Rip saw!

[therat555]

I got a board that is almost 3 decades old called the schmitt stix Rip Saw. Anybody ever heard of them? They still make them i believe. Pretty cool set-up. Shamed to say i cant upload pics because my camera is broke.

[bowlfreshener]

I remember when those came out back in the day. I used to have the shirt for that deck, which had a saw blade looking like it was cutting into you, complete with fake blood as part of the silkscreen...I found these pics on photobucket, which one do yuo have?

[stringtheory]

I loved Schmitt Stix decks (even though they were really just Vision). I used to favor the Chris MIller's.

But yeah, they had a few different Rip Saw's over the years.

[Looptail]

Nice find!

That's more like a mid-80s board, so not quite 30 years old. A basic team-model deck that sort of copied the weird shapes with "hand holds", like the Hosoi Hammerhead (because of course we were ALL grabbing perfect 10-foot "Christ airs", just like Hosoi)

I loved my Schmitt Jeff Grosso and Joe Lopes "BBQ".

IMO, Schmitt Stix had the best quality board construction at the time. Good wood (!), colored plys, woodstain options, nicely routed rails and wheel wells. And a complex variable concave through the nose, platform and tail.

MUCH nicer than some of the poorly-made planks that some larger companies churned out as pro-models.

Set it up with some Indy 169s and 97A OJ2 wheels.

They reissued some boards through Vision a few years ago, including the original Yard-Stick longboard. A very nice cruiser/ park rider with a good nose and tail and the usual Schmitt Stix quality.



It was unusual to find ANY kind of commercially-available longboard at the time. ISTR an old Schmitt Stix advert in Thrasher, with Jeff Grosso or John Lucero getting air over a loading dock on the Yard Stick (??)

[bowlfreshener]

I forgot about that variation of it, but yeah, what I have pictured is Ripsaw version 1 and the matching mini, then yours is version 2.

If I recall correctly, Vision made the boards for Schmitt Stix and Sims back in the day, being the 80s...

[stringtheory]

IMO, Schmitt Stix had the best quality board construction at the time. Good wood (!), colored plys, woodstain options, nicely routed rails and wheel wells. And a complex variable concave through the nose, platform and tail.

Very true. My first Chris Miller (baboon graphic) was the first board I owned with an upturned nose.

[msk]

If I recall correctly, Vision made the boards for Schmitt Stix and Sims back in the day, being the 80s...

Schmitt was an actual manufacturer, so it would've been the other way around. And Sims was either licensed or sold to Vision in the early 80s, so Vision and Sims were the same company...

[stringtheory]

See I thought it was the other way around too. I remembered Vision making Schmitts' decks back in the day. But I'd be glad to be mistaken, I always disliked Vision. Especially Vision Street Wear! Lol.

[Looptail]

Yeah, I'm a bit vague about the Vision/ Schmitt Stix thing, too.

The Schmitt re-issues are shown in the "Vision" section on some online shops.
But I thought their original decks were made in-house.
Either way, the construction, concave and finish were WAY better than the stuff Vision was producing at the time. At least the Visions remember trying from other people - Never owned one - Yuk!

And AFAIK, Paul Schmitt was running a deck-pressing operation between "Schmitt Stix" closing and the re-issues appearing (?).

[/Nerd-Factoids ]

[bowlfreshener]

Schmitt was an actual manufacturer, so it would've been the other way around. And Sims was either licensed or sold to Vision in the early 80s, so Vision and Sims were the same company...

Maybe Schmitt made boards for Vision/Sims, or perhaps they were just distributed by Vision/Sims or something to that effect. Perhaps since Vision/Sims was the bigger company, I just assumed that they owned Schmitt Stix, if Schmitt made the boards for Vision. However, I am fairly certain there was some sort of link between Vision/Sims and Schmitt Stix, that obviously continues today because of the Vision/Schmitt Stix re-issue decks...In fact, I remember a friend of my brothers who worked in a huge mail order shop, Intensity Skates, even saying that Vision/Sims and Schmitt Stix were all from the same place, thats why I think they may have all been distributed by the same company...

I could see Schmitt being the actual board maker, but Vision/Sims having the larger distribution, and the two linking up that way...sort of like how some smaller record labels sign with a major one for distribution, but the smaller label runs its day to day stuff separately from the major labels business...

[therat555]

Yeah, my deck looks like the top left picture except darker green

[msk]

I could see Schmitt being the actual board maker, but Vision/Sims having the larger distribution, and the two linking up that way...sort of like how some smaller record labels sign with a major one for distribution, but the smaller label runs its day to day stuff separately from the major labels business...

A significant percentage of board companies (large companies included) don't have any manufacturing facilities of their own, and rely on other companies or woodshops to do the actual manufacturing. I know that several years ago, Madrid did manufacturing for almost every other major company at one time or another, despite the fact that they were also one of the bigger names at the time...

[jmasta]

reminds me of my Fuego Firestick

[dcphotos]

Nice find!
They reissued some boards through Vision a few years ago, including the original Yard-Stick longboard. A very nice cruiser/ park rider with a good nose and tail and the usual Schmitt Stix quality.

I have one of those re-issues! I love it, it's almost the same board, one of the numbers is missing in the reissue graphic and I don't think the nose was kicked up on the originals. I have mine setup with 60mm Alva Speed skins and Indy 215s slightly wedged. It's great but it feels like turning a big boat around on a ramp.

[Looptail]

I have one of those re-issues! I love it, it's almost the same board, one of the numbers is missing in the reissue graphic and I don't think the nose was kicked up on the originals. I have mine setup with 60mm Alva Speed skins and Indy 215s slightly wedged. It's great but it feels like turning a big boat around on a ramp.

Interesting that they tweaked the graphics a little on the re-issues.
Yeah, I think you're right about the flat/kicked noses.
And I can't imagine taking one on a ramp - Top marks for trying.

I've had several $$ longboards decks recently that have been a disappointment... probably should have got a tried and trusted Schmitt.

[dcphotos]

Interesting that they tweaked the graphics a little on the re-issues.
Yeah, I think you're right about the flat/kicked noses.
And I can't imagine taking one on a ramp - Top marks for trying.

I've had several $$ longboards decks recently that have been a disappointment... probably should have got a tried and trusted Schmitt.

It's a super fun board to ride. It's not really like a longboard by the standards of most people on this site, it's more like a realllllly long shortboard. Carving in a bowl is great, kick-turning is fun for a minute then I get back on my other board.

[Momona Boe]

The original Yardy didn't have a kick nose - I still have one.

And +1 on the Joe Lopes, although I liked the one with the crystal ball better - that was the one before the BBQ.

[Animal127]

those are some cazy cool unique decks, nice find, i kinda hoped for a primitive rip-stik

[TylerHill]

[/QUOTE]

I have that board it was a fun board but i need new wheels and bearings