Here’s a 1977 ad for A.A.Baker Ltd Skateboard Centre on the London Road in Brighton, Susses.
They stocked Newporter, Brewer, Benjyboard, Pacer, Kryptonics, OJs, Skuda, Red Riders, Mags and Cooper safety gear.
Classic boards, deck, truck, wheel and stories from the 1970s skateboard craze
Here’s a 1977 ad for A.A.Baker Ltd Skateboard Centre on the London Road in Brighton, Susses.
They stocked Newporter, Brewer, Benjyboard, Pacer, Kryptonics, OJs, Skuda, Red Riders, Mags and Cooper safety gear.
Here’s an ad from 1977 for Weinsteins of Lewisham Skateboard Centre:
“We love skateboard lovers”
If your funds were tight in the UK in 1977 and you wanted to join the skateboard craze on a shoestring, the Coyote was a real contender. This package consists of a two-foot popypropelene kicktailed deck available in a choice of four colours, a pair of GT trucks and clear 60x57mm urathene wheels. For a £5 extra you could upgrade to sealed bearings. To allay all those concerns about snapping polyprop decks, the Coyote was guaranteed by Alpine Sports for one year.
This shop in Fore St, St Ives, Cornwall, England, specialised in finely crafted skateboard and surfing equipment which could be “consistently used beyond the limit at which others blow it.”
ACS skateboard truck Model 430, general purpose for hot-dogging
ACS Model 500, bestselling bowlriding and freestyling truck
ACS Model 650 toughie for downhill racing, as used on Signal Hill
ACS Model 651 ACS skateboard trucks, the ‘newest model’. Lightweight and wide for downhill racing.
Not listed here is the 580.
This Benjyboards decks signposts two new ones: the improved White Lightning and the Lolipop 7-ply.
Hobart “Hobie” Alter was a surf and sailing entrepreneur / pioneer. He created the Hobie Cat catamarans, and founded the Hobie Skateboards company.
Alter began making skateboards in 1962. Working with Bill Richards at Val Surf, Hobie Alter introduces the Hobie Super Surfer skateboard. Surf legend, Charles “Corky” Carroll III is also involved with Hobie in developing its products. Hobie Alter later teams up with the Vita Pakt juice company to create Hobie Skateboards. Hobie’s early team riders are Skitch Hitchcock, Danny Bearer, “Woody” Woodward, Pat McGee, John Freis, Joey Cabell, and Davey and Stevie Hilton.
Alter went on to sponsor the famous 70s Hobie Super Surfer skateboard team.
Mike Weed and Skitch Hitchcock appeared in the first skateboarding feature film Spinn’in Wheels in 1975. Other Hobie team members included Gregg Weaver, Garrison Hitchcock, Kim Cespedes, Bob Skoldberg, Ed Nadalin, Dale Smith, Steve Shipp and John “Woody” Woodstock.
Later Hobie members included Darrell Miller, Kevin Moore, Curt Kimball, Steve Evans, Charlie Ransom and Eddie “El Gato” Elgueria.