Hey how’s it goin. My name’s Nate, I’ve never posted here, but have thoroughly enjoyed browsing the pletheroa of fantastic surf talk! I’m in San Diego, looking for some info about a board that I’ll be attaining… So I stopped by my old professor’s studio and found him clearing out a big storage space below his printing press… We were chatting for a bit when the conversation drifted towards waves and surfing, which led him to point out the golden nugget on his back wall. A beautiful, weathered old 9’ something board with a G&S + Frye laminant–he claimed it was an orginal Skip Frye and asked if I ever wanted to borrow it. I was totatlly stoked, said YES, and went for sunset session out at the cliffs… rode beaufiful, amaaazzzing trim–probably should have had it repaired before, but whatever…
The old professor, kind of wants to get rid of it… He’s had it for a while but doesn’t surf anymore and is ready to move on. So I’m looking for more information about this board… Out at the cliffs, I had a quick chat with a local guy about it, and he gave me a basic rundown… So apparently the Frye laminant was put on probably a decade or two after the shape, you can kind of tell, the skip laminate is a slightly different color than the G&S… it may have been shaped by Skip, but maybe not. It definetly has a Skip form to it, the rails are suuper knifey, and has virtually no rocker… Also the fin has been replaced, not sure when that happened but you can see where they marked it and cut it out then glassed in a new one in. It’s in fair shape, but salvagable and rides amazing. I was planning on stopping by birds tomorrow to show it to him and then maybe look in to gettting it repaired/restored. There aren’t any measurements on the board or a name, but the length is 9’ 10" and about 22.5" where the laminant is. All that’s written is: NO. 84 9954 KELLERS SURF SHOP (It’s kind of hard to tell if the third number in the 9954 is a 5 or 6, but it looks closest to a 5). I attached some photos. Any help on this would be very much appreciated! I’m also looking for what would be a fair price pay my professor… I might end up trying to work out some sort of labor/artwork trade with him, but it would be good to know what range we’re working with. Thanks!
Keller’s Surf Shop was in Lavalette, New Jersey. So, it seems that board may have gone to the East Coast and then somehow made its way back West. You did not say where you are, but I’m guessing somwhere in SD County?
Your photos tell me this.
That is the original fin. The way it is routed in to the board would indicate it is a very early Frye. Rough guess would be about 1967, and no later. I don’t know why you think the fin was replaced. That’s how G and S did their glass on fins during those years.
There is no indication that the Frye lam was added later on.
The entire board looks 100% original to my eyes and if you are going to buy it you should pay at least $600. If it had less damage it could easily fetch $800-1000 from the right buyer.
Yes, I am in San Diego, live in the downtown area… What the guy in the water was saying, was that G&S didn’t allow their shapers to put there names on their boards back in the 60’s and that the first boards Skip did when he was on his own, had hand drawn wings on them. He also was saying that fin was replaced because it would have been what we call a ‘D’ fin. I don’t know how credible the guys information was… Either way, it’s a really fun board, I’d be stoked to give him $600 and then get it fixed it up.
I have a board just like that haniging in my surf shop. Complete with the “Keller’s Surf Shop” inscription. I worked for Charlie Keller when the board was made and went to work for G&S shortly after. According to the serial #, and a cursory check on some old invoice copies, your board was built circa June of '67.
On the fin: What Sammy A said.
I had a board like that and took it to Puerto Rico. A 9’!0, that I sold to my friend down there. He later moved to San Diego. Can you tell if the board ever had Slipcheck on the nose and tail?
May I suggest that the fin might have been re-shaped? It could very well have been a D-fin, in the beginning, judging by how the base extents rearward.
I don’t think anyone was using “D” fins by 1967. And I know for a fact that’s when this board was made.
And I don’t remember them being called “D” fins back then. That’s a fairly recent term I’m pretty sure. Any other old timers, Bill T., Sammy A, remember that term back in the sixties?
I remember them being called skegs. Tom Morey Skeg Works for example.
Sammy A, you have some old price lists don’t you? What did they say? Choice of skeg? Choice of fin?
I think the term fin started to be used about the time that they started cutting them away and foiling them more.
Well, I know how credible the guy was. Not at all! Does he work at a surf shop? Sounds like he might.
While shapers did not sign boards back then, there were plenty of “name” models by 1967. Midget Farrelly had his own G and S shape, as did Hynson…both before the Frye model came along. Frye might have done hand drawn wings on his own boards that weren’t from G and S, but rest assured that the board in your photos is original and legit. As far as a “D” fin goes…this guy must be relatively young. He seems to know nothing about 60s boards. Go ahead and take it to Huffman. He will tell you the same things that I and BalsaBill have said. He might even try to buy it from you.
Another thing. It looks like there’s open dings in the rail near the tail. Don’t put that board in the water until they’re fixed. It’s the right thing to do.
Barn door, or D fins were long gone by 67. And they were called fins or skegs. The newer, narrow style was called a “speed skeg” or fin to differentiate from the older style.
Morey’s original fin company was TRAF fins (FART, spelled backwards)
I just looked at G and S price lists from 1960 and 1962. Both list “laminated wood fins” as an extra. @ $5.00 …with bead $3 more.
Okay, so I had a chance to talk to a few different people about this board. The first conversation seems to have contained mostly misinformation… It’s definetly an orginal Skip board and original fin. I stopped by Birds this morning and showed it to him. He was stoked on it, but said it definetly needs some work, and not to surf it as it is (oh well…) The skeg is badly warped and had some nasty stress fracturing, plus there are quite a few open dings. Bird said that these early boards were fairly rudimentary in terms of Skip shapes. They were sort of practice on his way towards (what he sees) as the really really great boards, which he had a few up around the shack… Bird asked if I wanted to leave it at the shack and so he could call Skip down to have him look at. I ended up taking it with me, but Bird suggested I stop by Skip’s to ask him about it. A short drive down the street to the legend’s shape room… but he wasn’t there! So I continued on to Joe Ropers where I got a rough estimate for a restoration (Joe was out of town, but would be back Monday and I’ll talk to him then). Then finally my last stop at my professor’s studio again. For one, he is the original owner! He got it in 1964 from Charlie Keller in Lafayette, New Jersey. He said he used to hang out in the shop and listen to Charlie talk about the surf in California! Him and some friends eventually rigged their cars for a cross country journey that brought the board out here where it has remained. We also worked out a deal–I’m gonna build some stuff for him, help him with reorganizing his studio and perhaps building some walls, in exchange for the board! Super stoked!! I’ll be getting it restored this next week and I’m hoping the legacy of this board will continue for many more years! The professor’s name is William Kelly, goes by Bill Kelly. Maybe BalsaBill and Bill Kelly crossed paths at some point? Wouldn’t that be a trip! I’ll post some pictures when it’s back from Joe. And I really hop I can get a chance to talk to Skip about it… Thanks for all the help!
Serial # 9954 9’10 Frye Model. Hand written Invoice #00237 5-29-67 to Keller’s Surf Shop. The invoice has the 5002 Santa Fe St address. The wholesale price was $128.
Total of 9 boards in the shipment. Mostly Fryes and Midgets. Also a 10’2 with three redwood stringers and a 9’8 with a 3/4" redwood and a “blue panel job.”
