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for primates : a catalogue of surfboards in australia since 1900
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: scott dillon surfboards |
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Scott
Dillon (1929 - )
Home: Bondi,
Sydney
Beach : Bondi,
Sydney
Began surfing under
his father's instruction on a solid timber board, Bondi Beach, 193?
Age ?
Dillon Snr. was
a member of the Bondi Life Saving Club.
1st Board : Hollow
timber board, bought used for three pounds.
(The new price was
one pound per foot - a fourteen foot board costing fourteen pounds).
Surfing
Big wave surfer,
shaper, surfboard manufacturer, Museum curator.
Other
Competitive boxer
- three State Bantamweight titles and runner-up for Olympic selection at
the 1952 Helinski Games.,
Speedway driver
Family
Husband to Mitzy
(46 years, passed away September 2000),
Manufacturing
1. Ward -
Dillon with Noel Ward, Shed, Wellington Lane Bondi
2. Rear shed,
Hardware and General, cnr Pittwater Road and Winbourne Road Brookvale
3. 41 Winborne
Road Brookvale (down ramp)
4. 39 Winborne
Road Brookvale
5. 3 / 18
Gaudrons Road Korora via Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Phone : 61 02 6653
6536 email : dafin @ key.net.au
Bombora Surfboards
1962 - 1965
Bulk order of stock
'pop out' boards -
Bombora- for
Kock and Kirby's, a chain store.
The work was done
by young appentice shapers, for example??
Shaper/Surfers
3 - 4. Midget
Farrelly, Nat Young, Bob McTavish,
1964 Glen
Ritchie (Model) Bob Pike, Mick Dooley, Ron Wade, Bob 'Keno' Kennerson
(spelling?), Gordon Merchant,
1967 "R.W."
5. John Blanch,
Billy Urbany (USA), Chris Horne ,
Design
Amoung the early
manufacturers Scott Dillon was considered the master in big wave guns (closely
followed by Les
Patterson at Dale Surfboards - Bob McTavish/Pods for Primates Part 1).
Consistent high
standards of manufacture are evident in boards from all eras and the Scott
Dillon
Surfboard Collection
has many fine examples of professional restoration.
Many commentators
have noted the use of various fin designs and particually the quality
of fin
construction.
Decal design
'developed' from O'Neill Surfboards/Wetsuits, Santa Barbara California.
Developed first
Australian use of rice paper decals, circa 1959.
Experimented with
factory neighbour, Jim Ilsaft? of Itmas Printing who was producing
books for the
religious market.
The early results, using quaily Bible paper, encouraged the company to
specialize in
surfboard decals
under the brand Jim the Printer.The company went on to be a major supplier
to the
industry well into
the 1980's.
One of the Brookvale
Six - Sydney manufacturers with national sales and reputation in the ten
years 1962 to 1972.
da fin
- swim fin with control blades, somewhat related to Thruster fin, circa
1995.
Catalogue
Entries
 |
1959
Scott Dillon
Malibu
Pig 9ft 1"
#99 |
 |
1966
Scott Dillon
Diamond
Tail 8ft 11"
#144 |
 |
1968
Scott Dillon
Pintail
Vee-bottom 8ft 3"
#144 |
 |
1969
Scott Dillon
Roundtail
7ft 10"
#171 |
 |
1975
Scott Dillon
Stinger
6 ft 8"
#43 |
REFERENCES
Books
1.
Pollard
: The Australian
Surfrider
Photographs pages
26 (board and fin), 92. Text pages 29, 87.
2. Farrelly:
This
Surfing Life Photographs pages 108 - 109
3. Margan
and Finney: A
Pictorial History of Surfing
Photographs, pages
164 balsa guns and Baba Louey, p 219 with Bob Evans and Bob Pike, p 242
Sunset Beach, p 269 Bare Island, p 280 Narrabeen
4. Young :
The
History of Surfing page 90.
Web Pages
Magazines
Scott Dillon
: Interview by Neil Armstrong
Australian Longboarding
Magazine
Edition No. 5
Autumn 1999 Pages 20 - 35
Film(Appearances)
From Thoms
:Surf Movies, above.
Bruce Brown : Surfing
Hollow Days
Other
Images
Caption Notes by
Scott Dillon, Photograph : Possibly Peter Reddan, Jeff Andrew collection.
Australian Longboarding
Magazine, November - December, 2005.
Number 42 Page 79.
"The year was
1956, when I was in partnership with Noel Ward.
These photos
show the old Bondi Factory.
It was situated
in the lane behind the church in Bondi Road, with the lane entrance in
Wellington Street.
It was no
more than a large garage and opposite the Boy Scouts shed in the lane.
We were only
there about six-eight months when Noel decided to start making boats, so
I moved over to Brookvale and rented a shed behind Hardward & General
in Winboume Road.
"The guys
from left to right are Jack 'Bluey' Mayes (deceased), Johnny Wheels' Williams
(now living in Hawaii), Scott Dillon with hat (Coffs Harbour), Johnny Donovan,
in sunglasses, Darryl Eastlakes, at rear, Andy Cochrane (now living in
Hawaii), and Noel Ward in sun- glasses (deceased).
"The surfboards.
..the Skeleton board belonged to Darryl, both it and the Dragonboard were
painted by my sister, Helen Evans, who lives at Cronulla and is a top marathon
swimmer at 73... still competing at the moment in Fiji.
The surfboard
with 'B.R.' (faintly visible on second board from the right), belonged
to Barry Ross, who unfortunately died after falling off the cliffs at South
Head coming back from a day of spearfishing.
"The balsa,
seen in the rafters of the shed, was the first balsa brought into Australia
by Arthur Milner.
The boards
on display were coolite boards, glassed with epoxy resin and 16oz glass,
with 50z cloth to finish with.
"It was in
this shed that Noel Ward and myself manufactured the first roof racks in
Australia that fitted in the gutters of cars.
We sold dozens
until approached by an outlet to purchase several hundred racks.
We laughed
at the offer and sold them several racks we had. We had never patented
them and several months later someone else had them on the market ..we
were young and stupid."
The guys who
stole Scotty and Noel's roof-rack idea might have ended up wealthy, but
it's hard to imagine they lived a life as rich and full as these Bondi
surfers shared in the '50s and '60s.
Scott Dillon,
VW, hollow toothpick and early Malibu board with number 59 on the fin.
Circa 1959.
Photograph courtesy
Scott Dillon Collection
Scott Dillon Surfboards Assymetric Hook Tail, circa
1964
Tail template,
decals and
multi-laminatedtimber
tail block.
|
Checkerboard
Fin -
Reverse -
Phil - Pixie
|
Photographs
courtesy Scott Dillon Collection
Photographs printed
in Pollard, Jack (ed.):
The
Australian Surfrider
Page 26
 |
Image left:
Sydney surfboard
industry representatives donate
surfboards
to Australian
servicemen
in South Vietnam,
July 1966.
Photograph courtesy
of
Dennis McDonagh.
|
From left to right...
Mr. Platt:
Platts
Boardshorts, first local surfwear manufacturer.
Denny Keogh:
Keyo
Surfboards
Colonel P. Trancred:
Australian Army.
Scott Dillon: Scott
Dillon Surfboards
Bob Brewester:
Manly
Stor-a-Bord and Bower Boy Surf Wax.
Gordon Woods: Gordon
Woods Surfboards
Denis McDonagh:
McDonagh
Surfboards
Bill Wallace: Wallace
Surfboards
Barry Bennett:
Barry
Bennett Surfboards
Also see photograph:
Australian War Memorial (SMT/66/01179/EC)
The photograph was
circulated with the following press release:
SMT/66/179/EC
July 1966
Nearly $500
worth of surfboard equipment, given by seven manufacturers, was handed
over to the Australian Army on behalf troops in South Vietnam, at Victoria
Barracks, Paddington, on Wednesday, July 20.
The equipment
was received by the Acting Chief of Staff (Colonel P. Tancred).
Pictured receiving
the boards, Colonel Tancred thanks Denis McDonagh (McDonagh Bros Surf Boards
Pty Ltd, Harbord Road, Brookvale) , on behalf of the manufacturers.
The manufacturers
with their gifts from the left are,
Messrs Lance
Platt (L. and J. Platt, Surfrider Board Shorts, of Foam Street, Harbord),
Danny Keogh
(Keogh Surf Boards Pty Ltd., of Sydenham Road, Brookvale) ,
Scott Dillon
(Scott Dillon Surf Board Pty Ltd, of Vlinbourne Road, Brookvale),
Bob Brewster
(Manly Surf Shop and Stor-A-Bord, Pittwater Road, Manly),
Grodon Woods
(Gordon Woods Surf Boards Pty Ltd, Harbord Road, Brookvale),
Bill Wallace
(Wallace Surf Boards, Winbourne Road, Brookvale),
Barry Bennett
(Barry Bennett Surf Boards pty Ltd, Harbord Road, Brookvale).
Text courtesy of
Dennis McDonagh.
Image right :
Adhesive foil decal, 1959
Copied from O'Neill
Surfboards, USA.
Contributed, with
thanks by Mike Brown, Adelaide,
January 2004.
|
|
Triple decals
: Scott Dillon Custom Surfboards.
circa 1964
Photograph : Sydney
Surf Auction,
Mona Vale
Hotel, Sydney, 30 October 2005
Catalogue
No. 186.
Thanks to
Mick Mock.
Above : Red Scott
Dillon Hot Dog Model
Shaped by
Mick Dooley, circa 1964.
Right :
Point Surf
Custom Model by Bob Pike.
circa 1964
Photograph : Sydney
Surf Auction,
Mona Vale
Hotel, Sydney, 30 October 2005
Catalogue
No. 186.
Thanks to
Mick Mock.
|
|
 |
Surfboards
by Scott Dillon
circa 1964
Photograph at
Surf's Up At
Gerringong
Board Display, Auguist
2005.
Thanks to
Scott Andrews |
Decal
circa 1965
Image, with thanks,
by Dominic Mirenzi.
Right : Decal
circa 1968
Image, with thanks,
by Chris Linden
|
|
 |
Right :
Stringerless
round tail, circa 1968,
circle deck
patch.
Image, with thanks,
by Chris Linden |
Right :
Pop art orange
script, blue tone shape.
circa 1967 |
 |
Scott Dillon,
"Babba" and balsa wood Elephant Guns, Long Reef.
circa 1963
Photograph courtesy
Scott Dillon Collection
Notes
on the Scott Dillon Collection
Scott
Dillon Museum / Scott Dillon Surfboards
3 / 18 Gaudrons
Road Korora via Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Phone : 61 02 6653 6536
dafin @ key.net.au
Contact : Scott
Dillon
Collection at February
1999
All boards are in
impeccable restored condition, except where noted.
All classification
and estimated dimensions are the editor’s |
Scott
Dillon Surfboards
39
Winbourne Road Brookvale Sydney. circa 1965
Photographcourtesy
Scott Dillon Collection
|
Hollow
Paddle board, 16 ft varnished timber with metal tail hook, 1948.
Hollow Paddle board, 16 ft 'Magpie board' with painted
black and white stripes circa 1946, possibly ridden by Keith Hurst of North
Bondi, an Australian Surfboard Champion. As seen in Margan and Finney page
190. This photograph is the basis for Dick van Straalen’s ‘Classic Waterman’
logo.
Home made wooden handboard and home made wetsuit, circa
1950, in original condition.
Scott Dillon Gun 10 ft 6” with large eagle logo, 1997
Scott Dillon Malibu, foam with multi stringers and orange,
white and black pigment design, circa 1964. A rarity (most multi stringer
boards were glassed clear), the board was coloured to cover a fault in
the glass cloth. The board appeared in a current Scott Dillon Surfboards
advertisement, allowing Scott to fully restore the board to the original
colours.
Balsa Pig board, 8 ft 6” with small nose fin, circa 1958.
Originally fully pigmented, restored as clear.
Balsa Malibu board, 9 ft with thick foil timber fin, circa
1958. Originally fully pigmented, restored as clear.
Hollow Malibu, 9 ft in varnished dark wood with painted
‘Scott Dillon’ script, circa 1957.
Hollow Malibu, 9 ft in varnished light wood circa 1957.
Barry Bennett Surfboards belly board, 5 ft 8 “ with twin
rounded keel fins, 1963.
Shane Surfboards Tracker, 7 ft 6” with 3 colour laminate
and pin lines, 1968.
McCoy Thruster, 6 ft 8” ? sprayed colour ? 1989
?
McCoy Thruster, 7 ft 3” ? sprayed colour ? 1989
?
Scott Dillon Surfboards, Coffs Harbour, 7 ft 10” Pintail
shaped by Billy Urbany with bottom sprayed tropical scene, 1976.
Gordon Woods Surfboards Vee Bottom, 8 ft stringerless,
clear in original condition.1967
Scott Dillon Surfboards Coffs Harbour, 7 ft pintail shaped
by John Blanch with rainbow spray on the deck, 1973.
Gordon Woods Surfboards Malibu, 9 ft 6” foam with single
stringer and off set cigar stripes, 1964.
| Nat Young’s “Nautilas
/ Cuttlefish / Folly”, 8 ft 6” with Greenough spoon like nose, foam centre
and flex tail, manufactured at Gordon Woods Surfboards 1965. Extensive
warping of the nose section, the board is in otherwise original condition.
Photograph courtesy
Scott Dillon Collection
Photograph by Alby
Falzon.
Reprinted in Carter,
Jeff :
Surf
Beaches of Australia’s East Coast 1968
#117 |
 |
Scott
Dillon has provided much of this information at one meeting in 1998
and over several
subsequent meetings and phone calls - many thanks.
