I don’t know anything about -Hobie surfboards other than I heard about em since I was 9 or 10 catching waves on a inflatable surf mat. So your board has gotta be worth some good coin I would like to think!? But you might email Hobie surfboards and ask them about it.
That said, you’ll have to repair the fin, repair the dings etc… Lookin forward
to your pic!
Hump----------- Get some pics up and let see what she looks like. Cold up there?? Freezin’ down here in OR. There are a few of these around. Depends on condition. $1000–$2000 max… I’ve got one of the ones he did in the 90’s. Still ride it once in awhile. Lowel
Lowel - I’m going WOW @ price! But I believe it as certain – BIG NAME oldies can be worth a LOT of &! Now -Hump just needs to repair it and cash in! he SCORED!
Since those all had glass-on fins, there must be some major damage on it. When it comes to old boards the three most important things are: condition, condition and condition. For the board to be worth even $1000 the rest would have to be near mint, due to the busted/missing fin.
I don’t know where you got the year as 1962, but the Edwards model didn’t exist until 1964 at the very earliest. Maybe '65
Several years back it would have likely had a better chance on the collectable market. Prices on most old boards have dropped considerably since 2K rolled over.
I ran a check for eBay ‘Completed’ listings and found 2 recent auctions - one at 600.00 that received no bids and one that sold for 710.00. They were both reissues (90s) but I agree with Sammy that even an old one wouldn’t be worth a whole lot with substantial damage like a missing fin.
Love it or hate it, eBay is a fairly good way to check what is being paid for items in the real world.
Agree with Sammy and John about condition for the more “serious” collectors. A 60’s period Edwards will always sell, period, but probably more in the five to six hundred range if really rough. Maybe add a couple of hundred to that if intact, solid, but well-weathered. Cleaner examples will claim more.
If you are thinking of repairing it, my advice is to do it right. Carefully blend in your repairs using the correct materials (lots of stuff on this in the archives) and give special thought to the fin. I believe most of the early ones were walnut - some reverse - and just slapping any old D-fin on there won’t do unless you just want to ride it (which is also cool - your board). Juan Rodriguez is the guy I have always gone to for vintage wood replacements. Obviously Jim knows his stuff and builds beautiful fins. Plenty of talented fin makers, just make sure that they know exactly what you are asking for/they are building.
And do take it out a couple of times before selling it. Sixties Phils are a really different animal than most older logs I’ve ridden.
Do you also agree that 1962 is incorrect? No one had signature models in '62, as I recall. I think the Edwards was the first ever, and came along after he won the first Surfer Poll in ‘64. I just remembered, I have a copy of Edwards’ book. I can verify via that, no doubt.
Thanks very much for your input. Much appreciated.
It’s not my board and the info re: Phil Edwards model is from the owner. I have seen the board but that was a few years ago so can’t recall if there was much damage around the fin or anything.
A Phil Edwards Model is not just any old board. I assumed if I threw out a dollar$$ value that I would be ridiculed by the resident experts. And it is debatable about the date as Phil made that design of board even before Hobie christened it “The Phil Edwards Model” and ran adds in Surfer Mag. Even with the “Market” down a Phil Edwards with the fin intact and in fair to decent shape is still worth $1000 to anyone who knows there value and rarity. You rarely see them for sale these days as most are already in private collections and are not going anywhere except the wall or the beach. Get your magazines out . You’ve probably been going thru 'em all night . A magazine in one hand and your privates in the other lol…
Not going to get into a pissing contest, but are you feeling a little touchy today?
It doesn’t seem like our prices are that off. I believe I said five to six for real beater, seven to eight (I suck at math, but I think I got the plus two hundred right) for all original and rough, and up from there with something like “cleaner examples will claim more…” This one doesn’t have a fin, so I don’t think we can talk about a grand here unless someone is dying for one and can’t find one locally. That happens - I see it here in France all the time. Or check out the difference between East Coast and West Coast prices. Shoot, there are a bunch of variables.
Not sure about the date for the first boards with the “Phil Edwards Model” laminate. I’m assuming you can find boards by Phil that are pretty much identical before the “model” was officialized. You’re definitely right on that point. What’s the big deal as long as we are collectively figuring it out? If this one has the laminate, getting the date right is a nice historical detail and helps the owner figure out what he has and what its worth. If it doesn’t have the laminate, its still a nice, historical detail that does the same. Sorry my internet friend, but details are important - I mostly research 19th century California history and culture for a living and getting the details right is the difference (to me… to each their own) between understanding the insanely interesting stuff that actually went down and falling into the politically correct, streamlined nonsense bs that is spouted in most courses. I like history.
I also dig old boards. So much so that I like knowing their history, surfing them, and several of my friends are in the same boat. Enough so that I have a fairly good idea of what many of them go for. Haven’t broken out an old mag in a long while. Did read a current on a couple of months ago on a train, though, to be perfectly honest. Kind of interesting, though not really related to what/where/why I surf.
Anyway, a Phil Edwards Model is definitely not just any old board. That’s maybe why its worth taking the time on this one. Making sure he gets the right fin, that the repairs aren’t done with a bunch of cabosil and white pigment like a bunch of shops still do on old boards. That it gets back in the water and gets surfed.
Looks like I have to go back to my policy of ignoring certain types. Always with the oblique insults. Always grinding the same dull, rusty axe.
Gonna do my best to keep this one out of the sin bin, instead of stooping to low levels and wallowing with a gutter dweller.
Jeffrey, you were not the object of that BS. Believe me.
I also agree that details are important where certain things are involved. Which is why I always try to get my facts straight and details sorted before I chime in. As the OP said,it is a Hobie “Phil” with a clear serial # of 269. That should make it from the first year of production as it was a popular model right from the start and I wouldn’t doubt they sold hundreds in the first year. Whatever Edwards shaped or built or signed prior to this board is irrelevant. This is a Hobie, #269.
Damn shame about the fin. Must have been traumatized severely. Fins did not break so easily back then. Looking forward to photos.
As I said earlier, I have a copy of Edwards’ autobiography. You Should Have Been Here An Hour Ago.
Judging by the timeline in the book, he entered into a business agreement with Hobie to do the Edwards model around the end of 1963, just prior to leaving for Hawaii for that Winter season. So, while there may have been a few Edwards models built in the waning days of 1963, the board was not widely known or advertised until 1964. Given the low number of 269, I think it’s a safe bet the board is from '64.
Sammy, thanks for looking that up, great info as usual. What a great book - the only time I was tempted to steal a library book was when I read a copy as a college kid that hadn’t been checked out in about 20 years before me. The librarian said that 1) no I couldn’t buy it directly, and 2) it would probably end up in the trash since virtually no one checked it out. Being able to get close to the production date is also cool.
Mattwho, ash… geez, now you have me wondering and thinking you’re right. I’ll see what I can find out of curiosity.
And Hump, the finbox can be removed and new wood/foam installed, some of which will be hidden by the new glass-on. A shop would charge a lot (no idea about such rates where you live) but if you have some experience, its not that hard. Just go slowly - most mistakes on repairs are caused by rushing - think it through, and ask for help here if you’d like. Check out some vintage restoration links to get inspiration of what can be done. Lots of ways to tan the foam before glassing to have it blend more, for example, that look more natural than airbrushing it. This latter can look good if you’re good… which I’m not!
Had some time before going to work, so just a confirmation of ash for the standard wood fin. Greg Noll’s site also mentions a blue fiberglass fin, and on a '64 on the USVSA site there is a '64 that appears to have a blue and white fiberglass fin… unfortunately with no profile shot.
There is also a Phil Edwards board listed as a '63 with serial number 103 with this quote: “Numbered at #103, this awesome and significant board is the earliest number we know of. We suspect numbering may have started at 100, making this the 4th one made.” (http://www.usvsa.com/Auction/APViewItem.asp?ID=304) If that’s right, we could be looking at late '63 or early '64.
If needed, I can get you a paper template and good photos of an original ash reverse D-fin from a '64 that a buddy has. That should help if you want to ask one of the wood fin guys here (Warrior 1515 maybe?) to make a replica. Or like I suggested, Juan Rodriguez does great historical work. Not cheap, but beautiful.
he SCORED!