A friend sent me these pictures of a board I made that someone scored for $35.00. I made this board about 40 years ago. 6’5’ long. He is going to get it water ready and ride it…
Sweet board! I’d say it should clean up nicely. Looks like most of the schmeg is just old wax.
thats a great score! seems very progressive for a 40 year old board. awesome to hear its going back in the water soon.
That’s an awesome score. Board looks great.
What’s interesting about that find is that all these years have passed and it winds up at a thrift shop in excellent condition. The shape is an example of the shaper and it is as Huck said pretty progressive for it’s time. I sold a nice longboard to a shop about eight years ago and another shop owner recently picked it up at Goodwill for $100 and resold it for $350. Originally sold for $800.
That thing looks like heaps of fun. What a score.
Is that a zinger?
This board was made pre Eaton and ZINGERS and other names I ended up shaping for. Shaped in a garage in PB. I was riding this style board back than. Got lots of “positive” comments about two fins placement etc. Sure did ride good.
If it rode as good as it looks, it must have been a real performer. Nicely done, ACE, nicely done.
That thing looks great!!
Best part are those fins/boxes.
With plugs you just loose so much.
first generation slot bottom, ahead of it’s time…rode a handful of them during the 80’s…excellent way to straighten bottom rocker curve while maintaining it on the rails…that board looks like it would have hella drive…
The fins alone are worth more than $35.
And How is that?
Ace, if you were to build something with the bottom like this today, what would you do differently? Or would you not do something like this again?
Good question. You had me up all night thinking about it. This board was made when I had no influences other than my own ideas. I went on to work for and become friends with some pretty BIG name guys. I was the young guy and wanted to learn everything I could from these guys. I would ride what I was being paid to shape. Their boards their designs. My little garage shaping exprimentation days were over time to conform and sell boards. I did come up with a few designs that worked out they got the credit. When I look at that board I remember how good they worked. And how I got there. When I say I got “positive” feed back from the parking lot crew I was being sarcastic…Would I make a board like that again?..Yes. I recently did a Fish for a friend and said lets try something different. I am back in the backyard playing around with stuff again. We put the fins closer together like the board in pictures. I was using that fin configuration “back in the day” and liked it on fish boards, and regular boards. He really likes it. So when I look at the board above it stands the test of time and I know that when it hits the water it is going to hold its own. Channels are another thing. I have boards I like with them boards I like without them. I think lots of other aspects of a surfboard are way more important than channels. My recent HULLYGULLY is a throwback to big deep channels and it works good. Channels seem to look cool and help sell boards. But big picture take em leave em ride it see what works best. If somebody came and wanted another board like this I would make it.
Well said.
Thanks for your reply ACE. I really like the board. I’ve done all kinds of bottoms, but I haven’t made a channel bottom yet. The bottom you made is very popular these days, and the fin set up is something I’ve been wondering about. I’ve been toying with the idea of have long boxes on the sides, but as the fins are moved forward they get further from the rail. I wasn’t if it would be a mistake, but now I think I’ll try a fin set up like that.
The boxes were a smaller twin fin box Bahne made. We used them in the “ZINGER” when that happened. Add a couple side runners and you can see where that idea came from…There are a lot of things that have stayed pretty constant on my boards through the years. Fin angles rails rockers etc…I still like and use that style fin in my single fin boards. Interesting to look back and see how you got there.
I used to see adds in an Hawaiian Fishing magazine for I believe a catamaran that had a similar hull design. Sailboat hulls are usually all about speed and very little accommodation made for maneuverability.
Speaking of the bottom, can you go into any more detail about the contours? Was it just flat until the channels, does that tail have any vee? Do you remember the rocker measurements at all? And what about the fin angles, any cant? What was/is your method to devise toe-in? I love that tail, it’s like a fat pin.
Interesting questions…I was still a little under the influence of Skip Frye at the time I made these. So rocker was probable realativly flat off tail with no vee. I started angling my fins a little which was a big break from Skip. Flat and straight was supposed to be faster. Yes but a little angle made em turn quicker…I ended up making a little jig that had the angles in it for glassing on fins. .I probably will get to see the board again and get some numbers. My guess would be about 1-1/2" tail rocker and about 4" nose rocker.