Scoring a Historic Surfboard in California’s Surf Capital—Made Easy
Why Shop for a Vintage Surfboard In San Diego?
San Diego’s surfing community has California magic status.
It may be because that in every oceanic direction away from San Diego, the water gets colder.
Surfing, once re-allowable after the mission system persecution ended, was quickly anchored for the continental United States in San Diego.
The San Diego surf culture has been blessed with brands such as Hobie, G&S, and Canyon, shapers such as Skip Frye, Rusty Preisendorfer, Mike Hyson, Tom Bessel, Mike Educk Richardson, and Rick Hamon, and epic breaks such as Blacks, La Jolla Cove, WindinSea and the Cliffs.
Why Buy A Vintage Surfboard?
Vintage surfboards proudly display a historical patina of doing what they were designed to do. When they are restored by experts in the craft of surfboard reconstruction and preservation, they can evoke museum worthy sensations from their gloss coats powerfully illuminating their true resin tint colors.
Values of vintage surfboards have been increasing. Expectedly, there will be no vintage surfboard replenishment. The age of surfboard construction has changed and they really do not make surfboards like this any more.
Best Surfshops to Buy Vintage Surfboards in San Diego 2023
#1 Birds Surfshed on Morena Blvd.
Eric Huffman is popularly symbolized as Bird–yet as I’ve got to know him over the last 10 years I’ve come to discover that he is essentially the mayor of surfing.
He’s a leading surfboard historian with significant surfboards hanging from the ceiling of his legendary quanza hut on Morena Blvd.
It’s the ultimate San Diego surf museum and the top historian is on the floor helping you deepend your relationship with wave craft.
This surfshop is a satisfying intermingling of epic surfboards boards that are not for sale, with legendary surfcraft too that you can buy.
Birds’ is an expert business model built to preserve and display an industries finest achievements while also fulfilling modern culture and commerce like a ride with a gift shop in it.
Birds Surf Shed has played an important role in the development of surf culture in San Diego and beyond. Bird has been a San Diego surf industry insider since the 1960’s. The shop displays surfboards from many top surfers, including Kelly Slater, Shaun Tomson, Tom Curren, and Rob Machado. This location often hosts private events and is a natural gathering place for surfers and alternative wave craft enthusiasts.
There are always epic surfboards going in and out of this shop. One saturday I stopped by with a late 1960’s Surfboards Hawaii singlefin and I asked him if you might know who was building these boards around this time. Within minutes Bird has sourced a photo of the shaper, sander, laminator, and famous young team rider David Nuvevua.
Bird’s Surf Shed
1091 W Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110
#2 Coconut Peet’s on India Street
Dave, the larger than life gentleman who will greet you in the straw hat at Coconut Peat’s surfshop can help you shop through their amazing warehouse compound surfboard hoard.
If you get the opportunity I highly recommend trying to get Dave to talk about what it was like to watch David Eggers surf.
Browsing the racks of longboards, shortboards, paddle boards, single fin boards, fish, quads, and kneeboards, you can hold specimens that are pristine to well into decay, but still could be saved, displayed and ridden.
Coconut Peet’s is a safe haven for new and many nearly destroyed surfboards from past shaping style ages.
The sheer amount of vintage surf patina here can be a bit overwhelming for some. If you like to look at epic surfboards from all ages, this place will blow you away.
I was born in San Diego, but came of age surfing the San Mateo county coast in the 1980’s and 1990’s. While qualify precision craft surfboards are a rarity north of Santa Cruz, Cowboy Surfboards from Half Moon Bay, where Cowboy Craig MacArthur could design, shape, laminate, glass, color, sell and shred made wonderful surfboards.
Craig had shaped me a surfboard in 1991 for my 21st birthday which I still have and ride every year.
While wondering around the stacks of boards one day at Peets, I caught the glimmer of an ancient Cowboy symbol and I was urged to see if it was a sticker or an under the glass laminate logo. Very carefully I heaved the row of thirty tall surfboards wedged together carefully apart so I could examine it more closely. Though grossly distorted with an amateur red paint job, I had indeed found a Craig designed Cowboy in a distressed and unrideable condition.
Unfortunately I had to leave this board behind for a few days, because I found it when I was there to pick up another surfboard. Eventually, I had the joy of removing the foul red paint to reveal more Craig original artwork, but that’s another story.
Coconut Peet’s Surfboard Repair and Trading Co., LLC
3231 India St, San Diego, CA 92103
#3 Pack Ratt Records on El Cajon Blvd.
Mike Ratt is an alternative surf craft renaissance man who rides knee boards, creates mystical surf artwork, spins records as a club DJ, publishes the Lower Powered surf zine, and owns Pack Ratt Records on El Cajon Blvd.
When you need everything from skateboard bearings, to tiki wares, to records, clothes and astounding surfboards, Mikey’s shop has you covered.
One day Mikey and I were deep in a passionate conversation about what he thought was the most iconic mid-century modern styled surfboard. He was describing the virtues of the flex spoon when another customer stopped by. The guy mentioned he had to disuse his personal quiver as the result of a hip injury, but he really wanted to get back in the water.
Mikey helped him find a well suited inflatable canvas surf mat.
I remember my grandfather catching waves in the 1970’s on his surf mat in front of beach front Mission Beach property. He was a commanding submarine engineer who survived 7 Pacific combat tours during WWII.
It’s kind of the thing at Mikey’s surf shop, he specializes in eclectic surf craft items with broad usability. Go ride a flex spoon, surf mat, long board, short board, single fin board, or just go trip out on all the honest aesthetic surf craft. Follow him on Instagram and hit him up–he’ll deliver the goods.
Pack Ratt Records and Junk
4746 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115
#4 Get a New Vintage Surfboard made by Rusty Preisendorfer
One of Rusty’s motto’s has been–talk to your shaper. So, In addition to Rusty Del Mar shop (which has a great 80’s Canyon Surfboard in their permanent collection) and RustySurfboards.com (where you can get retro surfboards delivered), you can talk to the big guy about the vintage surfboard recreation of your dreams.
Before starting Rusty Surfboards in 1985, Rusty had created his own Music! Surfboards line and worked with several other Surfboard companies, including Gordan and Smith.
If you’re going to go hang out with the big man, my advice is to bring a few savory dog cookies for his enormous surfboard temple guardian canine companion.
Rusty has shaped surfboards for elite surfers including: Shaun Thomson, Mark Occhilupo, Kelly Slater, Sunny Garcia, and David Eggers.
Rusty Surfboards
8495 Commerce Ave, San Diego, CA 92121
Phone: (858) 578-0414
