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Join Date: May 2002
08-26-2014, 12:01 PM
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Maybe more like 1986 or so? Really hard to say. I just bought this board and it's probably the most radical wakeboard in my collection..right up there with my sano, and woody. I consider this board to be very rare because I've only heard of the brand but never seen a board in any old wakeboarding photo.
I also only know very little about the brand--pro tech. If you google Ian Pitcairn you find some information and he's credited with being an early shaper in wakeboarding. Shaping. This is why I think this board is radical--it's an actual shaped board, seemingly very much like a surf board. This board also has a patent number on it, but I'm not sure what the technology specifically applies too. Again, on a search you can find other patent info with Ian being included, possibly having licensed the tech to use it.
I know this brand had an ad in waterski magazine. i'm not trying to name drop, but I would have never heard of this brand were it not for erich schmaltz, because he mentioned it to me before I ever heard of it. he saw an ad in waterski magazine and he has an old promo vid called "air animal" featuring the team.
Anyway, here are the pics.
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SLC, UT 5600'
08-26-2014, 12:17 PM
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LOVE THAT!
I have a Connely Blade Runner that I don't think I can every part with. Bought new at the UT boat show some time back. Just looked at it yesterday and thought it was pretty awesome that I still had it and how far Wakeboarding has come. About 10 YRS ago I gave away my Skurfer and wish I never did...
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Join Date: Dec 2004
08-26-2014, 3:15 PM
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That's pretty sweet. Looks like a pretty long single fin too. What are the dimensions on that thing? I've heard of pro tech before, but never had I seen any "wakeboards" from them. I'm jealous of your collection snow.
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Minnesnowda
08-27-2014, 8:52 AM
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so rad!
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Join Date: Oct 2006
08-27-2014, 9:51 AM
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That is a piece of artwork. Nice find.
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Join Date: Mar 2014
08-27-2014, 2:20 PM
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That's a nice piece of history there, it looks like the sport has come full circle now though as you could probably surf with that!
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Join Date: Jul 2012
08-27-2014, 3:29 PM
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that's so sick. looks like something you'd use for big wave surfing at jaws.
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Join Date: May 2002
09-02-2014, 12:22 PM
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Thanks, i'll have to measure it when i get home. I think it's close to 5 feet tall, maybe a bit less.
I think that's a pretty good point chris (the full circle comment). Looking at the past and the different names and riding styles--freeboarding, wakeboarding, skurfing and now wakeskating also...we said surfing behind boats was the start of wakeboarding, and now we fully have wakeboarding, wakeskatingand wakesurfing. Then i have this action now magazine from 84 and they called it freeboarding, but what they did was bindingless and they were popping their moves reentry. some guys were hand shaping boards that were short for the time. I thought it closer resembled wakeskating, but it's very much like wakesurfing nowadays.
Here's an ad from a waterski magazine--august 86 i think. It was the issue with tony finn riding the nose of this skurfer. A bindingless board that again, i saw as being something closer to wakeskating because of how he's blasting, but it's very wake surfey also.
Anyway, i am curious as to what boards people will want to collect down the line. Terry kidwell just re-released a version of his first sims pro model snowboard (apparently only 300 of the original were made) and people are pumped on it. I haven't been able to pull up the site, but i guess it's like 1000.00 dollars and it was made by paul schmidtt at ps stix (he also made the last cassette wakeskates).It will just be interesting to see what wake items people eventually search after...
Last edited by electricsnow; 09-02-2014 at 12:26 PM.
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Join Date: Jun 2004
09-02-2014, 12:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by downfortheride
LOVE THAT!
I have a Connely Blade Runner that I don't think I can every part with
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The Blade Runner was my first board. Gave it to a guy from Australia to hang in his shop.
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Join Date: May 2002
09-03-2014, 6:15 PM
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I measured it and I think that's what those numbers are about above--it's about 59 inches long and 16 inches wide.
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Join Date: Jun 2001
09-03-2014, 7:41 PM
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So funny...the Blade Runner was my first board was well. My parents used to jokingly call me "The Blade Man'. Traded it for a Connelly Switchstance a couple of years later. Don't have either board anymore.
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Join Date: Apr 2002
09-04-2014, 7:48 AM
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Hey naked - Can you throw those up on Wakeboarding Hall of Fame on FB? We are always looking for legit wakeboarding history.
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Join Date: Oct 2014
10-20-2014, 5:55 AM
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Hello everyone! This is Ian, here my brother found this thread and sent it ot me. if you got any questions i'll do my best to answer them.
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Join Date: Feb 2010
10-20-2014, 8:43 AM
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I found this board at a yard sale this summer. It was numbered 61 out of 100. Came with a case too. We rode it this summer and it was a blast going W2W, and surprisingly it worked great for surfing behind the boat.
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Join Date: Oct 2006
10-20-2014, 9:21 AM
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That glass board is a sexy machine.
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Join Date: Jun 2004
10-20-2014, 10:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IanPit
Hello everyone! This is Ian, here my brother found this thread and sent it ot me. if you got any questions i'll do my best to answer them.
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Welcome to wakeworld Ian.
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Join Date: Oct 2014
10-20-2014, 11:31 AM
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I dug these out last year: (from right to left)
1) my shape, great board,1986 2) my shape, Connelly plastic Hawiian Ski, 1987. 3) my shape Hawiian Ski, 1985, 4) my design, fox made, 1984. 5) my design, fox made, 1985. 6) production version of #1, 1987.
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Minnesnowda
10-20-2014, 2:39 PM
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Damn I love threads like this!
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Minnesnowda
10-20-2014, 2:40 PM
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What I love even more is How Ian join up to discuss this! SO RAD!
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Join Date: Jan 1997
10-20-2014, 4:14 PM
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Wow, this is awesome. Electric always has amazing historical posts and the guy she's asking about makes an appearance. Amazing! Ian, what is your place in wakeboarding's history as you see it? When did you produce boards in relation to Skurfer, Redline, Thruster, etc.?
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Join Date: May 2002
10-20-2014, 8:48 PM
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Woah! I only pop in every now and again and I see this!!
Ian, I'd be interested in hearing anything you have to share. Do you have any idea on the year of the board that I've posted, and can you share anything about the materials and construction? And how many boards do you think you sold? (probably a weird question, but I'm curious because the board I bought is the first one I ever saw.) What made you get away from board production? ANNND, from what years did you make boards?
Also, have you experimented and done anything interesting in the way of board design that hadn't been sold to the market in general?
What is the difference between board #1 and the production model #6? Did the construction change as a production board? This question might be naïve, but was #6 hand shaped or did that change at some point?
And you were hired to shape the Connelly Hawaiian ski? (or whatever it's called,) If so, I didn't know that, but is very cool to learn!
Thanks a lot for coming on here and posting!!
Also, that is a radical Neptune up there! I would still love to get a scepter in my collection...I always wanted a black one like bill mccaffray and jeff heer rode, but I've never seen one for sale.
Last edited by electricsnow; 10-20-2014 at 8:56 PM.
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Join Date: Oct 2014
10-21-2014, 10:42 AM
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We did it first, we did it right, and that’s why everyone copied it. We started skiboarding in 82/83 just after windsurfers figured out the “water start” with a surfboard converted to a windsurfer, then converted to a skiboard. It didn’t take long before we knew we needed a new design. So I started building boards. So what happened? I blew out my ankle spring 1987, Mike broke his foot in half spring 1988, and Vince messed up his knee and moved to Hawaii in the fall of 1988. Throw in having three kids and just lost momentum. Yes there were other boards out at the time, but where we are different is the focus on quality boards, getting Big Air, Chasing Yachts, towing in’s etc. and of course just having fun.
Also way back then kneeboards, windsurfers were roto molded plastic. Everyone was looking for the next plastic Hydroslide to mass produce. So the race was to get the board in plastic or the ski distributing company’s would not touch it. I knew a plastic board with urethane foam pumped in it and a plastic fin would not perform, but I want a beginner board available so I sold the Hawaiian Ski name and design to Connelly. All the boards in the above pic are still useable. They are made with two layers of 6oz S glass on the bottom and 3 layers on the deck. all the glass boards are hand shaped.
I made a video called “Air Animal” I think it’s a classic (of course). A friend put “Air Animal” on youtube, but someone changed the music because of copy rights. You have to remember back then a VHS camera was not common and an edit job was nearly impossible. A lot of what is in the video is firsts on most of the tricks, this was because we made them all up. Vince cranks the first loop on a skiboard probably a year before anyone else. It’s about 9 min long, but worth watching. As far as I know it is the first high performance skiboard video.
Last edited by wakeworld; 10-24-2014 at 3:15 PM.
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Join Date: Jan 1997
10-21-2014, 11:08 AM
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This is crazy! I feel like we just found a long lost piece of the wakeboarding history puzzle! I'm embarrassed to say I've never heard of Ian or any of those riders, so I'm so stoked that Ian has come on here and given us all this great info. The video was amazing and I'll be putting it up on WakeWorld's front page this week. Dude does a re-entry TS BS three landing wrapped with virtually no wake. I'm also loving the fashion airs that are so tweaked that the board is hitting skull!!
Ian, where were you based when you made these boards? Where was the video shot?
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Join Date: Nov 2008
10-21-2014, 1:39 PM
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8:02 blows my mind. Timeless style.
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Join Date: Oct 2014
10-21-2014, 2:00 PM
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before for post the video up there it would be nice to have the proper music. it 80's crap, but wait it was the 80's (Billy Idol in the 1st half, Van Halen in the 2nd half). tell me what to do and i'll have someone here help me up load it. it is 268,531 KB
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Join Date: May 2002
10-21-2014, 4:40 PM
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Thanks so much ian! And I will have to check out that link. I know erich schmaltz has a copy of air animal he got from you guys. He said he saw it in an ad in the back of waterski magazine. I think I have a dubbed copy of it, but I have to dig for it...but i'd swear I had a friend make a copy.
Do you know what year my board is from?
Thank you again for taking the time to share a little bit of your story! There are common names, so it is really nice to hear your story and it's a shame you don't get as much credit.
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Join Date: Oct 2014
10-22-2014, 11:49 AM
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based on the logo the board at the top is either 1987 or 1988.
Most of Air Animal was shot on the Intracoastal Waterway between PGA bridge and the Indiantown Rd bridge in North Palm Beach County. Back then no speed zones, very few docks, no developement, and the East and West were line with Austrailian Pines so there was a lot of glassy conditions. We'd ski around and wait for the bridges to open, the Sport Fishing boats would come plowing thru throwing 4 to 6 ft wakes to jump or surf.
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Minnesnowda
10-22-2014, 1:26 PM
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This might be the Best Thread EVER
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Join Date: Jun 2004
10-22-2014, 3:49 PM
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^^^^^^^ agreed. This is awesome!
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Join Date: Jul 2013
10-23-2014, 11:26 AM
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Loving this!! That guys toeside is better than most people I see on the lake!! So RAD!
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SLC, UT 5600'
10-24-2014, 10:06 AM
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Man talk about taking it back a few decades. I started on the banana yellow Skurfer and was catching some awesome air. I thought it was the best thing ever and moved on to the Blade Runner bought at the UT Boat Show (still have). I have to try and find pics of these crazy sessions behind the 23' Gulfstream I/O.
Thanks for joining Ian!
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Join Date: Jun 2004
10-24-2014, 9:31 PM
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Finally got a chance to watch the vid.....the switch riding on the directional board is awesome.
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Join Date: Jan 2004
10-25-2014, 4:48 PM
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Ian just curious if you know Da Moose? He was hand shaping wakeboards back in the late 80's. Was that a brand you competed against?
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Join Date: Oct 2014
10-28-2014, 7:44 AM
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That name does not ring a bell.
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Join Date: Aug 2010
11-21-2014, 11:47 AM
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Hey guys!!!!! These post are really turning my clock! This is why we have the Wakeboarding Hall of Fame. Ian your stuff is off the charts cool and we need all these photos on the Website we are currently working on. I am so jazzed that Dave Williams pointed me to this thread. Honored to post this stuff with your guys blessings. Just killer.
Tommy Phillips
Wakeboarding Hall of Fame
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Join Date: Jun 2004
11-21-2014, 4:20 PM
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Tommy- been following the Wakeboarding Hall of Fame page on Facebook. The pictures and content are great. Thank you!
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Join Date: Aug 2010
11-22-2014, 8:29 AM
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Electricsnow please contact us at Wakeboarding Hall of Fame on FB or my personal email at tommyslespaul@gmail.com
Thanks so much for starting this thread. Would love to show all your boards on our site as well. Thanks again.
Tommy Phillips
Wakeboarding Hall of Fame Founder
Quote:
Originally Posted by electricsnow
Maybe more like 1986 or so? Really hard to say. I just bought this board and it's probably the most radical wakeboard in my collection..right up there with my sano, and woody. I consider this board to be very rare because I've only heard of the brand but never seen a board in any old wakeboarding photo.
I also only know very little about the brand--pro tech. If you google Ian Pitcairn you find some information and he's credited with being an early shaper in wakeboarding. Shaping. This is why I think this board is radical--it's an actual shaped board, seemingly very much like a surf board. This board also has a patent number on it, but I'm not sure what the technology specifically applies too. Again, on a search you can find other patent info with Ian being included, possibly having licensed the tech to use it.
I know this brand had an ad in waterski magazine. i'm not trying to name drop, but I would have never heard of this brand were it not for erich schmaltz, because he mentioned it to me before I ever heard of it. he saw an ad in waterski magazine and he has an old promo vid called "air animal" featuring the team.
Elecricsnow can you please email me? Tommyslespaul@gmail.com I have questions on your board collection for Wakeboarding Hall of Fame. Thanks for starting this thread. Just love it.
Anyway, here are the pics.
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Join Date: Jul 2010
11-24-2014, 5:59 AM
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Just watching the video.. pretty funny - Ian mentioned that they were in WBP, but the phone number is still a 305. I think all of Florida had 4 area codes back then.
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