I have an old surfboard. It’s a Gary Propper model and is 8’-0" long. My dad surfed on it in the 60’s in Cocoa Beach, FL. Can anyone give me any additional history/info? I’ve done research and never seen one this short. Is it worth restoring? I was considering reglassing it. This would be my first at reglassing. Bad Idea? I’ll try to upload pic’s when i figure out how to reduce the file size.
Photos would be a big help. Otherwise, it just leads to guessing. Such as… Is it a “GP Wedge”? I had an 8’10" Wedge that was in bad shape. I got it from a friend whose kids had been using it for snow sliding. Did a strip and re-shape and it turned out terribly. The extreme V in the tail made it impossible to obtain a decent bottom contour after eliminating the V. I should have just re-hotcoated and fixed the dings.
There were a few different Propper models in the Hobie line. The first was a noserider design, made in square or pintail. The square tail version is essentially the basis for the Hobie “Slug”. It even copies the pinstripe design.
Your board being 8’ would date it right around 1968-69.
Post photos of it. if you use tinypic.com, it will autmatically re-size for you.
Hope this works. Pics:
Thanks for the tinypics info!
SammyA has the vintage correct, probably a '68. At the time that was a ‘‘radical new shortboard’’ and people
were wondering how you could ever catch waves on something so small. The decal lettering also pins it in that
era. It’s hard to see in the pics, but it looks like a healthy V running off that diamond tail. That would also be
typical of the early boards of the revolution. Within 18 months it was obselete.
Definitely a keeper, and the deck appears in reasonable shape. What’s happened to the bottom is another story.
This is the place to come to get ideas on how best to restore or re-glass, let’s see what the sways crew comes
up with…
Yup. I checked a July '68 issue of Surfer and it has the GP Wedge and GP Pintail featured in a Hobie ad.
I’d venture to guess that they stopped calling it the “Wedge” when the size dropped closer to 8’.
The pictured board is very similar to the one I had, minus the LARGE “GP Wedge” lam that was on mine.
Appears to have the original Hobie style fin and box. Bolt through deck.
fix the leakers and surf it. Concider the history in the area and what all of those marks stand for.I’d be stoked to fall into a GP model Hobie from Cocoa Beach.
Here’s one a little earlier vintage. 9’4 noserider.
There was yellow Slipcheck on this one which must have been put on when it was new because the foam underneath is white.
I applied Tom Morey’s new version of Slipcheck “El Gripo” in the same color as the original.
And yes, this one is from Cocoa Beach.
More Pics:
Any advice on repair/restoration. Is this a candidate for reglassing?
The bottom of the above board is obviously in very bad condition. I assume the only way to fix properly is to strip the old fiberglass down to the original blank and reglass. Can anyone guess as to what the condition of the original blank might be once the fiberglass is stripped? Will I be able to reglass keeping the original shape or will the blank be in such poor condition the i will have to reshape the blank? Just looking for suggestions.
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The bottom of the above board is obviously in very bad condition. I assume the only way to fix properly is to strip the old fiberglass down to the original blank and reglass. Can anyone guess as to what the condition of the original blank might be once the fiberglass is stripped? Will I be able to reglass keeping the original shape or will the blank be in such poor condition the i will have to reshape the blank? Just looking for suggestions.
Give it a decent sanding, fix all the dings, apply a gloss coat and polish it. It won’t look new, but it will be cleaned up, surfable, and in close to original condition. You may not be concerned with it, but it could have some value as a collectable, stripping it and doing a novice glass job (your original post said it would be your first shot at glassing) would pretty much eliminate any of that value.
Surfthis is exactly right - by the time the old glass is pulled off, the condition of the foam under it will be horrible. 'Cos the old glass will take a lot of foam with it, unevenly. So, lots of divots, lots of damage. I’ve seen a lot of boards that had a ‘reglass’ started and never finished, 'cos removing old glass pretty much ruined the board.
And I have seen a very few restorations that worked…and those were done by some very skilled people who were real artisans and put $10,000 worth of time into a board that was worth $800 when they were done.
Go slow with the repairs, take your time, when in doubt stop and think it all through. And please don’t hesitate to ask questions. Charging ahead when you’re not sure…well, one step forward and six steps back, y’know?
First off, I would carefully redo that repair by the fin box. That one might be kinda critical. Again, go slow and careful. Avoid ripping out anything. Taking a little care will save you a whole lot of work down the line.
Hope that’s of use
doc…
I would maybe fix the open dings. Or not. Nothing else. I wouldn’t regloss it.
Just hang it up the way it is. The fractures, dings and dents tell a story.
Reglassing or reglossing it would tell another story and not a very good one.