Atlas Woods singlefin by Pete Moony McAllum

This is Ryan's Atlas Woods, which was bought earlier this year off ebay by Stephane. He bought it because it was an interesting looking early 70s board , and cheap for what it was, but thought it had no UK connection. When he got it though, he could just make out the shapers name - Pete McAllum - as you all know a very important Kiwi shaper who came over to Cornwall in the late 60s , started his own board labels including Stuart in St Ives , and of course Ocean Magic.
So this was a very interesting find. The board would have been made around 1971 - in between the time Pete was shaping at Bilbo around 1970-1 , and later starting Ocean Magic around '73. So it looks like Pete went back to New Zealand for a while, shaped some boards for Atlas Woods (an offshoot of Gordon Woods in Australia) and then returned to the UK. Either this was his personal board he brought back with him / or it was part of a batch of boards he made with Atlas Woods logos which ended up for sale at the London Surf Centre around 1971 (see ad below).
The board is a classic s deck of the time, 6ft 6 x 20 inches wide , with large adjustable Aussie made fin and box.

1971 ad from British Surfer

Great photo of Pete McAllum and Nigel Semmens, 1980

Gordon Woods publicity shot, 1968 Brookvale ,Australia.

Circle one by Jeff Townsley

 Here's a classic and beautiful Circle One singlefin, made in Exeter, Devon by Jeff Townsley. It has classic Circle One design, sleek airbrush by Jeff, plenty of float in the board and a finger thick wooden fin ; mini stinger tail going into a small swallowtail. Jeff was a prolific and creative shaper in the 70s and produced some really beautiful and sometimes unusual looking boards. Dims are 6'10 x 20 1/4 , and this one is leaving our shores and going home with Stephane to Biarritz. There will be plenty of British boards at Stephane's house to keep it company.

Stephane and his board, photo by Alex Williams.
It was good to surf with Stephane and Ryan last week.

 Jeff's work in the 70s above ,and 80s below.