I have a chance to buy a 9,1Y and had a couple questions you good folks might be able to answer:
What do you think of the natural rocker? I like flat longboards, and this rocker seems fairly flat. I want a 9,0 Velzy-type shape with mostly fifty fifty rails, maybe a little down. This a board for just having fun, not really for noseriding. It’ll be heavy and glassed with 8oz volan. The blank density is supergreen. Is this a fairly flat rocker?
What value would you place on it? The guy wants 200, and I think that’s a bit steep. I’d pay 150. Think that’s fair?
I was just about to order a 9,1Y before they went out of business, but I was going to flatten it a bit.
Any advice would help. Thanks.
Oh, I almost forgot the crucial part: Could you recommend a shaper in the Brevard County area, someone who is really familiar with the style of rails and nose Jim Phillips does? I have an 8,2 from Phillips, and I’m going to try to have it duplicated in a 9,0.
Howzit Fairmount, as far as the price goes it depends on how much you want or need the blank now since there will be similar blanks available in the near future. I just scored a 9'1"Y from F.H. for $103.40 plus shipping to Kauai but they also are sending me 8 other assorted Clark blanks. Being on an outer island we didn't get first choice on the blanks but they are doing the best they can and we are so happy for what we are getting and with no price increase above what the blanks went for before Dec.5.Aloha,kokua
First board I shaped was a 9’ 1"Y. It was pretty crude shaping it with sandpaper and a surform only in my dim lit shed. I didn’t do to much to the natural rocker and to this day, its still one of my best boards performance wise…
Most likely Jim Phillips is the only one familiar with his rails. But you might want to check out Pat O’Hare. He has been shaping here since 1963 or so and can most likely get you what you want. His boards can be found at Natural Art surf shop or he can be contacted through his son, Sean O’Hare on his website www.16streets.com.
A 9’1Y is one of the best blanks ever produced. Low tolerance, nice stock rocker. I love those blanks, makes me want to cry to think about 'em. You can shape a sweet 9’0 progressive longboard of almost any template out of this blank. Side-bites, thruster, single-fin, downrail, 60/40, 50/50. Try a single-fin box with sidebite, with 60/40 rails, turned down hard in the last 16-18" of the tail, with a double-barrel concave thru the fins, V thru the center box and out the tail. Sucker’ll Rip! McDing Oh! I almost forgot. Don’t pay too much for this blank. These guys that are trying to sell Clark blanks like they are “Collector’s Items” are idiots. I agree with Kokua, there will be plenty of very similar blanks coming down the pike soon.
The blank is about four hours from my house, so it might be worth the drive since I’ve been thinking of a 9,1y for well over a year.
Jim made a magic board for me, and everyone who tries it is blown away. It is super flat (my doing), and catches waves like my flat 10,0, but turns like it is an 8,2, because it is. It’s a pintail rounded nose, but narrow nose. It rides one foot surf and eight foot surf without a hitch.
For some reason, I thought a nine footer like it would make me feel like I wasn’t cheating as much.
I am really suprised no one said this " Shape it yourself!!" Take my word for it there is nothing like riding a board that youmade. You can use my shaping room and tools if you like.I live just south of Pt. St. John.Great blank. My first longboard that I made was made with a 9,1Y. Bill Eberwien, Tom Nielson, Bud Gardner ( if he will do it), there are a lot of real good local shapers in Brevard county. Hell I’ll even shape it for you artdkt@bellsouth.net subject “9’1"Y”
Clark blanks are now similiar to real estate. Meaning that the’re worth wahtever anyone is willing to pay for them. Keep in mind that there are not that many 9’1Y blanks left in the world. seems a steal at $200. PLus the $50 bucks in gas to drive there.
nice nuetral rocker. Not to flat if memory serves. But certainly not an HP shape. Close tolerance for sure though.
Fairmont, just since nobody has come right out & said it - the 9’1"Y is not among the flattest blanks in the ol’ catalog. You probably figured that out from the comments like “performance” and “modern”…and you even said you wanted a turner, not a noserider.
So, FWIW, it sounds like the 9’1"Y would be good for you, but its not very flat.
Clark blanks are now similiar to real estate. Meaning that the’re worth wahtever anyone is willing to pay for them. Keep in mind that there are not that many 9’1Y blanks left in the world. seems a steal at $200. PLus the $50 bucks in gas to drive there.
[=1][=Black][ 2]If you believe, as I do, that Ebay is a pretty good source for current value of just about anything, then $200 is a pretty good deal. I’ve seen a number of blanks getting bids for up to $500 plus.[/][/][/]
[=1][=Black][ 2][/][/][/]
[=1][=Black][ 2]I am old enough to remember when shortboards became the “in” thing. Longboards were literally being put at curbside on trash day. Rumor has it that somebody grabbed a number of them that were headed for the landfill. [/][/][/]
[=1][=Black][ 2][/][/][/]
[=1][=Black][ 2]The real estate analogy is a good one. Not only are Clark blanks worth what ever anyone is willing to pay for them, like land, they aren’t making anymore.[/][/][/]
I have also seen Clark longboard blanks listed on Ebay for $250 not sell, and other blanks sell for $125 or so. An 8’3" E recently sold for $132. Just because a few of them got bid up to ridiculous prices on Ebay doesn’t mean that they are necessarily worth that much.
There is a 9’1"Y listed on EBay now for $210 as a “buy it now” and nobody has bought it yet, although it’s been up more than 24 hours…
I was in Fiberglass Hawaii in Santa Cruz today. Racks are 100% full of Clark blanks. Looks like just about every model is represented a few times, even the oddballs like 99R gun blanks. I didn’t ask prices or # limits, because I was just checking in about their EPS plans…
They said that was the last shipment - Clark emptied the warehouse to a few select outlets. They’re “distributing” them out…
If you really, truly, absoultely need one - there they are.
If you’re going to compare Clark Foam to real estate, then I’m stoked.
That means the peak is over and the prices are dropping.
For some reason, everyone is in the mindset that real estate is still climbing.
I’m keep up with it on a daily basis.
Real estate, both in California and Florida (especially), is dropping.
The boom is absolutely over.
When it peaked, it was darn near impossible to get a house a couple blocks from the beach in Brevard for under 300k. Now the market is SATURATED with them, and you can get a 3 bedroom 1800 square foot house a block from the beach for 260k. Still a great deal compared with CA, but CA is dropping too.
I couldn’t be happier about it.
About that 9,1y. I’ll pass. I wanted something flat.