Social Media Roundup: September Sticks

Greetings, Shredderz! It’s time for some more vintage surfboard selections from the interwebs. Keep scrolling for more…

The Surfer’s Journal recently ran a great feature on Skip Frye’s boards. It’s among the best surfboard-related articles I’ve ever read. Photographer and TSJ Photo Editor Shawn Parkin will occasionally post nuggets from this incredible shoot. I still can’t get enough of that lineup of pristine Skip boards! Just gimme one of those, Skip, and I swear I’ll die I happy man…

Good luck finding a photo with more surfboard shaping firepower than the one featured above. Skip Frye and Donald Takayama is a combo that’s hard to beat!

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Good morning With @davidnuuhiwa

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Is David Nuuhiwa the most stylish surfer of all time? He’s gotta be in the conversation. I don’t have the stones to show up to a surf spot rocking a vest without a shirt underneath, but then again, I don’t surf nearly as well as Nuuhiwa does! I wish there were more photos of the boards in front of Nuuhiwa. If you look closely at the one on the far right, it looks like it has the red and white yin yang David Nuuhiwa logo, similar to an earlier Nuuhiwa single fin surfboard I wrote up.

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Nice Liddle 8'0" Find .

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This is an older post — it’s over two years old — but vintage Liddles are timeless. I’ve featured vintage Greg Liddle boards many times on the blog before. The vintage Liddle that Kirk Putnam posted above is one of the cleaner examples I have seen. I love the smaller logo, set perpendicular to the stringer. This is a somewhat unusual setup compared to Liddle’s later boards. The red coloring provides just the right amount of pop, too.

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It’s been a while since I posted a board. ~1976 Gordon & Smith, Steve Griffiths Bonzer 7’3, 20’1/2, 2’7/8 it is beat up, got fungus in the top 1/3 had the leash plug removed and repaired in a seriously dodgy way but wouldn’t change a thing. Speed more speed and a little more speed on top of that, wide point is pushed back for the period and is at 3’3 from the nose. The double concaves start in the nose and are quite prominent down the the entire length of the board narrowing and deepening between the bronzers. It is an awesome board for the era. It is now a favourite to take out Long Reef Bommie @gordonandsmithaustralia @houseofbonzer #bonzer #bonzersurfboards #bonzersurfboard #whatsinyourquiver #stevegriffiths #elouraboardriders #cronullasurfers #gands #longreef #longreefboardriders #longreefbeach

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Finally, I love these Aussie Gordon & Smith Bonza boards (AKA Bonzer for my fellow Seppos.) “Curvaceous” is the word that comes to mind whenever I look at those swooping bottom channels.

 

Wayne Lynch Rip Curl Ad: Sagas of Shred

Greetings, Shredderz! Look, I know we’re all thinking it, so I’ll just come out and say it: I think I may have been a little tough on Rip Curl in last week’s Sagas of Shred entry. Did the Aussie surf brand misspell the name of a certified surf legend? Yeah, there’s no way around that one. And did Rip Curl also take perhaps the most stylish regular foot of all time and try and pass him off as a goofy? Sadly, that one is also pretty cut and dried. But enough about Rip Curl’s missteps. Let’s focus on the positive, shall we? For all the fine folks that have surfed under Rip Curl’s banner, even the biggest Mick Fanning fan would agree that there was something special about Wayne Lynch’s stint as a team rider. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this union than by running this scan of a Wayne Lynch Rip Curl ad from 1983.

Wayne Lynch Rip Curl Victoria Art Brewer via Encyclopedia of Surfing.jpg
Wayne Lynch overlooking a remote Victoria spot. Check out that racy little Rip Curl branded single fin he’s got under his arm. It looks like a sting, and the fin placement is similar to what you would see from Buttons’ old boards. Photo by Art Brewer and via the peerless Encyclopedia of Surfing.

First, both Wayne Lynch and Rip Curl are native to Victoria, Australia. While best known as the home of Bells Beach, Victoria also has a reputation as a cold water paradise with a variety of mysto spots tucked away along its coastline. Likewise, for all of Wayne Lynch’s competitive success during pro surfing’s earliest days, his reputation is who preferred surfing in solitude in his home state over surfing’s rat race.

The Encyclopedia of Surfing points out that for all of Lynch’s suspicions about surfing’s commercialization, it was the surf media and surfwear companies — namely, Rip Curl — that made him famous, and presumably helped finance his solo excursions up and down the Victoria coast. But when I see the Wayne Lynch Rip Curl ad above, I can’t help but think Rip Curl found the perfect embodiment of their brand.

Maybe there’s something cynical — even hypocritical, if you want to be harsh — about monetizing the image of a so-called soul surfer. But I have no such objections. I figure if you’re in the wetsuit business, what better way to move product than by enlisting the man who personifies a unique brand of cold water wanderlust? (Side note: I can’t help but think that O’Neill is blowing it by not doing something similar with Timmy Reyes.) I love the Wayne Lynch Rip Curl ad featured here because it says something about Lynch and his surfing, and it speaks to the sense of adventure that has so much to do with surfing’s appeal.

As always, thanks for checking out this installment of Sagas of Shred, and check back in next Thursday night for more. And if you’ve made it this far, please do check out this post I wrote on Wayne Lynch’s early surfboards, which remains one of my all-time favorite posts I have written on this humble little blog.

Greg Liddle Longboard

Greetings, Shredderz! Today we have a bit of an oddity from one of the blog’s favorite shapers. No, your eyes do not deceive you: that is indeed a Greg Liddle longboard you see.

The board pictured here was posted for sale on Craigslist in Santa Cruz for an unbelievable $180. I sent over perhaps the single most desperate email that has ever been sent in Craigslist history, and I’m still waiting to hear back. I don’t know who ended up with this thing, but even if they paid double the asking price I think that’s a nice score.

You can click the photos above to enlarge. Usually I like to crop the photos I get off Craigslist and try and make them a little more presentable, but I really dig the jungle-like background in these shots. If you’ve read this far in the post, trust me, you’re going to want to geek out on the details of this Greg Liddle longboard.

The seller thinks this thing was shaped in the late Sixties, but I don’t think that’s the case. The seller’s analysis is based off the fin box, but I can’t see it up close in the photos. Even if I could see the fin box I’m not sure I would be able to draw any conclusions about the board’s age. Either way, it just looks newer to me than something made in the late Sixties, but that’s a hunch more than anything else.

The vast majority of Liddle Surfboards I see are mid-length hulls. The Greg Liddle longboard in this post is obviously an exception. I have seen numerous Liddle L Spoon models, which I believe were based off Renny Yater’s famous Spoon design. I’m not quite sure if the board featured above qualifies as an L Spoon, however. Based on the Instagram photo below, it looks like Liddle also shaped some non L Spoon longboards, too.

What’s really interesting about the Greg Liddle longboard in this ad is its appearance. Liddle’s boards tend to be pretty simple and straightforward. However, the one featured here has a ton going on, whether it’s the unusual logo placement, what I believe is a grey resin tint throughout, and then the navy blue patch on the deck, too.

Greg Liddle Longboard.jpg

Finally, this board has a rare “GL” logo that I have never seen on another Liddle before. This logo is part of the reason why I think the board was made well after the late Sixties — it looks vaguely Eighties to me — but it’s super unusual.

If you own this Greg Liddle longboard or you have more scuttlebutt about its origins, I’d love to know!

Seventies Yater Single Fin

Greetings, Shredderz! Today we have another quick hit for you: a Seventies Yater single fin that was recently listed for sale on Craigslist. The listing is no longer up, so I can only assume someone snapped up this sweet stick. According to the seller the board was shaped in 1977 and it measures in at a shapely 7’9″.

Of course, Renny Yater’s pedigree needs no further justification, least of all from someone of my extremely modest surfing abilities. But there are a few little things going on with this board that I really dig. When I think of Yater’s boards, I think of clean lines and an understated aesthetic. I wouldn’t say this Seventies Yater single fin is loud, per se, but the lime green airbrush is a bit brighter than your average Yater. I love the contrast between the color of the airbrush and then the classic Santa Barbara Surf Shop logo, too. Call me crazy but it reminded me of the colors of Andre Agassi’s Nike Air Tech Challenge I.

Seventies Yater Single Fin Signature 1.jpg

As you can see above, the board appears to be a Renny hand shape, as indicated by the simple “Y” on the stringer, alongside a four digit serial number. A knowledgeable friend tells me that the serial numbers on these Seventies Yater boards are not sequential in any way. Instead, they were just the random numbers from a series of numbered order books that Renny used to keep track of his stock.

The listed price on Craigslist for the Seventies Yater single fin was $525. The board has obviously seen some use — there are some visible pressure dings on the deck, and the tail looks like it might have taken on some water — but overall, I think this is a pretty good price. Congrats to whoever snagged this thing!

On the Edge of a Dream

Today we’d like to alert you fine folks to a very cool project that is under way: a film and book combination called “On the Edge of a Dream.” “On the Edge” is a collaboration between Andrew Kidman and Ellis Ericson, alongside the legendary George Greenough. The project is made up of a short film and an accompanying book, both of which are available exclusively through the website. “On the Edge” is an exploration of George Greenough’s edge board design, which has seen a resurgence recently due to shapers like Marc Andreini and Scott Anderson, as well as a crew of alternative surf craft enthusiasts such as Kirk Putnam and Dave Rastovich. Oh, and in case not enough bold faced names have been thrown at you, Barry McGee designed the artwork.

The Surfer’s Journal ran a great piece a few years ago that featured Dave Rastovich taking two other Greenough edge boards through their paces at Cloudbreak. The two boards featured in the Rastovich / TSJ article look extremely similar to the one Ericson can be seen surfing in the trailer for “On the Edge of a Dream.”

If you’d like to see the film in person, “On the Edge of a Dream” will be doing a series of premiers up and down the California coast. See the Instagram post below (and give the official account a follow) for more info on this rad undertaking:

Rip Curl Tom Curren: Sagas of Shred

First of all, Shredderz, I’d like to offer a sincere apology. I know that many of you — perhaps even more than ten! — come to this blog on Thursday nights for a lighthearted look at vintage surf advertisements as part of the Sagas of Shred series. And while we have a fresh ad to share, I’m afraid this is a very serious matter. Look closely at the Rip Curl Tom Curren ad above.

Sharp eyed readers might notice that Rip Curl have misspelled Tom Curren’s name. I can’t say I’m thrilled about that — I mean, it’s not like Curren is the greatest surfer in California history, the state that helped shape surf culture as we know it — but whatever, it’s just a single letter.

No, the line in the sand is the fact that the Rip Curl ad pictured above depicts Tom Curren as a goofy foot.

I’m sorry. But I find this extremely offensive.

Really, Rip Curl? Did Curren spend his formative years dissecting Rincon on his backhand, like an earlier version of Bobby Martinez? Had I misremembered Curren’s indelible cutback at perfect Backdoor on a logo-less board all this time?

I can’t even focus on the hilarious copy — the earnest, corny “Rip Curl Does it Vest!” tagline, or the fact the product was actually named Aggrolite — or even the presence of a young Danny Kwock, alongside East Coast legend Wes Laine. I was, however, able to put my indignation aside long enough to note that Laine is toting a sweet-looking Canyon thruster, which was likely shaped by Rusty Preisendorfer.

Surfer Magazine Cover August 1983 Vol 24 No 8.jpg
Cover for the magazine in which the Rip Curl Tom Curren ad originally ran. Photo via Surfer Magazine

The ironic thing is the cover of the magazine in which the ad originally rad — August 1983, Vol 24 No 8 — features Curren, too!

The only acceptable explanation here is that Curren simply surfed this wave switch and Rip Curl neglected to mention it. Otherwise, I’m afraid that running a wetsuit ad with Curren as a goofy foot is like marketing “Terminator 2” as a romantic comedy. I like to think of myself as a pretty laid-back guy, but a good thirty five years after this ad originally ran in Surfer Magazine, I’m now considering a full-blown boycott to express my outrage over this Rip Curl Tom Curren ad.

As always, please visit us again next Thursday night, where we will have another vintage surf advertisement. Hopefully next week’s entry in Sagas of Shred manages to do justice to one of the greatest surfers of all time.

 

Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight Model

Greetings, Shredderz! Today’s post is a relatively short one. Don’t worry, we’ve got some more in-depth stuff in the works. In the meantime, though, there are some great vintage surfboards out there on the internet, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them. Up here we have a truly classic longboard: The Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight model. There’s currently one up for sale on Craigslist in Ventura. You can find a link to the board here. All of the photos in this post are via the Craigslist link.

Bing Surfboards has produced many memorable boards during its run, but the Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight stands out as a particularly beautiful longboard. I wrote an earlier post about the Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight Model. The Nuuhiwa Lightweight is not to be confused with the Bing David Nuuhiwa Noseriding Model. In 1968 the Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight got a redesigned logo and a pintail. Surfboardline.com has a great example of a Nuuhiwa Lightweight with a pintail. This eventually transitioned into the Bing Pintail Lightweight — yes, the names all sound awfully similar to one another — before the Transition Era went into high gear with models like the Bing Karma and the Bing Foil.

Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight Fin and Tail.jpg
Love the clean lines of a glassed-on fin. Looks like some repairs might have been done but it still looks great.

The board pictured above was shaped in 1967. One of the giveaways is the almond-shaped logo. We know this because someone posted the board to the Classic Bing Surfboards group on Facebook. Bing himself is active in the group, and whenever cool older boards pop up, he’ll often go back to his order books and produce a certificate for authenticity.

You can see the yellow Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight model was shaped in August 1967 and has the serial number #7918. Thank goodness that Bing kept such careful records of his boards. It’s amazing to step back and think that over half a century later, some of these surfboards are still in good condition, and have come full circle.

Now, the catch is the price — the Craigslist seller is asking $2,700. I don’t have references for what the Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight models fetch at auction, but clearly the seller isn’t about to let this go for a song. Nor should he — this is a rare older board in pretty fantastic condition. I suppose all of this is a very long way of saying I don’t know whether or not this is a great price. I’m happy to say, however, that it is a very cool board. If you’re interested in seeing the listing, check it out here.

Finally, I can’t recommend the Classic Bing Surfboards Facebook group enough. See below for some awesome Bing David Nuuhiwa Lightweight ads that group members posted earlier. Thanks for reading!

Con Super Minigun Stringerless

Greetings, Shredderz! Consider this post a simple heads up for a cool and unusual surfboard that’s currently listed for sale. The board pictured in this post is a stringerless Con Super Minigun. You can find the board on Craigslist here. I am almost certain this is being sold by the owner of Chubbysurf.com.

You can click on the photos above to enlarge. My guess is the board was shaped during the late Sixties, during the Transition Era. It looks like it has a hull-like bottom, but I can’t say for sure without seeing the board in person. The board also has some rare logos for a Con Surfboards stick. I have personally never seen many of the logos or model names on this board. For starters, I have never seen that Con logo on the bottom of the board. This is also the first and only Super Minigun I have seen. Con made a Minipin during the Transition Era, and the Super Ugly is one of its most famous models, but the Super Minigun is a first. The stringerless blank is also unusual.

Anyway, if you’re interested, you can check out the Craigslist posting for the board here.

Shed Sessions: Newport Beach Edition

Greetings, Shredderz! Today’s post features Bird Huffman, owner of the legendary’s Bird’s Surf Shed down in San Diego. If you haven’t paid pilgrimage to the Shed yet, you should. The Shed is stocked full of an incredible array of vintage boards and staff members are personable and knowledgeable.

Bird has also been hosting a great series for Surfer Magazine titled “Shed Sessions.” Each Session takes a crew of surfers from a certain area and then hooks them up with some vintage boards, all of which have a historical connection to the featured location, and films the results. The most recent Shed Session features some Newport Beach rippers taking a couple of Orange County gems through their paces.

There’s a beautiful Dyno sting — shout out to Bird for the proper nomenclature — that looks really fun in the small but hollow beachbreak testing grounds. The next board is a Robert August swallowtail single fin, which looks very similar to a board I wrote about recently.

The star of the show, though, is a Shawn Stussy-shaped Russell Surfboards single fin. As longtime readers may know, I love Stussy’s boards in general. It’s hard to argue with a classic Eighties Stussy thruster, but I may love the Russell single fins from the Seventies just as much. For one, they aren’t as common.

Russell Shawn Stussy Logo.png
Close up of the logo of the Russell / Stussy board featured in the Shed Sessions video. Like Bird, I have never seen this combo before.

I love this Russell Surfboards Stussy shape because you can see the beginnings of what would go on to become one of the most famous streetwear brands ever. In the photo above, which is a screengrab from the video, you can see an early version of the Stussy logo. As Bird mentions in the video, I have never seen another Russell board with a Stussy logo. I have seen other Russell boards that were signed by Stussy, and I have also seen Stussy boards with early versions of the logo that pre-date the famous script, but the combo above is unusual.

Surfer Magazine has produced a bunch of Shed Sessions episodes, and I urge you to check out the entire run. It’s a great series featuring some beautiful old boards paired with great surfing and even some history, too.

Mind Blowin’: Sagas of Shred

Greetings, Shredderz! It’s getting late, so I’m not going to mince words with this post. Pictured here is a Hawaiian Island Creations ad from the September 1988 issue of Surfer Magazine (Vol. 29 No. 9). What initially drew me in was the classic Eighties look that seems to check all the boxes: bright colors, edgy copy, and yes, checkerboard.

Upon closer inspection, though, I’m almost certain that the featured surfer is none other than the late, great Brock Little. Sadly, Little passed away about two years ago after a fight with cancer, but left behind a legacy as one of the greatest big wave surfers ever. He also infamously served as Patrick Swayze’s stunt double during the final Fifty Year Storm scene in “Point Break.” It looks just like Brock, and Gotcha was one of his long time sponsors as well.

As always, check back in next Thursday evening for more vintage surf ads as part of the Sagas of Shred series. Thank you for reading!