i’m planning to buy the board in the picture. its a 6’ South Coast, twin-fin, early '80s.
Shaped by Rick Holt
“okay look… i am selling boards not writting a book… but i will try to explain but I am not a pro shaper… without knowing you or your experience or what boards you can ride or what kind of physical shape you are in… all I can tell you is about board design… a keel fin fish or a “lis” fish has big fins. big fins equals longer turn radius. smaller fin = shorter turn radius. fat swallow tail makes board feel loose or slide when transitioning from rail to rail. round pin makes board pivot. thin, sharp railed, modern shortboard out preforms any fish but is harder to control and harder to get speed and maintain speed. shortboards have three fins and do not have the loose feel of a twin fin. they have a center fin that stabilizes board. twin fins do not have this center stabilizer so they are looser. if you take a center fin out of a short board it feels looser in turns. the thicker the board or rail the more forgiving in turns. less likely to dig a rail and fall. also more paddle speed.”
Rick Holt shaped in our area, and did those boards under his own label “Fine Foil” and contracted to South Coast Surfshop as well. He is roomates with another shaper, Topper, (who we work with), on the island of Kauai. Still makes killer shapes; he made Titus Kinimaka’s gun for the Eddie and got eighth place; Titus is probably about 50 years old and keeps charging strong! The boards were very popular from about 1978 to about 1984 or so. The board probably has Vee throughout its’ length increases slightly off the tail. Rick had the twin fin really wired so I am sure you won’t be disappointed. Wondering how a red-airbrushed board could be so old and still be in such great shape. The close ups look like the board has been re-gelcoated with a red resin coat, in which case performance may be lost; and who knows what kind of repairs would lie under the gelcoat… Still, the thing would look sick hanging on a wall or in a restaurant with the menu written on it…
Howzit PlusOneShaper, It must have been quite a while ago since Rick has been on Kauai for over 20 years now. He's still shaping a lot of boards ( glassed a few for him) and living in Wainiha with his girl friend. Those boards you are speaking of work really good and I have repaired 1 or 2 for guys that loved them. Never heard of Topper and don't think he's Rick's roommate. Been doing some art work for Rick and Titus that will be used for laminates. He no longer uses the Fine Foil name and just uses" Rick Holt Surfboards". He's also a great glasser. Aloha,Kokua