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the catalogue #361 

1958 Bennett Balsa Pig 9 ft 5''
#361


MANUFACTURE
MANUFACTURER: Barry Bennett, 2 Wyndora Avenue Harbord, circa 1958.
SHAPER: Barry Bennett
DESIGN: Pig
DESIGNER: Dale Velzy (USA)

SPECIFICATIONS

CONSTRUCTION
Five plank balsa wood blank with 0.5'' redwood rails, fibreglass, plywood fin, balsa bock nose repair.

DIMENSIONS
Length :
 9
ft
 6
inches L2:
9ft 5''
Width :
 21.5
inches
Wide Point :
-ve 13
inches
Nose :
 11.5
inches
Tail :
 17
inches
Thickness :
 3
inches
Pod :
 0
inches
Nose Lift :
  inches
Tail Lift :
  inches
Weight :
  kilos
Volume :
  litres
Other :
  inches

 

FEATURES
Nose: Pin, with 3'' balsa nose block repair.
Tail: Rounded pin
Deck: Flat
Bottom: Flat with slight lift up on rails.
Rails: thin, high to mid rail (30/70)
Rocker: some nose lift

FIN
8'' x 8'' base x 10'' span @ 0'' [estimated]
Rounded D, plywood.
If not the original fin, then an early (or excellent) replacement.


DECOR
DECALS
Deck: Surfboards by Barry Bennett, 2 Wyndora Avenue Harbord, black and yellow fan.
Bottom: 
MARKINGS
Deck: None
Bottom:
COLOUR
Deck: Clear
Bottom: Clear

NOTES
BOARD HISTORY
Dimensions and photographs Bennett Surfboards, 21st June 2014.
Many thanks to Barry and Greg Bennett.
Catalogue No. ?
Greg commented: "The board was built under his mother's house at Freshwater (Harbord), about this time Barry was building about three boards a week."
SHAPER:
Barry Bennett


COMMENTS

The board has an extreme pig templates and very relatively thin.
The redwoood rails are extremely rare, possibly derived from the earlier Okinuinue hollow Malibus that were produced immmediately following the tour of American and Hawaiian surf-lifesavers in 1956.
The redwood rails were also used by Bill Clymer on some of his balsa boards.

Right: Surfriders and Bill Clymer Balsa Pig Surfboard, North Wollongong Beach, 1958.
-Wollongong City Library: Images
WOLLONGONG - Beaches - North Wollongong Beach [picture]
1956; 1950-1960.
Image Number: P04/P04217.
Permission pending.
REFERENCES

CONDITION: 6
Unfortunately, there is major delamination on the bottom, some on the deck.





 
Redwood rail, detail.
Left:
Press-ganged assistant holding #361 for photographs
(apologies, name not recorded)
Note the other boards:Dave Jackman's Gun, top,
Dick Chapple-Tom Blake replica by Gordon Woods
Bennett Stringerless by Geoff McCoy.








surfresearch.com.au
home catalogue history references appendix

Geoff Cater (2014) : #361 Bennett Balsa Pig, 9ft, 1956.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000361.html