rusty preisendorfer Archives

Skip Frye K Model and More: Weekend Grab Bag

Greetings, Shredderz! As always, here’s a collection of vintage surfboards that have been listed for sale online recently, including a lovely Skip Frye K Model thruster. Usually I like to link directly to sale links, but in the case of this edition, not all of the boards are still for sale, and some just might be more fun as mysteries. Anyway, keep scrolling for some selections.

Skip Frye K Model Thruster 8’6″ (No Longer Listed)

This board was listed for sale on Craigslist in San Diego and the asking price was $2,850. Yes, you will have to pay an arm and a leg for one of Skip’s boards on the open market. The Skip Frye K Model was developed in the late Seventies. I have probably linked to The Surfer’s Journal feature on Skip’s boards more than any other article, but nonetheless, it’s worth checking out. According to TSJ, the K Model was created in conjunction with a local San Diego surfer named Timmy Kessler, although many incorrectly attribute the board to Barry Kanaiaupuni, who was in Frye’s graduating high school class! This board is just too pretty.

Canyon Seventies Single Fin

Sorry, no hints yet as to whether this board has been listed, although all I will say is that it’s up somewhere on the internet. Like Skip Frye, Rusty Preisendorfer is another San Diego surfboard shaping luminary. Early in Rusty’s career he shaped for Canyon Surfboards, among some other labels. Sadly, the Canyon name is now being slapped on pop-outs, but that doesn’t diminish the coolness of the board above. I’m not 100% sure if it was shaped by Rusty himself. The board isn’t in perfect condition but I love the colors and that awesome gradient Canyon logo.

Greg Liddle Smoothie 7’11” (Craigslist LA)

Here’s a neat Greg Liddle Smoothie, measuring in at 7’11”, with a 2+1 fin setup. The seller is asking $900. I can’t say this is a fantastic price, but it is a great opportunity to look at an earlier Liddle shaped by Greg himself. There’s a photo of the typically hyper detailed signature on the board (I don’t even understand half of the dimensions listed.)

Del Cannon V Bottom (Craigslist Orange County)

There is no question this board has seen some finer days, but I am a sucker for all things Transition Era, including the mighty v bottom design. If you can’t handle all the scratches and weird patches on the board above, then check out Gene Cooper’s Instagram, where he has been glassing some truly gorgeous modern v bottom boards lately.

Rusty for La Jolla Surf & Sport

I love surfboards for more reasons than I can keep track of (cue the eye rolls from the long-suffering Mrs. Shred Sledz, who has been subjected to this speech many times now.) But one thing I love about surfboards is the fact they can help shed light on some previously uncovered bits of surf history.

For example, take this board here, which can be found on Craigslist in San Diego. It is a Rusty Preisendorfer single fin, and by the looks of it, I would guess the board was likely made sometime in the late 1970s. Preisendorfer, of course, is the founder of Rusty Surfboards, which is probably not as prominent as it used to be, but is still one of the most recognizable California board manufacturers in recent history.

However, this board seems to pre-date the creation of the Rusty label, which is interesting. Preisendorfer had shaped for a number of labels before branching out on his own, including stalwarts like Gordon & Smith, as well as labels like Music! and Canyon. Rusty’s website has a nice little interactive timeline, which you can find here. For a while there was a pretty pristine Green Lantern Rusty board up for sale on eBay, and you can find that old listing here.

This board is pretty interesting, though. It has a clear Preisendorfer signature underneath the glass and on the stringer, but there’s no branding on the board other than a “for La Jolla Surf & Sport” logo. The funny thing is I can’t find any sort of mention of a La Jolla Surf & Sport anywhere online. I’m wondering if maybe it was a predecessor for Rusty’s own Rusty Boardhouse retail shop, but either way, there’s no info available.

The board is on sale for $250. There are apparently some small dings and some repairs have been made, but overall, I think this is a decent ballpark price. Note that there’s an original Rainbow fin included with the board as well, which supports the theory that it was shaped in the 70s. Check out the board here, and if you have any info about the mysterious La Jolla Surf & Sport, please let me know!

Holy Trinity: Occy, Rusty and Billabong

I’m not usually one for repro boards, but hey, there are exceptions to every rule.

Located here on Craigslist is one of the Rusty Priesendorfer re-makes of a famous board he made back for Mark “Occy” Occhilupo back in 1984. This board is an exact replica and was made in conjunction with Rusty, Occ’s shaper back in the 80s, and Billabong, his longtime clothing sponsor. You can see the announcement here, which has some cool pics.

The dimensions are 6’0″ x 20″ x 2 ¼”, harkening back to a time when high performance thrusters had a lot more foam to them. The price is $425, which I think is decent, given that the board is limited – only 100 made – and it’s in pretty good condition, with the only visible wear and tear being a couple of heel dents from being surfed. (And part of me is stoked this thing didn’t just end up being a wall hanger!)

For reference, this board below is a Rusty board made for Occ sometime back in the 80s. This was originally posted to Boardcollector.com.

Here’s a shot of Occy in what I’m guessing is Hawaii back in the day: