I recently picked up this board. It is a single fin with a fin box, no leash plug, and very little rocker. It needs some repairs, but really isn’t in that bad of shape. It has never had a single repair (though it should have). I intend to repair the dings and ride it when I get some time. Does anyone have an estimate of how old it is, or any other info? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Bill and Peter (Pinliner) are spot on. I looked at the Volan cut lap and thought… ah gotta be '69, right before Bahne went with their Red-White-Blue campaign and the 3 ring circle logo. All the fins we got that year from Bahne for the opening of our new Bahne dealership in Go Go Goleta were Red-White-Blue…
It was a smart thing to do too. People would see those fins and instantly know it was another Bahne! More importantly, we had the Hynson downrailers with revolutionary “Natural Rocker”. Every single time I paddled out somewhere, people would look at the full length downrailer and say “doesn’t it dig rails”?
Ha!
Yup. It is why I asked for the pic. Given the outline of the board, I knew it was a transition era shape. Bahne was also Fins Unlimited, and they went through some pretty quick changes in their fin system design in that period. The box in that board is the “Vari-set” by FU. It was essentially the third iteration of the FU system. Short lived and closely replaced by the boxes still used today.
I’d say around 1970. Knee deck patches and volan cloth didn’t last very much longer if I remember well.
How about a pic of the fin box? Given the few pics you’ve provided, I’d say Balsa is about right. 1970-71 is most probable.
1970/1971
Thanks for the info! My guess was early 70s, but I really had no idea. Attached is a pic of the fin/box.
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Thanks for the info! My guess was early 70s, but I really had no idea. Attached is a pic of the fin/box.
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After seeing the fin box, I believe early 1969 is the correct year.
Bill is right early 69 ,by the end of the year we were full on into the Hynson down railers we had a really good crew at Bahne then I think Michaels boards were a quantum leap in surf board design Bill Bahne is a friend and mentor till this day. Beautiful fast functional true American hot rods
wow, thanks! i’m looking forward to getting this board into shape and taking it out.
given the pretty narrow window (early 1969), do you have any idea who might have shaped it?
the craftsmanship on this board is outstanding, and despite its years and mistreatment, its quality is obvious. unfortunately it wasn’t well taken care of. it was clearly put into the water with open dings, resulting in discoloration. someone also drilled the fin to attach a leash, which stressed the fin box, resulting in cracks and water intrusion. this board appears to have sat somewhere for decades, collecting dust and drying out. at least it isn’t covered in half-assed repairs. with a little bit of effort, this board will ride like new.
Bill Bahne is a surfing icon and legend, and those are the facts. One time after the Clark Foam shutdown Bill and the ghetto were cruising in his chevy laden with cigarette smoke, when I commented on the genius of his fin box, and how its endured for so long. He then told me: " "Its not genius, its surfers are cheap and everyone has a fin floating around somewhere, so they want a system that fits the old fin.’ Bill’s that kind of guy understated, and down to earth all the time. I dig that guy, my friend and hero.
Bill is an engineer. The pin and bind system for the Fins Unlimited fin box was simple, and effective.
Although Hynson, Steve Moret , and Hovde did Bahne’s shaping, actually Bill was a good shaper in his own right. We got a few really bitchen snubbies shaped by him when Joe Mickey and I had the Bahne Shop in Goleta, and the boards worked really well.
Wayne’s glassing, Peter’s pinlining and artwork, Grub’s polishes rounded out some of the highest quality surfboards of that era. No wonder we sold a sh-tload of them!
Dead you just brought up Steve Moret, I always liked his boards. His boards showed attention to detail and were showed the hand of an excellent craftsmen.
I was wondering if any of you know what happened to Steve?
Last time I saw Steve was several years ago he was back living on his property on the cliff above rincon and restoring old Porches that he sells to Jerry Seinfield. I rode way more of Steve’s boards then Hynsons one because Mike was out of town a lot and two Steve had Mikes shapes down so well it was spooky. I really loved Steve’s boards that was when a ghost shaper was a SHAPER and not a groove smoother. Steve gave me his notebook where he kept all the dims of the kustoms he did I fill Pages:)
Steve and I hung together non stop in '68, at that time Bill had him running the profile machine, routing fin boxes, drawing outlines, it was the summer of the Crystal Ship, I was doing 30 a week, Hovde on Channin / Diffenderfer’s and Bahne’s, with Bill taking over the room at the end of the month to pay his Buick Electra payment.
Grub and I were living on the 2nd floor, I filled a plastic board sleeve with foam dust for a mattress, Wayne a sqeegee master with his '55 Chevy, now there’s a time in history that I wouldn’t trade for anything
Peter was doing those insane little R-W-B triple pins during the Red White & Blue campaign. The triple concentric circled Bahne logo was RWB, the fins had a primary of blue with white and red. Marvelous sh-t.
We had a kid whose uncle owned “Anderson’s Split Pea Soup” in Buellton. He made a deal with his uncle that on his world travel surf trip, that he would have artwork showing “Hap Pea & Split Pea” doing their work of making the soup with the Anderson’s Split Pea Soup Trademark as advertising… IF his uncle would buy the board for him.
He got his wish, so we sent Bahne the order. Wayne matched the color of the pea soup to an opaque layup both sides and Peter did the artwork. The thing turned out really primo.
I still remember the “art piece” that was inadverdently created when Wayne had hung a resin bucket over a metal pole, then started pouring his leftover tints & pigmented resin onto that bucket. In nearly no time, that thing was a ball with fifty gazillion multi colored drippings that kicked off on it’s journey towards the ground. The pole was pretty tall, as I recall, and it wasn’t very long after that, that there were people wanting to buy it.
Nowdays, that thing would be in Soho or some gallery going for BIG money.
I wonder whatever happened to it?
Jim, and DS that’s pretty cool stuff. Bill’s the coolest; someone I admire as much as anyone; he can sound cynical, but that’s because he’s done it already, and in my opinion sees the big picture on how crappy this industry can be with all the over-inflated egos fighting for control. Its about time for another pilgrimage to the hill.
Hah! I remember doing that pea soup thing pretty complex as it was all resin/pigment probably got five bucks for doing it:) the resin monster in Wayne’s room got pretty huge as I remember must of weighed 500 lbs. All the time I worked for Billy Bahne I was only able to get him to shape me one board a 5’2" stubby Wayne did a reverse layup black opaque with yellow tint inlay bottom I did a six color rainbow pins around the lap. Loved that board rode it every where from Baja to the ranch one foot to pumping its on my list of best boards I ever had. It met its end at north jetty o side went down between some boulders and I had To wait for the tide to drop to retrieve it by then it was crushed beyond repair. Got a equalizer from bill a few years back when he did a run I’m sure the bitchin stringers are Jim’s work . rides pretty old timey so I need to be in the mood to ride it. Pretty spoiled from riding nothing but Bonzers from Malcolm and GH for the last twenty plus years
Peter , please keep posting , you have some GREAT stories !
I would love to have seen the 5'2 ...what year was THAT ? ..... ? 1969/ 70 , or so ??
any memory of the width , bottom , fin , rails , rocker per chance ? [would it be written in one of your books?]
say " Hi ! " to 'T.F.A.D. ' [ haha] 'Jp', too , from me , eh ?!
I wish you guys posting HERE more .... you do INTERESTING stuff !
cheers !
ben