I picked up a vintage Jim Phillips board at a garage sale in New Jersey. I bought it from the original owner who purchased the board from a shop in Belmar, New Jersey probably in the early 70s. The board is in great shape. It is a single fin short board (fin box is interesting), probably 5'6'' or 5'8" with a rounded tail. It has a deep red deck and tan bottom. The logo is a smiling sun with blue clouds underneath. I was hoping that someone could provide some insight into value or any other information about Jim Phillips shortboards. Thanks.
It was built at my factory in Warwick, RI, yes early 70’s.
Shortboards, I still shape them, although I am thought of as a longboard shaper only, I am 3 time United States short board champion, so I do know my way around the water on a short board, still ride a 6’1" and 6’5’
Thanks for getting in touch. It is a great looking board. I am really looking forward to riding it. Also, that is a great photo. Hard to believe you only won 3 US championships!
Mike--I will post some photos over the weekend. Hopefully it is one you remember.
Anyone who lived in Brevard County, especially the time frame of the mid 70’s on upwards, it was like a pro bowl scrimmage everyday.
In Cocoa Beach on any given day, you’d be in the water with baby Kelly, Keck, Charlie Kuhn, Charlie Tuna, Kurt and Jim Wilson, OD Finney, Mike Tabeling, Gary Propper, Bruce Valuzzi, many a time when blowing a wave, you’d hear from the side lines, “your slip was showing”, there was no mercy at all.
And when you moved further south to the Inlet, the pressure became even greater, the crew was cut throat and still is to this day, every wave was dissected as to how you surfed it and it had better been up to expectations.
Muscle in for priority and miss the wave or blow the drop, heckle city and you lost your spot in the rotation, this is the reason the Space Coast turned out so many champions with so few world class waves.
I actually had given up competition, but Mike Daniel, Kurt Wilson and the rest of the boys pushed me to get back in the ring and go 12 rounds
Good stuff, Jim. So true about the inlet in the 70s and 80s. I went from being wide-eyed kid watching in awe from 2nd or 3rd peak to having Geary Paul say ''Hi Mike'' as he was ordering a whole bunch of other guys to leave first peak. Remeber that sh*t? He'd jump off the jetty, and go, ''Party's over!''. Then he'd start pointing at people, ''You..., you.., and you. Down the beach!!"
But…after picking up Kurt’s left over scraps, he was a man with no balls after that, it just sapped the life out of him, what was her knickname on the N’shore, Star F’er
Vintage Spanish House 78-79 photo Jim Wilson, Spanny’s went through a cycle of where the SE wind would blow for days and then whip around as the front approached making for many sessions like this.
This was the time frame I first started surfing with Kurt and Jim and implementing Kurt’s designs and influence on what I was shaping.
This board 5’10" x 20" w, pink and blue East Coast Foam blank, double wing titty tail swallow twin fin
Jim. Another great shot. Being an east coast surfer I can appreciate the wait. Here are some photos of the board. The dims are about 5'8" x 20" w. I will be out of the water for a few months due to a back surgery, but I can't wait to ride it on similar day to the above.
THANKS for the pics, that's a classic. I'm sure Jim can fill in the whole story/date/etc., but that looks like 1969 or 70 to me. Might even be 68, knowing Jim's ''ahead of the curve'' thinking.
I look at those boards and see everyone making the baby Simmon’s, stubbies and there they were, just 40 years ahead of their time. The fin system was Wave Sets notch box, you could pull the fin out and re-set it with a tap to the rear to set it in place. But of all the boxes I’ve used, this one had the most failures next to FCS.
it was a hollow body construction, 2 piece and was glassed over, I was selling boards to Simo in NJ and the cast of Jersey Shore would ride them right up to the sand at high tide and get pitched onto the beach. The box would split lengthwise from the fin leverage and pop the glass and foam off that side of the bottom. Simo would put them on UPS and send them back, some days 6 and 8 at a time would arrive, Morey and Pope certainly didn’t have it right on that design
What year do you think the board was made, Jim? The box should help to date... LMAO at the ''cast of Jersey Shore'' comment. My present customers in NJ aren't anything like those stereotypes, thank God.
Definitely an outline worth reviving, a few modern tweaks and you'll have a stubbie hit on your hands.
