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I know it doesn't look like much, but if you know the history of this board you will see why I am so stoked to have it in my quiver. I bought it in OB, San Diego before I left in 2002. It was just leaning up against this dude's house with a sign on it for $150. Needless to say I snapped it up, but didn't know the whole story, just recognised the name, and that it was a vintage board. I took it into Channin the next day to fix it during my shift hotcoating, and everyone fell out, They couldn't believe I got it for so cheap, and Randy Wong broke down the significance of the find for me. Since then it has been very closely guarded, and locked in my parents attic in the Bahamas for 3 years.
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I can't say for sure the year, but I took it to the longboard Grotto in Encinitas after the freakout at Channin, to see what it was worth, and got some more cool info on it. They suggested a full restoration, but I couldn't afford it, and besides, it was meant to be ridden....JPG)
Dig the asymmetrical tail, and reverse cut fin. Full nose and tail woodblocks and 1" stringer. The foil in the nose is super thin, and the rails are knifey-thinned out. I can't wait to get it back home and into some long waves....
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Here's a link about Carl Ekstrom:http://www.theshaperstree.com/tales/ekstrom.asp
and some info from the Hydrodynamica movie site here:http://www.unit3a.nu/hydro/hydro.swf
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4 comments:
well whats the story about the board Mate??
PS- you want long waves? next clean swell i gotta show you this right hand point.
What a find, it looks parched need to get it wet :)
anon,
well from what i was told, it was made in '62-'65 when carl was doing lots of experimenting with asymmetrical shapes.
The tail shows what he was after, as quoted on the Hydrodynamica site :
"Windansea surfer Carl Ekstrom explored the possibilities of asymmetrical surfboard in the mid 1960s.
Why?
"'I thouhgt about asymmetricals while riding Windasea. Iliked one board going right and another going left. I wanted a forward driving turn going right, and more of a pivotal turn going left.'"
the asymmetrical inspired the Mirandon brothers to create the twin tailed, twin finned "double asymmetrical," also know as the "twin pin"... Things are starting to get fishy...."
So in a sort of round about way, Ekstrom helped fuel the Fish design fire...
I think it was originally painted/glosses green, as there are some areas that have green resin in them, and it looks like it was sanded down - probably by whoever did the ding repairs - long before I got it.
Anyway, it's super fun to ride, and a little bit of history at the same time...
by the way the Nelson in the name is I believe Al Nelson.
From the Shapers Tree:
"There was a group of guys in La Jolla who were into board building in the 1950’s. Their legend was just beginning. Some of them would drive up to General Veneer and buy their wood. There would be times when General Veneer would bring the balsa to them at the WindanSea parking lot. Either way the guys would put their money together and buy a full bundle of wood. Of course they would fight over the best wood after the delivery. Reason being there were really light boards and really heavy boards that came out from same bundle.
Carl Ekstrom was one of these guys. His good friend Al Nelson was another. "
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