The Nash Executioner was a total K-mart piece of crap by the standards of the skate scene, but I didn't know that. All I knew was that it was the first wide wooden skateboard with all kinds of plastic bumpers and doodads that I had ever seen (a few kids in my neighborhood had them) and it was totally rad to my eyes.
Well, it only took me 28 years, but I finally got my Nash Executioner!
Ah, eBay. How I love you. This lovely specimen is pretty much how I remember the one I saw for the first time. I'm pretty sure it was a yellow deck, but it may have had neon green accessories. Whatever, I snapped this up as soon as I saw it online, and it's as glorious as I remember.
The top is pretty shredded, but that's no biggie. I took it for a spin around the neighborhood and the tape still grips. It is a bit weird riding a deck that's not concave (as they all are now) and the trucks are hella loose on this thing (making for a couple of scary turns), but overall I couldn't be more jazzed.
It's funny how much I wanted one of these when I was 12, only to later learn that they were considered junk to all those serious skaters with their Caballero and Lance Mountain decks.
I wonder if it had anything to do with the giant, pink bubble tail guard on the back?
My god, that looks silly! But in 1985, I thought that was awesome. I would eventually add a black bubble tail guard to my Valterra, along with a set of black Powell-Peralta Rib Bones. However, that didn;t hide the fact that it was a $19.99 deck from K-mart.
Check out the bitchin' rear truck guard, for defending against scrapes while doing ollies up curbs...
I make fun a bit, but the truth is, this deck gets my inner 12-year-old jumping up and down and throwing air punches.
I'm gonna tighten up the trucks and take her up tot he nearby skatepark and ride this baby like I don't care who's laughing.
Then I might ride it up to the nearest tattoo shop and get that dragon graphic done on my chest. It's a dragon! Standing on a pile of skulls!
So rad.
Sweet! Congrats on finally getting this Reis.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jboy!
DeleteThis post was awesome. Makes my inner 12 year old want to high five your inner 12 year old.
ReplyDeleteI love nothing more than getting on the internet and reading about people geeking out about the things they love/loved/want/wanted.
I'm not even a skateboarder, and this is one of the best things I've read in a while. Congrats on fulfilling your childhood wish man!
Thanks, GG! One high five coming your way!
DeleteI remember these.Although I was far from a skateboarder as a kid,my cousin was and I remember him making fun of the way I rode them.I think he said that I rode "goofy-footed'?I'm not sure.The only thing I ever learned how to do half-a#$edly is "attacking"Again,those were terms he taught me so I'm not even sure if they apply or even mean anything in today's world of skateboarders.
ReplyDeleteI ride goofy-footed. Always have. I used to get clowned for it, but now a lot of skaters do it and often switch back and forth. I'm not sure what "attacking" is. But different areas of the country had slightly different names for stuff.
DeleteWow!! was a Caballero man myself but wouldnt kick that board out of bed for eating crackers!! NICE! Ddnt even know they made rear truck guards..... gotta love the accesories :)
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda disappointed. I just got a copy of the Elephant Brand Skateboards zine "BOARD no. 1" and at least five of the entries are people saying the Nash Executioner was their first board. So I googled it to see the graphic. A dragon!?!?! THAT'S not what I imagine a board called the Executioner to have as a graphic!!!
ReplyDeleteStill, reminds me of my first board, which had an awesome skull and sword and snake graphic, a total McGill rip-off, just as this is a Cab rip-off. Fantastic! One day the bearings on one wheel fell out and I sat in the street until I found every individual ball bearing to fix it! Those were the days! But happy to say I'm still skating 27 years later (been bowl skating twice this week in fact, plus a couple of cruises to the post office! Skateboarding kicks ass! Still!)
Now I need to find a "Dominator" - the first board my best friend had, black, proper shape, good quality green wheels... amazing!
oh! and the truck guard is called a "lapper" and it's so you could bomb up curbs without ollieing. I actually wish I had one for those post office runs...