I recently picked this vintage Duke longboard up at a local garage sale for (I Think) a really good price.The issue is I do not know much about vintage boards & cannot seem to find much on the internet about this particular board.The board is right at 8 feet long & has what looks the the shapers signature on the bottom (see pics).Any info would be greatly appreiciated as of right now all I know is what I paid for it,It’s length & I think it was made in australia.
“Vintage longboard”?
Hardly.
It’s a funshape or ‘mini mal’, as they’re called in OZ
The logo is a load of BS “Since 1915”?
I hope you didn’t think it has any connection to Duke K?
Australian label from roughly 1980s 1990s.
Looks like a decent generic beginner board. I hope you didn’t pay a lot.
Sammy’s right.
Not that old.
I’d guess under 10 years.
Plywood stringers have not been around too long.
Awesome.Thats already more info than I had.I could tell from my mini,al research it was not a Duke K,but could not find anything else on the company or the shaper.I paid $150 for it.Hope it was not too much
Thanks For replying & for the info.
Good catch, Barry. I didn’t notice the plywood. I was too distracted from laughing at the “1915” bullshit.
150 isn’t bad at all for a used, non popout board in decent condition.
So do you think its a Duke K. Knockoff ? I noticed The Shaper “Dave Berntsen” comes up in some searches but nothing at all from just a “Duke” company.
I think the use of the name “Duke” combined with the 1915 baloney is intentionally misleading.
January 15, 1915 is the date when Duke K surfed Freshwater Beach in Australia and essentially introduced surfing to that country.
While I wouldn’t call it a knockoff, I’d certainly say it’s a bit dishonest. Shame on that guy for trying to trade on someone else’s good name and legacy.
Not too different from all that Hollister crap with ersatz dates on it.
For reference here is a picture of one of Duke’s boards in the Bishop Museum. I stare at it sometimes and imagine what it would be like to ride it:)
I had a Greg Noll Duke Kahanamoku Hawaiian Nollrider that was a 9 on a scale of 1-10. I eventually sold it to a friend that is a big Noll collector for about 12x what I paid for it. I always regret it to this day…easily worth 30 or 40x what I paid for it now. Extremely rare board and near mint and deserves to be ridden. Today it hangs from the ceiling of a local surf shop.
PS: The moral of that story is if you put stuff in a storage facility…make sure you pay the bill cause if you don’t they will auction your stuff off for next to nothing. ;^)
This was the only picture of one I could find on the web of one. The one I had made this one look like a total piece of sheet…and this is the one pictured in the Noll book. Mine had 2 stringers and a glue up line down the center, a pristeen DaCat fin and an original fabric inlay on the nose.
**Melikefish thanks for that shot! do you know the time period of that board was riden? More like "Hot Curl" **
The only boards you can be certain were hand shaped and endorsed by Duke are the Noll series. Duke and Noll got together around 1966 or so and did that joint venture with a team and all.
I wonder if The Duke Estate sent Mr Bernsten a nice letter Thanking him for providing legal grounds to sue his sorry ass.
Hey OPS,
I am not sure of the time period, I think it was from when he was young, i.e 1930s? There isn’t a skeg on it, and the board has definitely been ridden alot. When I was checking it out, I could see lots of “dings”. It must have some good story associated with it.
There is a plaque right by it, and I just remember it saying it was one of his favorite boards. Next time I go, I will take a picture of the plaque.
Not to thread hijack, but…, it does make me wonder why we don’t have a surfing museum on island.
Melikefish,
Thanks eh! 28 they where riding wider tails, interesting. I’d surf it, no wonder the Duke could slide for miles…
**Plenty folk on the Duke!**
Duke/Noll ad March 1967.
Note the different outlines of the two boards pictured. This line offered a few options as far as shapes go.
Mine had this logo…only not so faded.