Nectar thruster


Surf culture, like all cultural niches, has a list of obvious and cliched collectibles.
Kahanamoku, Blake, Dora, Noll, Lopez, Greenough, Peterson, Fitzgerald, Richards, Slater etc.

For me there are a few unique pieces I'd really like to own.
A pair of Quicksilver board shorts with the duck logo, before the mountain and the wave came along.
A Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirt with the topless girl label, before they put a bikini on her.
A Simon Anderson thruster with hand drawn / stenciled 3 fin logo, before they printed the rice paper decal. 
Now there cant be too many of the last one ever made. So this board is pretty incredible. The fact one of the first three fin (of equal size) boards ever made in the USA its in such good condition is just mind blowing.

Simon with what can only be this very board from Nectar ad in 1981


Shaped by Art Collier







Nectar ad featuring Simon and the hand drawn logo


Nectar twin fin


This nice little sun burnt 5'10" Nectar twin fin rider holds some special appeal to me.
Since the early 80's I've been in awe of the Nectar brand, the culture and what seemed to be their unique aproach and attention to detail.




They produced some of the most incredible air brush graphics, rivaling Marty Worthington but in their own post punk, new wave style.

Nectar Crew 1981- Photo Art Brewer
What I would do for that Nectar 'Elvis Costello' spray twin fin. How many of those have you seen?
Top 10 Elvis Costello songs:

10. “Shipbuilding”
Costello has referred to this song about the Falklands War as “the best lyrics I’ve ever written,” and it’s hard to disagree with him.

9. “Beyond Belief”
Here, our bespectacled hero experiments with some new sounds, but the words are classic Costello: “History repeats the old conceits / The glib replies, the same defeats / Keep your finger on important issues / With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues.”

8. “Every Day I Write The Book”
This 1983 ditty was Elvis’ first hit single on this side of the pond. Any girl who says she wouldn’t want a song like this written about her is a liar.

7. “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding”
Costello’s take on this Nick Lowe song is one of those rare, special covers that usurp their original version.

6. “Watching the Detectives”
The subject of this reggae-infused song would rather watch TV than give Elvis the attention he deserves, but when he tears into it, all eyes are on him.

5. “I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea”
Costello spits out cynicism about this posh London neighborhood over an unforgettable bassline.

4. “Pump It Up”
This classic from This Year’s Model also boasts a fantastic video; check out the legs on Costello!

3. “Radio Radio”
This indictment of mainstream media was once so controversial that he was barred from playing it onSaturday Night Live in 1977. After years of being banned from the show, he came back and played it for their 25th anniversary.

2. “Alison”
A phenomenal tune about heartbreak and trying to keep your image of someone alive.

1. “Oliver’s Army”
Protest songs can be catchy too, and the killer synth parts on this gem from Armed Forces almost distract you from the fact that Costello’s delivering some smart, biting lyrics about the politics of war.










At 5'10" the board is short by my standards but its wide and thick enough above the mid point to float me and catch almost any wave. But the unique aspect to this design is the double flyers that help break the rail line and create this tiny, narrow swallow tail. When you put your back foot down on it, it holds on like a train on tracks.


To top it off the guy I met at the gas station who works at FCS that I bought it off was a super good guy.


But the icing on the cake is that its a Greg Mungall design. One of the most under rated high performance Californian surfers of the late 70's and early 80's.

Greg on the cover of Surfer 1980 riding another narrow tail board with double flyers 

Greg Nectar twin fin, Todos Santos island in 1982 - Photo Rick Doyle
Greg Nectar twin fin, Todos Santos island in 1982 - Photo Rick Doyle
Greg Mungall (right) with Simon Anderson at Nectar Factory Encinitas- Photo Surfreserach

Greg Mungall, Cardiff Reef 1979- Photo Jeff Divine
Even in the 70's Nectar were producing some mid blowing pieces of art.

Mark Richards USA. Part 3 Big Bear connection.


Digging through my eBay watch list I found what I think is the original unrenovated version of the amazing Hawaiian MR twin fin from Lake Big Bear CA.
The auction was pulled after 24 hours, ruining my plan of trying to pick it up for the opening bid of $300.

Helping a friend 2...



Speaking of 70's single fins with mural sprays, Matt wrote in to say "I know board is not your usual cup of tea however spray on the back of this board had me excited and thinking? Natural footed, Red board shorts, Red surf board and arms splayed out awkwardly!!! 

Could this be the wounded seagull?"




Oh yes Matt, I'd say it certainly is!


Helping a friend.....


Neil was helping a friend move house when he pulling this little number out of storage.
Micheal Petersen shaped Shane rounded pin tail with classic 70's mural spray.
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Mark Richards USA. Part 2 Hawaiian connection.


As if the prove the expression "it never rains it only pours", this remarkable example of a 1978 Mark Richards twin fin, shaped in Hawaii, has recently shown up on eBay. 
One day later it was sold.
The weird thing is I swear I saw it not long ago on Craigslist somewhere near Big Bear in California, unrestored.
Ring a bell anyone??

To me this has got to be one of the most desirable twin fins ever made, the history, the color , the pin lines, the outline and tail set up, the shaper, the decals. How many times have you seen an original Mark Richards shaped late 70's Hawaiian made twin fin with Lightning Bolt and MR superman decals come up for sale?








Prompted by the Mark Richards USA post, Tim from Kona sent us pics of his US made MR's




Which reminded me of this incredible little find from the Longboard collectors club meet at Oceanside recently. 
I was told this was only the second MR twin fin ever made in the US at the G and S factory in San Diego. It was given to a G and S team skateboarder, which would make sense and explain why its still in such good condition.




Then I got a message from Simon in the UK with pics of what I believe is a US made M.R twin fin based on the logo on the deck (so I could add it to this post Mark Richards USA) , although it could be a Vitamin Sea MR model.
He writes- "Hey mate, found your blog - great site. I follow the UK vintage site. I notice your a fan of twinnies. Here is my M.R. From approximately 1981, I brought back from Trinidad 12 yrs ago. It had one white star fin and a beach side bodge job. I just had sympathetic restoration done ( still looks like an old board should!!) and had some M.R 78's glassed on - it flies - notice the bat wing tail."






Indeed I did notice the bat wing tail, as its very similar to my Australian made Bob Margets shaped MR twin fin from the same period.