Cleaning out the Garage

Every so often we sign up for a vendor's space at our local swap meet and set up shop for the day. It always end's up being a blast, despite weather mishaps and occasional van problems (like the time it caught fire and broke down in line at 545am), and you also have the pushy bargain hunters with little respect and no-shame...ya we still end up making it a hoot!

I've sold quite a few boards over the years, including a red and white lightning bolt WAYNE BROWN "MIKE PURPOUS" model which was the go to board for myself, the family, and all of the neighborhood kids back in the day. I am really sad to have sold that old board, because I knew how collectible it was...but I was fresh off a move back to California from a job I had just quit, and I was really strapped for cash. Super sad. That same day I sold a sick little 5'8 teal and orange BABY SWALLOW SCHROFF.

But all of that is in the past now, and just a few weeks back I had a great time out at the swap meet again selling and trading with the local folks. I brought four old boards that were buried in my garage and sold them all to one fella who was loading up a van and shipping it all back to France. I had just picked up the HOBIE NORFLEET, but was not terribly sad to see it go. The BURKE was however a difficult one to say goodbye too, but it was really damaged and I'm pressed for space so...bye bye birdie. Let's see, the ENCINITAS was actually a cool board, with surf-able potential. I bought it when I saw it perched up in this dude's flower bed as decoration, so I hit him up and bought a new board with thoughts of paddling it out. Unfortunately I never did surf that board. Then there's the older NEWPORT SURF & SPORT which was severely sun damaged and meant as a decoration.

We really did have a good time. And put together a nice little bank roll for future vintage surfboard shopping!

The Mega Load

When I started this blog a few weeks back, my intention was to tell the many stories that accompany all of the old boards that I collect and ride. I haven't been able to share many of those stories yet because I've had such a great run of good luck finding boards recently, and last Saturday that lucky streak continued. I was in the right place at the right time and I ended up having an absolute ball. I've never bought more than two boards at once, so to bring home four of them was a monumental occurrence.

The brightly colored 7" KOPLIEN was the first board I scored on Saturday and I could have easily called it quits right then and there. But the Surfboard Gods were shinning their light down on me, and boards started popping up left and right. I then rolled up on that stubby little 5'1 McNEELY twin fin which was ridiculously cheap and therefore absolutely irresistible. I was definitely in the process up shutting down the search, when the 5'9 RICHENBERG came into my view. The board was in fantastic condition, complete with the removable Freestyle trailer fin, and stunning 80's color scheme...it had to be mine. And that's where the 6'3 HOBIE - NORFLEET comes into the picture. The dude who sold me the RICHENBERG knew how stoked I was so he busted out his salesman skills and gave me an unbelievable bundle price which basically forced me to buy the HOBIE. So I ended up hauling away three quality vintage boards and one sweet little colorful junker which made for "The Mother Load" of surfboard finds.

The Colorful 80's

Most of the surfboards that I buy are in need of at least some repair. Shoot, that's partly why I buy them. These two colorful boards were no exception. There are some minor dings here and there, but nothing that would designate these as "wall hangers" only. These boards were easy on the eyes, easy on the wallet, and easy to carry off and load into my truck. I'm lovin' these 80's boards right now and hope to patch them up for the water soon.

The truth is I will probably never have a chance to personally ride the 5'3 CANYON, simply based on the fact that I'm 6'4 and I'm not too sure if it'd float me or not. I am however a uncle of two young boy's, and an expecting father to be, so there's bound to be some little grom in the family who will get to paddle out that colorful little board. The R.L. - LIEGGI surfboard however is right up my alley. It's 5'9 with the thickest 3.5" hamburger rails I've ever seen. The board has so much foam, it's almost difficult to grip the beefy rails. It's going to be an interesting ride for sure!

Agua Surfboards

I've had this AGUA twin fin collecting dust in the rafters of my garage for about ten years now, and I was really excited to pull it down and go for a surf on a fun and glassy 2ft day. As I initially hit the water and began to paddle out, it felt as though the old 6'2 AGUA was "chompin at the bit" to get out in the lineup. I was glowing inside. Here I was, back on the old horse, out in the water with one of my cherished vintage gems...and with some fun little peelers rolling through, man I was really tuned up.

I've been on a vintage surfboard kick since I started surfing, and I've always enjoyed riding a diverse quiver of boards. As silly as it may sound to most folks, finding a new surfboard is one of my favorite moments in life, and it really fires me up when I come across somebody's old board that they don't want anymore. I've always found it rewarding, and I've become somewhat of a surfboard nut...kinda like the crazy cat lady down the street, except my passion is for old sun faded boards. I just can't help it. I look at those old boards, and I can imagine the kid who was holding it under his arms on a fun early morning surf sesh 30 years ago and how stoked he was to have this brand new board to paddle out. Sure that same board is all beat up now, and it doesn't have the same shine that it once did, but I so enjoy being able to call it mine and having the opportunity to pull it out of the rafters and go for a surf.

I found this board by searching through a list of SOLD items on ebay. The policy has now changed, but you could once peel through all of the sales of any particular ebay seller and look up who they sold the item too and for how much. At the time I was really hungry to add more boards to my quiver, and I was feverishly searching high and low for any & all deals. When I came upon the SALE record for this board, and I saw how cheap the dude bought it for, I instantly contacted him and offered to pay double the price of what he had originally paid. It was definitely an unorthodox tactic, and it was sorta awkward showing up to this guy's house to buy a board that he had just picked up a few months back on ebay. But I quickly got over the awkwardness, gave the dude cash, and hustled off to the beach to test out my new sled.

Still Searchin'

I had a great surf on a dark and drizzly Thursday morning just a few days ago, and it really took me back to the "reason" why I still go surfing. The waves were only 2ft at best, but it was super glassy and the slow rollers were still breaking on the outside when I first gave it a check. As I shuffled back to the car for my 10ft log and 4/3 fullsuit I thought to myself, "I'm so glad I got up early this morning". There was some serious lulls between the sets, but there were also a few shapely little walls to be had when the sets did bounce through, and I was dialed in with the early entry longboard routine. I still get such a kick out of sliding into waves and I hope that feeling never goes away.

Keeping that stoke of surfing on the forefront of my mind is not a hard thing to do. As a collector of all things surf and water sports related, I am constantly reminded of why I like to surf and I've got that ever present inspiration in the form of sweet little vintage finds. I love riding old school boards, they're just cooler. In my search for those old boards I also come across other surf related items and I wanted to share some of those finds on Vintage-Surf-N-Stuff.

While I was out searchin' today, I happened to recognize this fella who was inspecting a small pile of older boards that I had just been looking at a few moments earlier. I did a few double takes, and then calmly gained the courage to ask the dude, "Has anybody ever told you that you look like Peter Townsend ?", and he says "Ya, that's because I am Peter Townsend". It was a really cool experience. Of course I know that the guy is an absolute surfing legend, and I wasn't going to ask him for a picture or any jive like that...but to have a friendly exchange with a World Champion Surfer, a guy who I've watched and listened to over and over again in classic surfing films and as a surfing commentator. Wow what a neat moment for me! I shook his hand, and laughed at his own stoke of searching and finding vintage boards. He mentioned finding a PLASTIC FANTASTIC for his son a while back and only paying $50 for it, and of course I could share in his joy. It was so cool to see him out there still searchin' for vintage boards, and I was so impressed with how down to earth and engaging he was...PT is the man!

Weekend in So Cal

I am so thankful to live and work in Southern California, where we are blessed with warm weather, consistently fun surf, and a mega load of old discarded vintage surfboards. Deciding if surfing on a Saturday morning is more important than "hunting" for an old board can be a very stressful process. If the swell is up and the tides are right, well it's off to the beach we go. But that doesn't mean that I can't let a few Garage Sale sign's send us on a little detour while in route to the surf and sand. The waves are still gonna be there.

I was so extremely STOKED to pull up on this board this weekend. Of course I had the beach and the waves on my mind, but the exhilaration of buying this board truly warmed my heart and spirit. The dude I bought it from said it had been hanging in the rafters for more that 25 years and it definitely had the dust to confirm his story. It's homemade for sure, 7'6" with these crazy knife sharp rails, a wave-set fin, and it's YELLOW! I can't wait to fill in a couple of the dings and paddle it straight out into some fun little Southern California surf!