To Ben Shipman.........An Inspiration to me..............

yeah Ben !


I hope you are well and able to surf

you're an inspiration to me , too , mate !

cheers

ben

S^!t,,,what?.. jeez! At least wait I am dead to say stuff like this. . Stingray you have had the go ahead on that fish for over a year now. What's taking you so long? just kidding ya.
Ray Hope everything went well for you and your wife today.
Herb good luck and thanks

Ciao!

Ben.

R.I.P. Ben.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ben a couple of times. Once at Keith's shaping party and again in Big Sur at one of the camp outs. Ben was a class act all the way. He was the type of guy who pretty much kept quiet and let his shapes do the talking. A complete gentleman in every way.

When I met him, I had no idea he was sick. He carried on like it was nothing.

His shapes were very precise and complicated reflecting a professional skill level. Some of the channel/concave bottoms I saw were just spectacular... On par with anything out there.

He will definitely be missed. I was really shook when I heard the news.

http://www.swaylocks.com/...ubstring=0&mh=25

http://forum.surfermag.com/...t=&x=17&y=12

http://www.shipmansurfboards.com/

Hello All ,
Kind of ironic that this thread was actually started before Ben passed away. Rich thank you for Memorial to Ben. Looking forward to meeting you someday.
Ben Shipman passed away on Wednesday night May 2 ,2007. Ben died in his sleep. He went peacefully. Ben was a very special friend. I'm honored that I got to be his surfing partner and surfboard building buddy. Ben has been fighting cancer for 15 years and through it all he never gave up. Services for Ben were held today in Old Town San Diego. Ben's ashes will be spread out into the ocean. We are currently planning a paddle out for Ben Shipman. Everyone is welcome.

Paddle out at Terramar beach in Carlsbad California
Saturday May 12 ,2007. 2:00 pm Come early ,stay late
Take HWY 5 to Tamarack exit. Go West towards beach. Turn left on Coast Hwy (Carlsbad Blvd.) Drive past Lagoon and park on Coast Hwy in front of power plant.
We will be near the first house. There's over flow parking on Cannon road

Catch a wave for Ben

Aloha

Ray Meek

Aloha Ben. I'll listen for you in the pines at Plaskett.

Sad news! Ben was a very special guy that inspired me with his surf stoke and his positive attitude on life and I will miss seeing his posts on here. My prayers go out to his friends and family.

Rick

Ben was a great guy, a real artist and craftsman, and I for one feel privileged to have met him. I picture him in the ocean now, patiently waiting for a wave. Aloha, Ben....

Ben touched the heart and soul of everyone he met,it is a sad day you will be missed.
Thank you for being such an inspiration. May your being instill us all to go forth and and fear nothing.

my sadness in this is shadowed by the certainty that his contributions are forever frozen in the swaylocks archives, such that his works and words will inspire both swaylockers and swaylurkers for generations to come. he was more than a boardbuilder -- he was an artist, and a true master in the art of living. and he will be greatly missed.

I never met or knew Ben but he was a member the our Swaylocks family and we will miss him greatly, Aloha. Kokua

Sad to lose a friend I've never met...

Be comforted that he will always be part of Sways and will suffer no more....

The spirit of Ben is in all of us...

RIP Ben...

Grant

I was wondering why this was stickied. May he rest easy. I had the occasion of meeting Ben at one of the get together's at Keiths. I was just watching people shape, and Mark had a blank and first time running a planer. It was cool. I think Ben had a notebook with all his notes for shaping. I remember seeing some boards and saying 'this is some really dope (awesome) boards'. At the time saying 'dope' w/ my group of friends was the 'in thing'. Later I found out they were his.

During the conversation with him, I was bumming because it was shortly after Clark, and prices of surfboards was high etc. And I was unsure of it all, also a beginner at surfing. But what I got out of it was inspiration, just as Herb says. I walked away with the feeling, "even if its gonna take lots of effort / time . . ." I can do it!!



I God called him . . .

They say the body is a temple, a physical place holder for the immortal soul. That death is just a passage, to release this. I know that each person's life, is lived to burn experience into the soul, that each person's existence is to fulfill some part in a greater plan that as individuals, in this life, we cannot see, but perhaps revealed to the soul when it leaves the temple.

But I'm scared to leave. This is all I know, is this physical. Though my personal experiences, I've seen the what is beyond, just a fragment, a cliche tip of the iceberg. But it is mainly unknown. I suppose this is natural, for the living are hardwired to survive, until the appointed time comes for you to leave. But its hard.

And so we are left with only good memories, and some bad ones too. But we know that you'd want us to live our lives. That the friendship you gave, you'd want us to grieve then live. That your mark of passing was not for us to start dying. But to continue living.


"Hey Ben, no need to ask for you to save a wave for the rest of us down here. I know its unlimited up there. Its' been a long time, but I finally have one nearing completion. Just needs the fins and gloss.
Take care, yet you are in the Hands of the Creator who made all of us . . . you're in the best care. "

Good bye and see you later

I had the privilege of surfing with Ben on several occasions both in SD and at SA. I always enjoyed talking with Ben, admired all of his boards and his outlook on life. He was a kind and generous man who shaped boards with spirit.
May his spirit live on in all of us here at Swaylock's and out at see.

Never got to meet Ben
but his board designs and art work were an inspiration
that green trash can recovery project
should be a textbook Swaylocks case study in recycling

You can rest now Ben
and surf to your hearts content
knowing that you inspired many people you never met

Ran into Ben at south Tamarack, sheesh couldn't have been more than a year ago. He was so excited about the whole twinzer thing. Acted as if he had stumbled across something different with a certain placement. I listened briefly, we had a few words. He seemed as all was well. Looking back I wish I hadn't scurried off. He liked to chat about boards. See ya on the other side Ben and we'll have that chat. RIP brother.

jeez, I jut found this too.
it hurts.

condolences to everybody.

I had the pleasure to meet Ben and experience his gifts as a shaper. Those moments will live on..

E ko makou makua iloko o ka lani, e hoanoia kou inoa. E hiki mai kou aupuni; e malamaia kou makemake ma ka honua nei, e like me ia i malamaia ma ka lani la; E haawi mai ia makou i keia la, i ai na makou no keia la. E kala mai hoi ia makou i ka makou lawehala ana, me makou e kala nei i ka poe i lawehala i ka makou. Mai hookuu oe ia makou i ka hoowalewale ia mai; E hoopakele no na e ia makou i ka ina; No ka mea, nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana, a me ka hoonaniia, a mau loa aku. Amene

May God Bless you, JohnF

Only ever met him once, at Plasket for the 2005 Swaylocks. I loved the boards he had bought, that yellow bonzer is still up as my screensaver. The quaility was there to see and the guy was so self effacing and modest even as we drooled over his work.

When he spoke about surfing and designs everyone stopped and listened

Like I say I only ever met him the once, but I know that we've lost someone special.

Bummer, I never met ben, but have always heard good things.

I'm changing my avatar back to a ship in Bens memory.

Sad news. It has always stoked me to see one of his great boards. R.i.p. Ben...

Ben was the first Swaylocker I communicated with here. Got to spend some time getting to know him at Keith's and Big Sur in 05. RIP my friend.