Vitamin Sea thruster

Here's an unashamedly late 80s rad board from Tad ( Ciastula). Its certainly eyecatching and although its not the most tasteful spray in the world I love it compared to most of the very plain thrusters of the 90s which lets face it don't have bags of character ( I may be eating my words in ten years time !). Vitamin Sea of Newquay was a big rival to Bilbo in the 70s and was commanding the Newquay market with Ocean Magic by the late 70s/ early 80s. Its nice to see a late 80s board in such good condition, most got trashed within a few years. This one's from the Gul collection.

From Surf Scene 1989

Creamed Honey

Here's an early 70s Creamed Honey with a pretty green tint designed by Kevin Cross . Kevin was an Australian lifeguard who shaped and had a shop at Watergate bay under the 'Silverwings' and 'Kevin Cross' labels .He then moved to north Devon and started up Creamed Honey with 1975 British champ Bruce Palmer. This board is from the Gul collection, photos by Alex.

More French collectors

I've had an email from Guilhem Rainfray from Guethary who runs Guethary surfboards and is a fellow collector. He's one of the founders of the Vintage Surf Club of France http://vintagesurfclub.blogspot.com . Check out the board collector who lives in the barn house - a perfect pad for a collection. This is his friend's Tiki from 1974, a nice old singlefin with Tiki's shortlived parrot logo. Note the rubber stick on leash plug.

Founder Tim Heyland at the original Braunton Tiki shop, early 70s.

You may remember I showed a Bilbo skateboard a few months ago and said it was the first European made board. Apparently the French got there before us says Guilhem, making Midonn in 63/64 and Kamikaze. The first boards to hit France were probably US Makaha imports with clay wheels in early 60s. The board pictured is his early Midonn.

Keo surfboards

There were such a lot of surfboard makers in the UK in the 60s and 70s that theres still quite a few I haven't mentioned. One is Keo, who made custom and more affordable popout surfboards and kneeboards ,and bellyboards. I can't find anything out about Keo so can't be sure where they were made - Cornwall or Devon is a pretty safe bet. This one is from Alex's collection, an early / mid 70s single fin.

I picked this 70s Keo bellyboard up yesterday, like the logo and the wierd figure.

The mark of a man - apparently

These Old Spice aftershave ads were probably the most regular surfing to be shown on British tv in the late 70s / early 80s, I certainly remember them, especially the one with the Omen music. I read somewhere that its pipeline shot by Rod Sumpter in the mid 70s , and the surfer possibly Mark Warren ? plus others. Wierdly in my memory it was always Mark Richards so it was a surprise seeing the ad again.

surf rummage coming up

late 80s Wavekraft thruster

Here's Jim's first board, a 1990 ish thruster shaped by Nigel Woodcock for his Newquay based label Wavekraft. Nigel grew up in East Anglia but relocated to Newquay and by the early 80s had joined the team at Ocean Magic under Nigel Semmens glassing and polishing. Nigel was also a strong contest surfer in the 80s, part of the charge of Newquay surfers on the competition scene, led by Nigel. He started Wavekraft in the mid/ late 80s.

Nigel Woodcock late 80s
12 year old Russell Winter and his wavekraft.

80s surfing in Cornwall

Here's some classic footage of surfing in the 80s produced by John Adams' Three S films. Some local surfing at Leven and Sennen and an international comp at Fistral plus an 80s surf shop experience. I'm liking the Vitamin Sea twin fin.

listen up kook

Have you got your Kook yet? A surf mag along the lines of the good old days, created by the intellectually talented Dan Crockett and layout by the artistically talented Al Rowse of a-side studio. Plus alot of contributors ; a stimulating and lovingly produced object, be proud to be a kook, £2 + p+p well spent from Dan's Wildering site.

Curren Occy 1986 showdown

Haven singlefin

Here's a singlefin I picked up recently, its not quite mint and I don't bother with rating the condition out of ten, I'll just say its damn good and one of the most immaculate survivors of the 70s I've seen. It looks like its been surfed only a handful of times. Made in Bude by Haven surfboards, stringerless and probably from '73/ '74, its got a slim tail and a thick nose so the volume is well forward, mabye a bit too much ! The resin tint is fresh as the day it was born and its got a nice fade on the underside . 6'10 x 20 x 2 3/4 .No shapers name although I have another Haven shaped by Roger Adams. There's not alot about Haven out there and I don't know any more. Anyone ?

early 80s Tris twin fin

Here's a Tris 6'4 twin /tri fin from the early 80s. This used to be my board and then I sold it to Alex a year or so ago, before I started doing the blog and got to know him better . Its good to know the board's in good hands ! Its in prtty nice condition and I remember it was really light ; shaped by visiting surfer shaper Andrew Lenton who I think is from Australia and still surfs well today in veterans events. It comes from the time when Hillsey and Martin Wright were the main Tris shapers, using the new ts logo.

Hillsey at Leven 1982

In the Tris factory with Hillsey 1982.

Tom Curren at Fistral

I saw this Al Merrick mid 80s Black beauty 6'2 on ebay the other day and it reminded me of the board the legendary Tom Curren rode when he came over here to compete in the Fosters surfmasters. He won it in 85 and 86 , age 20 and 21 and was the new American big hope for a world title. It must have been amazing to watch him smoothly take Fistral apart and he was well loved by us Brits. Below are some shots of him at the '86 Fosters held at Fistral, colour shot by Alex Williams, black and whites by John Conway.

Tom interviewed by Ted Deerhurst.

Tom and Brad Gerlach.

Sennen surf film 1970s

Here's a great little film showing the surf scene down at Sennen in the late 60s and into the 70s, at the height of the Skewjack era when life seemed to be sun girls beer and boards. Its dedicated to Dave Swifty Swift and includes John Adams and lots of the local crew and lifeguards, definitely worth a watch at www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1gL3oxmkdw

John Adams , left and Dave Swift.

Zuma Jay twin fin

Here's my Zuma Jay late 70s/early 80s twin fin which I picked up from a car boot a few years ago. Its 6'4 x 20 1/2 x 2 1/2 and uses US materials like super light Clark foam and the disasterous G&S star fins .These fins were ok if they were fibreglass but the plastic ones were too delicate in the area where the screw went through and broke in huge numbers. Collectors of twin fins in the US are willing to pay upto £100 for a pair now. This board had a pair until one surf when one disappeared never to be seen again - gutted, I hadn't even hit anything.
It was sold through the Zuma Jay surf shop in Bude and shaped by Roger Tout, local surfer and one of the areas best shapers. I guess the Competition series refers to the lightweight materials used. A good fun board until it turned into a singlefin !

Robert Moyle at Bude 1983.

Outside the shop 1982.