Picked this up as a thrown-in “extra” on a board trade I just wrapped up. Tried to hide my glee as I carried this puppy into my apartment.
True old-school, and truly done right. 8’ long, almost 23" wide, and thick! Tapered, interuppted stringer, volan all the way around. Huge panel vee, pinched rails, “race-boat” style tail foil, and lets not forget the pimpin’ colorjob at the end of the stringer. Looks like a class job all the way, but only a teaser for a maker’s mark.
This is the only identifiying mark on the whole board… It says, “205 North Coast Highway Laguna Beach, California” So, anybody have some info about this classic beaut? I’d love to learn some history as I learn to ride it.
Does the fin look original, or should I look for a shape a bit better suited for ridability?
By the way, the leash plug is probably aftermarket, as there is a leash hole in the fin.
Just got a tip saying its not a hull. That’s cool, but now I’m really curious about it!
Anyone here can tell me something about this board? Maybe what shape of fin I should be running on it? The fin shape just looks wrong, however, the fin install (under the visible weave on the patches) looks really clean. Hard to decide it it’s original or no.
Despite the rolled bottom, I’d classify that board as a V-bottom rather than a true hull. One of the drawbacks of deep V and a wide tail is the tendency to slide ass. Longer fins were used as an attempt to overcome this problem. The current fin appears to be the original, just sanded way down. I’m guessing it was originally somewhere around 10" to 13" long. Just my guess.
V-bottom…‘68? The v is a little shallow for the plastic fantastic stuff but it could be older. It needs a big ol’ G-2 or G-3 flex fin a bit farther up than the current one. It’ll catch waves easy with all the float in the tail but she’ll drag pretty good going straight…put her up on a rail and you will be surprised at the acceleration. Just keep rocking from one panel to the next…“Instant karma’s gonna get you…”
Im here ,just snoopin around seein if whats up, you guys are on track, no pun intended. Once you bank those old V’s over thet stay there a while. Plastic Fantastic Machine has the best footage. Aussie boards had good glass fins , California boards, most had twangy plastic fins, not good . Good Cali V’s Yaters, G and S , Surf boards Hawaii,Harbours. That stuff went by really fast, dont blink!!
Nice aquisition Schwuz…You might want to check out surfresearch.com.au to check out what kind of fins those boards used. I remember them to have deep raked fins to keep that wide tail from spinning out. The movie “The Fantastic Plastic Machine” documents the early shortboard movement showing Nat Young and Bob McTavish riding their deep vees at Honolua Bay. Their surfing in that movie looked quite progressive for the times, the guys really banking hard off the vee panel, laying it on a rail. McTavish took the Plastic Machine to Sunset during the Duke meet that same winter but was’nt as sucessful with his invention as the wide tail could’nt hold in, but worked great on Maui.
Any swept 9-10" fin with standard wide base if fine. Stiffer better in strong surf, flexi flyers for small weak waves.
Mine was 33 layers of 6oz, so stiff and kinda thick, but went well at our local beginner break (I was a beginner then).
Since leash cup in aftermarket installed ( about 5 years after the board was built), and so is the hole in the fin, EITHER.
I just happen to have a 9.5" (I think) wingnut cutaway, you suppose that would be the ticket? Of course, that would mean cutting in a box… Should I even be worried about hurting the value on this thing?
cast a fin blank over the existing glass-on use the drilled hole as a set screw appeture
shape the fin of your dreams over and over allowing the original fin app to survive,at this age It couldnt be more cured and strong the tip o’ the fin approaches being even with the tail end big base investigate the existing fin lam evidence as to the original fin base size…
the original may not have been the optimum,keep in mind the good ones did not survive they were ridden to death by lover after lover lost on rocks and stomped into cutback mush…
template and make a better one,you may become greater
