Tag: shawn stussy

Stussy Thruster: Artwork Galore

Greetings, Shredderz! If you’re a regular reader of the blog then you may already know that we like to examine Stussy surfboards at a level of detail that’s usually reserved for ancient texts and Renaissance art. It’s weird, I know. But hey — there’s a sweet Stussy surfboard for sale on eBay, and I don’t want to let anyone down by not giving it the usual Shred Sledz treatment.

The board is quite clearly a Stussy surfboard, but I believe it was actually shaped by Terry Martin. More on that later. In the meantime, the thing I dig most about the board is the artwork. Stussy is known for decorating his surfboards with tons of elaborate logos. This is but one of the many reasons they remain popular today.

The Stussy surfboard pictured above is a 6’6″ thruster, and I believe it was likely shaped in the late Eighties or early Nineties. I got the photos from the eBay listing, which can be found here. Don’t quote me on this one, but I want to say both the Double S Crown logo and the Rasta-inspired artwork can be found in “later” Stussy boards, versus ones from the early- to mid-Eighties.

The sheer amount of logos on the board might be overkill for some, but definitely not me.

What I love most are the tiny drawings sprinkled throughout. The martini glass logo you see above is small compared to the rest of the artwork on the board, but I like it just as much (if not more) than the more recognizable laminates.

And yes, even the glass-on fins have logos on them. I also love the stylized hand done lettering and Stussy’s inimitable copy: “Built for Those Livin'”, “When Itz Time to Relax”, “Positive Vibration Inna Rub a Dub Style”, etc.

This shit is art. Now, look: Shawn Stussy’s career certainly doesn’t need my stamp of approval. But I’m almost annoyed that his surfboards aren’t more valuable. The board you see above has been floating on eBay for over a week with no bites. And yet Kim Jones and Dior just based their latest collection on Stussy’s hand-drawn lettering, and vintage Stussy clothing is prized by collectors and streetwear aficionados. Even if the board wasn’t shaped by Stussy, as I suspect, I can’t believe that it can be had for less than $800. That’s a lot of money for a surfboard, I know. But how is this not modern art? What’s the difference between this board and, say, a pair of Stussy-designed Nike Dunks, other than the fact the sneakers cost $500 more? Now, I’m not buying it myself, so you would be justified in telling me to put my money where my mouth is. That said, I look at this surfboard and think of it as a unique creation from a notable artist. (I took exactly one art history course in college, so you’re not dealing with an expert here.) All that aside, though, the board and all the artwork look awesome, and I’d love to have it on display even if I didn’t surf.

It’s also worth mentioning that I believe the board was shaped by Terry Martin, and not Stussy himself. Martin is definitely no slouch himself; Surfer Magazine once estimated that he shaped more than 80,000 boards in his long and prolific career.

Here’s why I think the board was shaped by Martin. In the photo above you can see the laminate says “Design Concept Shawn Stussy.” I interpret this to mean that while Stussy “designed” the board, it wasn’t actually shaped by him. I have anecdotally heard that as the clothing brand began to pick up speed, Stussy shifted the surfboard production to Terry Martin. I don’t have proof of this, but I think there’s some good evidence suggesting the board wasn’t shaped by Stussy, at a minimum.

I say this because Stussy clearly signed many of his earlier shapes. See below for a few examples of some Stussy signatures.

The board pictured above is an Eighties Stussy thruster which I found on Surfboard Hoard. You can clearly see the signature, which appears to have been drawn by hand and in pencil. I believe it is under the glass as well. Note that it’s a signature and not a laminate or a logo.

Here’s another example of a Stussy signature, from an earlier board I wrote up, which remains one of the coolest Stussys I have ever seen.

As a rule of thumb, I don’t consider a board to be hand shaped by Stussy unless there is a clear handwritten signature on it, often in pencil and beneath the glass. Even so, it’s hard to put hard and fast rules in place, and I’m sure there are some exceptions floating out there.

You can check out the Stussy board on eBay here.

1980 Stussy Twin Fin

Greetings, Shredderz! Today we’ve got an early example of a Stussy twin fin. The board featured here is currently for sale on Craigslist in Seal Beach, in northern Orange County. All of the photos in this blog post are via the listing, which you can find here.

According to the seller, the Stussy twin fin you see above was shaped in 1980, right about the time when Stussy left Russell Surfboards to strike out on his own. You’ll notice an early version of the Stussy script logo, which was later modernized and updated. The board is 5’10” and no other dimensions are given.

The board also sports some Einstein-inspired artwork, which you can clearly see in the photo above. I believe that artwork was done by Stussy, but I can’t be 100% sure without getting verification from someone closer to the process. What’s interesting to me is that the artwork looks quite different from other Stussy boards I have seen. See below for a random selection of Stussy graphics for comparison.

The graphics above seem much cleaner than the more sketch-like example on the twin fin featured in this post. Even the earliest Stussy boards I have seen have very fine and precise line work, whereas the Einstein artwork on the twin fin looks quite rough. See below for an example of a random early Stussy board (which I think pre-dates the Stussy label).

I don’t mean to cast doubts, but I am struck by the difference in the artwork on the twin fin versus the other examples provided in this post. Consider this an observation or a question more than anything else. I feel pretty confident in saying that it’s a genuine Stussy surfboard — I can’t imagine any other explanation, although I was recently fooled by a bad Skip Frye imitation in Australia — but I’d love to get an explanation from someone who’s more in the know. As always, if you have some ideas, hit me up. You can check out the listing for the Stussy twin fin here.

La Jolla Surf Systems: Sagas of Shred

Greetings, Shredderz! It’s Thursday again, which means we’re serving up some red hot scans of old surf ads as part of the Sagas of Shred series. Today we’ve got an unlikely all star cast in an ad for La Jolla Surf Systems. The ad originally appeared in the February 1983 issue of Surfer Magazine (Vol 24, No 2). I assume La Jolla Surf Systems was an old San Diego surf shop, but that’s about all I know. What’s really interesting is the collection of shapers featured in the ad (and one notable craftsman who apparently didn’t make it to the shoot on time). The ad features the late Bill Caster, whose boards are still coveted among a selection of San Diego locals; Gary McNabb, of Nectar Surfboards fame; Tim Bessell, who is still shaping today; Eric “Bird” Huffman, founder of Bird’s Surf Shed; and of course, a young Shawn Stussy. If you look closely at the bottom right of the ad you’ll see a gorgeous-looking Stussy twin fin with purple rails and some wings in the tail. I’m a little intrigued by Stussy’s inclusion, as I believe he is the only non-San Diego local in the names listd above. While the ad mentions that La Jolla Surf Systems has Skip Frye boards in stock, if you look below Bird’s photo you’ll see “Skip Frye — gone fishing.” To me this suggests Skip was originally supposed to take part in the shoot, but that’s just a guess. Thirty six plus years after the ad was shot, I can’t even imagine the sheer luxury of walking into a surf shop and seeing a bunch of Skips on the racks, to say nothing of the Stussy boards! If you read this blog you know that my bread and butter is poking fun at the ridiculousness of Eighties art direction, but I’m still too starstruck by all the shapers in the ad to come up with anything halfway decent.

Mahalo for reading and don’t be afraid to come back next Thursday for more Sagas of Shred!

July Flyin’ By: Social Media Roundup

Greetings, Shredderz! For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s crazy to think that summer is almost behind us already. But while the days are still long and the weather is warm I thought it’d be great to review some of the better surf-related social media that has crossed my desk recently. Without any further ado, here are some choice cuts for you to enjoy

Tyler Warren is a talented surfer and shaper, and here at Shred HQ we’re big fans of his work. In fact, Warren got a brief shout out in the last Sagas of Shred entry for a beautiful single fin he crafted for Dane Gudauskas. This time we have Warren behind the controls of an original Sixties Hobie Phil Edwards Model. He claims it’s not an easy board to surf, but you wouldn’t necessarily know that from watching the clip above. It’s always nice to see a historically significant board still get wet every now and then.

Gordon & Smith posted this really cool mini-gallery of a reproduction of a vintage flex tail egg. I love the comparison between the newer board and the original. It’s unclear to me if Skip Frye himself shaped the original egg, but needless to say, his involvement with providing some design pointers makes the end product even cooler. Very stoked for the owner who counts both of these sleds among his collection!

It’s practically a rule at this point: any Social Media Roundup entry is likely to feature at least one board that Luis Real has added to his collection. Luis is a machine and I mean that in the nicest possible way! Anyway, he somehow managed to find this stunning Seventies Tom Parrish shaped single fin. The artwork and the colors on this thing are nothing short of amazing. You can go see it at the North Shore Surf Shop in Haleiwa if you’re so inclined, along with the rest of Luis’ ridiculous quiver.

I’ve been meaning to write a longer post on the infamous Morey-Pope Blue Machine, but it’s one of the many items on my to do list that only seems to collect dust. Until I saw the post above, I didn’t realize that Morey-Pope had also made a green version of the Blue Machine. The board belongs to Buggs, another prolific collector whose sticks have made it into these pages over the years.

Look, I don’t make the rules here, I just follow them. And any time I see a sick Stussy shape pop up on the Gram, well, you know it’ll be resurfacing here. I love the boards Stussy made for Russell Surfboards in the Seventies, and this is a really sweet example.

Photo at the top of the page by Jereme Aubertin, featuring Tyler Warren surfing in New Zealand, via Corona.

Self Discovery & More: Clipz

Greetings, Shredderz! As someone who grew up in the pre-internet age — barbaric, I know — there were few things I looked forward to more than getting a new issue of Surfer Magazine in the mail. That has all changed, of course. I still love Surfer and its peers, but like anyone else who has watched the internet take a buzzsaw to print, I can’t help but get a little nervous about the future of surf media.

There is a silver lining, however, and that is the incredible explosion of surf related video content available online. Gone are the days when you would plunk down $30 and simply cross your fingers that whatever video you bought turned out to be a good one. I think we can all agree that we’re living in a golden age of surf videos, and I couldn’t be happier about that. Without any further ado, here are some recent clips that caught my attention, as part of the latest installment in the Clipz series.

Surfer / shaper Zack Flores takes a variety of self-shaped sleds down to Mainland Mexico’s famous sand bottom points, and the results are too fun to watch. You’ve probably seen pros rip these spots, but it’s cool to see someone take some alternative surf craft for a spin in these wonderful waves. Oh, yeah…and he’s surfing switch! Ridiculous.

I am eager to see the first video from New York’s Pilgrim Surf Supply, a great surf shop located in the heart of Williamsburg. This is actually about to premier in just a few minutes, as of the time I am writing this post. Click here for more info via Pilgrim’s site.

Here’s Shawn Stussy talking shop and shaping a sweet looking board. We’re big fans of Señor Stussy here, and this is a cool and rare look at S Double at work inside of his studio.

The above clip has absolutely nothing to do with surfboard design, vintage sticks, or alternative surf craft. But it does feature John John Florence absolutely destroying J Bay’s famous right hand walls. The surfing is ridiculous enough on its own, but when you consider the entire clip was sourced from one single session in 2017, that’s the moment in which you realize Florence is probably a cyborg sent back in time to change the future of surfing.

Social Media Roundup: June Gloom

Greetings, Shredderz! As always, here are some primo vintage surfboard pickins from your favorite social media outlets.

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Twin fin Stussday.

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Pop quiz, hotshot: what has six fins, incredible artwork, and more color than a bag of Skittles? Well, that would be the three Shawn Stussy shaped twin fins you see pictured above. These are some truly top notch examples of Stussy’s infamous Eighties shapes. You can check out another Eighties Stussy twinny I wrote up here. I believe the one in the middle is an earlier board, judging by its logo. What I wouldn’t do for one of these bad boys!

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If you know me then you also know how much I ❤️ Surfboards. I especially love Gun’s though. That’s why I’m so Stoked to be able to post this board! It’s an 8’1”x20”x3 1/4” RUSSELL Pintail Shaped by Stussy. Note the killer fin and resin panel leash attachment that matches it. The T Band extra wide stringer sets it off too. An oh so light yellow tint bottom wrap rails is almost not even noticeable. The fine orange hot coat pinline is impeccable as well. This board was built with a purpose and shows enough wear on it know that it saw some quality water time. I have never seen a bad Russell Surfboard and this one is an A+🦅 @russell_surfboards @stussy @shawnstussy #birdssurfshed #surfculture #surf #surfboard #classicsurf #surfsup #surfinglife #socal #sandiegosurf #longboarding #surfline #gonesurfing #surfingislife #surfing #vintagesurfboard #customsurfboards #surfersparadise #surfer #surfergirl #sandiego

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Is there such a thing as too much Shawn Stussy? I don’t know, and I’m not the right person to ask. Bird of Bird’s Surf Shed (glad to see they got their Instagram back!) recently posted this absolutely gorgeous Stussy / Russell Surfboards gun. It’s not the only Stussy / Russell shape in Bird’s ridiculous quiver, either! If you see me with tears running down my cheeks and a far off look in my eyes, it probably means that I remembered the profound beauty of the matching leash loop and glass on fin and was overcome with emotion. Excuse me in advance.

I love how this shot elegantly illustrates surfboard progression over the years. The board on the far left is actually an early John Bradbury Creative Freedom shape from the late Sixties. It’s very cool to see the S decks on the Transition Era boards gradually flatten into more recognizable rockers. It’s also interesting to see the rare and coveted Yater Hawaii laminate on a thruster. I had always assumed that those appeared only on older boards, but the fin setup means it had to have been shaped in the Eighties at the earliest. I’m partial to the racy looking yellow board that’s second from right.

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6’11” single diamond for @danedamus

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In theory Shred Sledz is a vintage surfboard blog, but we also reserve the right to feature any shapes, modern or otherwise. Tyler Warren shaped this heat seeking missile for Dane Gudauskas, and I’m dying to see where it gets surfed. Massive Cloudbreak, I hope? This board reminds me a bit of the neat HaydenShapes single fin that Craig Anderson recently took through its paces. The Gudauskas brothers are do gooders in and out of the water, the latter via their Positive Warriors Foundation.

Photo at the top via Natterjacks; photographer unknown (let me know if you have any clues!)

Radical Elegance: The Electric Acid Surfboard Test with Steph Gilmore

It’s not often that I’ll tell people to stop reading Shred Sledz, but today we’ve got a great reason. I’d like to point you all in the direction of Stab Magazine, which has just dropped the second installment of its Electric Acid Surfboard Test series. The first entry in the series, which I covered here, featured Dane Reynolds on a variety of “alternative” surfboards from a selection of well regarded shapers.


EAST, as the series is known, selects a talented surfer, whisks them to a wave rich location with a quiver of brand new surfboards, and then films the results. As much as I enjoyed the last entry — and it must be said that Dane Reynolds’ surfing is beyond reproach — I happen to think Steph Gilmore is a perfect fit for EAST. Gilmore brings to the table an approach that is equal parts feline grace and world champion shred. The end result is joyful, assured surfing on some cool experimental shapes. The “Radical Elegance” tagline from the title of this is a quote taken from Steph in the film, which I think is an apt description of her style.

Personally, I was delighted with the shapers Stab selected for the video. You can find a full list on Stab’s site, but I particularly geeked out on the inclusion of Simon Anderson, Matt “Mayhem” Biolos, a Shawn Stussy twin fin pictured below, a dramatic Alex Knost bonzer, and many more.

Throughout the video, Gilmore looks as if she’s having the absolute time of her life. The enthusiasm is nothing short of contagious. Shout out to Stab for delivering a rad piece of content, and make sure you check out their site for more behind the scenes pics from the shoot.

Photo at the top of the page by Alan Van Gysen; via Stab Magazine. Pictured in the photo is a Ryan Lovelace / Dan Malloy RabbitsFoot finless board.

Weekend Grab Bag: Airbrush Aficionado Edition, featuring 80s Stussy Surfboard and More

Well, Shredderz, if I’m going to waste a good chunk of my waking hours trawling Craigslist and eBay, I figure someone should benefit from all the time I’ve spent combing through listings. For today’s installment of the Weekend Grab Bag I’ve highlighted a few boards that all feature some pretty futuristic graphics, courtesy of some talented artists and craftsmen. As always, the Weekend Grab Bag features boards that are still for sale as of the time the blog post goes live. Anyway, keep scrolling to see a selection of special sleds that are currently for sale…

Stussy 80s Surfboard (Craigslist San Diego)

If there’s a cool 80s Stussy surfboard for sale, well, you know that I’m probably gonna write about it. Sadly this board has seen some better days, but the awesome airbrush is still largely intact. I think this board has an incredible paint job, even by the high standards of Stussy’s boundary pushing artwork in the Eighties. As an added little bonus, this 80s Stussy surfboard has a small planer logo, which is one of my favorite Stussy mini laminates. See below for an example of the planer logo that the S Double honcho shared on his Instagram:

M.T.B. Channel Twin Fin (eBay)

MTB Surfboard Airbrush.jpg

We’ve got some more airbrush heat coming straight at you, this time courtesy of M.T.B. Surfboards. M.T.B. stands for Mulhern, Takayama and Brumett. Most of the M.T.B. Surfboards I see are located in Florida, which is where I think Mulhern was based. I personally haven’t seen very many Donald Takayama-shaped M.T.B. Surfboards, but I don’t know why that’s the case. Much like the 80s Stussy surfboard above, the bottom of the M.T.B. board doesn’t look great. As of the time of this post, the bidding was still under $200.

Mike Eaton Surfboards Single Fin (Craigslist SF Bay Area)

First of all, I love Mike Eaton’s surfboards, from his Bonzers to just about everything else he’s done. Second, Eaton’s surfboards commonly feature airbrushes by a particular artist, or at least very much influenced by that person’s style. I have never found any information online about who airbrushes Eaton’s boards, but I really dig them. See below for an example of a Bing board with a very similar airbrush, which I imagine was likely shaped by Eaton as well. I think the Mike Eaton surfboard is a little pricey at $800, but it is absolutely gorgeous.

Stussy Surfboard: Eighties (?) Thruster

Greetings, Shredderz! Recently a cool little Stussy surfboard sold on eBay, and given my long standing interest in Senor Stussy’s boards, I figured I would do a quick writeup on the topic. The original eBay listing can be found here; pics in this post are via the listing.

The Stussy surfboard pictured above is a vintage thruster with a very cool airbrush. If I had to guess, I would say the board above was either shaped during the late Eighties, or perhaps even the early Nineties. There are a few things that stand out to me. First, you’ll notice the logos on both the deck and the bottom of the board. On the deck you’ll notice a crown logo with a Chanel-like double S beneath it. I believe the Stussy crown logo didn’t make its debut until the late Eighties or so. On the bottom of the board you’ll notice some Rasta themed logos, including a lion and the Rastafarian flag. The lion also appears on the glass on fins, which you can see below:

You can click the photos above to enlarge. Back to my earlier point, I believe the Rasta logos and influence didn’t show up on Stussy’s boards until the late Eighties or early Nineties.

Pictured above is an example of another Stussy surfboard with Rasta logos. I would say these boards were likely shaped within a few years of one another, although you’ll notice that the eBay board at the top of the page has a serial number of 1115, and then the Stussy surfboard “For Rocket” is #2837. I tend to think Stussy’s numbering is not totally sequential. In fact, I suspect #1115 was likely shaped after #2837, but I can’t confirm that.

Shawn Stussy Personal Rider Twinzer 1991

The one example of a Stussy surfboard I have seen with a definitive date is this super sick Wil Jobson inspired twinzer, which you can see above. The Stussy twinzer was sold at auction a few years back, and the photo is from the original auction site. Note the Jobson / Stussy surfboard has the same Rasta lion logo as the eBay board at the top of the page. It has a crown logo, too, although it’s a bit different than the one featured earlier in this post. Unlike the other boards in the post, the Jobson twinzer doesn’t have a serial number, but it appears to have been shaped in 1991.

The Stussy surfboard at the top of the page was listed on eBay with a price of $1,250. It looks like the board didn’t sell on eBay, but likely was sold in a private transaction off the site. There’s no way to tell the final price, and I’m curious to see if it reached the original asking, which I would put slightly on the steep side. Then again, the Stussy surfboard has a great original airbrush, which I think can improve the value of these boards considerably.

Weekend Grab Bag: Happy New Year

Shredderz, it might be a brand New Year, but it’s the same old program as far as Shred Sledz is concerned: nothing but vintage sticks and tasty waves. As always, here’s a rundown of some of the cooler boards I’ve seen posted for sale this weekend, including some nice Mike Eaton gems, in honor of the most recent Sagas of Shred post that featured an old Eaton Surfboards brochure. Anyway, enough talk, and onto the boards!

Mike Eaton / Joe Bauguess Zinger (Craigslist San Diego)

Here’s an interesting example of an Eaton Zinger, complete with a great shot of the tail that shows the insanely deep concave and the unusual quad fin Zinger setup. The seller says the board is an Eaton UEO outline. This particular board is a collaboration with San Diego shaper Joe Bauguess, who claims to have invented the Mini Simmons. Judging from Bauguess’ Instagram account, he has continued to experiment with super deep concaves and the Zinger setup. The seller is asking $775. This might be a tad on the steep side, but for what it’s worth, I have never seen an Eaton / Bauguess board before.

Eaton Twin Fin (Craigslist San Diego)

Yes, another example of a Mike Eaton surfboard! This here is a more standard looking twin fin, and I don’t see any of Eaton’s trademark ultra deep concave, nor is there a bonzer fin setup. The seller is asking $399.

ET Surfboards Pat Ryan Single Fin (Craigslist Los Angeles)

ET Surfboards Pat Ryan Single Fin 1.jpg

This is the same board featured at the top of the page. I’m a sucker for any Seventies single fin with a beautiful coke bottle blue glass job, and this one fits the bill. I love the subtle red resin pinline on the deck, too. Ryan is a long time shaper from the South Bay of Los Angeles. I don’t know if Pat is still shaping, but it looks like his website is still up and running. This board costs $325. I think that’s about fair, but I haven’t seen it in person.

Eighties Stussy Thruster (eBay)

Here’s a pretty clean Stussy thruster that has been for sale on eBay for a few weeks now. I’m a little surprised no one has pounced on this board at what I would call a reasonable $750. I guess it’s a different story if you’re paying for shipping, and the board is located all the way down in Florida, but still! I’m wondering if the relatively plain paint job is keeping the price down.

Thanks for reading and tune in next week for some more vintage surfboard goodness!