There are plenty of names people normally associate with Santa Cruz: Peter Mel, Anthony Ruffo, Ken "Skindog" Collins, Flea...certainly the name O'Neill has been branded into the identity of this scruffy little Northern California surf town. But for those who have lived and surfed here for any length of time, there is another name that is equally known, respected and admired: Doug Haut.
Doug Haut started surfing in Santa Cruz in 1957 -- before wetsuits, before leashes, before the university, before crowds.
"Back then, the town closed up at 6:00pm and it was done," Doug laughs. "They rolled up the sidewalks and everybody went to bed. Houses rented for $75. There weren't a lot of surfers around -- the Van Dykes, Jim Foley and his dad, Don Schneider, Danny Reed and those guys."
In 1959 Doug split town to spend a winter surfing on the West Side at Makaha. While there, he fell in love with the powerful Hawaiian waves and easy aloha living and decided to stay awhile. He made enough money to survive by sanding boards for the once-proud Inter-Island brand. Doug also sanded many of the boards built by legendary surfer/shaper Mike Diffenderfer.
"I lived in Hawaii off and on for about six years," Doug says. "I went to school over there, too, at the University of Hawaii. Mainly I lived on the North Shore and in Honolulu. Did a lot of Honolulu surfing. Oh God, it was so good. I used to work on all the local guys' boards: Conrad Cunha, Buddy Boy...and then I started shaping over there on my own. Sanding Diffenderfer's boards for all those years I could feel them in my hands and reproduce that stuff.
"Clean lines. That's what Diffenderfer taught me; curves and foils."
Haut was invited to compete in the prestigious Duke Kahanmoku Invitational in 1964, and by '65 he returned to Northern California and set up his first shop.
"I started shaping locally here for George Olson," Doug explains. "He was getting behind with his orders so I started helping him out. And then this guy Gale Yount had a surf shop in Soquel -- a barn; an old barn back there. Gale went into the Coast Guard and I got his barn and all his tools. And I started my own shop in '65. That was the beginning of the Haut label."
Podcasts
Couldn't tune in? No worries - we've got you covered!
Scroll down and find the show you missed.
OTL#352 - Amy Baldwin host of The Shameless Sex Podcast
Amy Baldwin is always a great guest and host of an extremely popular podcast… She is a Sex and Relationship Coach trained in both the Somatica® and Hakomi Method, Certified Sex Educator, lead educator for Uberlube, as well as co-owner of a mother-daughter owned online pleasure boutique called Pure Pleasure Shop. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and energetic forces behind great sex and intimate connection, offering everything from private sessions to how-to workshops to erotic empowerment retreats.
OTL#351 - Locomotive Breath
Santa Cruz rock band Locomotive Breath give us an awesome show with songs from The Who, The Stones, Led Zepplin, Jethro Tull, Cream and more, live from the Santa Cruz Boardroom.
OTL#350 - Santa Cruz California Mayor, Martine Watkins
In her final interview of during her tenure as Mayor, Martine Watkins shares with us her accomplishments and experiences, along with successes and difficulties during her term, and what work still needs to be done to her town, Santa Cruz, California.
OTL#349 - The Expendables
The Expendables arguably the best band to come out of Santa Cruz, play an acoustic show of their new and old classic reggae songs…. great show with great music, thank you to The Expendables for returning to the show….
OTL#348 - Manu Koenig & Ethan Bearman
Our guest Manu Koenig is vying for the seat of 1st District Supervisor of Santa Cruz, and we were also joined by Fox News pundit Ethan Bearman, and also former radio show host with San Francisco’s KGO and Santa Cruz KSCO.
OTL#347 - Pacific Roots and Tunnel Vision
Two incredible reggae bands, Santa Cruz’s Pacific Roots and San Clemente’s Tunnel Vision were live in concert on the Off the Lip Radio Show
OTL#346 - Jeff Clark
Jeff Clark is a legend in the world of surfing, Mavericks pioneer, and a true waterman, whether surfing, stand up paddling, or foiling, his name is synonymous with big wave surfing.
OTL#345 - Emmanuel Guzman
Celebrating 15 years as a professional skateboarder Emmanuel Guzman, share his experiences and his plans for a skate program that will reward kids in local schools.
OTL#344 - Chris Bertish
Chris Bertish will tell you how this South-African-born surfer, stand-up paddleboarder, adventurer, and motivational speaker, won the Mavericks Big Wave Surf contest in 2009, in the biggest waves ever seen there for a contest.
In March 2017 he completed another remarkable feat by completing in 90 days the first solo, unsupported stand-up paddle board crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
OTL#343 - Dr. Doug Hetzler
World renowned Surfers Ear surgeon Dr. Doug Hetzler was our guest along with Justin Stack (The Listening Stack) designer and maker of the worlds finest custom made ear plugs for surfers.
OTL#342 - Alez Lucero & Live Again with guest emcee Pastor Rene Schlaepfer.
The sweet sounds of soul, R & B, funk and rock and roll by Santa Cruz’s own Alex Lucero and Live Again, and thank you to Twin Lakes Church Pastor Rene Schlaepfer for being our guest emcee.
OTL#341 - Soulwise
Santa Cruz Reggae band Soulwise were our guests who rocked the Santa Cruz Boardroom, with their unique brand of music.
OTL#340 - Congressman Jimmy Panetta
TC and I were again honored to Congressman Jimmy Panetta who returned to the show to discuss local and national issues …. We thank him for his service, and look forward to him returning in the near future.
OTL #339 - Santa Cruz Bodysurfing Association
The Santa Cruz Bodysurfing Association was established in 1983 and whose annual contest has bodysurfers from all around the globe coming to Santa Cruz, specifically Laguna Beach… Thank you to Ryan Masters and former 2 time world champion for being my Off the Lip Radio Show guests to talk about their event.
OTL#338 - Jake Nielsen and Triple Threat
Jake Nielsen’s guitar prowess will blow you away, Jake and his band Triple Threat gave as always an incredible concert of Rock, Blues and Reggae.
OTL#337 - Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
Twin Lakes Church and Santa Cruz Man of the Year, Pastor Rene Schlaepfer is always one our favorite guests who speaks on many subjects that face our town, along with his new book “Chasing David.”
OTL#336 - Reija Massey
The incredible voice of 16 y/o Reija Massey who performed live on the show, broadcasting from Pono Hawaiian Tap Room in Santa Cruz California
OTL#335 - Christopher Lochhead (Podcaster)
Christopher Lochhead host of one of the most popular podcasts ‘Follow Me Different” was this weeks guest broadcasting from Santa Crux California.
OTL#334 - James Durbin and The Lost Boys
James Durbin, singer and guitarist from Santa Cruz, California, who finished in fourth place on the tenth season of American Idol, charming audiences, he let the world in on his life battling Tourette’s and Asperger’s syndrome…. this talented musician was our guest along with his band The Lost Boys.