
EVERYTHING THAT IS REALLY GRAT AND INSPIRING IS
CREATED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO LABOR IN FREEDOM.
-ALBERT EINSTEIN
I LIKE MY JOB BECAUSE IT INVOLVES LEARNING.
-BILL GATES
Live to surf, surf to live.
-Mike Doyle
I’M JUST A SURFER WHO WANTED TO BUILD SOMETHING
THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO SURF LONGER.
-JACK O’ NEILL
Originally arriving on O’ahu as an infant, twelve-year-old Fran Heath starts surfing on a 8 foot redwood
Tom Blake uses brass plugs on hollow boards to drain water from the inside
The Los Angeles Ladder Company introduces a surfboard rack for cars
On April 18, Tom Blake files a patent for his “water sled” hollow board construction
Pacific System Homes sells “Swastika” model surfboards, paddleboards and aqua-planes
The use of balsa wood decreases surfing board weights from 100 to 30 pounds
Inspired by Floridians in Hawaii, Pete Peterson begins making balsa boards in California
Hawaiian surfers taper the tail of their boards, the design allows them to trim the board diagonally across the wave
After “sliding ass” at Brown’s surf, John Kelly grabs an axe and begins the “Hot Curl” revolution
Dr. Earnest Smithers of Sydney, Australia invents the inflatable “surf mat”
A swimming pool in Wembley, England is equipped with agitators to make waves
Surf wave pool opens at Wembley Swimming pool in England
Mutt surfing started by a Sydney physician
Tom Blake attaches a 4” aluminum speedboat keel (stabilizing fin) to a surfboard
Marine varnish is applied to wood surfboards, protecting them from water damage
California surfer Alfred Gallant Jr. applies liquid floor wax to his board for traction
The Honolulu Advertiser describes Tom Blake’s 116 pound board with a “stabilizer or fin”
Du Pont invents polyester resin. Refined by the Germans during WWII, it’s stolen by the British
Joe Quigg, at age 13, made a redwood board that had slightly upturned nose and tail sections (later called “rocker”)
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INVENTION IS THE TALENT OF YOUTH, AS JUDGEMENT IS OF AGE.
-JONATHON SWIFT
Gard Chapin designs a wooden keel with angled leading edge and vertical trailing edge
Tom Blake is said to have built a two fin board
Tom Topanga’s Dave Sweet makes a surfboard from extruded Styrofoam, glassed with epoxy
Bob Simmons and Pete Peterson use fiberglass and polyester resin to laminate surfboards
Bob Simmons experiments with half moon-shaped fins on his wide-tailed balsa boards
Wally Froiseth taught George Downing how to make surfboards, and introduced him to the big surf at Makaha
Balsa, fiberglass, and resin become the new board-making materials
Los Angeles surfer Bob Simmons making all-balsa “speed” boards
Joe Quigg launches the first pintail gun at Malibu in June: built for speed and maneuvering
Joe Quigg makes a shorter, lighter surfboard for Darrilyn Zanuck
Polystyrene core, balsa rails, plywood deck: Simmons makes a board that weighs 9 pounds
Blake makes some hollow surfboards out of aluminum in the late 1940s
Simmons, quite possibly unaware of Blake’s two fin board, built some two fin boards
George Downing met with surfer/board designer Bob Simmons and learned how to fiberglass surfboards
Joe Quigg makes Pintail #2, a “speed board” and “first narrow pintail” for big Hawaiian surf
The lighter, shorter “Malibu chip” board makes turning easier and inspires nose-riding
Nose-lift, rocker, “soft” rails, two fins; Simmons reinvents the surfboard
Joe Quigg makes the first fiberglass fin
The Simmons “Spoon” is 10 feet of balsa, thin rails, pointed, “spoon” nose, glassed wooden fin
Simmons puts a fin on each corner of his squaretail, inventing what he calls a “duel fin” design
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IF YOU’RE HAVING A BAD DAY, CATCH A WAVE.
-FROSTY HESSON
According to Greg Noll, Bob Simmons was the very first to ever try foam in a surfboard
Hobie Alter makes balsa boards in his garage
George Downing creates the ‘speed skeg’ that with its broad base and narrow tip is 20 years ahead of its time
Hawaiian George Downing builds the first wooden ‘fin box’ incorporating a removable ‘speed skeg’
Hugh Bradner, in San Francisco, beings work on the first wetsuit
First fin box used by Hawaiian George Downing
Dave Sweet of Santa Monica builds the first polyurethane-core boards
Jack O’ Neill introduces his surfing wet suits at Ocean Beach in San Francisco
Dale Velzy introduces his popular, easy-riding, wide-tailed “Pig” design
Board manufacturer Dale Velzy designs brand ‘dorsal’ shaped fin, attached at the tip of the tail
Hobie Alter and “Grubby” Clark begin working on large-scale foam production
White zinc oxide used by surfer for sun block, flesh color Australia in 1970
Larry Gordon and Floyd Smith build a mold and begin blowing their own foam and building surfboards
CSU-Long Beach Art Professor Lee Willmore begins career creating artistic laminated wood fins
Surfboard and wetsuit maker Jack O’ Neill opens a shop in Santa Cruz, CA
George Greenough makes his first balsa kneeboard in high school woodshop
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THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER IS TO CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR
INVENTION RATHER THAN PROVIDE ReADY MADE KNOWLEDGE.
-SEYMOUR PAPERT
The typical surfboard ranges in length from 9’6” to 11’0” and is 22” to 24” wide
Hobie Surfboards, now built from the new polyurethane foam, comes with a solid fiberglass fin attached
Print fabrics for clothing are laminated onto surfboards to add color and graphics by Bill Holden of Huntington Beach
O’ Neill and Dive ’n’ surf are the top wetsuit manufacturers
George Greenough makes a 7’8” x 22” Baby Surfboard and also his first solid balsa kneeboard
The clumsy, rudder-like “D” fin becomes the industry standard, limiting surfboard performance for years
George Greenough, an eccentric kneeboarder from Santa Barbara, takes his spoon kneeboards to Australia
The Donald Takayama model is released under the Hap Jacobs brand
Hobie offers a removable polypropylene fin attached by a screw that tightens through the deck of the board
The Lance Carson Signature board model by Jacobs Surfboards is released
George Greenough’s “Velo” kneeboard is mostly fiberglass, with foam in the rails
Karl Pope designs the Tri-Sect, a travel board that breaks down into three pieces
Harbour Surfboards introduces the Trestles Special with the input of Mark Martinson
Surfers at the Morey Noseriding contest have boards as short as 8 feet, turbo-fins and tail bricks
When most boards are 9’9”, Bob Mctavishs’ 9’4” for Nat Young is dubbed “Magic Sam”
Life magazine calls the skateboard “the most exhilarating and dangerous joy-ride this side of the hot rod”
The John Peck Penetrator evolved from the Snub, which was designed by Tom Morey
Mike Doyle and Rusty Miller create the first wax designed for surfing
First limited-edition signature model “Da Cat” is made by Greg Noll
Dewey Weber designs the sport’s most distinctive fin, the narrow-base, wide tipped Hatchet or Turn Fin
Dewey’s new fin comes with an optional removable “Wonder Bolt” fin-box system
The Lance Carson model is introduced in conjunction with Jacob’s Surfboards out of Hermosa Beach, California
Bing Surfboards introduces the David Nuuhiwa Noserider model. The design is the all-time winningest nose rider
Hobie Surfboards introduces the Gary Propper Signature model and it surprises everyone
Designed by Bob Purvey as an extreme noserider, the Ugly is introduce by Con Surfboards
Nat Young tries a Greenough fin on 9’2” “Magic Sam.” Nat wins ’66 World Contest in convincing fashion
U.S. Surfboard Championship was first to use computers for scoring surfers
The Bing Pipeliner, is an influential design most big-wave riders want to ride
The Surfatorium at Tokyo’s Summerland Water Park is the first wave pool for surfing
Hynson, Brewer, Rarrick, Fletcher and others experiment with 8-foot and under “mini guns”
Ever-innovative Tom Morey develops W.A.V.E. Set, a removable fin system
Steve Lis of San Diego shapes a split-tailed kneeboarding he calls the “Fish”
Board sailing (windsurfing) is invented in Southern California
The Mike Doyle model is introduced by Hansen Surfboards. This 9’0” to 11’0” board sold for $160
Made by the Morey-Pope The Blue Machine was designed and ridden by Bob Cooper
The C.C. Rider is introduced by Con Surfboards. Claude Codger was one of the top East Coast surfers in the ’60s
Bob McTavish and Nat Young travel to Hawaii with their newly devised Keyo V-bottomed surfboards
Reno Abellira rides a 6’10, 7-pound roundtable at the ’68 World Champs in Puerto Rico
Average board length drops below 7’0”
Fins Unlimited introduces the “Vari Glas” movable fin system, allowing surfers to experiment with fin placement
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1960
NO AMOUNT OF SKILLFUL INVENT CAN REPLACE THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF IMAGINATION.
-EDWARD HOPPER
The typical surfboard is produced with one or two layers of 8 oz. Fiberglass cloth
Bill Bahne’s Fins Unlimited adjustable channel box is introduced and remains virtually unchanged today
Hobie, Bing and Hansen all market wide squaretail twin fins
San Diego kneeboarder Steve Lis turns heads with his twin-tailed, twin-keeled Fish design
Skip Frye designs a wide, thin, mid-length surfboard called the “Egg”
Ben Aipa of Hawaii designs double-pinned “swallow-tail”
Dewey Weber introduces “the Pig.” The board is incredibly short (5’3” to 6’3”), with the widest point behind center
Pat O’Neill invents the surf leash, which first attaches his wrist to the nose of his board
Reno Abellira and Dick Brewer experiment with try-fin designs
Ventura surfer Tom Morey invents the boogie board using polyethylene foam, an electric carving knife and an iron
Con Colburn, of Santa Monica, invents the leash plug
U.S. Champ Corky Carroll rides the wide-tailed “twin-fin” featuring two double foiled fins set right on the tail
Mid-length (6’6” to 8’0”) narrow-tailed semi-gun speed shapes are popular in California and Hawaii
The Campbell brothers of Oxnard, CA introduce their three-finned “Bonzer” design
Ben Aipa innovates a split-back tail he calls the “swallowtail”
Smooth-riding urethane wheels bring skateboarding back in vogue
Jim Blears and David Nuuhiwa finish first and second at the World Contest riding Fish
Dick Brewer’s broad-based, thick-foiled single fin design is used to 90% of all surfboards built for the next five years
Ian Cairns rides a Bonzer to victory at the 1973 Smirnoff, beating Jeff Harman
Hawaii Ben Aipa creates the split-railed, single-fin swallowtail “Stinger” design
Mike Doyle and Tom Morey introduce a soft surfboard with interchangeable fins
Australian Jim Pollard is credited with shaping the first deep-channel boards. Many embrace the design
Surfers Brian Gillogly, Clyde Beatty and Dean Edwards being refining their “Rocket Fish” a prescient twin fin design
The average surfboard is now produced with six-ounce fiberglass cloth on deck and bottom
Use of airbrushed color on shaped foam allows abundant color on surfboards without significant weight increase
Mark Richards unveils his winged-swallow, towed-in-flat-foiled twin-fin design on an unsuspecting public
Mark Richards’ version of the twin-fin takes the surf world by storm
Michael Brand invents computerized surfboard building in Bayonne, France
As surfboards are refined and weight is reduced; surfing maneuvers evolve
While the standard board uses 6 oz. Cloth, 4 oz. Cloth is slowly being integrated into pro performance surfboards
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BEING IGNORANT IS NOT SO MUCH A SHAME AS BEING UNWILLING TO LEARN.
-BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Narrabeen surfer Frank Williams shows his three-fin design to Simon Anderson
Multi-fin surfboards (twins and tri-fin) spark a return to non-box, glassed-on fin designs
Simon Anderson designs a board that combines the three-fins with the “needle nose”
Hobie Surfboards introduces the Peter Pan Slug. The Slug has becomes one of the best-selling models of all time
Simon Anderson adds a double-foiled trailing fin to similar-sized, flat-foiled side fins and calls it The Thruster
Subtle channels and concave bottom contours become common in all surfboard design variations
Serious experimentation with polystyrene blanks and epoxy resins is initiated in the U.S.
Gerry Lopez and other Hawaiian surfers try windsurfing in large North Shore surf
Simon Anderson wins Bells, the Surfabout and the Pipe Masters to prove the Thruster
Simon Anderson’s guns are swallowtails. He wins the ’81 Pipe Masters on a 7’6” swallowtail
Squashtails maintain dominance for most small/medium wave designs of the era
Cheyne Horan, men’s tour runner-up for the fourth time in his career, tries riding a 5’9” surfboard at Waimea Bay
Four fins make a brief appearance, ridden by Australian pro Glen Winton and California freesurfer Davey Smith
Cheyne Horan begins working on the winged keel, inspired by the America’s Cup sailing races
Cheyne Horan introduces the winged keel and amazes all by winning the annual Bells Beach contest in Australia
Bill Stewart spearheads the modern longboard resurgence with the hydro-hull design concepts
John Bradbury, Clyde Beatty, Greg Loehr and others experiment with epoxy resin
Sunset Beach superstars Bobby Owens and Mark Foo swear by their oddly-curved, reverse rake Boomerang fins
Rash guard made of Lycra first used to prevent wetsuit chafing
Tom Curren wins the first of three World Titles riding a Channel Islands Thruster
The rubber-silicone nose guard first marketed by Surf Co Products. Hawaiian Earl Arakawa and Dave Skedeleski developed the guard
Herbie Fletcher uses a JetSki to tow Martin Potter during the Pipe Masters in Hawaii
Multi-fin big wave guns become commonplace on Oahu’s North Shore
Auto-focus 600mm lenses by Canon, Nikon, etc. bring quality surf photography to almost anyone who can afford it
Willy Jobson takes the twin-fin, moves the side fins in and adds fins forward on the rail. The design fails to catch on
Surftech develops a mold-lamination process using epoxy resin and polystyrene blanks
Warp cloth, a new fiberglass, is introduced but E-cloth remains standard for production boards
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STYLE IS A NATURAL EXTENSION OF WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON.
-Mark Richards
Rear-foot traction pads, led by Astrodeck, are standard equipment on performance surfboards
Modern longboards (single, trim-fin and 2+1 designs) regain popularity
Cut-away fin designs from the windsurfing discipline are adapted for use on modern longboards
Applied traction pads for the rear foot, led by Astrodeck, become standard on high performance surfboards
Astrodeck creates full deck traction pads for longboards
Kelly Slater test-rides the new Typhoon Lagoon wave pool at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida
Longboard resurgence creates a cottage industry of hand made single-fins, fitted to the Fins Unlimited channel box
Spray-on deck traction sees a return on both short and longboards
The 650cc Yamaha Wave Runner III emerges as the machine of choice for tow surfers
UV-Cure resins gain popularity in usage for surfboard ding repair
The first signs of color laminations reappear, and gloss-and-polish longboards become popular again
After a 30-year absence, 1960s style resin tints and pinlines return on custom longboards
Soft, rubber-edged fins are developed for use in interchangeable fin boxes
Aussie Brian Whitty designs the FCS plug, the first truly functional system for high performance surfboards
Natural materials like Agave Cactus are used for surfboard blanks with epoxy resins
Small (7’0”) solid, heavy wood boards with footsteps become standard big wave tow-in surfing
Karl Pope reinvents the two-piece travel board, “The Bi-Sect”
Soft surfboards make a comeback with Surftech’s soft-top technology
The typical tow-surfing board is down to 7’ x 15” with lead for extra weight
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AN INVENTION HAS TO MAKE SENSE IN THE WORLD
IT FINISHES IN, NOT IN THE WORLD IT STARTED.
-TIM O’ REILLY
Retro board designs from the late 1960s and 1970s are re-evaluated and become very popular
Bob “The Greek” Bolen of Huntington Beach invents the Turbo Tunnel Fin
Hydro Epic produces a hollow carbon fibre and epoxy resin surfboard series
Randy French is voted one of Surfer Magazine’s 25 Most Powerful People in Surfing
Clark Foam’s closing is a catalyst for the greatest era of surfboard manufacturing diversity in years
Ocean-X constructs prototypes for a transparent skin, polycarbonate surfboard series
SurfTech has 10,000 TufLife boards in 150 different flavors in their Huntington Beach warehouse
Hemp, bamboo, flax and other natural materials are tried as a replacement for fiberglass cloth
The Ron Jon Surfpark project is shut down after millions of dollars fail to produce a wave
Kelly Slater wins the Pipe Masters on a 5’11”, four-fin surfboard later called “the Wizard Sleeve”
After almost three decades of tri-fin domination, four fin designs begin to make inroads
Nathan Fletcher adapts his small way four fin Stretch models to big wave four fin guns
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YOU CAN'T STOP THE WAVES, BUT YOU Can learn to surf.
-jon kabat-zinn
Scientists equip a board with an accelerometer, and other gauges. They find surfers experience up to 5 g’s
Kelly Slater wins the TeaHupoo Pro on a four-fin. Later, he wins the U.S. Open at Huntington Beach, also on a four-fin
Shane Dorian wins the XXL ride of the Year Award riding a monster Peahi peak on a John Carper four-fin gun
Global Surf Industries layers fiberglass and hand-laid coconut husks to create a surfboard that is 25 percent lighter
At the inaugural ASP Big Wave tour event held at Pico Alto, Peru, 99% of all competitors ride four-fin gun designs
Mick Fanning wins the J-Bay Pro in epic conditions riding a Thruster virtually unchanged since 1981
Shapers now targeting volume and over-all water displacement (not dimensions) for performance shortboards
Surfboard and Fin flex is being seriously studied for future board designs and materials
Soft surfboard decks being developed to reduce impact on surfers ankles and feet of aerial landings
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“Traditional papa he’e nalu Surfboards’, made in Redwood, walnut and sequoia
Beachgoers in Brauton, North Devon, England, ride waves on wooden belly boards
The first California-made boards are made of redwood planks and coated in varnish
Bakelite, the first synthetic resin, is patented by Belgian Leo Hendrik Baekeland
In California, Hawaiian surfer George Freeth invents the lifeguard rescue can
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Duke Kahanamoku reintroduces longer surfboards, a ten-foot solid wood board, to Waikiki
Hawaiian surfers make boards from Pacific Northwest-imported redwood
Many Hawaiian-made boards are built on the beach at the Outrigger Canoe Club
Boards are finished with a few layers of marine varnish
Virtually all boards have a blunt nose, a squared-off tail, and a flat deck
The average surfboard is 9’ long, 22” wide, and weighs 45 pounds
Surfboard construction is for the most part still a do-it-yourself project
Surfboards are finless, as they were in ancient times
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In the UK, Wetsuits were non-existent, and woollen sweaters were used to try and keep warm in the water
10 to 12 foot boards (made from redwood and pine) are the norm for the best surfers in Hawaii and CA
Tom Blake builds first hollow surfboard, using wood ribs and plywood decking
Hawaiian Lorrin Thurston shows up at Waikiki with a surfboard made of balsa
Redwood, cedar, and pine are all used to build surfboards
Nine year old John Kelly is given an eight-foot redwood surfboard, shaped by David Kahanamoku, brother of Duke
Tom Blake builds waterproof camera housing, to take surfing photos
Depression forces Myers Butte out of Stanford and to the family business: Pacific System Homes
Blake uses old “cigar” boards in Ala Way paddleboard races. Some Hawaiians refuse to compete
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B.C. Peruvian fisherman ride waves using bundled-reed Caballito de Totora boats
Metal tools for woodworking are introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by visiting Western explorers and settlers
A “swimming skate” is reportedly invented in France. This might be the first reference to the surfboard in Europe
The first “wave pool” is built by Bavarian King Ludwig II in his castle Linderhof
The popular Hawaiian alia are 7’ to 12’ long and made of koa or breadfruit wood
Enormous 12’-17’ old boards, made of wiliwili, are reserved for Hawaiian royalty (ali’i’)
Coral heads and pumice stones are two of the favored tools for Hawaiian surfboard shapers
PRE 1910
2000 BC
1800
1847
1879
Pre 1890
Pre 1890
Pre 1890
AND YET THE TRUE CREATOR IS NECESSITY, WHICH IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.
-ARISTOTLE