Here's a classic bolt sent in by Gee, picked up in the UK. Its a twinnie from around 1980, and is a worthy project to get surfing again-'This twin was one of my first finds when i returned from Aus in '94 with an idea i wanted to start riding alternative equipment. Unfortunately i didn't get the collecting bug until the last 10 years when all the boards have risen in value so much. The fins are not the originals and i have started restoring it (probably around 95) and have decieded i will finish the job this year. I really want to find out who shaped it. There is a signature in pen on the deck which i have tried to photograph. It looks like BP. Hopefully you or one of your blog followers may have an insight.'One of the most iconic brands in surfing, headed by Gerry Lopez since the early 70s, Bolt employed many shapers from the islands, and its pretty rare to see them over here, although a couple of surf shops in the UK had franchise - Chapter was one.I'm not sure who this shaper is, possibly some of you more experienced readers might know? Cheers to Gee.
1980Tim Jones, being a more experienced reader, has come up with the answer of who shaped it , cheers to Tim. -'I see in the last post there was a one from Gee and I hope I can give him and you a hand. The BP stands for Bruce Palmer http://vintagesurfboardcollectoruk.blogspot.com/2010/06/bruce-palmer-70s-singlefin.html and of course you have featured him and his boards before. I am sure he got the license from Ted Deerhurst and thanks for featuring him recently . He made the best of the early twin fins and I know that PJ rode one and many others did too. He made one for himself that came out a bit too thin and passed it onto me and attached is a shot of me riding it in 1979 . I have never found a board that threw as much spray ( check the arc going over the guy next to me’s head ) and it flew and I kept it for years.
Tim Jones on a Bruce Palmer bolt (below) and with a Paul Blacker bolt above in 1981.
The Lighting Bolt thing went onto Chapter through Ted and there the late and great Bob Liddell made some unreal boards for Mervyn and Bolt and also Paul Blacker made some crackers after Bob in the same factory where I worked. I have also attached a shot of me holding my next favorite Bolt twin that Blackie made about 81 I think around the Thruster change over period. This was serious stuff as Bolt insisted the boards made under franchise were high quality from shape to finish but all the guys who made then in the UK more than filled the requirements.On the subject of Chapter I did see a while ago this shot http://vintagesurfboardcollectoruk.blogspot.com/2010/09/surf-shops-part-2.html of what you thought was the interior of a Chapter surf shop in Devon. It is in fact a display I set up for Chapter in the Marisco Disco one night as a promo for the shop we were running over the road. There , on the left you can see one of Bob Liddell’s lovely Bolts.
