boards for sale

NOW SOLD Tig egg shaped by Tigger Newling from around late '69 or 1970. Rare board inspired by Aussie designs of the time which Tigger saw while competing abroad. Its 6'2 and has an s-deck , and has no major damage, just some tanning, a few dings and some pressure marks. Nik realises condition isnt perfect so is happy to take offers accordingly. The fin has been poorly repaired. No leash plug so theres a drill hole in the fin for the leash.

NOW SOLD Nice original early 70s Tris, 7'4 x 21 1/2 x 2 3/4. Redwood stringer, original ply fin, glassed on leash loop. Strong old board with solid glass job, so has survived well .Deck is really clean with no delam. The underside has three old repaired dings , and a faded oval where a sticker has been. Its dry and ready to surf.

day-glo rides

Back in the 80s if your board didn't glow in the dark it just wasn't cool. The heyday of day glo stretched from the mid 80s to the early 90s, and must have made the beaches and line ups a lot brighter than they are today. Bright yellow and pink found their place on boards, wetsuits- and as you can see above even my mountain bike which I bought it 1991 and is still loud and proud. When I ride it the local kids stare at it no doubt thinking what the hell is that ?!

To find 80s boards which still have strong colour is quite rare as the spray jobs mellow with time and uv damage. But here's a couple of classics - a 6'2 town and country pro series thruster from '87 ish ? and a slightly earlier Hot Buttered by ratso Buchanan, twin fin set up with a nice multifin wing fin in there at the moment. This board was possibly made at the Ocean Magic factory.

Aussie collectors in the UK

Two separate Australian collectors have re-located to the UK in the last few months and brought their collections with them - so another 70 or so Aussie classics have come on to British soil. Hopefully we'll see some of them at the next surf meet ( date to be announced dreckly). I have yet to see Ed's boards although know he wants to sell some. These below are a part of Peter's collection : a sweet stash .


Reno personal board – Koa wood laminate (ultra ultra rare and most prized possession)

Peter Clarke S-Deck

Shane Custom

Scott Dillon Stubby

McTavish Blue Bird Gun

Michael Peterson Double Flyer Swallow (pre resoration) (signed by MP)

Morning Star Mural

Owl Chapman for ‘Paul’ (probably Strauch)

Simon Anderson Twinnie (very rare, infact Derek Hynd said he’d never seen another one in the flesh)

Nat Young Nude Lady (also have a Buddah)

Ocean Magic by Pete McAllum

Sweet little twin fin, around 6 ft shaped by Moony McAllum for Ocean Magic. It was shaped around 1981 and spray wise still has the stylish flow of the 70s with classic fade and pinlining. In a couple of years radical, bright and angular sprays would be the fashion. Most of these twin fins were made by Nigel Semmens but here's one from the boss, who taught Nigel a lot about shaping and helped set him on course for a lifelong career at Ocean Magic. This board clearly has influences from the Mark Richards twin fins. Actually when the first MR twins came over here the local shapers were all over them taking templates.
As we've mentined before on the blog, Moony came over from NZ in 1967, set up in St Ives making Stuart and Nomad surfboards , worked at Atlantic for a short time ; then in '69 he went over to Newquay to work for Bilbo , and went it alone again with Ocean Magic in '72/3 though to the early 80s when he sold out to Nigel. Moony also helped John Conway organise the UK's first pro contest the Gul Alder pro am (1981).

Moony with Drifta at the '81 Gul Alder. Photo Alex Williams

Ocean Magic trade stand, early -mid 80s London Boat Show. Cool twins and 2 1/2s with some Semmens windsurfers !

another spoon collection

Thanks to Wayne in Australia for sending in pics of his beautiful spoon quiver. Still no word on British spoons coming to light so we'll enjoy the Aussie ones till then.

''Hi Alasdair,
saw you were a bit short on British spoons, here's a few more Aussie ones.
L-R
1.early 70's Peter Clarke surfboards, 53 Bay road Taren Point, NSW-shaper Peter Glasson.

2.Green no name Spoon Paipo, (prone board) 70's?

3.Custom made for Mark Munro Cronulla shark Island charger early 70's-shaper Richard Herbert Cronulla surfer shaper Huzza Wuzza and emerald surfboards.

4.1975 4'10 Ron Wade moulded spoon, Mona vale New South Wales (NSW)

5. Hollow yellow spoon, Adler surf centre, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Qld. 1964 - '73 Adler made surfboards, and hollow surf Ski's, same technology on the spoon.''

<>

Aberdeen surfing 1960s

Photos of early Scottish surfing with George Law and Andy Bennetts-
GEORGE LAW SURFING ABERDEEN BEACH SCOTLAND 1967-71,I WAS THE FIRST TO SURF ABERDEEN BEACH IN 1967,SHOWN IS MY FIRST BOARD,THEN ANDY BENNETT, IN THE PICTURE, BUILT MY FIRST SHORT BOARD,AT THE TIME THE LOCALS THOUGHT I WAS NUTS, OR FROM OUTER SPACE!MY NAME FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE SEPTEMBER 1968 SURFER MAGAZINE.

More spooning

Well I haven't exactly had a landslide of emails from you British spoon owners out there. So I guess either they are that rare or you're not telling me ;

Here's a couple more from Henry


Farrelly (Brookvale, Sydney, NSW): found in the UK.

Probably shaped by Paul Connors or Midget or possibly Paul Shanks, and glassing perhaps by Chris Crozier depending which year it was manufactured (believe Connors and Crozier left Farrelly’s around 1970 to start Croziers).
Apparently only about 100 made.Probably made between 1969 – 1972 (see advert attached). I have a feeling it is late 60’s, 1970.

Henri slab Kneeboard. The slab kneeboard shape came into popularity around '73 as could be used in all conditions as opposed to the just- positive floatation of a true spoon. Chris Henri had a factory in the Curl Cur/Brookvale, Sydney NSW.

Freedom factory around '71 , with a Freedom made spoon ? ,Jersey.

Spoon collection

Thanks to Henry for supplying photos of part of his spoon collection - which must be the best in the UK. Most were bought over in Oz but a small number have been made or found over here. Finding a British spoon is like the needle in the haystack - or mabye even harder to find , as not many were made so few if any survive. Tiki made them, as did Tigger Newling for Tig label. Probably most of our surf factories tried putting out an experimental one or two in the late 60s/ early 70s, such was George Greenough's sphere of influence. Anyone out there got a British spoon ? Would be good to know who else made them ?

A brief history of the spoon....words by Henry



'George Greenough designed and made the first spoon, in early mid 1960’s, original one was balsa board with a scooped out deck, then later he started making the molded versions, huge amount of time went into making them. Most famous was Velo 1, a very flexable board, and his raked / high aspect fin designs, and by using multilayered laminated fibreglass (as opposed to wood / chopped strand etc) could foil the fins so they were very flexable (giving drive and quick response) . GG was carving in the powerful well formed QLD waves, sharp bottom turns and carves, getting deep tubes, real performance surfing. People took notice (McTavish, Farrelly ,Young)..... especially in his fin designs (as well as the size of the board) and what it was allowing him to do, which with vee bottoms in 1967 changed surfing, started into the transitional era into shortboard revolution.'

Quane (NZ):

Made in Denis Quane’s Redcliff factory by Dave Poyer and Denis.
Denis told me that it was probably made around 1966-68 just using a photo of Greenough’s Velo as a template, and they only made 3 or 4 of them.
Denis Quane is an undernoted shaper worldwide, but probably the best longboard shaper of the time in NZ (he had travelled in 1960’s to California, where he spent time with Bob Cooper and Reynold Yater), he is still shaping today, an amazing feat considering he started shaping boards in 1950’s.

Hayden (Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, QLD):

Terry McLardy shaped and glassed spoons at Hayden’s, and was taught to glass by Bob Cooper.
McLardy reckons he would have shaped a couple of hundred+
I believe they were made from a Greenough supplied template as he hung around with the Hayden crew. Probably made from 67 thru early 70’s, mine probably dates from 68-69 (very similar to one a guy I know has which is nearly identical, and McLardy dated his at 68-69).
Got popular for a time especially after the release of Greenough’s The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun as he used spoons and mats to film deep and long tube rides.

Jacko (Perth, WA):

Made by John Jakovich, he’s still around shaping boards.
I am guessing it is early 1970’s, would have made just a handful at the most.

Jackson semi-spoon (Sydney, NSW):

Moving away from the pure spoon which required “perfect” waves, got more floatation with foam all way down rails, post 1971.
By 1973 kneeboards were of the Peter Crawford “slab” shape, so no scouped / spoon area. These boards worked in all conditions.

Shane Shoe (Sydney, Brookvale, NSW):

Around 1970.
Much cheaper / easier to make than fully spooned boards.

Tiki semi-spoon:

I reckon 1970-72, but waiting on you to enlighten me with what you can find out Al..., :-;

1969 publicity shot for Tig surfboards, north Cornwall .Spoons on left and right.