Happy New Year from Skate and Annoy! Thanks to all our contributors, readers and tipsters. We’re working on improvements and additions to the site for a better S&A in 2014. Good health, good fortune and a Dog Cheeze for everyone in 2014! Now go out and skate!

I made some 7 color, screen printed reproductions of an advert for Nash skateboards Park Rider model. These ads appeared in comic books around 1978. I thought I had posted my copy here, but I must have been thinking of this old Bullwinkle ad instead. The idea of printing these has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I went as far as working on the separation file before sitting on it for a year. Earlier this week I got it in my head that I should try to crank these out in time for the Above Coping art show benefit at Commonwealth Skateboarding in Portland tonight. On Tuesday I called RC Screen Shop, luckily they had four screens stretched that the original buyer never picked up. They were large enough that I could burn two colors side by side on one screen, so I decided to go for it. After a few sweaty late evenings (cutting it down to the wire) I have a finished print run. If you buy one at Commonwealth, all the proceeds will go directly to Above Coping. Original advert and more after the jump.

Sure they are crappy, but they are so bad that they’re… still bad. Even more so now that they’ve seen an updated, craptacular re-imagining of the graphic. As if there there is a pent up, unrealized nostalgia for the worst boards any given skater has ever owned at any point in their skateboarding life. Blind’s Danny Way Nuke Baby was a brilliant, but these are just as bad, if not worse than the original, especially the most famous of all bad 80’s Nash boards, the Executioner. They did have some cool graphics in the 60’s. It’s ironic that they haven’t tried to cash in on those graphics, even more so because they apparently own the Hobie name. Way to massively miss any sort of reissue connection. Oh well, all the better for someone else. I can’t recall if there was ever a Nash “Blaster” model, but I included it anyway because it’s a confusing mix of 70’s imagery on an 80’s shape that came out some time in the… dammit! What the hell are we calling this decade? The tens? Crap. Nash makes skateboards again. I guess they finally recovered from the fire.

Never saw this Nash board back in the day. Mazed and Confused. HILARIOUS! They must have had some clever bastards in the art department. Carl Warren captured this one in the wild at Gabriel Park.

Here’s an interesting piece of history. Aside from looking really sharp, this vintage Nash skateboard features clay/composite wheels and something I’ve never seen on a board from this time period, wheel covers. Some people would have you believe these are a recent invention. Check out the auction while it lasts for some larger versions of the pics. A really nice board here. UPDATE: Some 13 years later I’ve added photos of the hubcap bearing protectors thanks to Mark Bader. I’m scratching my head as to why I didn’t post the pics from the auction in the first place.

A reader named Laura sent in these pics. It’s the Spinal Tap model from Nash, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with Spinal Tap, the band. This is from their “Gold Line,” which I never really know existed. Thier run of the mill crap boards were the Red Line. This one does ring a bell after all, I think Nash made a last ditch effort to get back into the arena of almost real skateboards very late in the game, similar to what Variflex did. The graphic is leagues above the quality of their usual artwork. It’s not too bad for the time, but the real story is probably that Space Invaders video game cabinet in the background. Laura wondered what this board might be worth, not much is the answer. 80’s era Nash boards don’t typically raise more than it costs to ship them.

Matt Mahoney hooked us up with some pictures of a relic he owns, possibly the ultimate achievement in wackyboards. It’s either the Nash Jamm Sound Board or the Radio Active, depending on whether you believe the top or the bottom of the deck. In Matt’s own words “It’s perfect for listening to static while skating around town…” I remember seeing adds for this thing before, I can’t imagine they made more than one model. It’s too bad the Nash factory burned down, I’ll bet there was some cool stuff in storage.

This might be your last chance to get a Nash skateboard with graphics that aren’t an absolute pile of shite. This 80’s era Nash Nightmare auction ends at 8:47pm, Baltimore time. They must have hired someone from outside their usual talent pool for this graphic. To be fair, they had some really cool graphics in the steel wheel era, followed by a 15 year drought. I swear the Nightmare is on par with some of the Creature stuff…

Kevin Decker aka KVON sent in some nice photographs of an estate sale score he picked up over the weekend, a 60’s era Nash skateboard/scooter. The logo says “Nash Surfboards.” I believe they sold the exact same thing without the handle. Looks like it’s in fine shape. This is one scooter I’d be proud to display.

When you think of skateboard companies based in Texas, one word comes to mind. Zorlac…. oh wait. Did you know Nash had it’s manufacturing plant in Fort Worth Texas? I would have guessed China, if anything. In 2006 there was a fire at Nash Manufacturing that destroyed the facility. The cause was said to be under investigation, but nothing ever surfaced, at least not on the Interwebs™. I’m going to make a case for industrial espionage and sabotage, because Nash is a true industry innovator. Proof after the jump.