Can anyone tell me anything about this board? Does it look like a real Gerry Lopez? [img_assist|nid=1052059|title=Gerry Lopez|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=512|height=640]What do you think its worth? etc.
Thanks!
The shape of the bolt lam and the signature do not look right.
And yes, some early Bolts were built at the Hobie factory. Mailing address was “Box EH, Dana Point”.
Yea … That’s right. I’ll bet that’s one that was made in CA … was it Hobie that made those … or is my memory going again?
http://www.vintagebolt.com/index.html
these fellers can help you
to heck with what its worth- fix it and ride it. if it isn't a pristene museum piece that is the highest and best use. either that or trade it to someone who will.
have fun! st
a couple of months ago there was a post
"vintage surfboard values"..check that,
and there are a few vintage dealers
that willl give you honest feedback if
send those pics...
mako is right
it worth what you think it is
or willing to pay.
good luck
anyone out there?
Could be one Gerry did … reminds me of some boards Rory rode in the early 70’s. I’d say it’s circa 72-73.
It looks like the boards he made in the late 60’s early 70’s. I don’t think his would have fin boxes though. I’m pretty sure most boards were made with glassed on fins.
The signature looks suspect to me. The ones I've seen were 'cursive' style and mostly lower case letters. Just to be sure, I checked a couple of websites... check the pics below and notice the first letter "g" instead of "G". The first letter of the last name is the only letter that is capitalized. Name under glass is all caps and block, not cursive style.
Original Lightning Bolt creator.... Bill Thrailkill:
"Before the Lightning Bolt factory was up and running, I did the first 18 boards for them, on contract, through SURF SYSTEMS, in Solana Beach. Early '71, as I recall. The arrangements were made with Jack Shipley, through the recommendation, and introduction, by our friend, Mr. David Jones. The boards were shipped six at a time, until they were able to manufacture boards on their own. The bolt design that Jack sent over, with the board dimensions, was a Captain Marvel Shazam, three element bolt. Butt ugly. So I created the bolt design that everyone is so familiar with. My glosser at the time was David Burnham, and he can confirm what I have just stated. He was the one that created the bolt design with a black ''shadow bolt'' behind it. He was quite artistic, and a talented glosser. He was on a par with Gary Brummett, in my opinion. I closed the shop at the end of '71, went back to school, and got into the mortgage business. Still in it. I'll bring the template to the workshop, on June seventh to demonstrate, if anyone's interested. Those first 18 boards had a black glass, molded in the board box, with a permanantly fixed black lexan fin. There is the rare board for you collectors to go after!"
Bill Thrailkill
Shaper since 1958
Thanks for all the info guys!
I also thought Gerry signed in cursive, but i wasn’t sure if there were some early (or late) boards that weren’t… Im going to check out that website vintagebolt and see what they have to say also…
anyone know of a good person to do resorations in the los angeles area?
My memory tells me that Gerry, Reno, BK and several others were all making boards here in Honolulu with the bolt logo. You could also ask any one of them for a shaped blank if you knew how to get in touch with them.
In Ewa Beach, we were getting boards from Dick DeLong, Jim Greene, Chris Greene, and BK all with the bolt logo, and some were glassed by the Ewa Beach crew. I also remember Chris Gardner being a part of the bolt group, but I don’t remember if he made boards or not. Chris was a wildman, pedal to the metal guy, with a Greg Noll stance.
If the board was not a Lopez board is it worth more or less?
In the early 1970's, there were many people who were shaping boards and running them through the Bolt. To the best of my memory, the primary glassers in the early day's were Bill Stonebraker and Joe Kitchens (aka Joe Kuala, now on Kauai). Joe did his glassing on Piikoi Sreeet and Bill was more Downtown at his Island Surfboard Repair shop. In my personal opinion, the best looking "Bolt"s put on the boards were by Stonebraker (last I heard, Bill was a Minister). The "Bolt" on this particular board does not look as if it was done by either of these two. Seen a lot of boards from that shop and the Bolt on this board is not one that I can recognize. That and the fact that it has a fin box, makes me believe that, if it is a Bolt, it would be from the later year's.
Hobie did begin making Bolt's on the Mainland, with Terry Martin and Mickey Munoz shaping most of them. Jack and Gerry were paid a whopping $5.00 per board for each Bolt manufactured by Hobie.
Hate to make the call, but if I was forced to say, I would not think Gerry shaped this board. Definitely not his signature, but that would not be a deal breaker. On many of the board's he shaped, he did print his name on the foam near the stringer. Many times, whoever got the board to glass would write "Gerry Lopez" on the board during the glassing and finishing stages, some close to the signature, and some way off.
The demand in those time's for a Lopez was so incredible that there was some "ghost" shaping done. Of course, some of these "ghost" shaper's were fantastically talented in their own right, so the board produced could still be a great rider, whether it was touched by Gerry or not.
Howzit Sharkcountry, Is that the same Jim Greene who lived on Kauai in the 70's and moved to Oahu, I know he had a son named Kimo Greene who ran with my son when they were young.Aloha,Kokua
[quote="$1"]
Original Lightning Bolt creator.... Bill Thrailkill:
"Before the Lightning Bolt factory was up and running, I did the first 18 boards for them, on contract, through SURF SYSTEMS, in Solana Beach. Early '71, as I recall. The arrangements were made with Jack Shipley, through the recommendation, and introduction, by our friend, Mr. David Jones. The boards were shipped six at a time, until they were able to manufacture boards on their own. The bolt design that Jack sent over, with the board dimensions, was a Captain Marvel Shazam, three element bolt. Butt ugly. So I created the bolt design that everyone is so familiar with. My glosser at the time was David Burnham, and he can confirm what I have just stated. He was the one that created the bolt design with a black ''shadow bolt'' behind it. He was quite artistic, and a talented glosser. He was on a par with Gary Brummett, in my opinion. I closed the shop at the end of '71, went back to school, and got into the mortgage business. Still in it. I'll bring the template to the workshop, on June seventh to demonstrate, if anyone's interested. Those first 18 boards had a black glass, molded in the board box, with a permanantly fixed black lexan fin. There is the rare board for you collectors to go after!"
Bill Thrailkill
Shaper since 1958
[/quote]
As a heads-up, to any interested collectors, that first group of eighteen boards, had no decals, only the Bolt logo top and bottom. I think we did all the bolts in yellow resin. A few, in the last group of six, had the ''shadow bolt'' logo. That and the short molded in the board, black glass box with the glassed in black lexan fin, are very distinctive features of those boards. I'd be surprised if any of those boards survived the rigors of Hawaiian waves, after all these years. But, people still dig up old Tom Blake boards. So, It's a possibility.
Hi Bill,
I remember when those first board’s came in from you. In the early beginning, many of the inventory board’s came from the Mainland. This was prior to the ramping up of production on Island. The shop had Surf Systems, Hobie, and Hansen in stock. The boards from Hansen were predominately the “Gerry Lopez” Model, in production at that time. A few of the old Hansen Stratoglass boards made the journey, also, but they were only around for awhile (I think a few are probably still on the bottom in various spots on the South Shore). I seem to recall that most of the boards imported from the Mainland did have a fin box, while those produced on Island had a glass on fin. I remember a Military kid who rode you Surf Systems board’s, and I think that his first name was Buster, but that may not be accurate, as we are reaching far into the past. Whatever his name was, he was a great surfer and did your board’s proud.
I think it was a few year’s into the existence of Bolt before any decals or laminates were seen on the locally made board’s, with the “Bolts” being resin work.
Aloha Puamana,
You remember correctly, Buster Kellum, was the fellows name. Surfed on the armed forces surf team. Doc White was the senior officer advisor to the team. Doc, and others on the team rode Surf Systems boards. Those years were exciting to be involved in surfing, the innovation and development was moving so fast. It seemed to change on a weekly basis.
Bill,
Thanks for the full name. In my mind, Buster Kellum was his name, but going back that far in time, I was not sure enough to use his full name. Buster rode the snot out of your boards. We swapped boards in the water one day, so I have had the pleasure of riding one of your boards. Committments at the time had me tied to one company, but it was always fun to swap and try other boards. As you said, things were moving so fast and in different directions and I enjoyed testing what other people were coming up with. Such a great time to be surfing.
Aloha Puamana, This discussion of those days and times, has inspired me to do something. I’d like to do a limited group of boards (18 max) that represent those first Bolts. The average size in the day was probably 7’ 6’‘, though my favorite size board for Hawaiian surf was 7’ 10’‘. I still have the templates, and even the plug that was used to mold the glass box in those original boards, and of course the original bolt layout pattern. Those board designs were timeless, and are as relevent today some forty years later, as they were then. As I recall, the original group of boards ranged from 7’0’’ to 8’4’'. If anyone is interested in such a board, send me a PM, and we’ll work something out. This concludes my crass commercial appeal.