A reader named Jody sent in some pictures of blue fiberglass ramps he owns after seeing an old post here on Thrasherland. These pieces were purchased about 20 years ago in Rhode Island, and most likely came from a skatepark in Maryland called Rolling Surf. More pictures after the jump.
These blue fiberglass ramp pieces were sold in many configurations during the mid to late 70’s. It had to be the fastest way for an entrepreneur to cash in on the skatepark craze. It’s amazing to see that they are still floating around and being used some 30 plus years later.
Here’s an old t-shirt from Rolling Surf skatepark that I pulled from an eBay auction a handful of years ago.
17 comments
DANIEL GILLETLY
Hi
We had these set up as a half pipe 86 to early 90s in Richmond Ri . They were sold to guy in Exeter RI. We got them from NH by way of Twister and Jonnie Cardash. The great backyard era when 20 people in all of New England skated.
Jim
We had the same equipment in the late 70s at an indoor park in Newington NH. Not sure where it eventually went.
The End
StickKnocker, COOL! yeah, I was moving to California and the video store place was too public.. Dee sold it and life moved on. There’s more to the story….as always.
kickstander
the sound the ramps made when riding was epic
kickstander
i skated that! We found some in doylestown and we had a 8ft wide mini with 4inches of vert, that we bought in Avalon.
The End
The pieces we found were from the Levittown park in Pa. We found it in a storage facility and the guy was like give me 400 bucks and you can have the whole park. I bet the rest of it is still there. Each piece for the half pipe weighted a few hundred pounds and you bolted it together. I have pics somewhere.
StickKnocker
Terry ,
I have the video store ramp !
StickKnocker
Terry
Dude, you still got it now in 2023? Pics? Haha… I’M 60 almost 61 and still skating.
daliqourstoe
25 yr old ohio native here and was deeep diving the lore on this ramp cause the homie just moved to az and were looking for parks an wanted to know where we could skate this ramp? or a PART of it lol the fact that its still in rotation after all these decades is insane to me
The End
I owned enough to make a 24 wide half pipe, we only build it to 16. Absolutely perfect…. we got it skateable and didn’t add vert..
Today, I’d buy it in a heart beat. At 52 I am getting back into skating and digging it.
The ramp was in Reading Pa behind a my buddies video store on route 61 if I recall.
We showed up and there was a full blown scene going on and they told us to leave… Too funny, we were like go fuck yourselves and leave..it is our ramp.
Shortly after that, it was sold to I think Groholski or some of his acquaintances.
T. Harner
Donut
Those Blue Ramps absolutely rule-
ditchwork
Hermanns Hole in Missouri has something like that set up too
talentlessquitter
Thought I noticed a rolling Smurf above the ‘Rolling Surf’.
Eric C.
Seeing this got me curious about fiberglass ramps, “Wonder who might make these today?”
Didn’t find a current manufacturer yet, but did stumble across this:
http://www.aetv.com/shipping-wars/pictures/geometrically-challenged/fiberglass-half-pipe
Apparently a fiberglass miniramp was featured on a dumb A&E Shipping Wars, a reality show about moving crap interstate. Yet people gasp when I explain we don’t have cable TV.
kickstander
doesn’t look like its been ridden in years. what a waste, those ramps ruled. the snake run was just outside of OC for years. the kid would let people skate it long after he quit. Tim Payne bought it and moved it to FLA. Blue ramps were all over the East Coast. We had a 8 foot wide 5ft high section that had 6inches of vert. Ruled.baaah! give it to me
RH
Hmmm, twenty years to bowl it in and that’s as far as he’s got? (Or maybe the corners disintegrated years ago?) Though actually, if that’s got any vert on it, that gets tricky, seein as you’d have to change the radius of the ribs on the vert levels. But, that’s why Pythagorus came up with his theory. Seriously though, one ancient civilization could craft monkeys and shit that could only be seen from space, yet none of ’em could build a friggin skateboard? Weak.
RH
What was I thinking, only gotta change the radius for level top ribs/rings if bowl doesn’t go to vert. (Good thing I didn’t design/build any monkeys to be viewed from space yesterday, with such absentmindedness.)