info on eastern surfboards ???

General Discussion
141

Great thread gets even better. There's got to be some more pics of Challenger boards you guys can get on here. (But please, some of Jim's stories are best left unillustrated)

All you guys in that factory pic have a front-row seat in my shaping room, due to the fact the pic's up on the wall. When people ask about it, I tell 'em ''them's the guys that taught the guy that taught me how to do this well enough that folks will pay me to do it'', or something like that....

If I hadn't worked with Jim there's no way in hell I'd have gotten good enough to do the blank designs I did for Clark Foam, or shape boards for all the pros I've gotten to work with, or all the great customer/friends I've made over the years.

Thanks!

142

I good guess of how many shapers there are, lots will do, but having a front row seat to the many I have had the opportunity to first hand watch in action, Tinker above all was the absolute best I ever saw using the Skil 100. Even Velzy, who Tinker mentored with, in the years I worked with him had regressed to a lot of Surform work.

I went to the Doheny collectors club meeting last year, Fly had a bunch of Wardy’s, Tinker worked with Larry Bailey at Wardy’s, as I picked up each one to eyeball it, they all had the era’s big round rails, until I came to one with a blue tint roving fin and matching tailblock, the rails were thin and the board was foiled out beyond its age, I knew I had picked one of Tinker’s boards out of the line-up of usual suspects.

A collector pal of mine got a 10’6" Hobie from a Texas dept. store, it had been out of circulation for at least 35 years, same fin and tailblock as the Wardy, Bill Bahne and I were checking it out, he turned to me and said “this is one that Tinker did”, he and Tim Cousins were working for Hobie at the time, they got fired for flushing a Cherry bomb down the crapper, it blew out all the plumbing in the factory.

I am dismayed at the lack of ability by so many " shapers", with top drawer credentials, many touted as having 75,000 boards under their belts. I saw a video of Skip, he knows which end of the planer to use.

I know I sound bitter many times, but there comes a time to separate the men from the girls.

I think there shoud be a revue board where you get juried by  a panel of credentialed surfing craftsmen and then you are awarded a rating like restaurants get, A-B-C-D-F and then you can charge accordingly to your abilities, but this will never happen and publically outing kook pro shapers is akin to political suicide.

I NEVER bag on you home hobbiests, I was a kook shaper too and took my lickings for it, that was the reason I aligned myself with true craftsmen, to pull myself up by my boot straps, move continually to that next level, this is where it started for me, Tinker was that first step for me  becoming a craftsman of fine surfboards

143

Well Said Jim.  When did Tinker teach you to shape? I remember you taught me at the Phillips factory in Rhode island around 1968? I can remember I was scared to death of the Skil planer but you put me skinning and prefoiling blanks for you. I was knee deep in foam. As I recall the shaping bay had two racks in it so I was beside you the whole time. I just watched you and tried to copy your moves.

    When you finally gave me my “degree” and let me shape a few Soul Creations I was stoked out of my mind. I remember leaving Rhode Island to Start the original Seasons Surfboards and you came down to help me set up the factory. How many guys did you teach in Florida? It’s been a long road from the Hickam Air Force Base Hobby Shop.

 

144

 

I have a few I can put up. Most of the Challenger Eastern ads I’ve found don’t really show boards in typical ‘display’ view. Many of the ads feature shots of team riders, surfing.

 

Barry Gordon  @ Meters

 

 

145

Roger, by the fall of '66 biz was starting to slow down at Rible’s shop and I was already doing my day job working for General Roofing and Gutter.

One of the local guys from Wall Township that was on friendly term with myself and Tinker came by one afternoon and had for the summer been feeding me info on a daily basis of how and what Tinker did with the planer.

He said that Tinker wanted me to come by the factory, now I had already had a minor run in with Tinker earlier that summer, I’d also been shaping for Manatee Surfboards and they had an unlimited supply of Clartk foam, I could do as many as I liked and do what ever shapes I wanted, this was one of those kids in a candy store situations.

There was a party and Tinker and I wound up in the same air space, he said “so your a shaper, how many do you do a day ?”, in my best bloated bravado, I said “ten a day”. he responded with “you’ll never work for me”.

I arrive at the factory and Tinker says to me “pick out a blank you like”, I opted for a triple baby T-band and then he said " I want you to shape yourself a board", no sooner had I started to lay out the planshape and he was on me like a chicken on a Junebug, "where the fuck are you putting you wide spot ? ", I said “in the middle”, he asked me then, "where do you stand up on the board ", I said “on the tail”, he reply was “draw it 6 inches behind center”.

I restarted and got past the skinning part and my next “lesson” began, “your left rail is higher than the right, you’ver got a twist, thin the nose and add tail. rocker”.

It took me the better part of the day to shape that board, with him inspecting and having me correct any and all flaws.

After that I wouold come in after roofing all day and shape in the evenings, doing one board at a time with Tinker inspecting each one and having me fix any problems before it went to the glassing room.

Later that winter I went to Florida until spring, I tried to work for Feinberg and O"hare, but they shot me down, I roofed and poured concrete sidewalks and slabs.

When I came back in the begining of March the season was ready to blow up, Tinker kept me at 2 boards a day, 8.00$ a board, as the middle of summer was peaking he moved me into 3 a day, now most of the boards were triple stringers with glass tail blocks and wrap around nose blocks. This left little time for goofing off, but I was on my way to obtaining my PHD.

This was the Summer of Love and the begining of the end for Tinker and me, he could see the writing on the wall and it was not good, he told me I was going to get busted, I just wasn’t ready to accept the fact that the avalanche was starting to move and it would sweep over me and by Jan 1st 1968 I would find myself behind bars in San Diego.

146

PLC,

 

“Randy W–Thanks–I guess we’re at an age where that shit happens. I remember you very well–glad things are good.”

 

I remember you well too. I have talked with Wally and Ken recently. They are fine.

 

Remember when Art Meinung and I did the cartoon book “Elbir The Fat”. Tinker wanted it published but someone at your mag introduced us to the world “libel” … well those were conservative days. Rible the Elbir loved it.

 

That area was conservative where we settle down. I remember when the whole crew was thrown in jail for wearing our baggies on the 4th of July more than a block from the beach.

 

Times have changed for wave riders. We were once “riders on the storm” but less so these days.

 

later bro,

Randy W

147

Hey Jim,

“Jan 1st 1968 I would find myself behind bars in San Diego”

 

An honest man not afraid to speak his past. Good.

 

I did a year in San Diego County while going to trial in federal court for “failure to give an address where mail would reach me”, a Selective Service beef (draft) during the Vietnam war. I was there longer than anyone else in that cell block. I could see one tree outside and that kept me sane (some might dispute that).

 

Judge Turrentine (“the hanging judge”) found me guilty and sentenced me to three years in prison. I did my time at Lompoc while Erlichmann and Haldermann (Nixon aides) did their time in the camp. I was in the max security joint inside where it was not a camp.

 

Once there was a riot and blood was everywhere, they shut the place down for two weeks … could not leave our cells.

 

Another time a dude came in for “medical observation” which was really cold turkey punishment. I talked with him and tried to calm him down cause he was a hype, a junkie, and very young. He could not handle it and got hooked up with a bank robber and they tried to escape. He was shot dead off the fence.

 

One of the old style airline hijackers was sent there. He had hijacked a plane and was going from Seattle to LA and back until they finally busted him. He was demanding a million dollars. I asked him “what were you going to do with the money” to which he replied “I never thought about that”. He was a young nerdy kid who had some family problems it seemed to me.

Lots of stories from that episode.

 

I am still a peace advocate.

 

later,

Randy W

148

Randy, Geez I could have gone another lifetime without remembering “Elbir The Fat”, classic stuff from the land of Bummer. But you know, I just can’t remember Art Meinung. I recall the name but not the guy.

Another thing I can’t remember: Ever watch that tard show “Jersey Shore?” It’s shot in Seaside Heights and I was wondering if Seaside had those pier amusement rides back then. If they did, I’m blanking out on it.

You went through some hell with the draft. I started ASM when I was 20, Gunderson was 19. Vartan was a year older than I was. The draft pretty much put us out of business. Gunderson got into the Marine Reserves and I got lucky and got into the Army Reserves after waiting two years. Vartan graduated from Pratt and got yanked into the Army. Gundersen had to go to Paris Island and then a little after that I went to Fort Knox. We only had to do 6 months but then Vartan was gone. It just finished it for us. Thinking back, I have no idea how I ever started a mag at that age.

Sammy posted that photo of Barry Gordon–another name I remember but not the guy. Weren’t Turds and Meters just some breach breaks in Belmar?

When you spoke to Wally how did he ever wind up in Cabo?

149

 

I was drafted in March of '68. Scared as I was, I talked my way out of it. I guess you could say that the US Gov’t decided I was too crazy to go to Viet Nam. I wasn’t crazy. I was just smarter than they were. (Well, maybe a little crazy :wink: )

150

The article “Meters” was shot just south of the Seaside Pier, the locals did not want the true location in print and photo, there was a huge metered parking lot that we all set out from, Tinker’s surf team in the summers got a transfusion from Santa Monica.

Barry Gordon, Michele Junod, Steven Haight, Andy Slazar & Craig Stecyk would invade the Jersey Shore and the north east with their stellar surfing performances at what ever beach they arrived at.

151

PLC,

 

Turds was a break in Belmar in the general area of 8th Ave. See my post from April.

Does anyone remember a guy named Ron Sandman? He was only in NJ for one summer, I am thinking 68. Very sorft spoken with a head full of white Shirley Temple curls.

thnx

152

PLC,

“When you spoke to Wally how did he ever wind up in Cabo?”

 

Strong north wind … :wink:

 

later,

Randy W

153

Sammy,

What got me the “failure to give an address where mail would reach me” imprisonment happened like this:

 

Bruha, Dorsey, Steve Gordon, and myself left for Florida to work for Fineberg in the winter waiting for the factory in New Jersey to open. I wrote about that trip in an earlier comment on this thread.

 

Jimmy Dalton picked up my mail in San Diego, one of which was from the Selective Service. He wrote on it “not here, not knowing where” and sent it back, even though he did know where I was. He did not tell me about it.

After finding me guilty the judge said I could report for induction in lieu of doing the time in a federal joint. The induction folks would not take me because I had been convicted of a felony (“failure to give an address where mail would reach me”) by the judge. The judge got pissed so that got me a 3-year sentence. I received a full pardon from Gerald Ford after doing the time and the parole.

“Shit happens”.

later,

Randy W

154

Tinker, being the visionary he was, aptly gave the Belmar surfing beach it’s name, one summer afternoon, while straddling his balsa board, a fat turd came across the deck of his board on the south east wind, what else would you call a spot like that !

Tinker and his entourage could be VERY intimidating, a real alpha male situation and they knew it, nothing violent, but could control what ever was happening at that moment. They assigned knicknames to who came into contact with them and often they were not very flattering, but in the twisted manner of irony, the names were right on in a characterish sort of way. You were either with them or against them and this was no guarantee you would or could be with them.

Randy has a very cutting wit and if there was a chink in your armour, you were doomed, the chink in my armour was, working for Elbir, a boated tick of a manthing, who did have a good heart, but was a walking mass of suet, with a Newfoundland retriever to match.

I was Elberized and nothing was going to shake that moniker

155

 

During my early years in RI my buddies and I had our own system of assigning nicknames to strangers we’d encounter in the water. None of them were flattering. Most were based on physical characteristics or surfing style (or, their unique lack of ‘style’).

156

I’ve been connected with the Seaside area since 1955 and the rides were there then.  The parking lot that Jim is talking about is south of the Casino Pier and is actually in Seaside Park.  Much has changed since the '60’s, but it is still a dog town.

157

jimthegenuis,

 

"Randy has a very cutting wit and if there was a chink in your armour, you were doomed, the chink in my armour was, working for Elbir, a boated tick of a manthing, who did have a good heart, but was a walking mass of suet, with a Newfoundland retriever to match.

I was Elberized and nothing was going to shake that moniker"

Now Jim, you know we luv ya bro, Elbir too.

"cutting wit" ... "doomed" ... ???

I think Wally should invite all of us to Cabo for a Christmas party that will last until Easter.

158

Wally has his house on Gringo hill above Zipper’s and the new one he built in Todos Santos, next door to Channin, a short drive past the casa’s puts you at Pastora’s, a nice right hand point of cobbles over sand.

 

During the Belmar years, we were not even old enough to buy cervesa, a lot of water has gone under that bridge, brash young surf guys, now I’m a grandfather, how we have all grown, but not too grown up

159

Wanted to share this 9'8" beauty with you guy's.  I believe it's a '66 but, not certain.  Serial #'s are a bit faded and read 66399  509.

I was told the board was picked up in Cape Cod in the early 70's, then spent the next 30 years garaged in the Philly suburbs.  The really good dude I bought it from got it in 2002 and rode her a couple of times each year since then.  I took off the old wax and found some it to be the old parrafin... a bitch to remove.  The overall craftsmanship is quite impressive with a cool lime green tail block and translucent light blue fin.  The quality of this board is of the same caliber if not higher than any top name boards coming out of the mid 60's.  Really looking forward to riding this one.  So just click on the picasa photo link below to view more pictures.  -Roach

Any other info on the board would be great!

http://picasaweb.google.com/roscioli.tesla/CES2#

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160

1966 is about right, to me. I’m sure some of the guys who worked for Challenger Eastern will have a better idea. I don’t recall a CE dealer on the Cape. There was a shop on N Main St in Providence around that time that carried the CE brand. It was actually a dive shop. The board might have been purchased there.

The condition is quite remarkable. I’m lovin it.
I would venture to guess that if you measure where the line of logos is, it will be just about 29 inches from the tip of the nose. Measure it, and report back. I’ll then tell you why I guessed at that number.