Hey Matt B ... How the hell o are you ??? :)

2nd Light Forums
Decrease font size
Increase font size
Topic Title: seeker surfboards cocoa beach-anyone remember it?
Topic Summary: circa 1971
Created On: 03/20/2014 05:58 PM
Linear : Threading : Single : Branch
1 2 Next Last unread
Topic Tools Topic Tools
View topic in raw text format. Print this topic.
 03/20/2014 05:58 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


dannyboy9812

Posts: 3
Joined Forum: 03/20/2014

i have a seeker board i picked up a few yrs back in jersey at a swap meet.the internet contains 0 information on the company or the shaper other than the fact that it was a regrestered business at 1908 s.orlando ave in 1971.does anyone else have or have had a seeker or tales to tell?

 03/22/2014 09:47 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


eibla

Posts: 15316
Joined Forum: 07/30/2003

1971 is the year I moved to Cocoa Beach and I remember Seeker Surfboards. The shop was a little secondary shop attached to a 7/11 on the west side of A1A just before the A1A north and south lanes came back to together. I never owned a Seeker but did visit the shop once or twice. It closed sometime in the early '70's and shortly after George Panton opened Inspiration Surfboards in the same space. He was only in there for a short time, sold the shop to an ex NY City cop and his son and that eventually folded. To my knowledge it hasn't been a surf shop since. The building is still a convenience store and the shop space is now a tattoo parlor I think. I don't know any names associated with Seeker but you might try reposting this to the Surfing forum, lots of longtime local graybeards populate that Forum.

-------------------------

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness -
John Kenneth Galbraith
 03/22/2014 01:54 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


artman

Posts: 576
Joined Forum: 03/10/2009

I found some info that says the Owner/shaper was "Rick Burhans" and also lists " Patrick Madden as a shaper as well. I found it on "Stoked-N-Board" in their Brands A - Z Link.
 03/23/2014 07:06 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


cheaterfiveo

Posts: 5092
Joined Forum: 08/29/2013

Wasn't that Steve Glasser or Glassner? He went to Rockledge High 

 

 03/24/2014 07:23 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


eibla

Posts: 15316
Joined Forum: 07/30/2003

Thanks for that link artman, took a little trip down memory lane on that one.

-------------------------

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness -
John Kenneth Galbraith
 03/24/2014 04:05 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


artman

Posts: 576
Joined Forum: 03/10/2009

Stanleys Logo Library has alot more labels and though they share info with Board-N-Stoked their sites don't have all the same labels or version of one label or other so check them both out, glad you were able to find some stuff, I've looked up every board I can remember having!
 03/28/2014 08:19 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Seasnake

Posts: 22
Joined Forum: 04/05/2005

The board could be from the Innerlight shop which started using the name well after the Cocoa Beach Seeker had closed. The original Seeker was formed by Mark Glasser, Mark Williams and Ken Jensen in 1968. The marriage of two garage operations, Mark2 and Jensen Surfboards. Ken was shaper and artist, Mark W shaper, sander, fin maker, and finish, Mark G laminator and glosser. The first retail shop was the little round building close to the Minuteman Cswy, replaced by condo. That place only held about 20 boards. When Mike Tabling moved his Weber shop from south Cocoa Beach Seeker move there, 1908 S. Orlando, The boards where also sold in Ft. Pierce, Daytona Beach, Jacsksonville, New Jersey and Long Island. The wholesaling of boards did not go well and there were loses. When the Apollo mission at the cape ended, the local business dried up, operations where forced to close. Both Ken (in St. Augustine) and Mark W (in Melbourne) continued to produce garage built boards for some years to follow.
 07/18/2014 02:02 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Okuma

Posts: 1
Joined Forum: 07/18/2014

I always thought and remembered the Blalock brothers origianlly opened and shaped surfboards there at 1908 S. Orlando Ave in Cocoa Beach riginally and had the 'Seeker Surfboard, Inc.' from 01/26/71 in Florida Corporation registration #376178 that expired "Inactive" in 05/23/73.I remember Mark Glasser too! The Blalock brothers attended the original Cocoa High School, which became the now Rockledge High School in '70-'71. The Blalock brothers graduated from the original Cocoa High in ' '68-69'-'70 ahead of me. They had a sister behind me one grade named Janet. I spent time there shop in '71 when they opened watching them create, shape and finish surfboards by hand. After I got rid of my 10'-6" Ohare Nose-Rider, then my 9'-2" Dewey Weber, the Blalocks made me a 7'-6" Seeker. Grew up  50's & 60's in Cocoa, surfing at CB Pier, Inside Jetty Rocks during Hurricanes, 2nd and 4th street south, PAFB picnic tables, Sebastian, Nort's La Scene, Ron Jon's when it was a 30'X 50' hole in the wall building in the '60's. Seeker Surfboards were the cheaper costing local surfboard to buy to beat Ron-Jon's inflated prices back then. I graduated from the new Cocoa High School the first year it opened in 1970-1971. Man am I old, maybe dementia or amnesia has taken over!

 

 07/22/2014 01:19 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Seasnake

Posts: 22
Joined Forum: 04/05/2005

Johnnie Blalock was briefly involved with Seeker Surfboards, mainly in retail sales. Jim MacDonlad and Buddy Smalley (rip) also worked in the retail shop. This helped with the problem of the 3 partners frequently closing the shop to go surfing. Chris Martin first got his fingers sticky laminating boards, went on to become a boat builder. Alan Worthington (rip) was first team rider.
 07/22/2014 02:03 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


IHBPatrick

Posts: 96
Joined Forum: 05/14/2009

I grew up in SatBch. I seem to recall 2nd St So was also called "Grannys". Does that ring any bells for anyone? Dingpatch, you're really good with old surf spot names, whatcha' got? Maybe it was just a SB thing. Think I got it from David Judson, old Catri Hobie team rider.

 07/24/2014 10:37 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


chopola

Posts: 1818
Joined Forum: 09/04/2004

Originally posted by: IHBPatrick

I grew up in SatBch. old surf spot names, whatcha' got?



here are some sat bch names Gulf ,Lums, Capart, RC, The Bank, Hamburer House, Stoned Walls, Pet Den, A-Frame, Mark Realty, Peg Legs, Hess.
 08/02/2014 05:09 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


SurfPonce

Posts: 1
Joined Forum: 08/02/2014

I grew up in Ormond Beach and bough a Seeker from a small shop in Daytona in 71.  Great board and ended up trashing it in Maine using it as a snowboard in 78. 

 

Originally posted by: dannyboy9812 i have a seeker board i picked up a few yrs back in jersey at a swap meet.the internet contains 0 information on the company or the shaper other than the fact that it was a regrestered business at 1908 s.orlando ave in 1971.does anyone else have or have had a seeker or tales to tell?

 

 03/28/2015 12:25 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Johnniebegood69

Posts: 3
Joined Forum: 03/28/2015

Hey dannyboy9812, this is Johnny Blalock ex partner in Seeker Surfboards. I know some of the history of Seeker Surfboards. I was one of the 4 founding partners. The 4 of us, Mark Glasser, Ken Jensen, Mark Williams and I started the company in 1971 with a small investment. We all went to Cocoa High School.   Ken, Mark G and I were only 20 so Mark Williams, who was 21 signed the corperate paperwork. We used the money to purchase a surf shop owned by Paul Johnson just of off Main Street.  The shop origionaley sold Channin Diffenderfer Surfboards made by Tony Channin and Mike Diffenderfer.  The shop was in a round building just of North Atlantic were a big condo now sits.

We started the company because we wanted to make our own surfboards for the CB and East Coast surf.  Ken Jensen and Mark Williams were the main shapers. Mark Glasser was of course the main glasser-glosser.  We first made surfboards in on old orange growers 2 roomed house, in an old orange grove behind Marks Glasser's house. 

I was involved in the retail side of the business I only shaped one board that I made for myself.  Mark Glasser would go to Long Branch NJ in the summer so while he was there, he made a contact with the ower of a Surfshop up there who carrierd our boards.  We also sold and deliverd surfboards to shops in the Fla. Panhandle, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach & New Symrna Beach.

We moved the shop down to the south end of South Atlantic Ave, were the two roads came together.  We hire Jim McDonald to work the shop for us while we went surfing.  We did alright with the business.  I  left the company the summer of 1972 to go to the University of South Florida where I finished my BA degree in 1975.   Ken Jensen went off to school to Gainsville to UF.  Mark Glasser stayed local for awhile but move to South Florida were we still remain friends. Mark Williams continues from time to time to make a board of two.  Ken J. lives just off Matanzes Inlet on the ocean an is a know Artist.

Mark G, Mark W's, Ken J brother and I, a few months ago, went to the beach together for a little dawn meeting.  I did not get in the water because of a very bad right knee, but they got out and ripped in around a 4 to 6 foot swell. Sort of an old Board meeting so to speak. 

I'm glad you got to enjoy our boards. They were built from the heart.  Keep Wet when you can.  Hope this helps.   JB





-------------------------
Johnniebegood69

Edited: 03/30/2015 at 06:16 AM by Johnniebegood69
 04/01/2015 06:39 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Walker D

Posts: 881
Joined Forum: 05/03/2006

Great thread.

So much great surf history here.



-------------------------

 


 

 04/10/2015 07:30 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


SurfinJGulfcoast

Posts: 1
Joined Forum: 04/10/2015



Hey Johnniebegood69, I saw your fourm on the history of Seeker Surfboards. I have been searching for a while to find any information on the company. I have two Seeker boards and I wanted to see if there the same boards from your company, do you have any orignal logos that i could compare to my boards?

 09/17/2015 11:35 AM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


cheepro

Posts: 1
Joined Forum: 09/17/2015

Johnny - I had you all build a custom one for me I think in 71 called the Plastic Ship with a decal I had designed.  Got stolen near Cardiff by the Sea, California in 73...



-------------------------
Cheepro

 11/02/2015 05:13 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


notajungian

Posts: 1
Joined Forum: 11/02/2015

I remember both Marks but especially Mark Williams.  I still have my Mark II (no. 11, I think).  Has a psychedelic paint job.

 05/20/2016 12:13 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Wedgefield

Posts: 404
Joined Forum: 12/18/2003

missing from Stanley's Surfboard Logo Library: Fluid Dynamics, I had a cpl in the day
 06/18/2020 01:25 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Seasnake

Posts: 22
Joined Forum: 04/05/2005

Board form around 1971.


old seeker.jpg
old seeker.jpg  (95 KB)
 06/18/2020 01:44 PM
User is offline View Users Profile Print this message


Seasnake

Posts: 22
Joined Forum: 04/05/2005

Old label

seekerlogo.jpg
seekerlogo.jpg  (155 KB)
Statistics
146494 users are registered to the 2nd Light Forums forum.
There are currently 4 users logged in to the forum.

FuseTalk Basic Edition - © 1999-2024 FuseTalk Inc. All rights reserved.

First there was Air Jordan .