Trying to date and link shaper to G&S single fin.....

Hi there,

I’m new to the forum and have a question. I have this old school 8.0 G&S single fin that I’ve riding recently in SD and having lots of fun. The serial number is 4626 8.0.

Pics are attached; any help from those in the know would be cool.

best

Aaron

Quote:

Hi there,

I’m new to the forum and have a question. I have this old school 8.0 G&S single fin that I’ve riding recently in SD and having lots of fun. The serial number is 4626 8.0.

Pics are attached; any help from those in the know would be cool.

best

Aaron

It looks like a late seventies version. Maybe Terry Goldsmith or Larry Mablie

Steve Seebold shaped for them at that time I think.

The outline shape is a Magic. Made first in 1968 (fall) and many different versions over the years.

Serial #'s at G&S meant almost nothing. At least when I worked there. One of my jobs was to order the production cards from Palm Priniting in PB and the cards were sequentially numbered with often a random start # with each new order. I remember at least once when a group of cards all had the same #.

From the decal and finbox I can tell you that it’s not a real early one.

We did make a version called the Magic Ryder in 1970 that was a narrower (20-21") and featured in the “Narrow Boards and Glass Fins” ad. The other models at that time were the “Gypsy Rider” (19-20") and the “Easy Ryder” (18")

If it’s 8’0 it would be long for an earlier version and maybe not so for a later version

From the fin I’d say '73-'76 just a wild guess though. I believe the fin is original.

The bottom contour and rail shape may have some better clues as to the age. The lack of a leash cup or loop would point to a time when leashes were put on with suction cups or when a lot of surfers didn’t use them.

Sometimes shapers would initial boards or write little messages on the stringer for a personal or a team board.

In the early seventies some shapers would get a better reputation from a certain shop and we’d get one shop to say, “I only want Paul Bordieri to shape our boards” or “We only want John Holly shapes around here”. Same with Seebold and some of the others. Larry put a stop to this and said no names or initials on the boards. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the guy getting notoriety, he just didn’t want the dealers controlling production. If we got a twenty board order he wanted to spread out the shaping and get the things done.

I guess that’s the one ad you’re talking about, Bill:

BalsaBill,

When G&S made windsurfers someone would sign them with a star. The boards with the star were always sweet! Any idea who or what was behind the star?

I believe the originator of the “Magic” model was Dennis Benadum, who later had a small factory in Carpenteria, in conjunction with Frank Otis, where they made some of the first modern “swallowtail” boards I ever saw. Age-related brain-fade leaves me lacking the Logo-name of their boards, but both guys were excellent craftsmen and I recall some great design discussions with them and George Greenough.

It was Sundance surfboards , man those were some GOOD boards, Dennis was a great shaper, I think he worked out at the Channel Islands for years as a hunting guide or somthin. His boards were way ahead of there time. I had 2 nice pintails a 7’6’’ and a 6’10’’ that was my girlfriends .

Yes, it was Dennis Benadum who designed, shaped and rode the first Magic. As I remember, in the summer of '68 he made the board for a trip to Mexico.

Nat Young had come through California about that time and then on to the East Coast and he was riding a roundtail. I don’t know if that’s where Dennis got the idea or not but it was one of the first roundtails that I remember.

Dennis was one of the original soul surfer/shapers. In the fall of '68 he moved to Santa Barbara and I remember running into him up there and going surfing with him.

Yes, the board in the ad above is the Magic Ryder which was the narrower version. circa late 1969

When I ended my 5 years at Jim Phillips’ Magnolia St. factory in 1985, Jim offered me to take a few things that I might

use down the road. He gave me a spoke-shave (that he swears is the best one he ever had, I gotta give it back someday),

and I made copies of a very few of his templates, one was a small uni-curve that I’ve used a thousand or two times for all

sorts of tight curves, and the one other I HAD to have was a version of the Magic. Keen observers might be able to pick up

on where I used the nose section a dozen yeears later to create the best-selling model WRV has ever had.

It certainly resembles a Magic in the outline.

The fact that it has no built-in leash attachment would date it as early 70s, IMO.

(Edit)

On second thought, it has a fuller outline than an early Magic. Looks like the boards

they were doing when guys like Staples were featured as team riders. That would be

around '72-73, or so.

Here’s a photo of a '69 Magic. It most closely resembles a Weber Ski, which was a Nat Young design. During the Summer of '69, the majority of boards I saw at local spots were either Magics or Skis. Both were very popular shapes at the time.

What the hell is up? I included a photo that’s posted to tinypic.com. Where is it?

I am also having the same problem that others mentioned, as to viewing photos linked from other sites.

FOURTH try on this goddam picture…

Fifth try… did an attachment.

Why aren’t linked photos working?

Based on the following:

Decal, finbox, fin, no leash plug, spruce stringer, I’d have to agree with '72-'73.

At 8’ though it would be an anomoly. Not a lot of 8 footers going through in that time period. Also most boards going through production at that time were swallow tails if I remember correctly. I would always be riding whatever we were pushing and I rememer in Sept of '72 flying to Hawaii with my 6’6 swallow tail.

A group of teamriders lead by Seebold and Staples were big on wider boards and were more likely to ride a roundtail even though Larry was pushing swallow tails. The size though. Not real common in the time period. Definately not a team board. It wouldn be unreasonable the think that someone would come in and order an 8’ “Magic” even though it wasn’t in the “catalogue”. And of course one of the shapers would pull out an old template and make it. The full outline would be due to the size and maybe the customers request for a fuller board too.

It’s definately not a Magic Ryder.

Sammy I had that exact board 7’6’’ and also had the middle board in the ad , the gypsy , both really good boards, 69 I think, I got them at Val surf, next board after the gypsy was my first custom Liddle.

I used to deliver the boards for G&S to Val Surf. I’d stop at George’s in Huntington and then up to the Valley

I’d stay at Mark’s and we’d get up early and surf Malibu. Then back to San Diego.

What year did Hoy from Rusty’s start shaping over at G&S it was around that time.

I bet maybe Bob over at Diamond might know…

Just a thought

I can’t remember when he started there but Hoy shaped a series of roundtails for me around the mid 70’s. They were similar to Skip’s egg outline.

A 7’0, 7’6 and an 8’0 I believe.

I’d moved to the East Coast in '73 needed an addition to my quiver which included a 6’8 Frye Egg and a 6’6 Swallowtail that had actually been Larry’s personal board.

Hoy had a reputation for being able to shape boards for “older guys” (I was approaching 30) and I needed some more float and glide for the Cocoa Beach surf.

Wish I still had those boards. Classic.

PutPIN—Thanx for refreshing my memory–Both Dennis and Frank worked for me briefly at Thought when I needed to ramp up production after we acquired some East Coast dealers.

I have a G&S Magic model board like the one SammyA posted a picture of.   Randy Rarick took a look at it and confirmed it's authenticity.  It does not have a fin, but I can get one to fit it's finbox.  I will like to sell it, any offers?

Without clear, comprehensive photos of your board, no one can take even a wild guess about its worth.