Hello all. I’m new here. This is my first real post, but I’ve searched around here in the past many times.
A couple years ago I was lucky enough to find this board cheap via a local Craigslist ad. It was in rough shape, but I’ve had some work done to it and it’s now a real head turner as well as a blast to ride. I would like to know more about this board, especially when it was made. It was shaped by Steve Moret for Bahne. It’s a 6’5" single fin with a round pin tail and I guess what you’d call a stinger outline. The deck is airbushed, and the bottom and rails are a resin tint. The board was very light at first, but it has gained weight due to the restoration. I have always been tempted to say it’s a very late single fin, possibly from around '79 or '80, but most people I have talked to are convinced it’s more like '75-'77. It has a typical fin box and a very small leash plug that creates a hole that goes through the board into the fin box, if that helps with dating. If anyone knows more about Steve Moret’s tenure at Bahne, that might also help. I have found very little info on him on the web.
In '68 when I showed up on Bahne’s door step looking for work, Steve Moret was working there as a “fill in the missing person” slot. He ran the profile machine, drew outlines and cut them out, cleaned them up , Routed the shaped blanks for the first FU boxes that were pre lamination install. Wet sanded rails, swept up, hot coated, cut cloth. He eventually got a crack at using the planer to do customs and became one of north counties best shapers during that transition era from V bottoms to the stingers
Just wondering if anyone can comment as to which version of the Bahne logo came first? This one and several others like it are on Surfcrazy.com. There's none like mine there though.
Bill Bahne told me along time ago that version of the Bahne logo was done when they where rolling in $$$ making skateboards in the 70's. Bill said they hired the guy who did the Jack in the box logo. He said they paid him something like $5000 which was heck of a lot of cash for a logo back then.
Steve moret was one of the best shapers in The Encinitas area. He was often ask to jump ship by competition. That is why he was allow to put his logo on the Boards he shaped. The Steve Moret Logo was designed by one of The best airbrush artist working at the time. John Bredin. John may have also done the Airbrush on that Board. My guess would be that board is from around 1975.
Bahne was involed with Frank( can't recall his last name) and Bob Hurley in Cadillac Wheels for skateboards. They were The first modren soft wheel. Yeah They made a boat load of Money.
Thanks for the replies, folks. I guess Bahne is better known for their skateboards than their surfboards. Too bad becasue most of the Bahnes I have seen online look like really nice boards. I remember after I bought this board I dug up an old Surfing Magazine I happen to have from 1977. I was sure there was a Bahne ad in there, and there was, but it was for skateboards.
Does anyone have any clue where Mike Moret is now and if he still shapes?
Not really. They just went through a period when many board makers were pushing their skate products during a time of rapid growth in skating’s popularity. I can show you mags from the mid 70s where virtually all the big name board makers had full page, all color skateboard ads. Hobie, Weber, etc.
When I met him he had a business that did restoration and sold kits for vintage Porsches. I believe it was called Autos International. He would come in to Channin to get a personal board glassed every couple of years. Last time I saw him it was during the late 90’s.
Bahne built surfboards until their skateboard business skyrocketed. According to a story that Willy McLeary who worked there told me: During that time on the Hill, the building had 3 business there. Bahne/Fins Unlimited on the north end, MTB on the south end and Channin sandwiched in the middle of the two. MTB had gone out of business and Channin had expanded into that part of the building. Skateboard thing had really take off for Bahne and they need the space. So one day, all the Bahne surfboard workers got laid off and immediately got hired at Channin. Bahne surfboards would now be built along with the Channins. Channin got some of the best craftsmen of that era with that deal.
Evetuallly the skateboard thing would die for them. The focus of their business would be Fins and fin boxes. They have tried to get the skateboard thing going again a few times haven’t had much success. Occasionally they’ll have some surfboards built with the Bahne logo on them for themselves or for anybody requesting one.
Sammy, thanks for supplying Franks last name. Bob Hurley grow up in NJ and surfed Long Beach Island. He later moved out to Encinitas I first met Bob in NJ then later in Calif. I met Frank when he was living on La Mesa Ave in Leucadia. They were just getting the Cadillac Wheel business going.
I guess it makes sense that skateboards would be more profitable than surfboards. For one thing, kids all over the country can buy skateboards, while only people on the coast would buy surfboards.
I have always assumed that Bahne rhymed with brain, as well.
Thanks again for all the replies and info. Very interesting stuff. Hope I can remember it all. Keep it coming if you have any.
Yeap ryme with Brain or pronounced something like BayN
I do Not Know when Bahne first started making board My guess would be about 1964 or so. Bahne seemed to have a few irons in the fire. He started Fins Unlimited. The first successful fin box system For most of the 1970's they were pretty much the only game in town as far as fin box systems.
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