I stumbled across this forum while researching a potential project. I appreciate the wealth of information about restoration technique, strategy, and most of all the historical context & useful opinions about this particular board. I’ve done a bit of reading, and, while acknowledging I’m in way over my head, I’ve decided to try to bring a board that was left for dead back to life.
The board is a Morey-Pope Sopwith Camel (CA 1969). I haven’t taken a tape measure to it yet, but it’s roughly 6’7” in length. If I hadn’t driven an hour to pick it up I probably would have passed on it once I saw it in person. I figured it was hard to go wrong for $50…under the assumption it needed lots of shoddy repairs corrected and that it hadn’t been broken (it had been broken). From what I’ve read, these were mass-produced boards in their heyday. If it were something more rare/valuable, or even in somewhat decent condition I’d probably leave it to a pro to restore. Since this board is far from original and was essentially left for dead, I figure it’s worth a shot trying to put it back together so I can ride it. I’ve sold a few boards in the last year and am down to just my fish & my log, so something like this could be a fun addition. I live in Florida and a board like this is well suited to my local break.
Would it be easier and cheaper to just go and buy a used single-fin? Yes. Do I think I’ll spend more on materials than this board is worth? Likely…I’m guessing I need $150 on cloth, resin, and a finbox? Will I spend twice the amount of time I expect on this project? Absolutely, my eyes are wide open. I’ve done my own glass repairs, but nothing close to this.
Current Condition:
The board was broken about a foot from the nose and the nose was re-glassed with something way too rough to be surfboard cloth…it looks more like paper mache. These boards didn’t have a stringer, so breakage was common. The nose deck that was repaired is a bit wavy. I hope it’s from too much resin…not a bigger issue with the underlying foam. Based on the look of the glass around the rails, I suspect the entire deck may have delaminated either when it broke, or at some other point. It looks like someone added glass along the upper edge of the rails at some point.
The board had been painted and was likely a piece of outdoor yard-art, because the tail was leaking and there’s about an inch of discolored (black) foam at the tail.
It looked like the fin had been glassed-in. Upon closer inspection, it appears the fin box is missing (?) and somebody poured a few quarts of fiberglass resin into the fin box to set fin in place (crooked). That explains why the board was so heavy. I started to chisel the resin out, but the shards were flying everywhere…not something I’d want to step on.
Anyhow, I’ve developed a tentative plan on what/how to (hopefully) bring this thing back to life. I plan to first sand the paint from the nose and examine the nose repair. I just pray that the foam on the nose deck is original to the board and can be reattached. If they used something other than the original blank (definitely a possibility from the looks of the handiwork), I’ve probably hit a dead end.
Assuming I can reattach the nose, I figure it’s probably best to completely re-glass the board. Due to the look of the current glass and amount of repairs, I think that’s the only way it’ll ever ride halfway decent.
I’m thinking of using a 7.5oz + 4 oz cloth on the deck and 7.5oz on the bottom. I’m wondering if I use a darker resin tint if it will do a decent enough job of hiding the nose repair & discolored foam. I’d rather not paint the board, but I suppose it’s still an option if the foam is too discolored and the nose repair is too noticeable. Too much ugly isn’t a good thing.
As far as originality goes, the board number is still visible and intact by the fin, so I’ll try to preserve it and incorporate it in the repair. Due to the yellowing etc, I’m not sure it’s worth trying to incorporate the original deck logo into the new glass. It might look OK if I add pinstriping around it…but I probably need to walk before I run. I’d prefer to focus on the structure before cosmetics. I like the newer style Morey-Pope logo much better, so I may just find a way to add that instead. I’m debating finding a local shaper to take a look before I try to glass it myself…it may be the better route, but I suspect it may be cost prohibitive.
Any advice you have to share is appreciated. I’ll add more pictures as I make progress.
