Nice board I like it. Here’s my big idea for repair. Clean out old stuff to expose H-comb cells, put thick smear of Gorrila type glue or epoxy micro putty on a plastic sheet piece, plaster that smear onto the damage, Ding Down, hold smear in place with smooth cardboard backing taped onto board or use weight of board on a foam pad to hold it, the gorilla glue or epoxy putty should fill the cells enouph to work with but not so much to bulk it up too much. Just a theory, havn’t actually done that type repair. Nice board, make it beautiful.
hey guys, thanks for all the input. Jay, next time you’re over, bring your color wheel. Balsa sent me some period literature that says the interior honeycomb was made of Nomex. Not sure that matters for fixing the hole, but it’s interesting anyway.
If any of you guys run across a fin for this thing, let me know. I’ve seen them from time to time but never grabbed one, as I never thought I’d need it. Otherwise, I’ll probably make one (yet another thing on my endless list of projects !!!)
Happy holidays!
Neat! Can I have it?
yes
If the breather hole in the plug seals shut it can and will explode(Rapid pressure/altitude/temp.Changes)…I’ve seen several in my time.You had an earlier version by your description,the new productions had a non-skid textured deck…it didn’t work all that well.Herb
It’s just a hexhead bolt w/ a tiny hole thru it,that’s all.Herb
Hey Herb,
that’s the stuff that was on the two I had. The Brewer 6’6" wing-swallow looked so nice. It was this wierd
green, like those little army men, and white on the bottom. Remember “Slip check”? it had that kinda stuff on it, I
thought, “Far out, NO wax” but I had wax on it by the end of my first session. Everyone in my area said it
would be “too squirrelly” but the swallow went better than the pintail.
I remember getting an FinsUnlimited fin to work, I think with I just removed the pin and put a screw hole straight down into the leading edge (it was pretty long ago). I liked it better with an ABS black plastic fin I had, than what it came with.
Coolest thing was the “ring” when you would run it out into the flats with that pebble-texture. It would resonate!
Curious to learn of rider’s impressions and also if anyone else has ridden one recently- especially since the ability levels are much higher nowadays…
George
Saw one in the desert…late production,blew apart in tiny pieces…found the nose and the plug was sealed shut with crystalized rust.Someone was either taking it across country or to big surf Az.,I guess ? I got a great look at it construction…YES !!!
Saw one in a canvas bag coming off the plane in Honolulu…a bag of blow-by.There was even holes blown thru the bag and into other luggage…Who Wa !!!
Slip check…nasty stuff…great for hair removal though !!! I liked the The spray-on stuff that Astro-deck produced(the name slips my mind right now)…I still have two bottles of the roll-on version…if it’s still any good ???I need to go check it,and see if it bricked !!!
Have a great Christmas George !!!Herb
Hey Sunsetpoint,
You or anyone you know wants a 60’s Jetboard… all original aluminum job…it’s all there but of course the motor is kaput…it’s free to the person that can carry it away…I say that because it’s a lite 120 pounder !!!
This is not a joke…Free…!!!..Herb
Just got me a new Hi-Tech board is the name of this thread. This tech was started by non board builder who felt the public needed a motorized longboard for those who had paddeling problems like himself. His Name was Neil Townsend and he owned Tads steak house in SF and NY. He hired a engineering student a beginning surfer named Jim Fowler to come up with the latest tech and build the boards. It was a time of risk taking and advancement. When i hear all the excuses by glassers and companys on how hard it is to build boards i think of how all this was done by a steak house owner.
Naw Grif,
The jet I’m talkin’ about is a mid-sixties all aluminum body and structure built job w/ a small gas 2 stroke motor.Max speeds are like 5 knots.(A bit before your time, I dunno?)
I don’t know how many are left in the world.This one is complete w the exception that the motor doesn’t run.
Maybe the Heritage Museum would want it? Geeez,I don’t know.Original blue paint !Light Too!
It only weighs like 120 lbs !
Man,The name “Jetboard” is way over used in this industry…but this one does deserve it.lol
I post a new thread on it.Herb
ok, you guys who used to own/ride one of these back in the 70’s, tell me if this looks like the fin you had in it? These are selling on Ebay as reproduction waveset fins:
Keith,
They sure look like the original fins. I would not be surprised if someone found the original molds, and put them back into limited production.
yeah… but here’s another fin that the guy says is a VariSet fin (vs a waveset fin), similar shape but this one looks like it has a screw hole at both ends - which is what the box in the W.A.V.E. hollow has… all my boards from that era were glass-ons so I just don’t know the old box systems at all.
Check the depth at each end of the box in your board. See if there is a taper, fore and aft, to the box. Both of those fins have bolt holes at each end of the base. If there is no taper, then the Vari-Set fin is the likely candidate.
I had an early model 6’9" diamond tail that I rode all over Ventura, SoCal, even South Shore Oahu. It’s been very nice reading the recollections of others…makes me think I haven’t gone crazy. Mine too about $100-ish from Blinky. He used to take a broom handle and whack the rails of a board hanging near the entrance to the old shop on Front Street to show how strong they were. This was a Karl Pope and Bob Johnson (I think I have that right) project. Mine never had a breathable drain plug…it was just a hex screw. I always took it out…especially before a plane ride…somebody must have told me about it. The location of the ding on the bottom probably came about from a similar situation that put one in the deck of mine: rocks, no leash. People actually used to fall off boards once in a while back then and then have to swim after them. The repair Keith described sounds like the one the factory recommended back then. Certainly there are better repair materials now.
I don’t recall a standard Waveset fin though…seems like mine was solid fiberglass. I have a couple of photos somewhere but God knows where they’ll see the light of day again.
Nels
I think that my fin was wider. It has been 34 years since I last saw it.
Looks like the Oneils template in waveset. I remember Jack asking me how i liked it.
Hey Keith, WHAT size is the board? it looks like the John Bradbury model or the Yater , if you give me the size I have the old ads that give all the models. I was working for Yater when all the plugs were being done. Brewer came over to Yaters and shaped 3 or 4 models.thats a story.Also call Ventura Surf shop and ask for Blinky ( Bill Hubina) he might have a fin for it. I have good shots of Mike Purpus and Rabbit ripping Sunset on the Bradbury model.
KP - it’s 6’5" x 14 x 20.5" x 14"… can’t measure the thickness cuz LeeV borrowed my calipers this morning. Ya, the repro fin on Ebay is a molded one, I’d really like to find a glass one if possible - Balsa sent me an ad from back in the day where they (Morey/Pope) said it came with a glass fin.
I did find a source for nomex honeycomb, though, so maybe I can fix it it with the right core material.
They don’t feel like Brewer rails to me, but anything’s possible.