surfresearch.com.au    glossary : l

Lamaroo a solid timber board for prone surfing, the term appears to be particular to Victoria. In use in some form from the earliest records of Australian surfing Later a fibreglassed balsa wood bellyboard, commonly with two D fins, circa 1950’s.  Image Left :  Grace Smith Wooton and Win Harrison Point Lonsdale Victoria, circa 1915. from Wells page 157 The board was made by a local carpenter, cost 12 shillings ($1.20), with her initials carved in one end.

The item was from Victoria and I assumed Mick took the term from the seller's description.
I vaguely recall talking with the ''owner'', but can't recall if it was the seller or the buyer.
The board is in the Catalogue - circa 1950,  number #166.
Suggest you compare models in the Paipo Catalogue Image Menu.

For some indefinable reasons, probably the paint work, the board appeared to me to be a commerical item.
I infered that the term Lamaroo was possibly a manufacturing brand name.
The term is probably of Aboriginial derivation - I think Holden had a ute model called this in the late 1990s.

Similar boards were marketed in New Zealand (Prout) and England (Solabro).
The Solabro is shown in History  -  Source Documents  -  scroll down to the entry at 1953.

Given the vast variation in surfcraft designs, the deignation of distinguishing labels or design names is of some assistance to the archivist.
This design has significant features, mainly the narrow width, that distinguish it from other prone boards.

The narrow width would appear to preclude any possibility of the rider taking a kneeling position, which may be possible with other prone boards, for example the Boogie board.

The dimensions also strongly indicate that the board would be unlikely to be paddled successfully in deep water and take-off was probably from a standing start.
In many cases this would not produce a ride on the wave face but rather a ride in the broken wave or white water.
This seems confirmed by comtemporary photographs of the boards in use.

Extreme technical note :
Riding the white-water does not always require the rider to take a line straight to the beach.
I t is often possible to cut at an angle to the wave 'face' - with a resultant increase in board speed.

Lam Art  laminated art, i.e. decals.

laminated fin : a fin constructed of multilayered fibreglass cloth, often using different layers of pigment colour to assist  foiling and/or for décor effect. Laminate could also include decals, art work, fabric or fully enclose a wooden fin.

Lazor Zap : no-nose, wide tailed single fin board designed by Geoff McCoy for Cheyne Horan, 1979-1984. Later models featured Ben Lexan/Cheyne Horan’s Winged Keel/Star fin. Reprised 1998 as Thruster finned Nugget model by McCoy Surfboards.

The first commerciall design was a cord attached to the nose of the board by a suction cup and to the rider’s wrist, by Control Products (USA) circa 1972.
Advertised illustration indicated the rider could direct the board via the attachment.

Second commercial product, Surf Ankle Leash, attached to rear of the fin, USA December 1973.

Homemade version, circa 1973, consisted of a nylon cord fixed to a hole in the fin and to the rider’s rear ankle with a sock, handkerchief or even a dog collar (hence ‘leash’).

Later, a rovings ‘bridge’(leash loop) was laminated onto the rear deck as an alternative to the hole in the fin, a method in current use on thin tailed boards or on pre 1975 boards to maintain historical authenticity (they can easily be removed)

A further alternative was cutting a hole in the deck of the board forward of the fin and inserting a plastic molded chair leg stopper  and metal bar.

Circa 1974, first commercial models by Bob Newlands at Surf Aids, Byron Bay NSW, greatly improved safety by using Velcro ankle attachment, brass swivel and a flexible cord (surgical tubing with rope insert) attached to a molded plug fitted to the deck (packaged as a full kit with the plug for fitting post-manufacture).
Fixing the attachment forward of the fin/s improved safety by redirecting recoil.

During this period many manufacturers only fitted plugs to new boards on request.
Most plugs were fitted post – production, and they didn’t become standard additions until custom orders constantly required them, retail shops demanded them (e.g. Peter Turner at Kirra Surf Centre, Qld) and their use was accepted in major contests (first major contest use xxx 197?).

In 1975 a plug was marketed with in-built swivel, but this double swivel version would soon be unneccessary. Serious board damage was often inflicted when the rope was wrapped around the fin during wipeouts but this was reduced with the addition of the rail-saver and a second swivel circa 1976.

In 1977 Ian Cairns insisted on a legrope free final at the Alan Oke Memorial Contest, Phillip Island Victoria.
The officials' decision not to allow legropes in the final was not appreciated by some competitors, and following
this contest, legropes became standard contest equipment.
This was the last Australian professional contest to ban legropes.

In the early 1980’s the rope/tubing design was replaced with a solid molded urethane cord.

Boogie boards commonly use a curled molded urethane cord.with wrist attachment.

A longboard leg rope features a Velco attachment bellow the rear knee to facilitate walking.

Despite being a safety feature, leg rope use has been responsible for some casualties, possibly Mark Sainsby 19xx.

The universal adoption of the leg rope has had a significant impact on surfboard construction and design, surfing performance and crowds.

Crude cloth and resin leg rope bridge, circa 1974

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Bob McTavish & Little Red, Honolua Bay, Maui, December 1967.
Photo : John Witzig :

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