I acquired a 9’3 Kahuna D Fin (60’s pop out) here in Milwaukee Wi, and want to get it out on the lakes. Trying to decide if I go full restoration or just patch it up and leave it’s character. Let me know what you guys think. One of the panels is peeling up pretty badly.
I would vote patch it and go but if the glass is separated from the foam you’re gonna have to get some resin in there or cut it out and re-glass that area.
To me, It looks like the color/gloss coat is separating from the hot coat. I would sand it back to where the color is solid, then decide if you want to add a new patch of color or just go with a clear coat.
While I wait for pics to come up; sand it clean it up. Fix any delams by cutting them out and reglueing them back in and laminating 4 or 6 oz over the delam. Water tight, completely sanded and then paint back the panels. Gloss and go!
That’s just the pigment resin panel turning loose from the lam.
That thing is totally fixable and an easy restore. Take some pics, sand everything off. Fix and color match the dings. Hotcoat it. Sand hot coat. Use latex paint to repaint panels, stripe etc. regloss and polish.
When prepping the board; Sand the fin. Piece meal some roving onto the bead. Clean it up and lam a couple of pieces of 4oz. On either side to hold everything together and clean up the fin surface.
McDing’s advice is solid, though I’d try something else first.
Whether its gel-coat or pigmented hotcoat resin for your panels, you’ll find that on those period boards, it’s thick. A lot of the scratches will sand/buff out. Then on the areas where you have dings/missing color, you can prep and fill with matched, pigmented hotcoat. Color match and fare that in carefully and it won’t be too visible at all and you’ll keep the character of the board intact and save yourself some time. Fix the other dings as usual.
Would definitely clean up that bead as described, staying away from the base so you don’t sand into your color work there.
The KAHUNA surfboard brand, was what was referred to as a ‘‘popout’’ in that time period. A little better than most, but a popout none the less. I’m not sure I’d put too much effort into a cosmetic restoration. Just sayin’.
Bill Thrailkill has the right idea. This board is not worth spending a lot of time and money on. It is a cheaply made popout.
The idea of doing a restoration on it is silly, to be honest. Fix all the dings and ride it if you want to. Don’t expect it to ride all that well. It is a crude shape that has little merit.
As far as any delams go, good luck. These boards were made with a layer of glass mat impregnated right in the foam’s shell when the blank was blown. If the mat has separated from the foam there wll be a pretty good sized crater underneath.
No surprise that the color is chipped away like that. They made these with low grade materials and were more concerned with cosmetics than anything else. Craftsmanship was not a consideration. Mass market products sold in department stores to unsuspecting beginners.
There was a Kahuna label based in Cranston, RI in the 60s. A partner in that venture was Howie Goldsmith of Goldie’s Surf Shop. The label on your board looks different from the one used by Goldsmith. Can you post a better pic of the label?
The question is; What do you want to do with it? If you just want to ride it; them fix the dings and ride. If you want to Restore it and it gives you satisfaction; Please do! As I said; It’s an easy fix. Don’t take the negative $#|t from others seriously about it being a “pop out” . Though it is; It’s still a piece of surfing history. So now you have the history on it thanks to Sammy boys EC knowledge. Every board has a story. Not many of them can talk so we don’t often know much about their history. Ask yourself; How many of these boards have you seen out there?? And In my personal opinion; The board does not appear to have “mat” under the lam. That’s a pretty good picture there where the pigment is peeled off. Lowel
The only problem is that pigment matches are tough for those with little experience. But could be done that way to dress it up without doing a complete restore.
Good one McDing. Any old board worth riding deserves restoration. Pop Outs have feelings too.
the op identified it as a 60s popout in the opening post. I totally relate to the negative sentiment toward these things coming from craftsmen, but in the idiosyncratic world of collectors anything tied to an era can have value, from pez dispensers to bubble gum cards.
Amen and a Right On! What’s the old saying? “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Seymour Once told me; “Lowel, don’t buy anything that you wouldn’t hang on your own wall”.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I will fix the dings and get it out on the lake! We don’t see many boards here on the lakes so when one is found in a Milwaukee basement it is always an interesting experience.
Hey SammyA I will take a better picture of the label. It says Ormond Beach Fla. Under the Kahuna Surfboards label. Thanks for the help!
If it says Ormond Beach Fla then it is not one of the boards from Goldie’s (Shahow Mfg) in Cranston.
In the mid 60s there were many small, short lived popout labels that came and went. Anyone could order a stack of blanks from Foss foam or one of the other popout blank companies and slap their own label on them after glassing, etc. All you needed was to find a boatyard guy who knew how to glass, and bingo, you had your very own “surfboard” company.
I’m with McDing… Fix it restore it, have some fun maybe learn something. As for the comment it rides worse than other 60 boards … Are you kidding me…all 60s surfboards surfed like crap. D rails, D fin= D grade. Well maybe some were almost surfable…but still logs.
[Quote=resinhead]…all 60s surfboards surfed like crap.
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(eye roll)