I bought this about 8 years ago, was wondering if anyone can shed some light on this particular G&S model. I did some online research but haven’t found any info on this particular model. It’s a single fin, that I guess is from the late 70’s. The only marking on it is the number 72385 on the deck toward the tail. I’ve included some pics. Thanks in advance.
1 It’s a “sting”, not a stinger.
2 More like mid 70s.
3 Not enough photos with detail to tell a whole lot about it.
Probably more mid-70s than late; and as balsabill (who worked for G&S) has said, the serial # is meaningless. If you look up some of the other G&S threads, or Bill's posts, you can get a lot of good history.
edit: should have known Sammy would pick this up too, haha. He's a good source for info also.
Thanks for the replies. I can put some more pictures up tomorrow. Some more details; the board is a single fin, it had an 8.5" single fin box, that I had to repair and put in a 10.5". I don’t have the original fin, so not sure what type of fin came in the board. I don’t think it saw much use, as there are only a few pressure dents on the deck, and two small dings i repaired. Would you guys ride a board like this, or avoid giving it to much wear and tear to prevent damaging it? I’ll try to get some exact dimensions and some more pics tomorrow. Thanks again.
The box and fin are of no use in dating that board. Once the standard FU box came along, it didn’t change a whole lot since its inception. It has been in continuous use since about 1972.
In my personal opinion, you have a rider on your hands. I have a 6’10" G and S stinger (sorry Sammy, but I grew up calling them stingers and can’t quite break the habit) from roughly the same time period and its great. In fact, a big part of my reinterest in riding singles came from a buddy’s 7’2" G and S stinger that I just loved when I got on it a few years ago. I’ve shaped several for myself in the 7’2" to 7’5" range and find them to be a great alternative option.
You’ll probably find it to be fast, hollow-friendly, and remarkably easy to cranck around once you’ve found your sweet spot.
I also know a rider or two who can’t stand them generally, but my G and S always comes back from a test ride with a big positive smile.
Jeffrey, that is exactly how I would have described it. It is fast and goes really well in hollow surf, not so good in small junky surf. Even though I’ve only surfed it a handful of times, I’ve found it to be a really fun board. The guy I bought it from, told me he never liked the way it surfed, and that why it was in such good shape because he only used a few times and then it sat in storage for years.