then to sell out for the almighty dollar?

It's not even an option to not use USA wood.. That is one of the reasons we started this deal. We wanted good American made skateboards. They were getting harder and harder to find, so we started our own shit. FUCK CHINESE SKATEBOARDS! Our boards will always be pressed and printed in America, no matter what.

10) question on the artwork...Never Again and Shipyard have a specific image we want to portrait and luckily the artist and riders have been down with everything we wanted to do! the only rider model we have at this time is with Dan Tag (but I would love to do a Furnee guest model this year on Shipyard) so it was easy to work with him on the graphics and what he wanted us to do... how do you handle it? do you get involved or is it simply "send me what you want and I will run it?"

Kevin and I are pretty involved in the process.We give our input when we need to. Neither one of us is an artist, but we know what we like. Luckily our riders and artists are on the same program. Everyone has been really easy to work with. Paul and Jesse are both really good.

11) Going back to the Concrete Disciples article...14 decks last year?? that is amazing! the leg work in getting the art and shapes and all that goes into getting a board done is a decent amount of work,but for 14 decks...that is a shitload of work! How the hell do you find time to work, run cockfight, skate, and hang with the fam?

I think we counted up 15 different graphics so far. We got our first boards in December 2008. I am not really sure how we've done it. Everyone involved has a fulltime job and kids. I think we just all love doing it. There are some great people helping out. Paul and Jesse are always ready for a new art project. Our riders are all cool with trying and riding different shapes and concaves. I couldn't be more stoked on our crew.

12) Anyone you want to give props too? I am sure there are a tons of people over the years but if ya have something ya want the masses to know, now is your chance!

Jesse Davis is down to skate, drink beer, or do art anytime. Paul Neumann steps up everytime he is asked. Furnee is unbelievable.....he just kills it with the guerrilla marketing! All of our team riders rule. They will ride anything from curbs to vert ramps. "Freaky G" Smith always gets shit done for us. Joe McDonald puts up with all my calls and emails as well as making damn fine skateboards.

13) so we covered skateboarding and music... now the big question!!!...I have been known to fire up the smoker and dabble in some BBQ on the weekends... what is the best place in Texas for some real BBQ. I like it smokey and spicy so dont hold back on me!

Best BBQ in America is in Lockhart, Texas
Kreuz Market
www.kreuzmarket.com

Make sure you check out www.cockfightskateboards.com/ for more pics and vids as well as www.shipyardskates.com.com/ and pick up a board or two!

if you havn't read the Concrete Disciples article of Cockfight, you can read it now by clicking here

...This is not Corporate Skateboarding...
www.shipyardskates.com

Richard Kirby of BIG MESS on the Solitary Life

2010-04-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a great interview with Mr. Kirby of Big Mess Skateboards! read it and re-post it! thanks for the support!

http://thesolitarylifeof.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-always-enjoy-doing-these-sorts-of.html

The House Of Steam

2010-04-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Sitting in my Vegas hotel room reading some random entries on the House of Steam! if you are not following this blog, you should be! Jason Oliva does a kick ass job on this site so check it out! thehouseofsteam.wordpress.com

hank

Cockfight boards starting to arrive!

2010-03-30T14:58:00.001-07:00

Got the first of the Cockfight decks in today! look for a 13 questions with Mike Niemann sooner then later! The Jessee Davis is available at www.shipyardskates.com now!! I have the last two Cockfight had so don't mess around! I will have the Lonestar and Dave Donalson decks up next week so check back soon!

...Support Your Local Skateboard Privateer...
www.shipyardskates.com

Speedlab Wheels

2010-03-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Only one set left of SPEEDLAB GODOY 61's left in stock!! Get them now!!! These were a limited run put out by SPEEDLAB Wheels! Once they are gone, they are gone!

61mm/99a

Friday's Featured Board...Darren Menditto

2010-03-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Friday's Featured board is Death March's Darren Menditto "Tibetan" model! Death March was started in 2009 by Russel Phillips and has been putting out some great decks over the last year! Darren has had boards out since the 80's and thanks to Death March has a great new deck out now!

8.25" width
14.5" wheel base
7" nose
6.6" tail

Here is a couple little videos of Darren killing it!

check out the House of Steam for tons of pics and info of Darren!

thanks for the support
hank

www.shipyardskates.com

American Nomad Decks coming soon!

2010-03-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Just talked to Jay at American Nomad and we will be getting some of the new Bill Danforth decks on board as soon as possible! these will not last long and I am definitely keeping one for myself! so don't f*ck around and get one now at www.americannomadskates.com"> or on Shipyard as soon as I get them!

and if you dont know who Bill Danforth is, you suck and stop reading my blog...
SUPPORT THE PRIVATEERS!

13 Questions with BIG MESS's RICHARD KIRBY

2010-03-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

1) Name and Occupation
richard kirby~ screen printer/graphic designer/washed up professional skateboarder

2) Tell us about Big Mess
small time skateboard company run out of my living room.

3) Why you started Big Mess
big mess got started when me and a couple of my friends became tired of riding expensive, yet sub-standard skateboards with no fun, creative shapes or graphics.

4) Why should kids be stoked about Big Mess
for being part of something that they could have a direct voice in.

5) Best thing about running your own skate company
the realistic options to creatively do your own thing.

6) Worse thing about running your own skate company
the possibility of having 100 decks that will become riders.

7) Who did you look up to growing up skateboarding
really depends on the angle. i went back and forth between style and tricks. but if a skater had a good combo of both they really stood out.

8) Who are the artist putting out the Big Mess graphics for you?
at the moment, among myself, i have michiel walrave, alex duke, and lucas musgrave who are and have actively participated in producing some artwork for big mess. there are a couple others in the pipeline as well.

9) Best part of 2009
the day it ended.

10) What can we expect from Big Mess in 2010
more skateboarding.

11) What sucks about the mainstream today
the over inflated prices for the high production, cheap manufacturing that is being produced outside of america.

12) Why kiddies should "skate small"
support the small and local but definitely skate big. honestly, because the smaller operations are born upon discontent with the current big manufacturers. we are skateboarders for skateboarders, not business men looking for that dollar to sell a graphic to.

13) favorite mexican joint in TN...
acapulco knee buckler

Photo: jason shreives

speaking of fun shapes! check out the latest from Big Mess!!!

you can get the Big Mess "faces" 90's football shape at www.shipyardskates.com

more Big Mess info at www.bigmessskateboards.com

thanks for the support
-hank

Cockfight Skateboards Coming to www.shipyardskates.com

2010-03-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Just got of the phone with Mike from Cockfight Skateboards and stoked to announce Shipyard Skates will now be carrying Cockfight Decks! Cockfight is based out of Texas and has been putting out some ass kicking American Made Skateboards and Clothing!

jump on over to www.cockfightskateboards.com and check out all their product offerings! Don't forget to check out the video section as well!

and remember...feck the mall...skate small...support the privateers of skateboarding
-hank

Showing Some Love

2010-03-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Dylan Daney showing some love for Never Again...

Dylan is a team rider for Never Again... you will hear more about him in the months to come I'm sure!

And much love to his little bro Jake who just underwent open heart surgery!!!

Jake is also a NA team rider and a f'in trooper! he may only be 13, but he has endured more pain the most men! hang in the Jake! the chicks will dig that scar soon enough!

Topic East Skate Mag

2010-03-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

New add for up and coming TOPIC EAST SKATE MAG!!! We are always thrilled to help the people out in the same boat as we are! the Do It Yourself revolution will not be televised! get on over to www.topiceastskatemag.com/ and check it out! SPREAD THE WORD

Follow us on Myfacetwitterbookspace...

2010-03-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

like what you see here? check out our facebook and myspace pages!

Check out pictures vids and more!

Never Again OG Flannel Sale

2010-03-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

Our friends at Never Again have the OG Flannels marked down for the end of season! Save 15% now!!!

We will have the latest Never Again deck for sale shortly so check back regularly!!!

What's New at Shipyard!

2010-03-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

Our good buddy Richard Kirby has put out some great "90's football" shaped decks on his brand Big Mess! We were excited to get these shapes in stock and are available now! If you are looking for the early 90's feel, these boards are it! We will also be offering his "pool shape" as soon as they are available! Kirby has two more decks in the work and we are excited to see what he puts out next!!

In addition to Big Mess, Dan Scott at Keystone has a fresh batch of Logo decks in 8.5" widths itching to be skated! Dan has been putting decks out in the North East for quite some time now! Keystone is always on the road! You can check them out at:

March 27th-
Memorial for Joe Dirt skate
skate contest

April 24th
Thrust's Live For Life
Wilmington, NC

April 25th
Keystone Skateboards demo
Backdoor Skatepark
Greenville, NC

get their latest boards now!!!

www.shipyardskates.com

This is not Corporate Skateboarding

2010-03-13T05:22:00.001-08:00

Shipyard Skates is committed to bringing 100% skater owned and skater operated companies to the masses! All of the products offered on Shipyard are 100% North American made (much love to our brothers in Canada!). Our focus is not on the mainstream, but on the companies that are doing what they want for the love of skateboarding! You won't see our brands at Zumiez or Hot Topic and we are proud of it! So stop wearing your sister jeans, following the heard, and Get over to www.shipyardskates.com and be an individual!