I’ve got a friend who’s in a bind for some cash and I’ve offered to loan against this board. The idea is that he will buy it back later but as we know how these things can go so want to know a realistic current value…
So it’s around about a 1968, Im told and was a team riders board who took it to Skip in the early/mid 80’s for an over-haul; stripped it down to PU, built back up to mint condition. I did some searches on here a few weeks ago and came across the persistant need for serial numbers to determine it’s history. Unfortunately I’ve looked tip to tail and no indication that any numbers were present.
With out this info I figure I’d have to buy this with view of having a great board, taking out on a good swell and just enjoying the ride, rather than buying as a vintage/collectible? Any comment and/or value guidance appreciated
The board looks great. The shape is very late 1968, or early 1969, to my eye. The round tail is the give away. What are the dimensions? I hope others give you some points, so that you can post some additional information.
I know you said it was a friend, but regardless of how much you lend him, I would want a time frame on the pay back time. Beautiful board, I’m curious on dimensions also. Point given.
I didn’t know that skip would re -do older Boards. For a better reply to your question I would get in touch with Bird at Birds Surf Shed in San Diego. He is good friends with Skip and in own as the go to guy on San Diego made surfboards.
…in my opinion, that board was not made in the 60s. That wood is not used in that time, the foam looks tigther and have a full color airbrush instead of full resin color.
Most possible is that Frye shaped a new board with the same template then the crew glassed it.
Believe me when I tell you, that was a normal stringer for ‘‘shorter’’ boards, from 68/69 onward. Both Redwood and Spruce were used. Very common in that transitional time period. I must have shaped a thousand of them.
The fact it was stripped and reglassed by Frye puts it a notch above most boards that get that treatment. The color job is certainly not period correct for 1968, and so I’m having trouble seeing what it might have looked like when new. The shape itself looks nothing like any other 1968 board I have ever seen. I am highly skeptical it’s a '68. What’s the length?
And, don’t fret about a serial number. In the case of G and S they mean nothing.
As early as 1966, there were boards having color sprayed on the foam, prior to glassing. (@ Surfboards Hawaii) I had John Bredin spray a Gun for me in 1967.
I have a '68 Gordon & Smith Hot Curl, which was supposedly progressive for the time. And that’s a 9’0". Even a Google image search for '68’s didn’t come up with anything close to that board. But it sure is a beautiful board.
