SBD's Old G&S Resurrection

silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
33,486
23,075
113
Tower 13
Figured this forum could use a thread like this.

I learned to surf when I was about 12 or 13. I'm just shy of 43 now. At the time, I wanted a shortboard and nothing but a short board that all the cool kids had. Started with a 5'10" Canyon (damn I wish I still had that thing) but was basically just a buoy in the water. My neighbor started taking me surfing and showed me the ropes. I really looked up to him. He could surf, knew all the cool lingo I didn't know, was in with a crew (a few of which I still surf with today), took me to all the s SD spots and northern Baja, the whole 9 yards. Anyway, he kept telling me I should get a longer board. Occasionally I'd ride his speed egg but I didn't want to be seen on it of course. After awhile I learned of a 7'4" G&S singlefin sitting in the garage of his neighbor two doors down that he was going to dump in a garage sale. He said I should convince my Dad to get it for me cause it would really help my surfing. My Dad was pretty damn cool when it came to stuff like surfing, water skiing, dirt bikes, etc. so I don't think it took to much to convince him. Besides I think the price was right since he was just going to dump it at a garage sale anyway and he was stocked to see it go to a neighbors kid and what not. So anyway, I got it and started riding it and it ended up being the best thing for my surfing., despite being overly self conscious and embarrassed to be seen with it. I ended up getting a lot more waves and since it was a 70's shape, I learned how to ride a board that wasn't extremely user friendly. I mean there are harder boards to ride but a little kid on a 70's singlefin isn't exactly a plug and play board. I rode that thing for a year or two, maybe less before I went back to shortboarding. I still have vivid memories of riding that as a kid, it's crazy. Older guys would compliment the board at shores lol.

For some reason it gained enough sentimental value where I knew I should never get rid of it so it sat in garages, college apartments, post college apartments, etc. somehow not getting stolen all these years. I think I rode it as an adult maybe twice and my wife recalls riding it a few times not too long after we met. Since then it's been sitting unridden in the same pink julie designs sock with the same wax through apartments in PB, OB, then condo and two houses in Clairemont SD until about a week ago.

I always had the intention of pulling it out, cleaning it up and having roper make it water tight enough to ride a few times and either hang up somewhere or just add to the rack of boards in the garage for an occasional spot in the rotation.

I cleaned the wax yesterday and decided to take it to Bird to learn more about it. As luck would have it, I showed up as Hank Warner was dropping off a beautiful longboard under the Caster label. I put it on the rack and had Bird take a look at it. As he started talking, he called Hank over to review the board, serial number etc, and Hank immediately said "oh this is a 70's modern machine shaped by.... oh Hoy Runnels". I thought, wow how cool is it to have this resource available then bam this legend happens to be there that can pin point the shaper based on hand writing. Fvcking cool!!!!

So another coincidence is Bird happened to have the same model but a few years earlier in the shop and he was tripping out on comparing the two; ralis,, bottom contour, the whole 9 yards and he was pointing out the subtle improvements they made in the model in the two years mine was made vs the one he had in the shop. He spent a fair amount of time with me helping me date the board and explain how much he knew. It was friggen awesome.

What's really trippy is I've had this board for 30 years shaped by Hoy Runnels and low and behold, I have a Rusty Blackbird I got custom in 2017 shaped by... the same fvcking guy. I have two boards in my garage shaped by the same guy that are 40 years apart in age. How insane is that?

Any way, the intent of this post is to document my resurrection of this board. I plan to take to Roper next week to make water tight then report on riding it soon. I hope you enjoy.

IMG_3113.jpgIMG_3114.jpgIMG_3116.jpgIMG_3117.jpg
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,981
22,506
113
PNW
Sick thread. Board looks pretty good all things considered...
 

Bman76

Nep status
Mar 10, 2011
924
716
93
such a great looking board! I wished i'd kept all the old boards i started on...
 

silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
33,486
23,075
113
Tower 13
So I finally got her wet today. Seems like conditions haven't been quite right since I got it back from roper but today seemed like a good call. I didn't really know what to expect and wouldn't have been surprised if I hated it. Turns out I had a really good time on it and it's pretty damn fun. Much looser than I thought so I might move the fin back a hair. Really stable and and fun to trim up front then pivot nicely when needed. I actually think I'll ride this occasionally.

I'm pretty stocked on the whole deal.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
9,269
113
eastside oahu
I would think that leash plug was added on at a way later date. I started surfing in the 70’s and the leash attachments were the glue-on or glass on slugs, the fin rope rainbow looking thing or the wonder bolt fin screw with a loop on it you could tie a string thru. Sucked if you stepped on the slugs it hurt. And imagine all the drag with the leash trailing behind your fin. Early leashes sucked too. The boards sprang back at you like a spear.

Cool story. My first board was a Brewer with a convex, rolled bottom. Wish I still had that board. Must’ve been from the 60’s.
 

silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
33,486
23,075
113
Tower 13
That's what I figured as well Teeroi but Hnk indicated that 75' was about the time they added plugs. The 72" model that was in Bird's did not. Not sure if what he said is true though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: teeroi