Tag: Surfboards Hawaii

Surfboards Hawaii Longboard “Blank Logo”

Greetings, Shredderz! Don’t let the tongue-in-cheek name of this humble blog fool you: we are huge fans of classy, old school surfboard brands, too. There are few labels classier than Surfboards Hawaii. For starters, Surfboards Hawaii boasts an incredible collection of shaping talent, from Dick Brewer to Ben Aipa and Donald Takayama. And if history really isn’t your bag, well, Surfboards Hawaii boards happen to look great, too. Today’s post features a vintage Surfboards Hawaii longboard with an unusual touch. Keep reading below for more…

Surfboards Hawaii Longboard 3

The Surfboards Hawaii longboard pictured above was recently listed on eBay. It sold for a tidy $899, and someone almost certainly paid shipping, given that the board was located in Indianapolis, of all places. The board has an absolutely gorgeous stringer setup with a simple but striking red, white and blue color scheme. I’m guessing it’s high density foam sandwiched between two wooden stringers, but I’m not sure.

Surfboards Hawaii Longboard.jpg
Close up of the tail and the fin.

The fin looks to be all original as well. I’m not sure what these fin boxes are called, but they are fairly common on boards from this era. I would guess the Surfboards Hawaii longboard featured here was shaped sometime during the mid-1960s or so.

One odd touch about the Surfboards Hawaii longboard in this post is the logo, or, to be exact, the lack thereof.

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Close up of the logo on the Surfboards Hawaii longboard. It’s interesting that there’s no text anywhere in the logo; just the iconic outline of the island of Oahu.

The board’s logo is the classic Oahu outline that you see on many Surfboards Hawaii boards. However, there is no text on the logo, which is unusual. If you look closely in the photo above you’ll notice there’s a little rectangle that is less faded than the surrounding area. I’m guessing there may have been a smaller laminate that was originally located in this space, but somehow got removed or fell off.

Surfboards Hawaii Nose Rider Logo .jpg
An example of another Surfboards Hawaii logo, taken from a “Nose Rider” model. You can see the text in the Oahu outline on this board.

Pictured above is another example of a Surfboards Hawaii longboard, which comes from a “Nose Rider” model. The Nose Rider has what looks like a high density foam stringer sandwiched by two much thinner redwood stringers. One small touch I found interesting was the difference in the Oahu silhouettes in both Surfboards Hawaii logos. The blank logo has more detail around Pearl Harbor, towards the south western corner of the island.

No one loves surfboard minutiae more than I do, but with surfboards, unlike cars or watches, there really doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason for many of the unusual variants that pop up. I’m not quite sure how to explain this Surfboards Hawaii longboard and its blank logo. I think it easily could have been a mistake at the factory, and it’s also possible that the text was somehow rubbed off the board, too. Regardless, it’s a very cool example of an original board from a classic label, and I’m not surprised to see that it got snapped up quickly by an eagle eyed collector.

Dick Brewer Gun for Rabbit Bartholomew / Darrick Doerner

Vintage Surfboards Hawaii surfboard by Dick Brewer shaped for Rabbit Bartholomew

Greetings, Shredderz! Those of you who follow me on Instagram may recognize the photo above from my Instagram account, where I posted it a few days ago. (You can check out the official Shred Sledz Instagram account here.) The photo was taken by Tom Servais on the North Shore of Oahu, and it features none other than Aussie legend Rabbit Bartholomew posing with some beautiful big-wave guns. As soon as I posted the photo, the current owner of the yellow board — a Surfboards Hawaii gun shaped by Dick Brewer — reached out and was kind enough to send over some more pictures. Thank you to Luke Carter for supplying the pics. If you’re interested in vintage surfboards and fast cars, give Luke a follow on Instagram!

As you can see, the board is still in great condition, even after all these years.

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Close up of the Dick Brewer signature on the stringer. Pic via Luke Carter

You can see a clear example of a Dick Brewer signature on the stringer, alongside some measurements. At 9’5″ x 20″ x 3-1/4″, the gun was clearly shaped for waves of consequence.

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Close up of the glass-on fin on the Dick Brewer Rabbit Bartholomew gun. Pic via Luke Carter

Luke was also kind enough to point me to a photo that gives some indication of when Brewer may have shaped this board. The photo above was supposedly taken at the opening ceremony for the Eddie Aikau contest at Waimea Bay held in the winter of 1989 / 1990.

Rabbit Bartholomew Occy Dick Brewer Eddie Aikau Ceremony by Joli.jpg
Occy (left) and Rabbit, showing off some sweet Dick Brewer guns. It’s interesting to note that Occy’s board has the 1980s Brewer laminate, while Rabbit’s board has the Surfboards Hawaii logo. Photo by Peter “Joli” Wilson / Joliphotos.com

I actually found a copy of the program for the 1989 / 1990 Eddie Aikau contest on eBay, and neither Occy nor Rabbit Bartholomew were invitees. Nonetheless, given Occy and Rabbit’s ages in the Joli photo above, I believe the photo was taken sometime during that decade. I suppose it’s also possible that Occy and Rabbit could have showed up to the Eddie’s opening ceremony with their boards in tow, but that would have been unusual given that is usually reserved for competitors.

Per the title of the blog post, Luke also tells me that apparently the board was originally shaped for Hawaiian big-wave charger Darrick Doerner. This theory makes a ton of sense. For starters, Bartholomew’s brash attitude initially made him a target in Hawaii, as documented in “Bustin’ Down the Door” and even a sketch on “Drunk History.” Moreover, Doerner was something of a Waimea Bay specialist — for which the Brewer board would have been an ideal fit — and also boasted a long association with Brewer. How the board would have made its way from Doerner to Rabbit is a mystery to me, but I’m glad it did, given the rad pictures that resulted!

I’d also love to know what happened to the other board in the picture at the top of the page. I love the splash of color on the Surfboards Hawaii logo. I’m assuming the board Rabbit’s sitting on must be another Dick Brewer, but without a picture of the stringer, there’s no way to be sure.

Thanks again to Luke Carter for the pictures. You can follow him on Instagram here.

Shred Sledz Presents: September 15 Grab Bag (Hawaii Edition)

Greetings, Shredderz! Welcome to the latest edition of the Grab Bag, where I’ll be featuring some of the more notable boards I have seen listed for sale over the past few weeks. Today’s entry has a distinct Hawaiian flavor , as all of the boards covered below are from famous labels that hail from the birthplace of surfing.

Lightning Bolt Rory Russell Twin Fin (eBay)

This thing is KILLER! First, it’s in excellent condition. Actually, let me back up: first and foremost, the board just looks awesome. Even if you didn’t know the first thing about Lightning Bolt or Rory Russell, this board makes you stop and look. Maybe that makes me shallow…or maybe I just have impeccable taste when it comes to vintage surf craft. I’m always a sucker for intricate details, and I love the Clark Foam and Rory Russell Model laminates on the tail. The board is 5’4″. Is this considered a fish? I never see the Rory Russell twin fins referred to as such, but they seem pretty fish-like to me. Bidding is already hovering near $700 with four more days to go. Pics above via the eBay listing.

Surfboards Hawaii Owl Chapman Gun (Craigslist)

I love the old school Surfboards Hawaii logo, which is one of my favorite surfboard labels ever. Apparently this board was shaped by none other than Owl Chapman, uncle to current North Shore pro Kalani Chapman, and all-round Oahu fixture. I asked the seller if there’s a signature anywhere on the board, but I haven’t heard back. I’m not sure when this board was made, but I am guessing very early 1970s, based on the shape of the pintail, what looks like an after-market leash plug, and the glass-on fin. I have never seen a straight up Surfboards Hawaii Owl Chapman surfboard before. The pairing makes sense, given Chapman’s association with Dick Brewer, and the fact Brewer founded Surfboards Hawaii in 1961. The board is 9′, the board is located in Los Angeles, California, and the seller is asking $900.

Dick Brewer Gun and 1970s Single Fin (Craigslist & eBay)

There are currently two great Dick Brewer boards for sale. The first, pictured above, is a 8′ x 19-1/2″ x 3″ gun with glass-on fins in a thruster setup that should be ideal for the upcoming winter. It is being sold in Orange County, California. You can find a link to the board here. The seller is asking $600. I think that price is extremely reasonable, given that the board looks to be in excellent condition.

You want a Dick Brewer signature? Great, then how about another one? It’s a little odd that Brewer signed the board twice, but either way, I feel confident in saying the board was shaped by Brewer himself.

There’s a 1970s Dick Brewer single fin available on eBay that also bears two Dick Brewer signatures. Pic above is via the listing, which you can find here. The seller is asking $1500 for the board. The 1970s single fin has a wonderful old school outline and glassed on fin. Unfortunately, the pics provided with the eBay listing are pretty poor, so I have omitted them from the post. Still, I encourage you to click through and check them out for yourself.

As for the price difference, the best I can offer is that Brewer prices can be all over the place. I think one should expect genuine 1970s Dick Brewer single fins to command higher prices than newer boards. The gun on Craigslist is clearly newer (I would guess mid-1990s or later) and in better condition, but I imagoine 1970s single fins have more cachet.

Lightning Bolt 1970s Single Fin by Darrell Beckmeier (Craigslist)

Darrell Beckmeier was a fixture at Lightning Bolt during the 1970s. There’s a beautiful example of one of his boards that currently listed for sale on Craigslist in Orange County. Pics above are via the listing. The board is 6’6″ x 19-1/2″ (no dimension listed for thickness). The seller is asking $750. I’m honestly not sure what to make of this price, and how Beckmeier’s boards compare in value to other Bolt shapers. Still, it doesn’t get any more classic than single-fin Bolts!

Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland Shortboards

There are few things more uncomfortable than watching an established older brand clumsily try to adopt a recent and unfamiliar trend. It’s the branding equivalent of a middle-aged guy rocking a pair of fancy jeans with embroidery on the back pockets. (I love Harbour Surfboards, but their 80s logo redesign is not my favorite.) Like any rule, though, there are exceptions. Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland surfboards stand out as the rare example of a venerable old surfboard that managed an elegant transition into producing “modern” shortboards.

There are two Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland shortboards currently up for sale on Craigslist, courtesy of Shred Sledz favorite “Jeff in LA”. I know nothing about Jeff except that he sells a lot of reasonably priced vintage boards on Craigslist, oftentimes with interesting SoCal pedigree. You can see his seller page here. The first board, pictured above, is an 80s 6′ quad fin, and the listing can be found here. Maybe my fondness for these board betrays my love of 80s surf graphics above all else, but I think this thing is so cool.

The second Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland board is a 6’6″ thruster (really a 2+1…or if you want to get technical, a 1+2), and the board can be found here. The “red logo” board has a bunch of Slingerland trademarks, including channels on the bottom with a complementary airbrush, and then a cool fan logo I had never seen before. Neither of the boards is expensive, either: $240 and $225 for the quad fin and the “red logo” thruster, respectively. These aren’t in mint condition, but I think a watertight board without any major surgery for under $250 isn’t too shabby.

Sadly, there is very little written online about the history of Surfboards Hawaii. Founded by Dick Brewer, Surfboards Hawaii produced some of the most elegant longboards of the 1960s. At some point, Mike Slingerland began to shape for the brand. My guess is that was sometime in the 1970s, and he stayed on at least through the 1980s. You don’t see a ton of Surfboards Hawaii examples from the 70s and the 80s, and of the ones I glimpse, many of them have Slingerland’s name attached. Most recently, Slingerland has been shaping boards for San Diego surf shop Surfy Surfy, and I believe he currently lives in San Diego.

The Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland boards could not be more different from their prececessors. And while the Slingerland examples are a far cry from the noseriders and subtle logos of the 1960s, they are undeniably rad in their own distinct way.

Shred Sledz Social Media Roundup (June 25): Schroff Single Fin and More

Greetings, Shredderz! Hope your respective weekends are all going exactly as planned. See below for your irregularly scheduled dose of social media from the wonderful world of vintage surfboards, including a cool seventies Schroff single fin.

Now THIS is cool! This is a trippy Wave Tools Sting shape combined with some truly out there Jet elements meant to route the water flow. To top it all off, the gradient paint job on the board is beautiful, too. Make sure you scroll through all the pictures in the gallery above — this is a must-see. Congrats to @thevintagesurfboard for scoring such a rare and interesting gem.

 

Hope you’re not sick of me mentioning Bird and his eponymous Surf Shed yet, because I’m not stopping any time soon! Anyway, Bird has a few more recent Dick Brewer boards for sale. They’re not cheap, but quality never is. These boards aren’t technically vintage, considering they were built in 2001-2002, but they are beautiful nonetheless. I love the Surfboards Hawaii logos towards the tail, too. The Brewer boards are also a nice modern complement to this week’s earlier post about Terry Fitzgerald and Dick Brewer. Note that all three boards above were all glassed by Jack Reeves, too.

 

I’m not sure who Hemisphere Cargo is, but if he doesn’t work for Schroff, at the very least he has a fine appreciation for Pimp’s shapes! Everyone goes crazy over the Echo Beach Schroff thrusters with the checkerboard logos, and rightfully so, but I’m really digging this Schroff single fin. Relatively speaking, it looks a little restrained when compared to Schroff’s more out there looks, and I’m into it!

 

If you’re not familiar with Rich Harbour and his legacy, I have one small request for you: close this window immediately, read up on the man, and then beg the surf gods for forgiveness over the fact you were reading Shred Sledz instead of learning some history.

Actually, you can do one better, as the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, located in San Clemente, CA, is currently exhibiting a retrospective on Harbour’s career. The exhibit opened yesterday and it will be going on for three months. Harbour is a legendary California shaper, and it’s rad to see him get some shine courtesy of the awesome SHACC.

Surfing Heritage and Culture Center Rich Harbour Retrospective Poster
Poster for the Harbour Surfboards Retrospective at SHACC. Photo via Harbour Surfboards

 

Luis Real has a truly staggering collection of vintage surfboards, and he frequently posts about them on Instagram. Pictured here is a rare bit of Dick Brewer trivia — one of the few boards Brewer shaped under the Greek label.

Shred Sledz Presents: 5/16 Grab Bag

Greetings, Shredderz! I hope the stoke levels are high and climbing for each and every one of you. First and foremost, you may recognize a slight name change to our Peabody Award-winning series (Editor’s Note: definitely not), the Shred Sledz Weekend Grab Bag. We’re dropping the “Weekend” part of the moniker, given the fact our editorial staff moves with all the speed of a line at the DMV on a sunny Saturday. It shall henceforth be known as the Shred Sledz Grab Bag. New name, same collection of cool sticks. Anyway: onto the good stuff.

Sunset by Bill Shrosbree 1970s / 1980s 6’1″ Single Fin (Craigslist — Santa Cruz)

This thing was originally posted a few days ago, and then posted again without that lovely Rainbow Fin you can see in the third pic. Luckily, Shred Sledz goes to great lengths to preserve any evidence of rad surfboards online. Board is listed at $350 (without the fin, though!), which I think is quite fair given the board. Shrosbree is a favorite of surfboard aficionado Joel Tudor, which means he’s good enough for me! Check out the board at the link above.

 

Surfboards Hawaii Semi-Gun by Mike Slingerland (Facebook)

This surfboard is unlikely to win any awards for political correctness any time soon. (Check the cartoon in the third pic, alongside the “Charlie Don’t Surf” lam). Questionable laminates aside, though, it is a beautiful example of a later-era Surfboards Hawaii semi-gun that looks to be in awesome condition. Love the colors alongside the stringer and the beautiful, era-correct Rainbow Fin, too. Original post seems to have been taken down, but I linked to an earlier one in the title above.

 

Channin / Diffenderfer 1969 Transition Board (Craigslist — Raleigh, NC)

Can’t say this thing hasn’t seen better days. But shout out to the seller for being as up front as possible, going as far to recount a story about how the board flew off his roof rack while going 70 mph! There’s something sad about seeing someone sell a cherished board, but then again, it’s also an opportunity to score a funky little transitional shape for under $200 ($195, to be exact).

 

Gordon & Smith Magic Model (Craigslist — Orlando)

Cool little transitional shape for sale in Florida. G&S has a little info on this board on their own website. The Magic was invented towards the end of the summer in 1968. It was largely invented by Dennis Benadum, but apparently none other than Skip Frye also chipped in with the board’s design! See below for a picture of the original ad for the board, published sometime in the late 1960s, I believe. Seller is asking $500.

Gordon & Smith The Magic Ad

 

Shred Sledz Presents: 4/10 Weekend Grab Bag (Harbour, Surfboards Hawaii, Gordon & Smith)

These “weekend” posts are increasingly stretching into Monday evening territory, so apologies for the delay. With that said, here’s a mix of some interesting surfboards I’ve come across recently.

Harbour Banana Longboard

Today’s post features not one, but two great deals regarding some Harbour boards. First is a Harbour Banana model for sale for $600 on Craigslist in Santa Ana, California (Orange County). You can find the board here. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Rich Harbour is charging an additional $500 just to hand shape a board! This thing is underpriced, considering. The Banana looks like it was shaped recently, it’s in great condition, and the listing has clear pictures of the signature. Check it here.

 

Harbour Spherical Revolver

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This deal might be better than the first (and I’m sorely tempted to pull the trigger on this thing myself). There’s a Harbour Spherical Revolver for sale on Craigslist in Los Angeles that’s going for a mere $300. You can find the board here. The pictures on the post aren’t great, but there aren’t any major areas of concern I can identify off the bat. Now is as good a time as any to remind you that Shred Sledz’s Official Policy regarding these matters is that you should see a board in person before pulling the trigger.

 

Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland Single Fin

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First, the good news: there’s a Mike Slingerland-shaped Surfboards Hawaii single fin currently for sale on eBay, and it features a rad alternate logo that I have never seen before. You can find the link here. Right now, the bidding is at a mere $45. The bad news? The board has a pretty gruesome repair that needs to be re-done. Either way, it’s a cool example of a later-era Surfboards Hawaii board.

 

Guy Okazaki Single Fin

Guy Okazaki is a Venice-based shaper who has been plying his trade way before Venice was ever cool. There’s a 70s single fin he shaped that is currently for sale for $475 on Craigslist in Simi Valley, which is right outside of Los Angeles. You can find that link here. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about Okazaki himself, but this is a beautiful classic 70s single fin with a great rainbow fin, and it looks like it has been kept in pretty impeccable condition.

 

Bargain Bin

I won’t justify these with pics.

$80 for a Phil Becker-shaped Rick Board. Board isn’t in great condition, but $80 for a Becker Phil is worth mentioning. Craigslist, Orange County: link here.

$50 for a Russell single fin. Shawn Stussy used to shape for Russell back in the day; could be worth taking a flyer on this thing in the hopes that this could be true. Craigslist, Los Angeles: link here.

$300 for a Schroff shortboard. This price isn’t a bargain, per se — the board has the older logo and it’s not one of the obvious 80s versions that the collectors go crazy over. I’m having a hard time telling if this thing is a re-issue or if it really is vintage. Glass on fins are making me lean towards the latter but don’t quote me. It has some cool channels on the bottom, too. Craigslist, San Clemente: link here.

Surfboards Hawaii Vee Bottom

For the first time in Shred Sledz history, I am using a different picture to link to a post. The picture above, which I found on Flickr, courtesy of user surfvinsd, is of an 8′ Surfboards Hawaii vee bottom board.

The good news is there’s a very similar board up for sale on Craigslist right now. These Surfboard Hawaii vee bottoms are pretty hard to come by, and the one that is listed appears to be in decent condition. The poster is asking $650 for the board, which seems fair, with the big assumption that the board is in decent condition.

I couldn’t bear to post the picture that came with the ad, since this board is so dang beautiful and unique. But I urge you to check it out here and maybe even spring for the board (again, check it out in person yourself, and make sure the condition is up to snuff!) should you be inclined to own a piece of transition era surfboard history.

Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland Twin Fin

Surfboards Hawaii is a Shred Sledz favorite, and we’ve written about the brand many times before. While Surfboards Hawaii is best known for its early days, when Dick Brewer and Ben Aipa were mowing foam for early surf icons like Buzzy Trent, the brand has some interesting boards from its later years, too.

Pictured here is an example of a Mike Slingerland-shaped twin fin, which can be found on Craigslist in San Antonio for $375. (See here for an earlier Slingerland shape with an equally ridiculous paint job).

The board looks like it’s in excellent condition. I am a sucker for splashy (tacky?) neon spray jobs, and it doesn’t take much of an imagination to figure out why this board would be up my alley. Slingerland might not be one of the most famous shapers to have passed through Surfboards Hawaii’s doors, but he is an incredible shaper in his own right. These days Slingerland seems to be located in San Diego, where he can be found churning out boards for Leucadia surf shop Surfy Surfy.

I’d guess this board is from the late 70s or early 80s, given the paint job. Stoked-n-Board lists Slingerland as having shaped for Surfboards Hawaii from 1971 to 1978, which matches up to this time frame.

Anyway, check out the board here if you’re so inclined.

Surfboards Hawaii 1960s Noserider (Refurbished)

I’ve written about Surfboards Hawaii numerous times before, and what can I say? There’s just something classic about this brand. I love the simple, unadorned logo, the rich history, and of course the murderers’ row of talented shapers to pass through its doors. This storied label is no longer being produced, though I have heard that Jim “The Genius” Phillips has a stash of Surfboards Hawaii logos and will gladly affix them to a custom-ordered board. See here for an example of a new, Phillips-shaped Surfboards Hawaii stick, via Surfy Surfy.

There is an early 1960s 11′ noserider available for sale on Craigslist right now in Encinitas, which is pictured here. The board is in excellent shape, though it’s worth noting that there are some significant fixes that have been made. For starters, the board was completely resealed a few years ago, and some surgery has been done on the fin, albeit by talented Santa Cruz shaper Michel Junod, who spent a good chunk of time on Hawaii’s North Shore himself. In the picture of the deck you can see a light spot where apparently a Newport Beach Surfing Permit once was! It’s a shame, as surf permits are a cool throwback to the early days of surfing.

As the Craigslist posting points out, there’s an outside chance the board was shaped by Dick Brewer. Apparently you could pay an extra $15 to get a Brewer custom shaped boards at the original Encinitas location of the Surfboards Hawaii store, so take that for what it’s worth.

The board isn’t cheap at $1100, but it’s in fantastic condition. You can check it out on Craigslist here.