04Apr2013 Harbour Surfboards 70′s Skateboard



The annual harbour surf day is fastly approaching us. The event will be held this Saturday, November 10th… tower 23 at Bolsa Chica State Beach(north of the main entrance). There will be a raffle, food, give aways, friends, lots of surfboards, etc. We hope to see everyone down there, catching waves, sharing memories with friends or just sitting on the beach laughing at all the hilarious wipeouts.

Randy Rarick is one of the best on the planet at restoring surfboards. These are pictures of the finished product. From now on I will be featuring more pictures of future projects as he supplies them.
Our records show that this board that is numbered 4915, is a 9-10 that was ordered May 5th, 1967.
If you want a restoration done, Randy is located on Oahu, Hawaii. If you live on the mainland, getting the board back and forth will not be cheap.

Rich has been a busy man the past couple months shaping boards. He has been recreating boards from the 60′s for special wall hangers. The seal beach barber shop and Seal Beach Electric have some amazing boards on display that everyone should go get a look at! Rich spent countless hours with the planer shaving all these stringers down!

The annual Harbour Board swap this year was a great hit. We decided to move the location of the event to the Canvas Shop which is located just north of us on PCH. They allowed us to use their big backyard space which allowed for more boards, people, music and all out fun. We had Cameron and Jim playing some jams, Todd was feeding everyone on his amazing grill, The boys from hinano and destination surf were also on hand to show support. Many boards were sold and lots of stoke filled the air. Until next year!

EXTRA! EXRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! We just got in our new model, the “Plantain”! I spent some time talking with Rich about this one and it sounds like he’s done it again.
The “Plantain” is our newest addition to our surfboard production line for 2012! This model is great for those of you that really like to ride the nose, but you don’t want to completely abandon the idea of turning! The ”Plantain” was designed to be a happy medium between maneuverability and stability and falls right between our “Merlin” model and our “Banana” model. It features a 50/50 rail at the front 2/3 of the board and a tucked rail through the back 1/3 of the board for added traction on those slippery waves! A rounded squash tail allows for putting this one on rail with ease! A truly unique ride!

Rich Harbour has had pneumonia the past few weeks but the good news is he’s feeling better and back in the shape bay! Check out these recent photos staff member Brian Kucera took of rich shaping Todds new plantain:

We have a couple 1966 Bananas that we just got in stock that are looking..well, check them out for yourself! Now, you’re probably wondering what’s the difference between a “1966 Banana” and a “Classic.” I was wondering the same thing so I had Rich give me a little feedback on this “1966 Banana”. Here’s what he had to say…
We took down the 1966 Banana that was hanging on the ceiling in the shop, spent a half a day taking some measurements and made a 9’6″ and a 10’0″ for stock as seen below.
Here’s the 9’6″ 1966 Banana we made for stock. Board #30301. It has a 1″ Balsa stringer, a tail block, and some color on the hot coat to give it that old school vibe.
Dimensions:
Length: 9’6″
Tail: 15″
Wide: 22″
Thick: 3 1/4″
Nose: 17″
Price: $1,305.00
Here’s the 10’0″ 1966 Banana that we made for stock. Board# 30300. It has a 1″ Balsa stringer, a tail block, and some black and red color on the hot coat.
Dimensions:
Length: 10’0″
Tail: 15″
Wide: 22 1/4″
Thickness: 3 3/8″
Nose: 16″
Price: 1255.00
The blue “Classic” on the left is 9’10″ and the “1966 Banana” on the right is a 10’0″ but it’s close enough for a visual comparison. Notice the “Classic” has a more pulled in tail, smaller tail block, is wider at the mid-point, and wider through the nose. The “1966″ Banana has a straighter/narrower outline.
The “Classic” at 10’0″ is:
Length: 10’0″
Tail: 14 1/2″
Wide: 22 3/4″
Thick: 3 3/8″
Nose: 17 1/4″
SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON…
“Classic” Dimensions:
10’0″ x 14 1/2″ x 22 3/4″ x 3 3/8″ 17 1/4″
“1966 Banana” Dimensions:
10’0″ x 15″ x 22 1/4″ x 3 3/8″ x 16″
What can I expect out of these boards?
The “1966 Banana” is literally that…a Banana from 1966. These boards tend to have a pretty narrow and straight outline and a flatter rocker. This one will definitely set trim pretty easily. Breaking that trim, or in other words, turning this board, will be a bit more challenging than any other board in our lineup at the same length. If you have a sense of humor, then you’ll have fun on this one. And yes, it noserides but not as well as our “Noserider” model.
The “Classic” was designed in the 80′s using all of the knowledge gained through the longboard years of the 60′s, this board has the glide that was so important, and a turn that rivals the best design from that era. This one has more curve in the outline than the 1966 Banana.This is a great board for someone who wants the best of everything from those golden years.
What kind of rails do these boards have?
Both boards have 50/50 rails that are full. These boards are stable.
Where do you see these boards performing the best?
Both will perform well at San Onofre, Cardiff, or Bolsa Chica on a peaky day. Maybe Rincon, Malibu, or Trestles with nobody out! Lot’s of people in the lineup means more maneuvering around them while going down the line. These boards will not maneuver very quickly so good luck dodging the crowd at first peak, Malibu on these.
Who would benefit most from this board?
A “1966 Banana” would benefit a better-than-average surfer looking for something different and challenging.
A “Classic” would benefit an average to better-than-average surfer looking for a novelty ride that is challenging but not as challenging as the “1966 Banana”.
Basically…
Think of surfing the “1966 Banana” like driving an old Cadillac from 1966 without power steering. It’s going to take a some effort to crank a turn, it’s heavy, and you’ll probably pearl it if you take it into any waves that are fast and/or steep. However, once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun!
The “Classic” is for the person looking to ride an old school log. It’ll be easier to turn and maneuver than the “1966 Banana” but it still won’t turn like a contemporary cruiser. Don’t worry, it won’t bite you!
Feel free to give us a call at (562) 430-5614 or e-mail us at contact@harboursurfboards.com and we’d be more than happy to assist you with any questions you may have.
“There may be something to be had with riding equipment that doesn’t make surfing easier. Surfing ancient equipment that is difficult to ride is an achievement in itself.”

Staff member shane bowman is quite the artist. Check out some of his art work at the link below.
http://www.designsbybowman.blogspot.com/

Rich Harbour is getting closer and closer to finishing his balsa surfboard that he has been shaping for the past couple months. Here is another photo of the board a
fter months of collecting the wood and gluing the 23 pieces together, the shaping has begun. After roughing out the rails, zeebrawood nose and tail blocks are in order.