Started this project for a friend a couple months ago and will be picking it up again in April/May when temps get warmer. This was his dads old surfboard left in the woods for years, then in a shed for last 4-5. Has sentimental value even though it will be completely different other than original foam when done. Believe it is a 7’3. Found some images of similar boards in better shape online, with slight differences in the butterfly locations and sizes.
It weighed 26 pounds when I first got it from him. Might have been more before being moved into a shed for 4 years. After removing old glass from board except for rails, removing loose guidance system fin box, and letting air dry for a month, weight last check was about 15 pounds. I’d love to see it get to 14 or less before reglassing next year.
I plan to fill in some holes/low spots in foam with some total boat foam mix in the spring. Im curious if I should dig out some of the discolored foam areas or just let it be after a winter of drying (maybe some warm sunny days outside in April/May too). Same for the old fin box void. I assume I should just fill it entirely with new foam then cut out new space for modern fin box?
if you look closely you can see where vegetation was growing out of stringer at the tail like a mini tree. There was a delamination on the deck the size of your torso. Foam was in best shape underneath that area in terms of no water damage. Elsewhere the board had been soaking in it.
any random thoughts/oberservations welcome. Letting it dry further for the winter before continuing work on it in warmer months. Plan to seal with two 4 oz fiberglass layers after repairing/leveling foam, hot coat, and then paint with 1 part polyurethane wet edge paint.
A couple of my friends did own the Con label in the early 90s. If you can measure the butterflys by height and width I may still have some butterfly laminates. May not be the exact colors on your board. No charge. Just PM me. Also that is the original box and fin, put it back in if possible. Take measurements of where everything is laid out, laminates, pinlines, etc.
To realistically rebuild the board I had to rip through both areas where the butterfly’s were, but I did cut around them to save them on the fiberglass for my friend. The one on the bottom left behind part of it’s print on the foam as seen.
I kept both butterflies but didn’t measure their exact locations from top/bottom. I have a lot of pictures with measuring tape that might help pin point locations of laminates, and actually one of the butterfly imprints was left behind (see photo above). That would be great to get new ones for my friend. I’ll pm you to get contact info.
you think it’s worth putting fin box back in instead of a modern one? The fin itself was warped and the box in rough shape with the plugs all messed up (pieces that cover slots wear fin isn’t located). Sounds like you think it’s worth extra timeand effort to try and keep as original as possible? My initial plan was to just make him a new board with the old foam as I’m no expert. Like idea of adding new butterfly laminates and pinlines.
All pictures I have are 1-2 months old. I already ripped off the fiberglass except rails to let it dry out over winter.
Give me the width of the wing tips and the height of the butterfly from the little black tips at the bottom to the top of the wings. Run a piece of tape across the bottom and across the top of the wing span and give me the height. The butterflies look like they aer different sizes.Thanks.
Thinking back now I may have the name of the model wrong. Now I’m thinking it may have been called “Crystalist”, "Iron Butterfly"or “Metamorphorsist”. It’s one of those three.
Thinking back now I may have the name of the model wrong. Now I’m thinking it may have been called “Crystalist”, "Iron Butterfly"or “Metamorphorsist”. It’s one of those three.
Okay, I have to look around to see if I can find the smaller butterfly that goes onto the deck. I have the larger size that appears on the bottom as you can see.Your board is a Con Butterfly model and as it reads on the deck Blue Morphos. I would try to keep it as true to the original, fin box and all but that’s just my opinion.
Hi, I just came across this thread! A little history. I grew up in Venice during the 60’s and 70’s and some of my first boards were Cons, and I knew several of the shapers and shop guys. Right now I’m having one of my buddies who worked and shaped at Con’s factory in Venice make me a modern Iron Butterfly V-bottom, and I’m in the process of figuring out the logos. A while back I purchased a 4"x4" sticker (not a laminate) of the blue butterfly like in your pictures and was contemplating scanning and enlarging it and having it printed on rice paper. We are NOT going to leave the “Con Surfboards” on the logo, we are NOT trying to create a fraud, just a modern tribute so to speak. Anyway, if you have any of the lams left you’d be willing to part with, and/or any advice it about dimensions etc, it would be very much appreciated by this long time rider of Con surfboards…
I don’t think you have to worry about infringement on the Con logo. A one off replica usually doesn’t generate that kind of attention. As I look back on this thread and my own comments; I think a replica of the original board would have been a better idea than trying to repair. And I don’t think there is really any sentimental value attached to a board that the owner left laying out in an orchard for years. Who are we kidding. Making a few $$$ on it is what’s sentimental.
Hey, thanks for the comment! I think you’re probably right about the “copyright infringment”. My buddy, a well known shaper for many decades who worked for Con for eight years feels the same! So that’s not a huge concern, I just wouldn’t want someone to think we were trying to make a “counterfeit” board. I’m actually just hoping that artdcrpid sees my comment and has a large logo or two he’d be willing to part with or just some good advice that he can pass along.
Here’s the board we are using as a guide. I’m thinking in the range of 8’x23" with a big rakey single fin. It’s going to have some modern rocker and bottom upgrades but the template and deep V bottom remain! Really hoping to come up with either original Butterfly lams or make my own. I’d like to do a large one on the deck and a smaller one on the bottom.
That is a nice looking shape and outline. I think we can all see the influence Con’s shapers had on people like Liddle, Krajenski(sp), Anderson, Kennedy and Andreni. I actually like that outline and Diamond tail better than most Liddle outlines that I have seen over the years.
Con had some talented team riders and shapers over the years. I especially liked the transition era boards and into the early to mid 70’s. His glassing shop produced some of the strongest and “prettiest” glass jobs going.
Does anybody know how to contact artdecrpid in the “real world”? If you do could you tell him about this thread and ask him to contact me through this thread? I’m hoping that he’ll be interested in this project and give a surf bro a hand!! Thanks!
You could make your own by taking a photo of the one on your board. Take a few and pick the best one. Email it to a desk top with a good printer. Print a copy on photo paper or email to a silk screen shop. Have it sized and burn a screen. You will be using a few colors so will have to make as many passes as you have colors. You can do the printing yourself on rice paper or calligraphy paper. It’s pretty simple to do. One color at a time with the paper laying on a clean cardboard palette on a table.
