Hi, I’ve been lurking here for a while trying to learn about board shapes and those little tweaks that make a great ride. Still a shaping kook. I’m curious about the Hobie Gary Propper model and figured Sways would be a good place to ask questions. Never surfed one of these but did see a very beaten one a couple of years back at a local shop. It was too far gone to consider picking up and too jammed in between other boards to take out just for a looksey. The rails intrigued me, they seemed pretty thin for a '60’s log. I’ve since read that the Gary Propper model was, at one time, the best selling east coast board. Was this board as good as I’ve read or was that just hype? If it was a good east coast board, what made it so good? Finally, if the Propper model was such a good east coast board, any thoughts as to why Hobie stopped making the Propper model but kept the Peter Pan model? Thanks for any responses!
By the time the Propper came along, rails had been refined to a great degree compared to boards of just a few years prior. I believe the Propper was introduced in 1967, as memory serves. Maybe late '66? Anyway, many boards of the period had thin, knifey rails. I guess you haven’t seen many 60s boards?
Propper was East Coast champ and a big media presence at the time. So, name recognition was a big factor in sales. Plus, Hobie was well established on the EC by then, and they had a high profile among consumers, as well. Factor those together, and it adds up to sales. The claim made by Hobie might be subject to dispute. For instance, Weber sold more boards on the EC around that time than they did on the WC. The Performer was another high profile shape that sold like crazy. Hobie and Weber both saw the potential in the EC market and not only did extensive promo tours in the East, but set up big dealer accounts up and down the coast.
As far as the Pan model… It borrows the stripe job from the Propper, and a bit of the outline. But, it came along well after the Propper had disappeared from Hobie’s line. The last Propper model in the Hobie line was a V bottom that was extinct by 1970. Propper stuck with Hobie for a while after, but there were no models named after him by then.
The Slug came along in the 80s, as I recall. Pan invented the Slug to gain a contest advantage. It was supposed to be a ‘cheater’ board that circumvented rules regarding shortboard division criteria. Thickness and volume in place of length, to enable use in shortboard divisions. I cannot understand why people get a Slug over 8’. They were supposed to float like a longboard at around 7’ to 7’6. A 9’ Slug is more suited to a person who weighs close to 300 lbs.