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for primates : a catalogue of surfboards in australia since 1900
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history
: MR |
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mark richards
1977 - 1981
1977
Twin Fin II
adaptation
of 1976 Fish design by Mark Richards and Dick Brewer (Hawaii).
6 ft x 20" flyer swallow tail with vee
bottom and twin Brewer wide base fins.
Particularly suited for small waves it
dominated 50% of the market by 1980.
See Mark
Richards : Get the Real Thing - A Personal Twin Fin Design History
Surfer Volume 19 Number 4, November
1978. Page 65.
1977
George
Greenough, Michael Cundith and Chris Brock develope the Tri-plane
Hull at Sky Surfboards, Byron Bay.
An extension of the Hull design, first
used in Greenough's Spoon circa 1965,
it incorporates dual concaves.
It would be a direct influence on Al Merrick
at Channel Island Surfboards, Santa Barbara, and ridden by Tom Curren.
While Greenough kneeboard designs mostly
retain his favoured single fin, Cundith and Brock use Twin fins for their
stand-up versions.
As well as experimenting with bottom design,
Cundith and Brock also modified the fins with the use of slots to increase
their flex characteristics.
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Chris Brock and Triplane Hull, 1977.
Sky Surfboards, Byron Bay.
Photograph : Don Blach.
Surfer Magazine, June 1978.
Volume 19 Number 2 page 60. |
Michael Cundith Slotted Twin Fin , 1977.
Sky Surfboards, Byron Bay.
Photograph : Don Blach.
Surfer Magazine, June 1978.
Volume 19 Number 2 page 64. |
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1977
Modern Malibu resurgence of plus 9 ft
traditional Malibu template but with modern construction (light weight,
note leg rope use) and design features (particularly rails) by Bob McTavish,
Bob Cooper and others. Becomes an industry standard for small wave use,
greying of the market and 1960’s nostalgia.
See Bob
McTavish : It's much more fun than it looks...and it looks like fun.
Bob McTavish on reprising the longboard/Malibu
design for the late 1970's...
Surfer Magazine
Vol 18 # 4 November 1977 pages 102 - 103.
1977
Mini Mal smaller (7 to 8 ft) version of
Modern Mal above by Bob McTavish approximating first short board designs
of 1967-8.
By the end of the 1980’s has become an
industry standard with the application of Thruster fins.
1977
Free Ride by Bill Delany
with ground breaking water footage by Dan Merkel, is released.
Featuring the surfing of Mark Richards,
Rabbit Batholomew and South African, Shaun Tomson
The definite film of this period.
Off the Wall becomes a major focus of
Hawiian photographers.
Documents Tomson's 'turning inside the
tube' technique.
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Shaun Tomson, Off The Wall, 1977.
Photograph : Dan Merkel
Surfing
Magazine February 1980.
Volume 16 Number
2, page 75. |
Mark Richards and Twin Fin - Shaun
Tomson and Single Fin
Off The Wall, December 1977.
Photograph :Lance Trout
Surfing Magazine
March 1984
Volume 20 Number 3 page 123.
1978
MR resizes Twin fin design down to 6ft
after several 6 ft 4'' models. -"The green and blue board" .
Mark Richards and 6 ft Twin fin,
1978.
Photograph : AitionnSurfing World
magazine, April 1979.
Volume 27 Number 6 page 44 |
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1978
Asymmetric intentional asymmetric template
and tail designs for increased performance in one defined direction, notably
by Bob McTavish.
See Bob
McTavish : Ace in the Hole - The Asymmetric Story.
Seanotes Magazine August/September
1978 pages 38 - 39.
Also note Hook tail circa 1963.
Further adaptation by Angulo (Hawaii)
for sailboards in the mid 1980’s.
1978
No Nose narrowed nose and widened tail
single fin as a response to twin fin 2 success in small waves, by Geoff
McCoy. See Pig 1958.
1979
Simon Anderson and kneeboarder Peter Crawford
introduce molded plastic boards...
New Look Plastic Surfboards
Despite the failure of earlier mass-produced
surfboards; two new models recently appeared on the Australian market.
Both are made by the same process, but they are produced and marketed by
different companies.
"The Slab," a kneeboard designed
by Peter Crawford, is made by the Windsurfer company, while a Simon Anderson-designed
board is sold under the Power label.
The boards are made of. a rigid
plastic exterior filled with low-density foam.
Performance reports have been good
for both models.
Peter Crawford was seen ripping
Dee Why Point on a prototype slab, and several Narrabeen locals put the
Power model through its paces.
The boards are selling at aroundd
$130 (Australian), $60 cheaper than most custom boards -something of a
bargain, since they appear to be relatively indestructible.
The extent to which surfers are
willing to sacrifice their individuality to simple economics, however,
has yet to be determined.
Surfing Magazine: At Random
Volume 15 Number 3. May 1979. ,
Page 35.
1980
Lazer Zap further development of the No
Nose concept by Geoff McCoy based upon his work for Cheyne Horan.
Later models incorporated Ben Lexan Keel/Star
fin.
Surfworld #
http://www.cheynehoran.com.au/starfin.html |
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1980
Clinker Bottom Phil Byrne at Byrne
Surfboards.
A Twin fin 2 design with deep vee bottom
and channels in front of fins to extend wave range.
A ‘stiffening’ of this design as opposed
to Geoff McCoy’s ‘loosening’ of the single finned Lazer Zap, above.
surfresearch.com.au
REFERENCES FOR THIS SECTION
BOOKS
1992 Stell, Marion K. :
Pam Burridge
Collins Angus & Robertson Publishers
(Australia) Pty. Limited
A division of Harper Collins Publishers
(Australia) Pty. Limited
25 Ryde Road, Pymble NSW 2073, Australia
1997 Warshaw, Matt : Surfriders
– In Search of the Perfect Wave
Tehabi Books, Inc. Collins Publishers,
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
1978 Warwick, Wayne
A Guide to
Surfriding in New Zealand Second Edition
Viking Sevenseas Ltd Wellington, New Zealand
1979 Young, Nat ; Photographs by
McCausland, Bill: Nat Young’s Book of Surfing
A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty. Ltd. 53 Myroora
Rd, Terry Hills, Sydney.
1983 Young, Nat with McGregor, Craig
: The History 0f Surfing
Palm Beach Press,40 Palm Beach Road, Palm
Beach NSW 2108
FILM
1985 A History of Australian
Surfing Nat Young.
MAGAZINES
1971 Modern World
July Shane Steadman/Terry Fiztgerald (possibly) : 'Surfboard
Design' pages 30 to 36.
WEB SITES
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