Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Red fiberglass covered Malibu surfboard
Red fiberglass covered Malibu surfboard

Red fiberglass covered Malibu surfboard

Date1960s
Object number00006710
NameSurfboard
MediumBalsa wood, fibreglass, plywood
DimensionsOverall: 260 x 2820 x 560 mm, 11 kg
ClassificationsToys, games and souvenirs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Stephen Gisz
DescriptionThis red fibreglass covered Malibu surfboard has a balsa core, and features registration stickers at each end of the deck. The board was bought by Stephen Gisz in 1966 from a friend who surfed around Wanda and Cronulla, and it is probable that the board was made by a local manufacturer from that area.HistoryThough Australia was first introduced to surfing in the late 19th century by traders and travellers who had passed through Hawaii, the surfing demonstration of Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku at Freshwater Beach in 1914 was a significant moment in Australia's surfing history. Solid hardwood planks were common on Australian beaches between World War I and World War II, and pre-dated the Australian surfing boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Designs were often similar to the Duke's 1914 board, which was shaped from sugar pine purchased from Hudson's Timber Mill in Sydney, and incorporated many of the standard Hawaiian design characteristics. The end of World War II opened up new possibilities in surfboard design. Many new materials had become available through advances in technology during the war. As a result, fiberglass coated Malibu’s were developed in the late 1950s. These allowed surfers a greater range of maneuvers than early wooden boards. The 1950s also saw experimentation in surfboard design, with additions such as a fin aiding maneuverability and stability. The Malibu shape was introduced to Australia in 1956 when a group of Californian lifeguards brought with them new Malibu boards made by Joe Quigg and the Velzy-Jacobs duo. Australians began experimenting with balsa, foam and fiberglass designs, and eventually the Malibu went into mass-production.SignificanceThis surfboard exemplifies the development of new surfboard designs in the 1960s, and the production of the light weight fiberglass Malibu surfboards that revolutionised surfing and encouraged its popularity across Australia.