Phil Edwards Model Owners/Shapers

I used to have a Hobie Phil Edwards Model #31. I loved that thing, but was hurting for rent money and sold it for $1000.

Dave

Hey Gabe, do you still have it? I'd like to see some pics!

I had lunch with Terry Martin a month ago and the Phil topic came up, Hobie paid Phil for a shape and a fin for each one. After about a month, Phil said keep the extra 2 bucks and supply your own fin, then he asked Terry if he wanted a few dollars more to shape the Phil's.
Hobie, in the last few years, was building a similar 3 stringer board for Japan, the japanese importer listed it in it's web site as the "Hobie Phil Edwards Model".
Eventually Phil saw the ad and came unglued that Hobie was buiding the board and had not asked for permission to do so.
It was not the same board and having his name attached to it was too much for him to bear

Was there possibly some sort of contractual thing between Hobie and Phil Edwards that gave legal rights of all Phil Edward's product development to Hobie? I think Phil Edwards played a huge role in the development of the catamaran line, the Power Skiffs and of course, the signature surfboard. Ironically, there is no mention of him on the Hobie website and I'm pretty sure all the work he did on those other products as an employee is in the Hobie vault - not owned by Phil Edwards.

I had the opportunity to speak with Phil Edwards once while he was on a shop tour with Mike Eaton. At that time I think he said he was a product development guy. What role he might have played in the rest of their stuff is anyone's guess.

For Hobie to be distributing the Edwards model without the signature seems like a slap in the face but is it possible he doesn't own the rights to his own model anymore? I don't think the Beatles were very stoked to have "Revolution" played on Nike commercials but they don't "own" that song anymore. Doesn't Michael Jackson "own" most of their music now?

This is the board. They're basically saying that the Legend model has been carefully reproduced after the famous Phil Edwards board of 1963.

No doubt Phil would be pissed about his model not being his model and sold without his knowledge or royalties in Japan. This was probably one of those things that happens in conceiving the board model "hey can you make me something like the old Phil Edwards model with same stringers and lam placement? We'll call it the Legend." Then once the boards arrive over in Japan they get "marketed" as a reproduction. They've been selling "100% hand shaped by Dale" boards for years when Dale hadn't touched a board in years.