the link below is to mr benjys own benjyboard facebook page where in his own words he goes into his company benjyboards history and its an interesting read, to me benjyboard was the best of the best at the time and very innovative
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/179DqK ... tid=wwXIfr
below is the transcript off mr ben howards facebook page aka Mr Benjy for those who arent on facebook
"Company Overview
A brief history of Benjyboards, by Mr Benjy (Ben Howard)....
Benjyboards started in the summer of 1976 when their creator and manufacturer…me; Ben Howard, an actor who loved surfing, was regularly hanging out in the only surf shop in London, situated in Wandsworth of all places, watching my rock musician pal John Povey of the ‘Pretty Things’ shape and make surf boards.
Young dudes kept coming into the shop and asking for skateboards. At that time the only skateboards available were sold at Alpine Sports, a shop in Brompton Rd, London, but were very expensive and limited for choice. The boys wanted custom decks, shaped to their own designs. As one of the only places they should have been available was in a surf shop and Stan’s was the only place around at that time in London that actually made hand crafted surfboards, the kids naturally hoped Stan could supply them as the two are naturally linked together.
Stan unfortunately wasn’t into it at all and was loath to set aside part of his shop to make wooden decks and/or put in an order to import them from the USA as one: he didn’t think there was any money to be made from them, and two; he thought them to be just a fad.
John was too busy on his stuff to consider them and suggested that I had a go. I thought ‘well why not?’ I was always good with my hands and was a wiz at woodwork in school and I could certainly do with some extra cash, (actors always do). I reckoned that if I studied them closely enough in the American Skateboarder magazine which had been left in the shop by the one of the young dudes to encourage us to do something for them, I could certainly come up with something worthwhile. I thought that by learning as much as I could from the lads and taking a good look at some of the skater’s boards that they had bought in the states I could come up with at least something comparable.
All the skateboarding fraternity at that time were skating at the Southbank, which was situated underneath raised roads and pavements leading to the National Gallery in Southwark. The boys were skating a series of concrete ramps designed as aesthetic recesses dug out of the level pedestrian areas. These oblong shaped ‘depressions’ were lined with concrete slabs at 45 degree angles ranging from just a few feet at some places, rising to over four or five feet in others enabling the boys to pull off some really good manoeuvres. Grinders and tail slides on the ‘lip’ and lots of freestyle on the flat and ‘dropping in’ were the hot tricks back then. I talked to the lads, the lads that had come into the shop, and hung out with them for days, learning as much as I could from this amazing new sport. I was so excited by it.
It was so radically different from anything that I had seen before, graceful, athletic, but dangerous and highly skilful. I was captivated and inspired and wanted there and then to be a part of it. It didn’t take me long to realise that Kadir Guirey, Jeremy Henderson, John Sablosky and Max Kirsten were the stand out hot dudes that all the other little ‘grems’ were copying. John and Jeremy were American and had brought to London their sport and skateboards with them, already experienced and already the original pioneers of what was to become a phenomenon amongst, virtually, every young man in Europe.
This was the beginning though, here at the Southbank in 1977. Max was the first one to place an order with me. He had a G&S Flexi-board but it was too short and too narrow, Max was a really big guy and had big feet, so he wanted something similar but wider and longer, and this was the killer, he wanted one with a kicktail, the rear end of the board raised by about 38 degrees to enable the board to be turned easier. I didn’t know how to do this as wedges didn’t work very well as we had found out with earlier efforts, didn’t work very well and at that time I didn’t know anything of laminations and steaming. The first two boards for Max broke in front of all the guys at the Southbank and Mr Benjy (as I re-invented myself some time later) was in deep doodoo and fast becoming….well let’s just say….unreliable! Max though was undaunted and still believed in Mr Benjy, especially as Mr Benjy wasn’t charging Max for the broken decks. In the meantime I had read up on all the relevant books I could, picked the brains of cabinet makers and the like and really set out to find a solution to the problem. The fourth board did the trick and Max was stoked. The deck worked great. I had worked out the tail problem by cutting the deck in one piece on a band saw curving it at the tail. It was strong, balanced, manoeuvreable and made of solid oak (laminations were still on the horizon then) and Max was shredding! Even better….Mr Benjy got paid and the first White Lightning was born.
The orders started rolling in. Even Stan started selling my decks in his surf shop. I needed a name for them now so what was I to call them. Well, as I wasn’t taking any of it too seriously at that time (still waiting for an acting gig to come in to take me away from all this) and not having any clue as to the success they were to enjoy, I, more as a joke to myself than anything else, called them……..well, you know.
By this time I had turned my kitchen into a workshop and was knocking out two or three boards a day to order. Then suddenly out of the blue, a man walked into Stan’s Surf Shop and ordered 100 decks. He wanted to sell them in his chain of boot and jeans stores. I was stoked, naturally, but the problem was, he wanted them complete with trucks and wheels. So undaunted and up to the challenge, I borrowed some money and found a wood turning company that agreed to manufacture the boards to my specifications as there was no way in the world I could possibly make that amount of boards in a few weeks. Ironically his name and the name of his company was Tom Sim Wood Products. Tom Sims was the name of the inventor of the Sims Taperkick, the legendary deck prized by most American skateboarders.
Anyway….I phoned the States and found a skateboard wholesaler who was willing to export to me the trucks, wheels, bearings, riser pads and grip tape I needed to put all the decks together. And so the first 100 White Lightning’s were born with California Slalom Mid Tracks and Road Rider wheels. (Ever tried screwing and drilling together 200 trucks and 400 wheels!)
1977-78. I had enough money now to get myself really established as a proper skateboard manufacturer. I ordered more and more stuff from the states and alongside Tom Sim started designing a whole new range of decks. In the space of a few months after visits to the States and Canada we learned how to produce the striped, carbon-fibre laminated decks we later became famous for. The ‘Competition’ or Comp 1’s at first and later the Comp 2 in a comprehensive range from the 27’’ freestyle through to the 42’’ speed board.
I realised while all this was happening, that to promote by boards really successfully I needed an angle and what better angle was there than to get the best skateboarders in the country to ride my boards. This wasn’t very difficult as John and Jeremy, Mark Sinclair, Jules Gayton, Kadir Guirey and Max Kirsten had by now established themselves as the hottest boys around and were riding my boards anyway. We entered every skateboard competition we could find and within a year most members of the Benjyboard team had become national champions in one discipline or the other.
The British version of Skateboarder Magazine had been established by now and we were plastered all over it. The boys became legends. Benjyboards in all their (by now) different shapes and styles were selling right across the country. John Sablosky had designed his own board as did Jeremy Henderson. There were training decks for beginners too…the BB Lollipop and Benjyflex. We designed and manufactured BB Kneebo elbow and knee pads and designed our own wheel, the BB Boot, made for us in the States. Our stickers, which had become collectors items even then….The BB logo, John and Jeremy’s logo’s, the White Lightning sticker and Marc Sinclair’s outrageous ‘Meanwhile Gardens’ sticker was especially popular.
The Benjyboard Team; Jeremy Henderson, John Sablosky, Mark Sinclair, Jules Gayton, Kadir Guirey, Max Kirsten, Paul Sully and Frank Blood (Rollerskater). I thank them all for the wonderful times we shared together. The triumphs, the travel, the excitement, the friendship and above all….the laughs! We gave demonstrations in Paris, Stockholm and Amsterdam and even built the largest wooden half-pipe outside of America during our exhibition and demonstration in the city of Sharjah in the Middle East. . So, Benjyboards, starting out as a cottage industry in Ben Howard’s kitchen, had within the space of just a couple of years established itself as the standard for skateboarding excellence in the UK and the foundation for British skateboarding history. The Benjyboard team too had established themselves as the number one skateboarding influence, and the original pioneers of the sport of Skateboarding in the UK and Europe in the late 1970’s.
Ben Howard.
Aka MR Benjy"
Benjyboards was a pioneering British skateboard brand founded in 1976 by actor and surfer Ben Howard (was in Doctor Who
and many well known and famous films and tv series i've put a link at bottom he ws in a lot of stuff ). Starting as a small operation in Howard's kitchen, it grew to become a prominent UK skateboard manufacturer in the late 1970s, establishing itself as a benchmark for quality and inspiring British skateboarding culture. I've been told by a reliable source he had some backing by pink Floyd at some point but ive nothing to back that up but interesting nonetheless Early days and growth
A solution for London skaters: In 1976, Howard spent time at a London surf shop and saw young skaters coming in to ask for custom decks. Skateboard options at the time were limited and expensive, so Howard, a skilled woodworker, began handcrafting custom boards for them.
The first board: After several failed attempts to produce a custom board with a kicktail, Howard perfected his technique. The fourth board he made for a prominent local skater, Max Kirsten, was a success and became the first "White Lightning" deck, leading to a surge of orders.
Expansion and production: In 1977, after receiving a bulk order for 100 complete boards, Howard expanded production. He partnered with a Canadian wood manufacturer to produce laminated decks and imported American trucks, wheels, and parts.
Product line: Benjyboards developed a range of laminated decks, including the "Competition" (Comp) series, with models like the 27" freestyle and the 42" speed board. The company also produced equipment like wheels (the "BB Boot" and "Super boot"), pads, and branded stickers.
The Benjyboards team
To build the brand, Howard assembled a talented team of UK skateboarders, some of whom were the best in the country at the time.
Pioneering talent: The team included UK and American riders who helped establish the sport in Europe, such as Jeremy Henderson, John Sablosky, Marc Sinclair, and Kadir Guirey. Henderson and Sablosky even designed their own pro models.
Competition and promotion: The Benjyboards team competed in every event they could find and frequently appeared in the British version of Skateboarder Magazine. Team members gave demonstrations across Europe and built a large wooden half-pipe for a demonstration in the Middle East.
Legacy and decline
End of an era: The brand flourished during the 1970s but, like many skateboard companies, likely declined with the worldwide recession and negative trends that hit the industry in the early 1980s.
Foundations for UK skateboarding: Benjyboards played a critical role in establishing skateboarding in the UK and Europe. It nurtured influential riders and helped set the standard for quality equipment outside of the US.
Collectible vintage: Today, vintage Benjyboards, particularly models like the "Lollipop" and "Comp II," are sought-after collector's items and a cherished part of British skateboarding history.
Ben Howard lives in australia now and accordingly doesnt talk about the old benjy days which is a hell of a shame
Ben Howards acting film and tv history , he was in a lot of well known stuff
https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/ben-howard-3
heres ben playing hinks with a browning hi power pistol pointing it at Doctor who in the episode "The Green Death"
- ben howard playing hincks in the doctor who episode the green death
- Green_death1.jpg (206.14 KiB) Viewed 2264 times
- ben playing one his cockney hardmen parts he wds known for
- photo.jpg (40.25 KiB) Viewed 2262 times
ive only got a sablosky left nowadays,ill get some pics sorted of it another day
