Just started a restoration on an old malibu chip board. It has a foam core , 3 cedar stringers and solid balsa from the outside stringers (similar to a Joe Quig hollow balsa) . It also has a flat deck from nose to tail and from rail to rail , and a full roll on the bottom. It has no signature or markings . Does anyone have any info on this board , or has seen anything similar before??
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some pics=
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http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
hey pat whats the skin thickness
cheers huie
now retired
Hey Huie, about 6-7 mm....but nose and tail are solid wood
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
haa'' thats sort of some clever thinking what age do you suspect it is
cheers huie
now retired
All I know so far ( from the owner) is that it was brought in from US many years ago. It could be 50's...someone should know....the outline is sweet!!!.....the board was faired with some white filler , and then glassed .
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
Yeah, I can claim that one.............. did it in 1954......... I was 2-1/2 or 3. Hard to get my arms to plane the center stringer.
Joking..................... LOL ;)............DS
ready for the glass shop!
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http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
It's now been dated to 1947....the fin is original....plywood with white-oak veneer (veneer is 2mm thick)
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
What's the history? Beautiful outline for 1947.
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Mike , the owner has the relevant authorities checking it out.....maybe Simmons or someone very close...I can't wait to find out...its a nice thing to have your hands on!....with the 3 solid stringers it has stayed in perfect shape ...
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
Hi Kayu -
I've been following the Malibu chip restoration. Fascinating.
Sorry I can't be of assistance in identifying the maker. In all honesty I've never seen a veneer/foam composite from anywhere near that period. I know Simmons was doing the plywood balsa railed boards with foam core but have only seen a couple of those. They appeared quite different from yours in overall shape and design.
I'm not saying Simmons didn't make yours. I just am not knowledgeable enough to say.
If it does turn out to be a Simmons, it is rare and undoubtedly quite valuable.
It looks great so far. Am looking forward to glassing updates!
John
Hi John , yeah I had my doubts that it was a Simmons , to me it looked closer to Matt Kivlins work (the ones I've seen ).... now I am not sure , all I really know is , that it came to Aus on a ship ,from California in '47...........very clean lines , whoever made it knew their stuff , or did a mighty fine job of copying !!!
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
all glassed and ready for some waves !.....this board feels so nice , not too heavy and dead straight. The owner dropped by a few weeks back and took these pics. The shaper hasn't owned up yet , but my guess is Matt Kivlen.......we'll find out at the next RR auction in Hawaii....
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http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
Beautifully done!! I wonder how many surfers there were in Australia when that board arrived in 1947?
I have to ask, what type of foam was used in those center/cored sections?
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Mike , the the core was large bead EPS foam. At that time in Aus (1947)the standard was 16ft toothpicks, but some of the younger surfers had quad finned 6'-4" downrailers ,with double concaves and removable fin systems !...........maybe
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
Haha, I know what other threads you've been reading :)
I would think a non-Simmons eps core would be even more rare than the Simmons versions, but I'm not anywhere near an expert. I can't believe this thread/this board hasn't attracted more attention here. Have you posted anything about it in General Discussion?
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I may do that Mike....for me , I'd really like to know more about it. The owner , Carl Tanner , a collector , intends to get it into some waves soon....maybe take it to the Noosa , not sure. I can only imagine what she rides like...it will be good, and definately fast .
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
'47, Simmons only surfed for 5 years, died in '54, there is no way it was one of his, way to foiled and thin
http://www.currumbinwoodworks.com.au/
Mr. Matt Kivlin did a reproduction for the Heritage Surfing Museum in San Clemente, Ca., extremely foiled out. Velzy said "Kivlin would spend a week just tuning one up, when he was done, there was nothing left", but I'm sure there was a riding difference between the two when done
Kayu, this is a longshot but I was wondering if you were ever able to track down the shaper on this board?
Is there any chance I could get a template and a bit more info about the rails? Going to be building a couple of boards for a museum project over here and this one lit me up years ago when it was first posted!
Thank you kindly,