Tracking on my wife’s question about changes in surfing over the past 50 years, I got to thinking that back then there were no long boards…. there were no short boards either. No, just plane ole surfboards. They were a bit long though.

As well, it wasn’t until 1967 that there was much thought to how much your surfboard weighted. I can’t remember ever actually weighting a surfboard back then but, all the major labels started making what everyone called a light weight model. Instead on 30 lbs maybe they were 25 lbs. I really don’t know… never weighted one. By today’s standards even the light weight boards were heavy though. Of coarse today’s short boards may be a little under 6 lbs, but even a modern long board could be just under 14 lbs. 

Until the mid sixties when Morey Pope started distributing removable fins all surfboards had glassed on fins. So what ever fin was on the board you had that was that.

When you got a new board you learned how it rode.  If it wasn’t going to well when you first started surfing a new board you stuck with it until you figured out how to handle the thing. 

I don’t remember hearing anyone say “this board doesn’t work”.  All surfboards worked and if your surfboards didn’t work then you had to figure out how it worked. And once you figure out how it worked that was that.

In the old days we were a little concerned about how well your board floated you.  We didn’t have much in the way of wetsuits so when it was cold you would paddle on your knees.  If your board floated you good then the deck of your board would be above the water, knee paddling meant that you would not get wet working your way to the lineup. Not getting wet meant you would stay a little warmer and could stay out in the water a little longer.

The way we made boards back then was different too.  Back then there were no surfboard specific materials. All the fiberglass materials we used were barrowed from the boat industry.  It wasn’t until the late sixties and into the seventies that we began to see surfboard specific materials.

Now with the retro movement guys want that old look to some of their boards. Getting that old look with the new materials is a whole ‘nother story.

D.R.