Dick,
You say it has a “Challenger” decal. Your description could also apply to “Challenger Eastern”, so we need more info about the decal etc. … the twin fin description is the most significant factor so far. If it is a Challenger, not a Challenger Eastern, that will help too.
The length would also narrow down the date, where it was built, and the rest.
Randy W
Hi Randy,
The decal only says Challenger, no eastern or anything. It is the same as i’ve seen on an other Challenger board (Yellow stinger) here on Swaylocks.( http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/historicretro-boards ). I have only 3 lousy pics to judge by, which i can’t paste/copy or forward. I hope i can take a look at the board this weekend and will post pics of it when i made them.
Thanks for the reply,
Dick
Dick,
The “Challenger” boards in the photos you linked to were not “Challenger Eastern” because the agreement between Tinker, Baine, and Frank required a particular naming convention.
They look like late 60’s sticks or later (early 70’s?).
Frank watches this forum some times, so does Jim The Genius, so I suggest they be consulted unless the word “Eastern” (meaning East Coast) shows up on that stick.
The west coast crew made good boards.
later,
Randy W
For the purpose of accuracy, the correct spelling is Bahne.
Hi guys,
I just picked up the Challenger twinfin, which i posted earlier about. Serial no. 1253, no logo on bottom, brownish pinline on deck, no other markings.
If there’s anyone who can give some more info (date, shaper, etc.) on this board i would appreciate it a lot.
Thanks, Dick
some pics:
Hi Dick,
Looks like a west coast board, because of the missing “Eastern” nomenclature. The length would help.
At first blush it looks like a late 60’s, early 70’s stick, and was probably shaped by Bahne if so.
The way the rails are wrapped on the glass job contributes to that hypothesis.
If Frank responds, or Jim, they will have additional information.
It looks to be in the 5’ - 6’ range to me.
later,
Randy W
Thanks Randy,
It’s a 5’2" according to my calculating skills (157cm).
Greatings from Holland
From the era that the board is, I would say Billy Caster, or Bob Thomas, Bill Bahne was not part of the picture by then, in '68 when I was shaping for Bahne, it was already Bahne Surfboards
Jersey roots… here’s a 7’3" Surfboards East found in a PA home’s crawlspace. Was there since the very early 70’s. 25 is written on the stringer by the tail.
roach,
This board was constructed by a company that once made boards in Freehold. It is not a Challenger Eastern Surfboards product IMO. I think Jim worked for them for a while.
Randy W
That is an adjustable WAVESET fin system. Quite rare to find one complete and intact, right down to the channel caps. The fin is worth more than the board, IMO.
Randy, no doubt this is not a CES. I posted since there are a lot of folks on this thread that may remember them and/or have worked for them like Jim Phillips and Tony Irvine. Surfboards East was out of Lakewood NJ… at least that’s what the lam says. Gene Cottrell(Degroot & Mason) worked for Surboards East and credits Jim for showing him how to correctly work a Skil 100.
Sammy… i couldn’t agree more. This is one of the nicest variable WAVESET fin systems I have seen. Usually they are missing the inserts and the fin is worn or brittle… plenty of flex in this one.
Roach, you are correct, Surfboards East was out of Lakewood, and Degroot /Mason had a shop in Point Pleasant, NJ
After Tinker and I were not seeing eye to eye, I went to work at Surfboard East, came back from California and shaped the first V bottoms on the east coast for them, by the time the board posted up here earlier this week had been made, the writing was on the wall for them, IRS
JimtheGenius,
Ok. Thanks bro.
It was not Freehold.
“We all have to believe somebody” (Waldo) “Everybody has to serve somebody” (Dylan)
The Jersey Folk should be deferred to in such circumstances.
Happy New Year everyone.
“between you and Perrin turning me on”
Gosh, I never knew you cared. 
“I reckon so” …[img_assist|nid=1053086|title=Clint|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=67|height=100]
Randy, Freehold, Lakewood, hell, between you and Perrin turning me on, I wuz on acid, what did I know, it wuz in Joisey, south of Asubury, north of Atlantic City, ocean to the sunup, parkway some where out there in the trees, the factory was in the middle
Guys,
jimthegenius says he worked for Surfboards East in Freehold.
Look near the beginning of this thread (comment #6 responding to SammyA, September 10, 2008).
Moving factories or shops is a common denominator.
The shop that I m refering to was on Bridge ave. just south of Rt. 88. A good friend ordered a board from there in '70/71.
Hi, Gary here. Any questions or comments about Rible, or deGroot & Mason, I could maybe help with. I worked with Jim at Rible's, till he left, eventually doing the shaping and laminating till the end there. Then worked with Gene Cottrell and Dean Ward at deGroot in Point Pleasant, as a laminator and sometimes shaper, till the draft caught me.
I don't know much about Challenger, except for the time Rible lost his lease for the chicken coop factory on Belmar Blvd in Wall, NJ, and as I was finishing a board, the wall between Challengers side and ours began to be demolished. We had shared the coop till then, with a wall between us. ( It was a big building) That would have been 67-68ish. It was actually quite funny, like being uncerimoniously evicted, as I guess we were. A friend of mine and Steve Thompson, Rick Barry worked for Challenger at the time I think as a salesman. The Challenger crew was mostly quite intimidating to me at the time, as they obviously tried to be, at least to this skinny kid just having fun doing what he loved to do.
The photo of the Challenger crew in these pages I can identify as the Belmar Blvd, Wall site. I built boards there before Challanger. It is possible that there was a factory in Lakewood or Freehold, but I am unaware of that. After Rible went belly up, (and what a belly!) I just bugged deGroot and Mason (Gene) till they hired me as a laminator. Good timed were had by all.
