Auction time in West Oz
Longtime Swellnet readers will recall that West Oz board hoarder Richard Hadley began selling his incredible collection two years ago. The first auction was held in the upmarket McKenzie's Auctioneers in Perth and saw a slew of top shelf boards go under the hammer.
Richard wasn't done though, because a year later he hocked off some more of his collection. And now, another year later, he's saying sayonara to the remains of his collection.
This auction is once again being held at McKenzie's yet the items are relatively downmarket from the gold standard set two years back. But that just means they're more accesible to the workaday collectors like you and me. Rather than archetypal shapes from first string shapers, the lots are filled with regional classics from the east and west coasts, boards from quality but niche shapers such as Mitchell Rae, and assorted ephemera: pro boards, surfing curios, even handplanes. The surfing collection is selling alongside Richard's collection of nautical equipment, old barometers, outboards and the like, plus his collection of old skateboards.
You can check the whole collection here, or rock up on the night, Tuesday 15th November, 6:00pm, at McKenzies.
Rip Curl single fin shaped by Randy Rarick
Energy single fin shaped by Simon Anderson
Outer Island flextail shaped by Mitchell Rae for Andy Irons in 2009
Comments
Some of the items are a little surprising...
Lot 93 - Pod Handboard, price guide $50 - $100
Just checked the Pod Website and you can buy a new one for $50.
Buyer beware perhaps?
It's a false comparison. Many collectable boards are more expensive than new boards because of their history and I imagine the same would apply to handsurfers. Though I'm not sure how many handsurfer collectors there'd be.
Anyway, as always, caveat emptor.
Interested in the following items;Lot 213
A Ships Binnacle, Compass Cover -
Waveliner Foam Board by Hanimex Surfboard
Ben Lexcen B52 Skatewing Skateboard
Lot 47
Outer Limits Flextail Surfboard (Quad)
here's one for ya:
time to get rid of it. First ever bona fide surfboard of my own. Before that was on a procession of plastic plugs and other people's boards.
You know those boards you see and you have no idea how they would ride... yep, this board here falls into this category.
LOL !
LOL !
Ben Aipa's theory of Da Sting was to cut a foot out of the planshape and the bottom contour as well. The result was the mid point flyer and a step in the bottom of the bottom, all with the purpose of freeing the board up and making it looser for his team of hot doggers: Bertleman, Buttons, Mark Liddell.
Putting the Sting, or Stinger as it was later known, concept back onto a longer board would defeat the purpose, especially if it was made for Australian waves.
Here's Aipa and Buttons with a Sting:
...and the big fella cutting loose on his own craft:
Cheers for that stu. The board Bertleman gave me was a T&C thruster, with barber shop coloured rails, blended with all kinds of other colours. It didn't have a stinger.
I reckon that they are great.
I had one made by Bean about 10 years ago - 6 1 by 19 1/4 by 2 3/16 with the rail absolutely square from the stinger back to a swallow. Stinger was about 1cm in and either 45 or 50cm up from the tail.That was a fantastic board. It was like riding two boards. Set the rail in front of the stinger and then have the tail whip round as the rail from stinger back connected. Pretty much the same as you see in that last pic. Should never have gotten rid of it. Thinking of getting Bean to make me another.
DA KINE
Why get rid of it?...
Dude you will regret it, if you need the money sell something else, if you feel you don't care much for it, stash it away one day you will.
Id give my left nut for my first boards, but my first one i stripped the glass off and reshaped and my next one i smashed up in one of those drunken punk party kind of moments you go through in your late teens.
Yep, don't get rid of it. I have my first board, I'm so glad I kept it. There is an incredible thrill to watching your children surf your first board in some punchy surf :) My mates dubbed that board and that board was 'The Beast'.
BTW the classic board rack is now finished, I reckon I am close to done collecting any more. Mr Channels I bet there is one at least on the rack you would love to surf... haha
The Beast! Now that was a piece of foam and fibreglass!
An opinion on that Energy singlefin pictured, relating to your recent LazorZap article, I believe one contributor mentioned that Simon once credited McCoy's Zap as part of the thruster evolution --- and I think that Energy board demonstates exactly what he meant.
I believe Energy named that board the No-Nose and it was inspired by McCoys laser Zap, but maybe not as radical. It was a great board design in good waves but didn't last long in the Energy stable as I think Simon quickly progressed from that board to the thruster. I'd guess that Energy was the last batch of single fins. IMO.
Memory is foggy but Russell Lewis at HB did my first custom, semi no nose, also remember Col Smith had a few in the shop at DY, back when TC was his guy.
Did AI ride the Mitchell Rae ?
So sad all these boards got separated it was an amazing collection imagine if they had gone to a museum or something :(
I agree Indo. It would have been great to keep the whole collection together and put it on display.
I for one would have paid money to go and see them.
Indo, I guess its just taking up space. I never ride it. Someone else might enjoy it. I knew nuttin about this brand at the time I got the board. My folks didn't have much loot. Found myself buying the board with me mum from a long haired hippy type who was sunbaking nude out back of a house in Mentone - Melb found in the tradingpost.
Me mum didn't know where to look and neither did I!
Now turns out that Neil purchase and Michael Peterson shaped these lumps for slave wages in Currumbin - which is where I am now! A homing board! hahahahhahaha Apparently they didn't give two shits when they made them - according to a famous older shaper here who shaped a couple of doors down at the time.
Interesting stuff I suppose. I guess I could put it on the wall and then have to tell the same fcking story over and over whenever someone asks about it!
Now if I still had the Town and Country board Bertleman gave me after Bells one year - that I would never let go.
That's a Don Burford from SA. NP & MP shaped for him?? Board enthusiasts, calling all board enthusiasts...
When he moved to the Gold Coast both of them did.
Kept the same decal then...minus the Somerton Park address? Funny, a Burford was one of our first boards. That and a Timperley Sky twinnie!
Old boy's still got a Burford mal in the shed too.
Around the time when M.P. said he was getting $25 a shape and shaped 5 a day ...unreal money in anyone books Michael said !
Hi Stu,
A message from Richard Hadley follows - he's not too savvy on the old keyboard, so asked me to post for him:
Hi Stu, Thanks for your story about my last auction on your site. As far as the prices go the only board with a reserve is the Mitchel Ray with carbon fiber rails. All the other items will have no reserves on them.This includes every every other other item in the auction. Regards Richard
Ps: thanks for all of the comments from you and you readers over the last few years; glad to have reached an appreciative audience and appreciated your support.
Hey RR,
I get an email notification of all comments on the site, but when they come through on my phone I can only see the comment, not who posted it. So when I read your comment (not knowing it was you) my immediate thought was, "No reserve? Auction in Perth? I know someone who'll be happy to hear this!"
Only to log on and find out that you posted it!
Ha ha...I hope you see a few boards you like and your fibreglass fund is all topped up. Lemme know how you go.
And tell Richard, if he's not already reading this, that it's been our pleasure. I hope he enjoyed his collection, indeed it was something very special, but the redistribution of historical boards is also special. Here's hoping everyone cares for them as their past owner did, and that in the future they can be on sold to the next generation of curious surfers.
Best of luck to Richard's next endeavour.
Midget skatie too then. Yew!
The guy tried to make a museum with his collection down south WA but council kept messing him around for years and years so he pulled the pin and sold off the collection