As a joke for my 50th birthday, I was given a 4’10" California Company surfboard. Well the joke kinda backfired because I really like it and will probably restore it and hang it on my wall.
Can anyone tell me about California Company?
When I was in high school in the early seventies I owned one. It was a 5’6’’ round tail. It was glassed with what was called ColorFLo fiberglass which was FG that came already colored of the roll. According to an article in one of the surf mags, California Company (which also was marketing the cloth) claimed the stuff was stronger than other glass. Anyway the board delamed under my back foot after surfing it for a couple of months. The next board I owned was the 1st one I built myself.
California Company was a side label owned By Grant Reynolds. he also owned all or part of Jacobs Surfboards and shop up on PCH in the early 70s, he also developed color -flo cloth (color woven fiberglass). he had a glassing shop just down from the Bing surfboard factory. Thats where the California Company boards were built it was called “Bay Cities Glassing”. I worked for him for about a year and half then headed to hawaii. Mike Collins was the factory manager and sander, Al Kossler was one of the head laminators, Wayne Miyata was the pinline and glossing guy. I could keep going but I need to control myself, it was a very exciting time in surfing and in my life hope this helps.
bsea… thanks for the memory trip
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California Company was a side label owned By Grant Reynolds. he also owned all or part of Jacobs Surfboards and shop up on PCH in the early 70s, he also developed color -flo cloth (color woven fiberglass). he had a glassing shop just down from the Bing surfboard factory. Thats where the California Company boards were built it was called “Bay Cities Glassing”. I worked for him for about a year and half then headed to hawaii. Mike Collins was the factory manager and sander, Al Kossler was one of the head laminators, Wayne Miyata was the pinline and glossing guy. I could keep going but I need to control myself, it was a very exciting time in surfing and in my life hope this helps.
bsea… thanks for the memory trip
Didn’t both California Co. and Jacobs experiment with asymmetrical tails at about that time? Was Reynolds responsible for that?
-Samiam
never owned one but sure do remember their ads in the magazines…definitley some good times back then…
Hey bsea!
Thanks for all the information - it’s way cool. I’ll take a picture of it and post this evening or tomorrow for you to continue your trip down memory lane.
Tito
They did do asymatricals … they also produced Harbour Surfboards for a time and some other labels as well. Mr. Reynolds was a guy with some bucks and he did some unique stuff, pretty much just for fun.
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California Company was a side label owned By Grant Reynolds. he also owned all or part of Jacobs Surfboards and shop up on PCH in the early 70s, he also developed color -flo cloth (color woven fiberglass).
Funny that this should come up. I was reading an old magazine interview with Grant Reynolds, where he discusses ColorFlo. I’d been meaning to post here, to ask if anyone knew why the idea didn’t last. It also makes sense that he was involved with Jacobs. ColorFlo and Jacobs list the same address in their ads. 422 PCH, Hermosa Beach. One of the coolest things about ColorFlo, was it made color matching a no-brainer. If you got a ding, you just patched it with some cloth that was the same color. In early 1972, they offered light blue, yellow, lime green, red, dark blue, and orange. I also came across some old ads for California Company. They used to offer a ‘high end’ model, called the “Starduster”. It came with options like high density foam rails, fiberglass glue lines (instead of paper), or even balsa rails. Give me a minute, and I’ll post scans from some old ads.
Early 1972 ad for ColorFlo. That’s a California Company shape, on the far right:
Aaaaaah, you beat me to it, TonyM… I was leafing through some old SURFER mag issues, too… And couldn’t get the scanner to work…
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California Company was a side label owned By Grant Reynolds. …I worked for him for about a year and half then headed to hawaii. Mike Collins was the factory manager and sander, Al Kossler was one of the head laminators, Wayne Miyata was the pinline and glossing guy. I could keep going but I need to control myself, it was a very exciting time in surfing and in my life hope this helps.
bsea… thanks for the memory trip
So, you probably knew this guy?
You may have known some of these guys, too. It’s a list of team riders, from a California Company ad.
Maybe you’re one of them?
.
.
Ralph Bucci, Gary Minervi, Roy Buchart, Mike Rindsmidt, Steve Harmen, Jerry Shelton, Joe Rizzo, Barry Bush, Mike Sikes, Enos Magill, Bobby Richardson, Ron Schulgen, Mike Cruikshank, Bill Collinsworth, John Lodin.
Funny that this should come up. I was reading an old magazine interview with Grant Reynolds, where he discusses ColorFlo. I’d been meaning to post here, to ask if anyone knew why the idea didn’t last. It also makes sense that he was involved with Jacobs. ColorFlo and Jacobs list the same address in their ads. 422 PCH, Hermosa Beach. One of the coolest things about ColorFlo, was it made color matching a no-brainer. If you got a ding, you just patched it with some cloth that was the same color. In early 1972, they offered light blue, yellow, lime green, red, dark blue, and orange
the weave on the color-flo cloth was tighter and stiffer than regular cloth, which made the wet out a little bit tricky. the glass job did come out harder than the boards of the day. the color-flo boards were definately harder. I also remember that certain colors had a little more weight than others. I suppose it was either the weave tightness varied from color to color and/or the amount of resin going in to the cloth and being absorbed by the blank. Grant also had a special blank that was used it was called a “quick shape” these blanks came in one or two lengths as I remember. they were very domed decks, thin nose and tails the shaper could finish the boards in about 30 minutes. the orange board is one of these blanks
I keep remembering all these things its like yesterday
bsea
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the weave on the color-flo cloth was tighter and stiffer than regular cloth, which made the wet out a little bit tricky. the glass job did come out harder than the boards of the day. the color-flo boards were definately harder.
In that interview with Reynolds, he mentions that he had to get a custom weave done, to do the colored glass. He said that off-the-shelf products didn’t suit the purpose, because there were tiny gaps in the weave preventing a real solid color appearance. Another funny thing, is that he used info obtained from a company that made fiberglass window curtains. Some sources told him he couldn’t “dye” fiberglass, but the window treatment companies had found a way.
bsea-
Here’s another bit from “memory lane”. Photo of Grant, used in that interview (Surfing Mag, Apr/May - 1972).
Was he a pilot? Looks like he’s perched on the wing of a small plane.
I’m pretty sure they were also the contracted builders of the Myers Manx dune buggy tubs for California.
Bing was the dealer 
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bsea-
Here’s another bit from “memory lane”. Photo of Grant, used in that interview (Surfing Mag, Apr/May - 1972).
Was he a pilot? Looks like he’s perched on the wing of a small plane.
Grant was a pilot in those days. I remember him flying me from the LA area to Palomar Airport in Carlsbad in the early 70’s. Also, on the assymetrical boards, I had a couple of them and was surprised by how well they responded. I rode on the CC team for a couple of years.
Reynolds seem to be a man ahead of his time. What ever happened to the guy? One of the the more interesting threads of late.
fredmrtx would be Mike with mispelled last name. Don’t see the picture anymore.