Have Hansen Hustler transitional period 8’0" pintail, wonder bolt fin i think. serial number looks like 17316T would anyone know shaper? prob one of first down railers maybe 67-69 see pics
The letter T, at the end of the board number, was the identifier that I used when I was shaping for Hansen. So, I’m the guilty party.
Bill Thrailkill
Case solved. I love it when a story comes together.
that board is a beauty, needs to get cleaned up and paddled into a well overhead wave!
That board is not a ‘‘normal’’ Hustler outline. Obviously a custom order shape. More like a true ‘‘mini-gun’’, and with that high board number, and the low rail, I’m sure that was a 1969 board. Wish I could remember something about the board, but that was a time when I was shaping 8 to 10 boards per day, so things get a little blurry.
Bill
Pure functionality will always outlast faddish trends. 45 years later, and there is high demand for Chris Christenson’s ‘retro’ beak nosesingle fin pins, which if not clones, are kissing cousins of that custom Hustler…
dhettel, if you recently picked that board up, it was a serious score…
How would the new secret fin change the performance of a board like this? Were these old “molded” fins too flexy?
roger
Yes, I think so. The effect of the ‘‘secret foil’’ fin, on such a board, would be to increase board speed in trim, and be able to come out of roundhouse cutbacks with almost the same speed that you entered the cutback with. When making a high AoA direction change, the foil greatly reduces, or eliminates completely, the stalling of the fin. Keeps the power on, as it were.
Bill
Bill Delighted to get your response! The board was on ebay for a while a few years back, and when the reserve price was not met I offfered maybe 350-375 by message to the seller and it was accepted. Only problem was board in Cali and me in Florida. luckily I had a couple freinds out there and my buddy Wade Easterling who worked for Gerry for a while and then managed at Fiberglass Hawaii Santa Barbara brought it East for me. I had a 8’0" Hansen Master pintail when I graduated High School in 1969 and was looking for something like it but this is much more gunny and progressive. very interested in the discussion about the fin because I always thought the functionality of the origional lacking, maybe thats why I’v eNEVER RIDDEN IT! I am going to now for sure - as is, but where can I get one of those fins!? PS Bill did any of your boards get shipped to Taylor Press Daytona Beach - our original Hansen shop, here in Daytona circa 1962-65? I think Flea Shaw and a few other local guys were riding for Hansen by then. I uploaded a pic of me on my 8’0" EPS mini tanker thruster taken this winter past
Wow. Just wow!!! That is one great looking board. Congrats to the new owner and a huge thumbs up to Mr. Thrailkill!!!
Definitely a good score. Very unique and in great condition. Not a ‘wonderbolt’ fin, but Hansen’s own system unique to that label. Also nothing like a typical Hustler, which was far different than yours.
Plus, it was shaped by a guy who ain’t half bad with a planer 
Is there or was there any type of fin thats not so flexy that will fit the old original Hansen box circa 67 -68 thats similar to a wonder bolt or waveset box?
The only fins Hansen used at that time, were injection molded Polypropylene, and they were a bit flexy. The ‘‘box’’ (cavity) was molded in the board during glassing with a machined Polypropylene plug. There MAY be someone offering glass replacement fins for the Hansen system. I seem to recall seeing them somewhere, a few years back. Otherwise, there are some Swaybros that have had success with doing custom epoxy fin bases for obscure fin systems. So that may a possible source of help. You might contact the Hansen Company, and see if they know of any after market sources for fins that fit that system. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Bill
HUMMM
I think Jose at Oneworld does Hansen replicas, among others.
Wow, that looks just like my Hansen Master 8 I got in 1968’ for my sweet sixteen Birthday. Mine is baby blue and I just gave it to a guy to clean up but he said he wont do anything to ruin its value as a classic. I surfed on it in Galveston mainly but just rode it in basically.
Juan Rodriguez would definitely be the one to get up with for a repo. He owns One World Surf in FL.
What a great score! I Had the same issue with the fin on my '67 Hansen Superlight. You can get a reproduction but they are pretty expensive. What I did was make a tray the depth of the original fin base which I added plaster of paris. I inserted the plastic fin in the tray and let the plaster dry which gave me a female mold of the fin base. I then inserted a modern LB fin, which I had bought, into the female mold and taped it in place as close to 90deg. as I could get. I filled the area around the new fin with a slurry of chopped fiberglass and resin and let it cure. After removing it from the mold I then had a modern fin which fit in the original base. It wasn’t a perfect fit but I put some soft glue around it and it works fine. for good measure I drilled through the fin so I could screw the original bolt in through the top. I can remove it if I really have to but I like to ride it with the new fin, which also really improved the performance. I keep the original in my shed, just in case.
In looking back over the photo’s of the board, that shape would work well in Hawaiian waves, up to perhaps 15 feet. For anything larger a full blown big wave gun would be the call. But that board would handle 90% of the waves you’d likely be interested in. If it were mine, I’d be tempted to upgrade to an FU box, so a greater variety of fins could be used. Please no collectability comments, I’m addressing functionality only.
Transition era boards are my favorite to ride and collect. Even though some were highly functional and some were absolutely not; I think like your board , they were all beautiful. Wonderbolt was a type of fin hardware that either had a thumbscrew for speed and/ or a hole for a leash string ( not sure was born in 78) that fin is a Hansen hydrowedge . Cool find!!!