Just had a “vintage party” yesterday at the factory.
about a 100 boards mostly from the other side of the sea.
If anyone can give informations on some boards or shapes, fell freee to inform us 
Some came from far with tons of collectibles and beautyfull stuff…
My eyes still blink
It was a great event, sunny and warm day of october.
Well, in photo # 11, from the top, you have a Surf Systems ''Knee Machine'', one of only six we built in 1969!! Talk about rare! The original price was $100 dollars.
Yep. Spotted that one right away. Even though the logo is backwards in the pic, with it showing through from the deck. Figured you’d comment on it.
I also see a Harbour Spherical Revolver, a Weber Ski, a Greek Maui, and a Hobie GP Wedge. I had one of those GPs, and foolishly stripped and re-shaped it. In my defense, it was back when boards of that vintage were considered worthless…the board was beat to hell…and, it rode like shit, anyway.
In shot #6…what looks like an Inter-Island.
In the shot where the guy is stepping between boards… a pretty mint looking Dextra. Which were outright crap popouts.
I think I see an Austin Baird in this shot. Red rails, third from bottom.
that’s a closer look
Bill, Sammy, both of you are right in your guesses. There were not only one but three Maui Models by Greek, including the modern “replica” that Greek shaped me and that I brought to the show even though it is not formerly “vintage”. I also brought your twin center finner, Bill, not vintage either but a fine example of workmanship. Both those were pretty much looked at , as was my Con CC rider V-bottom. The Dextra was an interesting board, too, and the first one that I ever saw in real, complete with fiberglass mat and false stringers (but we had a bit of a hard time finding the joints between top and bottom, those were pretty well executed. Finally found them right under the tip of the nose.) There was a fine Hynson Red Fin, too, a Harbour Cheater fully restored by my friend Daniel Creignou (Daniel’s Surfboards), many nice things actually. It was a great day for all who attended this meeting even though it included a few hundred of miles’ driving for many of them.
What a great idea for an event and what a turnout of boards. That's a trip down memory lane. Or lack-of-memory-lane, you know the deal, ''if you remember the sixties....''
I must say that I was surprised to see such a collection of old boards, many of which were in rather good shape, in France. (I guess that in California you must have such events every week-end or so?)
I forgot to quote a fine Hobie Phil Edwards, too…
in 1971 I had a "Greek" Bob Bolen glass bottom knee board I would take out when surfing got blacked balled. The board was a blast and tube riding was amazing on your knees as it made the overhead south swells seem even larger. The Greek was a big name in HB back when his shop was on PCH near main street. Bob still makes some really clean boards today many decades later.
Hey Balsa, was that my ex- CC-Rider enjoying a bit of French fresh air?- ! Glad it made it safe and sound to you, if it was one and the same- Steve
Steve, I believe it is, although we never got in touch directly with each other: I asked Jeffrey to take care of the transaction so you must have talked either with him or his brother who lives in California and acted as “authorized representative”, so to speak…
I can tell you that I was very lucky to purchase this board: during the meeting, I talked with at least two people who had also seen your ad (and video) and were very interested in it but it looks like I was first to react… Also, I have had some inquiries as to whether I would be willing to sell it but I won’t: I’m not in it for the money, I just buy those boards that remind me of the good old days and those early V-bottoms made me dream back then. You can be sure that your CC rider has found a loving home and that she will be taken care of!
Sounds like it is the board that lived with me for a while. Glad it is being enjoyed! I got to spend a few weeks over there in 1980, durrring the World contest. Should you ever see a Red white and blue, Kennedy Singlefin (Wide, Round pin in the low 6' Range) or a Diamond Tail Kennedy, with a Two Tone Label / Ska Man, complete with some Black and white checkers, covering the bottom, drop me a line! Surfed those boards in the contest then, eventually sold them as I traveled south too Portugal- Think the Diamond tail was actually sold in Portugal. Had an all opaque Black bottomed Kennedy, that ended up in Italy in the late 70s also- Those were good times. Hope to get to sample some of your reef surf again!
Steve
Hello Steve, that was indeed your board that’s now in Guilhem’s hands. Very, very clean, indeed and it did spark a lot of conversations. Thanks again for being willing to work with us on the delivery. The other single will be back in the water before long, right Balsa?
This discussion is exactly in the spirit of what we hoped to get going when we organized with this vintage boards day. Lots of shared stories, lots of shared stoke. I was surprised by just how many people have little (and not so little) collections tucked away and were really enthusiastic about having an opportunity to get them out in the sun.
Something we’ll be doing again.
By the way, small Guethary this morning, but really glassy at times and fun - just what the doctor ordered!
Hey Lob;
Really miss your posts on current boards! Great to see
that you guys are keeping the old stuff around. I was hoping
to spot an old Harbour single fin, 6’8", purple tint deck, yellow
tint (on the foam bottom) that I sold to a local in Anglet back a
long (really long) time ago somewhere in that pile!!
That was my all time favorite board and I surfed it twice in France
at Anglet & Biarritz Grande Plage back in the late 70’s. I had such a hassle
in importing it thru German customs (I was working there at the time
for the US govt) that I didn’t want to go thru that again to bring it
home. (Not like today, where if you pay for it, it goes)
To Gui; the reason we don’t have this type of day every week is that
we either destroyed them, or we cut them up!! I cringe in shame every
time I think about all the classic Greek’s, Bings, Velzys, etc. we chopped
up to make a 6’ single fin or wide tailed twin fin. Things were changing
so fast here in Cali I remember that we were even glassing boards with
bed sheets so we could surf them that week before the fibreglass cloth
order came in! LOL we were stupid, but that was then!
Great to see that you apprciate the history, keep it up! Hoping to get
back there one day and really, really miss the food & wine,
BKB
Hi Surfteach, unfortunately we did pretty much the same here… My very first board was a 10’+ Barland 3 stringers that I chopped 2’ off in 1968 to try and make what was called a “mini-model” back then (8’ to 8’6")… Today it would be worth something… My old Greek just mysteriously disappeared someday because we basically didn’t care a bit about our old logs… I really miss this one. Oh, and I remember “glassing” one of my first board with some heavy cotton cloth that was used for upholstery, too… not quite successful if memory serves me right…
Bill, I’m surprised you missed this one…[img_assist|nid=1046422|title=Thrailkill Twin|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=198] I recognized it immediately… FU Rootbeer fins… that beautiful stringer, tail block, and nose block… now that’s how a nose-block should look!
Isn’t this the one you were shaping at Jimmy’s when you helped me template out the boards I shaped?
So surf Systems was making Velo Spoons too?
the outline looks a lot like the “New Shape” template… are they related?
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So surf Systems was making Velo Spoons too?
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Yep. We did six of them, to show off that we could make ANY kind of surf craft. The colors were: red, blue, yellow, beige, purple, and green. I'm amazed that they are still around after forty years! All were made in 1969. They were a pain in the ass to make.