BACK TO BUGGS’ GALLERY

PETRILLO

“When I first started working here around 1967, I was sitting on the floor playing poker with Frank.” TK explained. “He had been nicknamed Frog by that time. A guy walked in the door this particular day with two boards under his arms. They had no logos on them. One was a red one and the other blue and he wanted to sell them. Frog asked him where he had gotten the boards and he said I made them myself in my garage. They were really good boards and Frog liked them. Up to that point, The Frog House had only sold used boards and a few wetsuits (which were still relatively new product at the time).”

“The guy who brought the boards in was Frank Petrillo. So Frank “Frog” Jensen and … Read More »

UNION

Acid Splash Union Keel Twinnie.  I believe Union was based on the East coast .  I acquired this board out of the Nordine Collection and he acquired it from Pat Magee out of Texas.  This board either grows on you or bores on you.   But regardless, nice representation of what was and color work.  All original with the exception of some ding repairs.   This is in my pile of “Want to Ride” so stay tuned .  B

KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board rated: 1(worst)-10(best)

Length: 6’5″
Width: 19 3/8″
Thickness: 2 1/4″
Condition: ???

Click below for a detailed image:

KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board rated: 1(worst)-10(best)

Board Dimensions
Length: 6′ 3″
Width: 18″ 7/8
Thickness: 2″ 3/4I acquired this board from Ebay on an Estate Sale. Apparently the prior Collector of this Hawaiian Bolt died suddenly and his Estate was liquidating.  This is a Wayne Santos who was a 1st tear Bolt Shaper back in the day when Bolt was hot.  Like what we call today Ghost Shapers he was behind the scenes of  Lopez shaping under his label and surfing with the legend.  All original conditions, water tight, some sun fading on bottom tail, yet, deep orange / red with a vibrant blue bolt. This squash tail design was popular on those smaller days and town surf.  Signed by … Read More »

Arguably the best big wave rider on the North Shore during the 80’s, along with contemporaries like Mark Foo, Darrick Doerner and Brock Lile, Ken Bradshaw lifted the bar on paddle-in big wave surfing. His exploits at Waimea Bay became legendary, and he climaxed his competitive career by winning the prestigious Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Classic in 1982, which launched his reputation as one of the North Shore’s best. Parlaying his notoriety to commercial success throughout the 80’s he was one of the top finishers in “ The Eddie” event when first held at Waimea Bay in 1986.

On January 28, 1998, Ken rode the biggest wave ever ridden in history on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii at an outer reef known as Outside Log Cabins. This wave was considered to be in excess of 85 feet. That … Read More »

The August family moved to the Southern California coastline from Arizona during the early part of the 20th Century. The youngest of two sons, Orall W. August was a CIF swimming champion at Long Beach High School. Since his school’s athletic facilities included an Olympic style pool, super-star Olympian, Duke Kahanamoku, (the Michael Phelps of that era,) would train there for the upcoming Games. The Duke befriended young O. W. (later to be known as ‘Blackie’) and introduced him to the sport of surfing, bestowing upon him a liberal dose of the Aloha Spirit in the process.

Orall August had to drop out of high school to help his family through the tough economic circumstances of the times. By now an experienced waterman, he would camp out at Palos Verde Cove for days on end, fishing and diving … Read More »

It has taken me years and many fakes to finally acquire the REAL DEAL!. Someones loss was Buggs gain.

If one were asked to explain Jamie O’Brien in a word, they might choose “explosive.” Whether being spit out of a seething Pipeline barrel, launching an air reverse six feet above the lip, or blowing up in front of a camera, Jamie’s surfing is a full frontal assault on the senses. There is a saying that “the person having the most fun in the water is the best surfer on any given day.”

O’Brien was born on June 9, 1983 in Hawaii and currently lives in Haleiwa. He has said that he was fortunate as a child to grow up near the Banzai Pipeline. He is one of the youngest surfers ever to win a Pipe Masters challenge.

Jamie’s father was a life guard and Jamie has said that one of the things that … Read More »

Known by many as the “Father of the Modern Longboard,” Steve Walden shaped his first surfboard in 1961, at age 13, and never looked back.

Eight years later, the native Southern Californian opened his first board factory and store in Huntington Beach, then moved to the North Shore of Oahu in 1972, where he made a name for himself as a prolific longboard shaper. While the rest of the surfing world was fixated on short single-fins, Walden continued to faithfully hone his longboard designs. Over the years he shaped for prestigious labels like Lightning Bolt, Local Motion, HIC, and Channel Islands, but it was always his own boards that set him apart. By the early 80s, Walden returned to California where he unveiled his wildly successful Magic Model with its radical rocker, down-turned rails, and super-fast Turbo … Read More »

Pick a surfing stereotype from smuggler to savior and you’ll find a piece of Dick Catri. Widely considered “the godfather of East Coast surfing,” this Floridian has influenced the sport for more than 40 years. Competing, coaching, repping, retailing, shaping — some would even say, shystering — Catri never missed an opportunity to promote the surfing lifestyle at home and abroad, crossing paths with renowned watermen from the venerable Duke Kahanamoku to modern wonder Kelly Slater.

Born in New Jersey, Catri [pronounced CAH-tri] moved to Miami as a boy. Upon graduating from high school in 1957, he began working as a beach attendant where he met a stunt diver named Jack “Murph the Surf” Murphy, who later achieved infamy for stealing the Star of India, the world’s largest sapphire. The California native introduced Catri to surfing … Read More »