Vintage Surf meet 2019 coming soon !

Vintage Surf meet 2019 coming soon !
Free to take part
We buy interesting old boards 60s/70s/early 80s in good condition. Email alasdairlindsay75@gmail.com . Also wanted - Surfing UK , British Surfer and Surf Insight magazines .
Above photo - copyright Rennie Ellis photographer archive

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Early Ocean Magics

Ocean Magic might be the longest running Cornish board maker, started by New Zealander Pete McAllum in c. 1971 , originally made at St Mawgan , and it is still going strong under Nigel Semmens in Newquay. Nigel took over Ocean Magic in the early 80s and it has been based in Newquay ever since.
Before starting OM , Pete shaped Stuart, Nomad , and also worked for Bilbo. This board of Ryan's must be one of Pete's first OM's, bearing the original logo. Its an unusual board, a gunny speed shape with a lot of rocker ...in fact its almost a banana !
Its got a lovely Greenough inspired fin set well back at the tail and its mirroring some shapes being made in Australia at the time. Will have to ask Ryan for the dimensions. I've only seen two OM's of this age and the other is  completely flat with little rocker  , a total opposite of this board.





1973

 The other early OM





This was made a few years later, again by Pete McAllum .The shape has got a lot more user friendly and less experimental, and it looks a sweet shape with its baby swallow tail. Nice pinlining and airbrushing by Pete. I think Ocean Magic at this stage was pretty much a one man band ; Nigel Semmens came in as apprentice and then shaper.  I think this font is from Ocean Magic's second logo, dating up to the mid 70s . The board was given to an electrician in exchange for a payment owed , well inland. It doesnt look like the board's seen many waves.





1978 the Kevin Keegan logo










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