Pink checker board Schroff 'Baby Swallow' single fin

I'm pleased to share with you my 5'11" Peter Schroff shaped 'Baby Swallow' single fin. I'm in love with the pink and black checker board spray and 80's decals. This board looks as current and exciting as anything currently on the market. This piece almost completes my mission to preserve a selection of important early 80's Californian 'Echo Beach' era shapers work. There are some obvious holes in the collection but so far we have: 

Greg Pautsch McCoy, Peter Schroff 'Twin Fin Design', Simon Anderson Design Nectar thruster, Lance Colins single fin and a Lance Collins Wave Tools twin fin.

 

 

 

There is no signature on the stringer or foam, only this marking 5'11" on the glass around the fin box

 The board originally came with a classic collection of 80's stickers and deck grip. PJ's surfrider Newport Beach shows its heritage, coming from the 'Echo beach' area.

 

 

I found this board just in time to co-inside with the modern single fin revial that's been spear headed by Rusty Preisendorfer.

Obscure- yes. Complete- Almost. Part 2

Be careful what you wish for cause you just may get it.

After wishing to 'secure' a board from every shaper from the 1985 top 20 and already having 14 of the 20 I just found 2 of the remaining pieces in one place. A guy is selling a Kong model Hot Stuff as surfed by Gary Elkerton and a Local Motion as surfed by Buttons Kaluhiokalani on the East Coast. He will only sell them as a pair. Of course I don't have a penny spare after xmas. So I'm suggesting we get 20 people to 'invest' $30 each to secure them for prosperity. They will live at my house in Encinitas and as an investor you are welcome to take them for a surf if your in the area. I will photograph them and post the pics for reference. When we sell them on we will split the proceeds 20 ways. You might even make a profit! 

If you want to be a small part of obscure 80's surf history email me at damion@boardcollector.com 

Holy Grail

I've been in the US just over one year this thanks giving. My mission secure and preserve a U.S innovation period surfboard collection has been going well, but there are still a few missing pieces to my puzzel. The holy grail, the mising jewel from my crown, is an early eighties Shawn Stussy shaped twin fin. Somtimes I start to think that they are not even real, they are goasts, figments of my blurred 80's imagination and my mission is a hoax. Then, trawling the internet, I stumble upon the holy grail, preserved on an East Coast. Reminding me that the only way to reach your destination is to put one foot in front of the other and keep hunting keep searching.

Of course, as soon as the correct swell pops up, I'm going to drive up to Rincon and drop into Shawn's new board shop located in Montecito's lower village at 1187 Coast Village Road and order a new "future classic" single fly swallow tail twin fin shaped by the man himself

Obscure- yes. Complete- Almost.

Its an unusual task to set ones self and possibly a somewhat unhealthy obsession to cultivate but I'm 70% of the way to owning a board from every shaper from the 1985 top 20.

Buttons Kaluhiokalani with his (?) shaped Local Motion

Cheyne Horan with his Geoff McCoy shaped Mc Coy

Tom Curren with his Al Merrick shaped Channel Islands

Willy Morris with his Al Merrick shaped Channel Islands 

Shaun Tomson with his Spyder Murphy shaped Shaun Tomson

Tom Carroll with his Phil Byrne shaped Bryne

Michael Ho with his  Eric Arakawa shaped Island Classic

Mark Richards with his Mark Richards shaped Mark Richards

Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew with his Al Byrne shaped Hot Stuff

Terry Richardson with his Terry Richardson shaped Richo

Wes Laine with his Rusty Preisendorfer shaped Canyon

Hans Hedemann with his  Eric Arakawa shaped Island Classic

Joey Buran with his Michael Barron shaped MB

Greg Day with his Greg Clough shaped Aloha

Simon Anderson with his Simon Anderson shaped Energy

Richard Cram with his Greg Clough shaped Aloha

Martin Potter with his Denis Pang T&C

Bobby Owens Bill Barnsfeild shaped Lightning Bolt

Gary Elkerton Al Byrne shaped Hot Stuff

Dane Kealoha  with his (?) shaped T&C

The argument I put forward in my defence is surfboards are sculptures and shapers are artists and the designs and shapes from the period are unique, innovative and beautiful. If the history of surfboard design was over laid with the history of modern art then the shapers of innovation period would be the fauves, cubists or post impressionists.

But mainly these boards are just fun to surf.

Cardiff surf swap part 1

The local board swap is alive and well in my part of California. Full of dubious 80's & 90's surfboards for as low as $25 and even more dubious surf culture inspired art work. 

Team Simon?

Rhett wrote to me with some questions about his recent find. A rounded pin tail single flyer Energy thruster with no channels and a textured 'comp finish' deck. Its obviously a team board. 

But which early 80's pro rode Energy thrusters and was sponsored by Sunbreaker AND Piping Hot?