Hello all,
I picked up a 1968 Surfboards Hawaii Stylist II. The board has an orange resin tint. It’s not as sun burnt as it looks in the pics. The board had several large gouges in the bottom so I filled them in with micro fiber fill. The dings are all filled and now I’m wondering, do I paint the bottom and rails and then gloss? Or should I just gloss it? Or should I take it to a glass shop and spend whatever it takes to do a pro restoration? Or maybe I should just sand it and call it a day. PLEASE don’t comment if you are going to say using microfill was a bad idea or I did something wrong, let’s focus on what to do next here and not cry over spilt milk. Any input is greatly appreciated. THANKS! see pics
Do you plan on surfing it, or displaying it? If surfing it I would just make sure everything was sealed up good, and go at it.
thanks for the reply. I originally got this board because it looks like a fun rider. I’m just not sure exactly how rare and how collectible this board is in this condition. If it is very valuable, I prob won’t ride it.
You may get answers all over the map but here’s my two cents worth.
Don’t paint it. As in, please do not paint it. Makes it a real pain for someone later down the road. That could be you…
You already did some ding filling in an atypical manner for such a board. At this point, just make sure it’s water tight and surf it and enjoy.
If, at some point, you really want to clean it up “properly”, then post a few questions about how to to go about doing so, including removing or hiding the q-cell repairs. Lots of collective experience here to help you out with that when you’re ready.
But, don’t get impatient or try a half-ased cover up at this point.
Cheers,
Jeffrey I think you may have nailed it. Thanks for the thoughtful respons. The one looming question on my mind remains though. How much money would this board be worth if restored properly? If it is more than I have to invest in it, than I’ll just make it a rider. I already spent $180 on the board plus $70 for the bahne fin plus about $40 on resin, cloth, filler, etc. I just don’t know how much room I have to justify spending the time and money to do a pro restoration.
Well, again, depending on time and place, you’ll get all kinds of answers.
If you dig on riding old boards, which I do, then I’d say you made a heck of a deal thus far. Ride it and see how you like it, and then take it from there.
If you need or want to sell the board to make some money, then it becomes a calculation of cost to return. A pro re-tint and gloss will usually add more cost than you’ll get out of an “average” old board, as in why spend a total of seven hundred hoping to sell it for seven fifty… On the other hand, if you decide you love it, and want to bring it back to a carefully cleaned-up appearance, then you’re only looking at time and about fifty bucks in resin and consumables, depending on how you’re already equiped. Again lots of good advice to be had here for that. Turn it into a project thread and a lot of people will be stoked.
But surf it first!
Personally, I’m of the school that says a clean but minimalist approach is better. Unless a board is just so beat that there is no other way to do it (and that’s not your case), you don’t want to hide its history. Tint your repairs, homoginize the finish or regloss and repolish if you like, and enjoy it for what it is - a neat old board.
Stoked for you, looks like a rider.
Thanks man! I’ll ride and it and start a new restoration thread if I decide I must invest the time to restore this thing. I think you successfully answered all my questions. cheers!
