Bilbo surfboards single fin circa 1969

Here's a well preserved single fin from one of Britain's best known early board makers, Bilbo of Newquay. This board was found at a car boot sale and is in great condition with a vibrant orange tint and red and black pinlines. Its an unusual transitional shape with down rails and a rounded tail ,made during a time when board designs varied widely and were quite experimental. The dimensions are 6'10 x 19 1/4 x 2 1/2 and there's no shapers name. The B logo was inspired by the 60s cult fashion brand Biba.

Bilbo started in 1965, the name was a mix of the founders names ,Newquay lifeguard Bill Bailey and visiting Australian lifeguard Bob Head. Bilbo quickly became perhaps the finest surfboard maker in Europe ,supplying to Wales, Ireland and France. Bilbo had produced 12,000 boards by 1970 , employing 40 people and making 70 boards a week in the high season ! Talented shapers like Chris Jones , Alan MacBride and Peter McAllum ( ocean magic ) honed their skills at Bilbo.

Bilbo shapers circa 1970 including Brian Schofield ,Chris Jones and Dai Jones.

Bill Bailey in the mid 60s.

1980s Town and Country thruster

Here's a lovely late 80s thruster made by T&C Hawaii ,one of the classic brands of the era. These 80s boards are gradually getting vintage status , the more radical and colourful the graphics the better. They're so different from a thruster of today and since they were built light not many have survived in great condition.

This is a T&C pro series board , made with clark foam and it has a nice gloss coat finish. Its in great condition considering these boards were not made to last like 60s/70s boards were. It obviously wasn't surfed much and was thrown out by its owner ! The dimensions are 6'2 x 19 1/4 x 2 1/4. T&C boards were made famous in the 80s by surfers like Sunny Garcia, Johnny Boy Gomes and more importantly for us , British born world champion Martin Potter.

UK born Martin Potter was a big star in the 80s , these scans are from a 1984 issue of Surfing.

Heres some footage of Pottz ripping at lower Trestles in the late 80s ; nice gloves ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFTEb_LM-hI

Freedom surfboards vintage single fin

Bobby Male in a Freedom ad from 1981 , Tube News.

Old but proud Freedom singlefin from Toby's collection, shaped by the great Bobby Male in the mid 70s. Male was a British and European champion at the time ,surfing and shaping in Jersey. There will be more classic freedoms coming onto the site in the next few weeks. This board is 6'1 but may have been trimmed down, it was probably originally a swallow tail like most freedoms.

The British Surfing Museum

Congrats to the British Surfing museum for getting charity status, and we hope all goes well for a permamnent museum site in Braunton Devon ( at least its almost in Cornwall ) opening hopefully in 2010. Can't wait to see it !! Here's founder of the museum Peter Robinson talking about the collection http://youtube.com/watch?v=drG6EFMFez0

1980s Vitamin Sea Mark Richards twin fin

Simon Tucker surfing this board in circa 1982, photo by Alex Williams. The board is a Vit Sea team board made for Simon and he did the stars artwork himself.

Vitamin Sea ad from Tube News oct 1982.

Here's a rare board which turned up on ebay as a kids beginner board. Its 5'7 x 19 3/4, made by Vitamin Sea in cornwall under licence from Mark Richards in the early 80s. Although not shaped by the man himself it excited a few bidders. Its got classic star graphics and seems to be a team board. Probably shaped by CJ or Tad. For some classic footage of Mark Richards click on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEboHDtRqRs

Vintage Jolly Good Surfboards single fin by Tigger Newling

Tigger Newling at the English Nationals 1969.

Lovely singlefin made by the great team of shaper Tigger Newling and glasser Tris Cokes for tig's Jolly Good surfboards label at St Merryn Cornwall in the mid 70s. Dimensions are 6'8 x 19 x 2 1/2.

Tigger won the 1973 British champs in hefty 6-8 ft Freshwater west in Wales, and was no stranger to big waves in Australia and Hawaii through the 70s. Tigger set up Jolly Good in 1976 after coming back from Hawaii where he worked for Lightening Bolt finishing Gerry Lopez's boards - a good place to hone your shaping skills. He now lives in New South Wales.

Two that got away

Heres two nice boards that were listed on ebay and then mysteriously vanished after two days - no it wasnt me that phoned in a big offer, I'll just call them another two that got away. A bilbo late 60s 6'4 egg and a Freedom 6'2 single fin by Steve Harewood , early 70s . If you got them you've done well as they look pretty much unridden.

1970s Hot Buttered surfboards twin fin by Terry Fitzgerald

Classic late 70s twinnie by Australian legendry surfer / shaper Terry Fitzgerald. The board was made in Australia and made its way over to England in the mid 80s . It obviously hasn't been surfed much as its in great condition with nice rainbow fins and yellow tint.

Hot Buttered was a big brand in the 70s and 80s , sold over here by Ocean Magic in the 80s .The dimensions are 6'2 x 19 3/4 x 2 3/4, numbered 5568 . 70s hot buttered boards with srays by Martin Worthington fetch huge prices ; no spray on this one but its still a beaut. Another top surfer shaper for the brand was Derek Hynd , who has a personal decal on the deck by the leash plug.

Terry Fitzgerald the sultan of speed

Shot entitled 'Om lotus with stogie' , Surfer magazine 1975. Check out some footage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wzz5R8wLJw

early 1980s Ocean Magic 2 1/2 fin

Heres another nice early 80s board shaped by European champion Nigel Semmens for his great Ocean Magic label, numbered om 1137. It has a 2 1/2 fin set up , popular in the early 80s, and a great spray on the underside of a night sky with beams of light. It has a stinger swallow tail and is 5'10 x 20 1/4 x 2 3/4. Made at the Lane, Newquay factory.

Nigel Semmens and Ocean Magic ads 1983

Taken from Tube News , may '83.