Long plywood racing surfboard
Date1950s
Object number00001231
NameSurfboard
MediumCoachwood ply
DimensionsOverall: 210 x 5130 x 470 mm, 12.5 kg
ClassificationsToys, games and souvenirs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club
DescriptionThis long racing surfboard dates from the early 1950s and was used by members of the Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club. The flat-bottomed hollow board was made of varnished coachwood ply, which is both strong and light, and features the common 'needle' tail and square rails, used in board design from the 1950s.
Use of this style of board was not confined to carnivals, where its extreme length made it easy to paddle and very fast. It was also a popular recreational board, though perhaps not as good at angling as solid hardwood boards. The advantage this board had over its predecessor was its light weight, being both hollow and made of plywood. Its durability was fair, with some maintenance required and repairs having to be immediately affected.HistoryPlywood had been used as a lightweight and cheap building material since the 1800s and was the material used by Californian surfer Tom Blake, who in 1931 patented a design for a hollow timber surfboard. In 1934 one of the first hollow surf skis in Australia was made by Dr 'Saxon' Crackenthorp of Manly, New South Wales. Also built from plywood, the board was around four meters long.
The racing board was constructed in a manner similar to aircraft wing construction of the 1940s period. Ply ribs hold light timbre battens over which is sheathed waterproof timbre screwed ply. The ply was screwed to the solid timbre sides with an elastic sealer called Vulcatex to waterproof the joint. Later, when efficient water-resistant glues were developed the accepted practice was to use waterproof glue and copper nail the ply to the sides in lieu of screws. These boards were superseded by the faster shapes being created with the introduction of fiberglass.SignificanceAlso known as needles, toothpicks and longboards, hollow surfboards such as this were popular in Australia until the early 1950s.
