I’ve managed to purchase a very tidy old transition era short-ish board made in the late 60s from an old fellow here in New Zealand who stored it away in his attic in 1974.
The board specs: 7’6" x 22 3/4" x 3+"
It’s a beauty with no stringer, a ballistic grade glass job and an s deck. I was pleasantly surprised when I collected it over the weekend, and want to get it back in the water, because it’s cool and older than I am by a year or two! From my initial inspection, the only things required are:
Bit of fill and rot removal and glass patch in the nose
Same story in the tail
A ding or three or four or five to fill on the rails and belly
Fin box repair.
The last one is what worries me. From the photos, it should be apparent to all that the fin box leaked causing some staining to the foam. Looks like it separated bit from lateral leverage applied to the super long plastic fin. I’ve done the odd repair and fin box replacement on newer boards, but fear that I could wreck this old girl if I apply the same technique.
Kudos to this website for all of the good information over the years.
Any pointers on how to proceed would be appreciated (as well as any informed comment on the board itself, which is from an iconic brand down here).
I did see the mention of the “Super long plastic fin” but It is not clear to me if you have the fin or not(?) If you do have the original fin and plan to ride the board, it might be a good idea to see if you could fabricate a replica fin for riding purposes and save the original somewhere safe. The fin box looks like it is intact but it’s always worth carefully going over to see if the threaded insert or the cross pin might be leaking. Also check for some other internal damage that might not be apparent at first glance. If all is well inside the slot, I think I’d ‘cap’ it with some fiberglass over the slot and extending out a few inches around the box. These overlap areas can usually be feathered out pretty smooth, glossed and then the gloss feathered with wet/dry sandpaper and buffed. That looks like a pretty nice board and I think it will make a decent rider. If it is truly a collectible of value, hopefully someone here with more knowledge of the brand will speak up and advise you better. Here is what I’m talking about on the ‘cap’ deal. In this case on a paddleboard that will be painted. The glass over the slot is trimmed when the resin gets partially cured. Once fully cured, I take a file and some sandpaper and get it squared away. It would be a good idea to smear some paste wax inside the slot and make sure the threaded insert is covered if you try it this way.
I managed a quick repair to the newly discovered board last week and was happy to be the first person to put it in the water after the 44 years it spent in storage. I’m a lousy surfer on the best of days after 30-plus years of not surfing, but was impressed by how stable and easy it is to ride. Looking forward to another swell arriving in Wellington later in the week…
Nice find and enjoy. Where do you Surf down there mostly? My daughter lives near Lyle Bay I think it’s called. If you see a couple of longboarders around on a “Little Hawaii Surf Designs”; That would be her and her hubby. Lowel
Lyall Bay is everyone’s home break in Wellington, I think. Especially when it’s on, which makes it seem crowded by New Zealand standards…empty if you’re from Oz or California!
I’ll keep an eye out for the Little Hawaii Surfers and say hello. No doubt I’ll be the only one in the line up with the Atlas Woods.
johnmellor gives good advice on the fin box repair. What you have is a first generation Fins Unlimited system. Not many of those around, as they changed to an adjustable style in less than two years. You may be able to get a spare fin from them. They were selling old style fins not long ago.
Keep the boatrd as original as possible. Any collectible value will decrease if you change too much of it.
