Discover Top Posts Tagged with #ben aipa

I’ve written before about my love for Con Surfboards. I’ve had some time to think about it...and I stand by everything I’ve said. I don’t know what it is but I just can’t get enough of vintage Con boards. That logo is just so killer! There’s something about the simplicity of the design that encapsulates everything I associate with the early days of California surf culture.

Photo via Ron Regalado

Enough with the pretentious prose, though: let’s get to the good stuff! In the pictures above you can see a groovy Con single fin that’s currently listed for sale on eBay. The board appears to be a variant on a traditional sting design.

There are a lot of interesting things about this board, but man, check out that insane arc tail! (Honestly, I didn’t even know what to call it, until I found this helpful breakdown of different surfboard tail designs by Rusty Preisendorfer.)

The wings on the Con board are not very pronounced, and they look to be pushed quite far back compared to other sting silhouettes. For example, take a look at this Aipa sting (Aipa, of course, invented the sting). The wings on the Aipa below are wider and located further up, closer to the wide point of the board:

Photo via Surfboardline.com

The Con board also sports a step bottom, which you can find on a decent number of stings. Here’s an example of a G&S sting (although I believe this is a board made in Australia, and not G&S’ native California), via the Cronulla Surf Museum, that features a clearly visible step bottom:

Picture via Cronulla Surf Museum

With that said, I can’t find any evidence of Con ever having made a sting. I’m not sure whether this was a specific model of board, or, more likely, a one-off. As for the date, Stoked-n-Board has a great entry on Con Surfboards, which has some good clues for when the board might have been made.

First, the board featured in the post has a clearly identifiable logo. It is the combination of Con’s script logo from the 70s, along with its classic red circle design. According to Stoked-n-Board, this logo was only produced between 1969 and 1974.

Those dates line up well with the other details for the board. First, you have a gorgeous rainbow fin in a fin box (not sure what kind of fin system), which points towards very late 60s and the 70s. Second, the sting was a design that came to prominence in the 70s, mostly thanks to Ben Aipa and the top Hawaiian pros of the time. According to the Encyclopedia of Surfing, the sting was invented in 1974. (See here for an earlier post on Aipa stings).

More than anything, I’m stunned that the board appears to be in such great condition. It’s almost to the point where I began to wonder if it was a retro board shaped more recently. However, I have my doubts that a retro board would have a rainbow fin, not to mention the funky details (the step bottom and the wings). My guess? The board at the top of the page is just in fantastic condition.

The board is going for $750. As far as I know, there’s no special historical significance to this thing. $750 is never cheap, but if I’m correct in saying the board is all original and in such fantastic condition, I’d argue that’s actually a reasonable price.

You can check out the board here.

#con surfboards #con colburn #ben aipa #AIPA #vintage surfboards #sting surfboard #stinger surfboard

Spotted on Craigslist in Paso Robles, California is an interesting Ben Aipa / Surfboards Hawaii single fin.

I’d never seen this logo before, nor does Stoked-n-Board’s Surfboards Hawaii page show anything resembling this design. From what I can tell, there isn’t an Aipa signature anywhere on the board, which I believe is unusual as well. Surfboard Hoard has an example of a Surfboards Hawaii board shaped by Aipa, with very different branding and logos. I have included one of the pictures below:

The board pictured with this post isn’t in the best condition. For one, there has been a ton of work around the tail, and at least two other dings that required significant repairs. There’s also the issue of the unsightly black nose guard, not to mention the remnants of a deck pad. It’s sad to see such a cool looking board in half-assed condition, but oh well. And at $600 I can’t say you’re getting a bargain, either, but perhaps this is a very rare logo that would require a premium.

If you’re interested, check it out here.

#ben aipa #Surfboards Hawaii #vintage surfboard

File this guy under things I have never seen before...

This is a 9′ Ben Aipa-shaped longboard with a logo from Kimo’s Surf Hut. The Aipa signature is definitely consistent with other signatures I have seen from genuine Aipa boards. I have never heard of Kimo’s Surf Hut before, but it looks like it’s a surf shop located on the eastern side of Oahu.

The board measures 9′ and it’s $550, available on Craigslist near Los Angeles. I think the asking price of $500 might be steep -- especially since it looks like there could be some pretty bad damage on the nose -- but it’s a cool example of a board from a well-known shaper with a very uncommon logo.

Craigslist listing here.

#ben aipa #aipa #surfboards #surfboard

Don’t want to post all the pics here, since it was posted to an FB Group (Vintage Surfboard Collectors, you want to check that out anyway, trust me!), but this is a dope Ben Aipa shaped Town & Country twin-fin with the signature Pottz airbrush on the deck. Check it out here.

#town and country #t&c surf #surfboard #surfboards #ben aipa #aipa