So I just scored a second hand log that’s a looker. Hank Byzak noserider shape for the Kookbox label, 9’8’’ x 23 1/8 x 3 1/8. I knew it was in basically mint condition, but I stripped all the wax and there are 9, count them 9 heel marks. Some eye candy is attached below.
Here’s my question though, how wrong would it be to take my power drill to this lovely army green glass job and install a leash plug? I’m going to ride this sucker is some crowded places and anticipate this being the first board I’m going to paddle out my 3 year old on. I love riding without a leash, but I’d like to have the option of riding with a leash for this board. I got it second-hand for a crazy good price so I’m leaning towards the drill… opinions?
Hank has had his ups and downs over the years, but he’s still shaping and makes a good board. He even had a booth last year at the Sacred Craft show in SD.
Before Black Monday my boards were lucky to last a year. Now I’m patching dings on top of other dings and keeping them longer. They are still tools to be used hard though. I’m over wanting “collectables”. It’s all about utility. If they surf crappy, they get sold or traded.
Ahmmm- as Bill and I have mentioned, this board is in current production, you can get a brandy dandy new one just like it by going either up to Montauk or across to Jersey to a shop that carries the brand…and yes, you could order one with a leash cup or ( most models Kookbox makes) with a Fins Unlimited box with the cute little tube that can be used to attach a leash. Hank Byzak is alive and well and working.
Funny thing: I once took a (old brand, guy long since dead) repro in as a trade-in on a new (old name, guy might still be alive but hasn’t shaped a board in forty years) repro that the shop owner got in in a fit of nostalgia. The buyer loved it, said “It’s like my old board” - no shock there, both had been shaped by Hank Byzak. He’s a good production shaper, been in the business a hell of a long time, shaped for a lot of labels. His boards ain’t exactly rare.
Collectible? Maybe in thirty years, if you put it away now out of the sunlight and such. If for some reason it’s the last one on earth in 2042 and if some joker with a lot of money happens to have a mad desire for one. Then again, as has also been mentioned, there are those who think that various thrashed popouts from back when are worth the price of a new car. Yeah, right.
Put it another way - if you bought a used 2010 Ford pickup truck and decided to add a cap or camper body to the back of it, would you be ruining the ‘collector value’ of the thing in the year 2042? Hardly. This is a pickup truck of a board, meant to be used regularly.
If you plan on using it, use it. Pass it on to your kid someday, if it lasts that long and if said kid wants it then. Otherwise, find one of these collector types who seem to think it’s an old ‘classic’ and sell it to them for big bucks. And it’ll serve them right
I would do the leash loop, and in fact did it to a couple of vintage boards I want to ride under circumstances where going leashless will hazard the board (i.e., you lose it and it will be beat to shit on rocks.) A leash loop has a nice, vintage look to it, and if you regret the choice, you can always grind it off and restore the board to its original condition. They’re really easy to make (there is a thread somewhere on swaylocks about it). I took a square of cloth roughly 4"x4", and pulled all the glass threads apart and put them in a bundle. I then tied up the bundle with two of the threads, dunked it in laminating resin and worked it around so that it was good and saturated, and then carefully placed it on top of a plastic soda straw taped in the location i wanted the loop, and carefully spread out the loose ends. i then shaped it a bit with the sander, and then hit it with surfacing resin and finish sanded it. looks great and works great.
You could probably catch a good swell in Lake George on that beast the next time you visit the ADK’s! Very nice board, unless you or someone else can do GOOD JOB, don’t mess with it. I can imagine the NY line ups can get crowded so I understand your concern. Best wishes.
We all used leashes by the late 70’s because surfers are like lemmings. We talk about individuality, but in our quest for acceptance, most of us follow the crowd. At that time though… leashes were about “convenience”, not “safety”. There were still spots you wouldn’t use one, no matter what… like the Wedge or Puerto. Too heavy, and you just get dumped on the sand anyway.
As for adding a leashplug on this particular board… I personally wouldn’t. I’d leave it alone and use a different board when you want a leash. That said… If you’re bent on adding one, follow Bill’s advice. If you think it’s so collectable you’re afraid to alter it, hang it on the wall, donate it to a museum, or sell it to a collector. If you’re gonna surf it, do whatever it takes to make it work for your needs. You might want to give it a spin first to see if you even like it. You can even put one of those stick on thingies on it and replace it later. They work fine, although they’re not aesthetically on par with the board.
I used to stress out and have guilt about all the mods I’ve made to old boards and guitars (I’ve modded more pre-CBS Stratocasters than I’d like to admit to). Then, someone told me not to worry about it. He pointed out that the only reason prices on “collectables” skyrocketed was because lots of us used to tweak stuff, and that caused supply of originals to dwindle. In 1970 none of us thought that stripping an old log and reshaping it was sacrilegious (neither was doing the same to a 60’s guitar). We just used whatever we could get our hands on to make something that functioned for us at the time. Now the world is focused on collectability, and some might even say altering a Chinese popout is wrong. Whatever.
I was thinking about the "leash drag" thread... I wondered then, why was it when I came to surfing in the late 70's everyone was using leashes, including older rippers???
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...why would it be especially appropriate for one of Hank's boards?
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In the instance of your board, the fact that it was made in the time frame when leash cups were in common use. Properly installed, there would be no reason to suspect that it was not original to the board.
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Adk,
Remember what I said earlier, a black cup set in with black resin. As stated above, ''Properly installed, there would be no reason to suspect that it was not original to the board.''
Just get another board… that one is too nice to screw up and later on you’ll regret drilling holes in it. Use an old clunker with a plug already installed and focus on your sons safety and not the board.
[quote="$1"]
Here's my question though, how wrong would it be to take my power drill to this lovely army green glass job and install a leash plug? ... opinions?
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Not wrong at all. Me, I'd probably do a black one, set in with black resin. The leash plug is quite appropriate for one of Hank's boards.
[quote="$1"]
...why would it be especially appropriate for one of Hank's boards?
[/quote]
In the instance of your board, the fact that it was made in the time frame when leash cups were in common use. Properly installed, there would be no reason to suspect that it was not original to the board.