Hi, I aquired an old Hansen Cardiff Mike Doyle Board about a year ago. Was helping a gal load up her stuff to move out of area (las vegas NV) and noticed this hanging in her garage. When I showed some interest in it, she told me a long story (possibly true, or not?) that she had been a former girfriend of Doyle;s and that he had given this board to her as a giftin the late 1960’s. In any case she was kind enough to offer me the board for all the help with her move and I gladly accepted. Born and raised in Manhattan Beach just 4 blocks from the water I had grown up with folks like Greg Knoll (part time lifeguard at 4th St, station) Dewey Webber (spent an afternoon at South Bay Hospital ER room together) and gone to school with Kent Jacobs (Hap’s kid) so I was pretty stoked for nostalgia reasons! But it’s been hanging in my living room for a while now and have decided to let it go. I am going to attempt attaching my scheduled eBay listing and pic’s here in the hopes that some of you ( Bill T maybe?) can help check for accuracy before the Listing goes live next weekend. Thanks for any and all input, PM
Just did a preview, you have fo click on the 1st box “Doyle eBay Listing” to view the Listing text/ description. And the seial #'s on Logo are hard to read, Thay Are: 13365 DOYLE808
The board number puts it at very late 1966, or very early 1967. The board was shaped by Fred (Buzzy) Smole. The board was #808 in the Doyle series. I would tend to believe her story. Mike was a real hound dog. Seemed to have a girl ‘‘friend’’ in almost every beach town. If Doyle was a Native American, you would say he had taken many scalps.
Its weird but to my eye it kinda looks like maybe it was longer but broke in half and they cut a section out of the middle and joined the front and back at that black V line, and wrapped a layer of glass around the repair to strengthen it. The rail line at the black V looks just a little off to me, but maybe its just photo distortion. There would have been some sanding involved to blend it through the middle, hence that discoloration along the V, where they sanded into the high area or filled the low. Just a theory.
When I started shaping for Hansen, in the Spring of 1965, at least once every week or so there would be a board in the eight foot range. The shapers would almost fight over them. They weren’t common, but they weren’t rare either. And, per the mid board wierdness, there seems to be some sort of repair. Can’t telll exactly what went on. Seems like the blank was shortened, prior to glueing in the stringer and foam bundle in the center.
Hi, just wanted to say thanks to all for your input, VERY helpfull! I noticed the mid section and wondered what that was all about? Can remember watching in awe as the older (and better) guy’s would “shoot the Pier” at Manhattan Beach Pier, usually taking off in between the pilings with some of the REALLY Crazy’s coming in from just outside. Saw many a Long Board get busted in two and sometimes they would take the front Half’s and make Paipo’s out of them. But hard to believe anybody could or would piece a whole board back together? Plus it’s just too clean of a job seems to me, so Bill, you are saying mabe it was shortened before Glassing during original Build? That would make better sense than actuall being pieced back together after getting broken to me??? Thanks again, PM
PS; here’s a couple close up’s of area, might help
Doyle Models have three 1/4th inch stringers, with one inch of foam between the stringers. The stringers and foam were pre glued together, before being glued into the blank. The black lines could have been ANY color. They are the normal Doyle Model 1/4th inch wide pinlines.
I dunno if that’s a repair. If it is, it;s a really good job. Instead, if they shortened a blank and used those diagonal pieces of wood ( ‘stringer’ doesn’'t really fit ) in the joint, perhaps they figured that had weakened things, cutting through all the stringers and all, so they threw a band of glass around that area, just to make sure it didn’t bend, break, buckle or whatever? It looks original, after all,
The discoloration along there, well, I do see what looks like a repaired rail ding right near that diagonal wood plus a small puncture right on top of it, and it wouldn’t be the first time water sucked along a stringer and discolored the foam. Especialliy if the board did flex a little right there.
