I have been surfin a hand me down 1970's 6'2" aipa thruster for a number of years,
It has served me well, but broke again yesterday on a reef.
With too many repairs under her belt, She's of to the tip for landfill,
As Im a summer surfer only, and don't know allot about boards, I was wondering If someone could help me out with choosing a similar style board, In todays market If they still exist.
CHEERS

Wow 30 year old surfboard... makes me feel bad because any ding gives me a reason to consider buying a new board! Best advice I think would be to find a local shaper near you and have a chat with them.

They will be able to shape a board out to suit your surf style, the break you surf on and you'll be supporting the local economy

Btw, welcome HN to the forum, thought I'd let all the others have their chatter b4 I introduced myself

Hi new guy
wouldn't that be kind of expensive? Where do you find these shapers,?
I was thinking more on the lines of second hand,...used
As I'm not the worlds greatest surfer, and dont go out that much,
a new board isn't really necessary

Don't know If I can mention this here,
But I was wondering If you can surf sup's at all,
Or are they only for flat water,

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newguy said...

Wow 30 year old surfboard... makes me feel bad because any ding gives me a reason to consider buying a new board! Best advice I think would be to find a local shaper near you and have a chat with them.

They will be able to shape a board out to suit your surf style, the break you surf on and you'll be supporting the local economy

Btw, welcome HN to the forum, thought I'd let all the others have their chatter b4 I introduced myself

Look on buy and sell section lots of cheap boards there. supsare only for greedy unco overwieght balding men past their prime

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surferstu said...

Look on buy and sell section lots of cheap boards there.

Definately give the buy and sell section a look. I've bought a few boards off some of these guys and they're a good crew and the boards last me. Check out Gumtree Victoria also. Had a quick browse and theres lots of decent boards being sold at the moment. Thats where I normally buy my boards. Just find something that has similiar dimensions and outlines to your board and thats your best bet.

You can surf SUP's but when they come barreling down dropping in on you and just miss your head, don't expect me to be sharing waves nicely with you.

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highnoon said...

Hi new guy
wouldn't that be kind of expensive? Where do you find these shapers,?
I was thinking more on the lines of second hand,...used
As I'm not the worlds greatest surfer, and dont go out that much,
a new board isn't really necessary

Don't know If I can mention this here,
But I was wondering If you can surf sup's at all,
Or are they only for flat water,

newguy said...

Wow 30 year old surfboard... makes me feel bad because any ding gives me a reason to consider buying a new board! Best advice I think would be to find a local shaper near you and
have a chat with them.




They will be able to shape a board out to suit your surf style, the break you surf on and you'll be supporting the local economy

Btw, welcome HN to the forum, thought I'd let all the others have their chatter b4 I introduced myself

You can do all sorts of things with sups
You can do yoga or Pilates on them
You can stand up on them and pretend your surfing in the river
Or you can make a fool out of yourself by taking them into the lineup
The choice is yours
As for your board dilemma
Take the 1970's board that you really like and take it down to the local shaper (google it) and tell them you want a replica

Hi highnoon,

Not sure that that board would be 1970's if it is a thruster, as they first came out in the 1980 I think...

In any case, one thing that you probably like about that old board that you may not realise is volume - ie how much foam it has. The more volume the more float and easier to catch waves... the newer boards can be shaped thin to mimic the pro boards... and are often too thin for the average Joe (Jane).

Don't be scared of something that may look a little chunky... esp. if you are a fair-weather surfer.

My uncle who donated the board to me when he got married said he bought it new in 78,
Its got three fins, ... all "boxed" ....I dont know If that makes It a thruster or not ?
Someone once told me it was,

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GPA said...

Hi highnoon,

Not sure that that board would be 1970's if it is a thruster, as they first came out in the 1980 I think...

In any case, one thing that you probably like about that old board that you may not realise is volume - ie how much foam it has. The more volume the more float and easier to catch waves... the newer boards can be shaped thin to mimic the pro boards... and are often too thin for the average Joe (Jane).

Don't be scared of something that may look a little chunky... esp. if you are a fair-weather surfer.

^^^
Hmmm - 3x skeg boxes... interesting... depends upon the set-out and size of the fins (although what you are riding may not be the original set-up).

I'd like to see a photo of that... as I am sure that a few other Breezers would also...

Also, don't land-fill it - put it on GumTree or something - you may find some collector is willing to pay you a few $$ for it. Some people will restore an original shape...

Gday Highnoon. I collect old boards (or junk as my wife says ) Bfore you throw it away, have a good look at it, does it have any markings, dimensions, sponsor logos etc on it. It could be worth money even if it is in really sh$t condition. Do you think it has original fins? Are they wood?

I know he did shape boards for some famous surfers in the 70's even Mark richards had a few made by him. Im pretty sure that he didnt do any thrusters before Simon Anderson in 1980 but he did do twin fins.some say he is esponsible for the stinger design.

maybe yours is a twinnie with a thruster fin glassed in later. Put a photo up. I would be interested to have a look.

That didnt really help with your question..

I see a lot of not so serious summer surfers on fun boards or mini mals. I would look at something like that rather than a SUP. Or a hybrid, they seem to be popular.

Good luck finding something that works for you

If you go over the surf coast, Anglsea surf center specializes in second hand boards, good place to pick up a bargain. Put the apia on ebay with heaps of picks on a 10 day auction , it is worth what ever someone is willing to pay for it at the time.Or take it with you to anglesea, the owner Bruce is a collector and honest, so you can possibly do a trade.

CHEERS,
I'l see If I can pick it up and get some photos this week,
The fins are fibreglass, and all 3 are boxed, adjustable/removable
I'm pretty sure it is original, apart from some repairs
Ill speak to my uuncle about it
the only markings on it are the letters AIPA
The tail had been broken and repaired before I got it,
Having lost my legrope, I went out without it, and lost the board, breaking the tail off again,
I did notice it had been joined with a number of icypole sticks,
(maybe they're worth something) looking pretty old, Pauls I think[:)
]

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captainkaos said...

Gday Highnoon. I collect old boards (or junk as my wife says ) Bfore you throw it away, have a good look at it, does it have any markings, dimensions, sponsor logos etc on it. It could be worth money even if it is in really sh$t condition. Do you think it has original fins? Are they wood?

I know he did shape boards for some famous surfers in the 70's even Mark richards had a few made by him. Im pretty sure that he didnt do any thrusters before Simon Anderson in 1980 but he did do twin fins.some say he is esponsible for the stinger design.

maybe yours is a twinnie with a thruster fin glassed in later. Put a photo up. I would be interested to have a look.

That didnt really help with your question..

I see a lot of not so serious summer surfers on fun boards or mini mals. I would look at something like that rather than a SUP. Or a hybrid, they seem to be popular.

Good luck finding something that works for you