Greetings, Shredderz! Today we’ve got a gorgeous Sixties longboard for your perusing pleasure. The Jacobs Lance Carson Model you see here was originally listed for sale on Craigslist about a month ago.

Carson is known for his surfing at Malibu, and it’s only natural that Jacobs Surfboards, based in the South Bay of Los Angeles, produced his namesake model. During the early days of pro surfing Jacobs’ surf team was stocked with talent, boasting the likes of Carson, Donald Takayama, Miki Dora, David Nuuhiwa and Robert August, to name a few.

The Jacobs Lance Carson Model featured here clocks in at 9’8″ x 22″ x 3″.

Carson is one of the few shapers with a website that contains extensive information on the history behind his creations. According to Carson, his Jacobs model was developed in response to the Hobie Phil Edwards Model and the Bing Surfboards David Nuuhiwa Noserider, which were two of the first signature model surfboards ever created. Curiously, Carson’s telling of the origin story does not mention Jacobs by name. Carson had been riding a 9’2″ balsa pintail in the late Fifties, and suggested a similar design for his Jacobs model, chosen specifically for surfing Malibu and Rincon.

Carson’s website also provides some information that is helpful for dating the board above. First, the Jacobs Lance Carson Model was released in the spring / summer of 1966. According to Carson, the initial run of boards had three redwood stringers. A year later, the outer redwood stringers were replaced with balsa to make the board lighter; and in 1968 the outer stringers were made with high density foam. Judging from the various photos, it appears this surfboard has three redwood stringers.

The fin on the board above also suggests the board was shaped in 1966, part of the original run. Here’s Lance, describing the fins on his Jacobs signature model: “The fins during the first half of this 3 year period were the yellow-gold glass fins with the black pin line around the fin’s edge and set in about one inch.”

The serial number on the board is #6300. While I can’t verify how Carson numbered his boards, according to his website, Jacobs was producing up to ten to fifteen of his signature models a week. Carson’s website also indicates that he kept surfing an “original 10 foot pintail” through the late Seventies, even though longboards were extremely unpopular during and after the Transition Era. I’m not sure if 10′ is considered the “standard” length for the Jacobs Lance Carson Model, but it’s an interesting data point.

Finally, there are a few comparable Lance Carson signature models to see online. Soul Surf Australia has a listing for #6371, which you can find here. #6371 has the same triple redwood stringers and fin design described on Carson’s website, which makes me believe the board was also shaped in 1966. The serial numbers are very close together, too. #6371, whose measurements are 10’5″ x 22 1/2″ x 3″, is a good deal longer than #6300. Carson’s Facebook page also has some great photos of #6817, which you can see here. Even cooler, there’s an accompanying letter of authenticity for #6817, which was shaped in 1968 for none other than John Milius, who directed “Big Wednesday” and “Conan the Barbarian” (and apparently has a thing for Liddle hulls!).