John “Ike” Eichert is a surfboard shaper, an innovator, and a polymath who was central to Santa Barbara's nascent board building industry before moving to Alaska to pursue commercial fishing. George Greenough and Ike became friends in elementary school, and when George needed tips on fiberglassing, he went to Ike.  The template for George’s first kneeboard was drawn on tar paper spread on Ike’s shop floor.

“ the best part of the longboard period was from '65 to '68. Those were the best longboards, in my opinion. They got lighter. They got more maneuverable. They had enough flex in them to where the step deck - actually - you could bend the nose down and make it flatter for nose riding.” - John Eichert, 2017