I picked up a 1963 Hobie with a reverse D fin # 1156 and heard Phil Edwards was the one to shape the reverse D anyone know anything more about this ? It also has the logo from rail to rail
The ‘D’ fin was for boards sold in the santa Cruz area, supposedly to deal with kelp - that was the word in the Hobie shop at the time.
As I recall you could order the reverse fin if you wanted it. Jim Phillips worked at the Hobie shop in Honolulu back then and may know for sure.
Any idea of what number were they on around '63 it looks like 1156 or maybe 11156
I recently sold a 1965 Hobie, and it had a 5 digit serial number. So, if they used a sequential numbering system back then, it most likely is 11156. Many board builders used a random numbering system. If that’s the case with Hobie, it’s anyone’s guess.
Gotta correct myself - at first when I read you’re thread I thought you were talking about a Phil model - didn’t notice the jpeg. So I’m not sure about the reverse D. I recall Phil’s boards having two different fins - the first was the one you usually see on the Phil model and the second was the same construction but with more rake, again supposedly for spots with lots of kelp. The second fin with the extra rake bears ‘some’ resemblance to the reverse D. Hope this helps. Thraillkill may know more.
Maybe someone here can refresh my memory. At one time I recall that Hobie had 3 shops in Santa Cruz?
That sounds crazy but I was about 15 and I seem to recall my mom took me to three shops that had Hobie boards.
I finally decided on a “Semi Speed shape with three 1/4” balsa stringers 6" apart. The board was super white, so no volan, they called it a “Lightweight” which it weighed 23 lbs versus my previous 28 lb. board. It was shaped by Dick Brewer and had the big bolt thru the deck for their fin system. It cost me $159.08. I’m pretty damn sure this was in 1966.
Does anyone remember three Hobie shops or am I hallucinating?
Bruce,
Digging deep in the memory bank for this one.
There was one Hobie Shop in Santa Cruz in the 1960’s. It was on Ocean, down towards the San Lorenzo. The last time I was in Santa Cruz, the building was still standing. The shop was managed by Geoff McCormack. After the Hobie Shop closed, the location was taken over by California Surfer, owned by Joe Norton.
Later, the Hobie board’s were also in the O’Neill shops, on 41st Avenue and at the Harbor. May be why you remember three or so location’s. I still remember a Hobie Leroy Ah Choy model that was in the habor location. Wanted that board so bad that I still remember it to this day.Nice transitonal model, with a round tail. Did not want to fly it back to Hawaii, so did not buy it. The Ah Choy model’s were hard to find outside of Hawaii, so I was suprised to see one in Santa Cruz
Hope that helps. Really like your Stoker V’s.
Are you trying to tease?
Why did you not post a photo of the fin?
That’s the most important part of the character of this board.
Re-post please with fin detail.
Kind regards,
surfding