this kookbox seems to be the real deal…the sloppily applied resin probably applied years after the original build. Thoughts?
https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/spo/d/portland-1930s-hollow-surfboard/6854342590.html
If by “real deal” you mean a genuine Tom Blake hollow wooden paddleboard, I don’t think this one qualifies. It does look like a vintage home-built - possibly from the old Popular Mechanics plans. The original Tom Blake boards had a distinctive cast bronze drain plug. I have seen counterfeits of these plugs so it is possible that even if a board has one, it might not be the real deal.
Beside Blake himself there was also the Thomas Rodgers company and Los Angeles Ladder Co. building Blake style paddle boards in that era but most of the boards we see these days are home builds from Blake’s plans in Popular Mechanics. From your photos I would say that’s what you have.
As he states that it was probably built along the Calif. Coast; It probably is or may be a real piece from that period. Not a Blake most likely. There was a guy making replicas up on the Central Coast a few years back and They looked really good. Wavelengths Surf Shop had one on display for awhile. He was able to use a “faux” finish to “weather” them. There is usually a black stain ring around the Brass nails and screws of the originals. Honestly I know very little about those old boards, but they are very cool. I remember a big discussion about the one with the “Bat” painted on it here on Sways a few years back. I got a shot at buying it before it went to auction. I just couldn’t verify the story that went along with it. To me it wasn’t worth the money the owner wanted without the story. It was later auctioned off for more money. The unauthenticated story was used at the auction to run the price up. $ 900 is a fair price for a period piece such as this one. Not too much. Not too little. Reasonable.
Hi McDing - The guy was Dirk Langer in Cayucos. He traveled back and forth between Cayucos and Mexico. Don’t know if he’s still at board making(?)
was quite sure it wasn’t a Blake as the seller seems fairly knowledgeable, and it would have meant he had accidently dropped a zero on the asking price…kit board sounds right…be great to know the story behind it, Portland, hell Oregon, not a hub of surfing back in that period…wonder if there was even a single surfer in state in the early 50’s
be a fun one to restore, sand down and refinish with marine varnish…too damn big for this elder to wrestle with
Blake actually toured the country extolling the vertues of paddle boards for lifesaving just about anywhere there were people recreating around water and so they got used for paddling around lakes possibly even more than they did for surfing.
It looks like it was cut off and filled in at the tail and it does not look like it ever had an authentic Blake vent plug on the nose. So I would say it is probably an older magazine home-build that someone modified with the tail and fin.
They are fun to build, halfway between a board and a boat. I regret not glassing mine, it took on gallons of water during the maiden voyage…
“it took on gallons of water during the maiden voyage…”
Yikes!!