Classic Surfin' Style

[Mike K.]

I know there are a few people in the Lounge with a taste for vintage Hawaiian shirts. Does anybody collect surfboards, swimsuits, boardshorts, hula lamps, or other memorabilia from the classic wave riding days of post-WWII?
-Mike

 

[Lauren]

I am a sucker for this stuff. Anything from the 20's to the early 60's in terms of surfing, hawaiian, or tiki culture is fab. I personally don't own any originals, though. I'd LOVE to get a real wooden longboard, but it's just a dream for now...

 

[boomerchop]

Look at the size of those boards!

They're HUGE! What did those things weigh? And the pointy ones look like they could do some serious damage if they got away from you. I knew they were called long boards, but man, that's almost an understatement.

 

[Mike K.]

I'm with you Lauren...this stuff is great! I need to get some photos posted. Hopefully others will do likewise for any Hawaiiana & Floridiana. There are a few of those old classic longboards around and they fetch a tremondous price. Better to go with a newer board (they still make 'em in balsa). I'm debating now on getting a new mini-malibu board for the occasionally good surf we get here in Florida. For the most part, I stick to the simpler (and cheaper) surf items. Kathleen caught one of my earlier posts on aloha shirts and sent me a cool red one to compliment my closet full of Hawaiian prints. My home is an eclectic mix of British Colonial, French Polynesian, and classic Floridian. Somehow it all just goes together naturally. I still need a decent tiki for the living room though. By the way, do you do much surfing in San Diego?

Boomerchop some of those old longboards could actually weigh around 100 lbs. Thank goodness foam came along! Also, some boards are/were for surfing while others are paddleboards.

 

[Lincsong]

A big wave rider!

They're HUGE! What did those things weigh? And the pointy ones look like they could do some serious damage if they got away from you. I knew they were called long boards, but man, that's almost an understatement.

Those boards were usually made of koa wood and weighed about 90 pounds. That's the type that the Great Duke Kahanamoku (say each syllable; Ka-Ha-Na-Mo-Ku) used well into his 70's.:eusa_clap They're on display in Honolulu at the Mariner's Museum next to Aloha Tower.

I remember, the first time I went surfing on Oahu. My buddy tells me to come to his house on the North Shore during Spring Break. I was 18 and had no fear. So I go up there and we take some boogie boards out since it was my first time. We drove by Waimea Bay but the waves were flat that day. So we drive further down Kam Highway and pull over. We go out and I'm holding onto the boards for dear life, spinning like a lathe, being thrown back on the beach like a cartoon character. After three hours, we go have lunch. I ask him; "what the hell was that we were on?" He replies; "Banzai Pipeline".lol

There used to be a vintage Hawaiian shirt and souvenir store on Kapahulu St., about 2 miles from Waikiki. I don't know if it's still there, but I went there in 1993 and it had some pretty nice stuff.

 

[Lincsong]

Where in Florida do you surf?

Mike K.; where in Florida do you go surfing? My buddy lives in New Smyrna Beach about two blocks from the beach. He's out there every day at 5 a.m. His 6 year old son is learning to ride the waves and is actually pretty good with only 2 years experience.

 

[Dalexs]

I've got one ofthose type of boards on the far left. About 10 footer.
A bit more of the '60 generation. Got it at a yard sale!
Weighs way more then my hightech long board.
When we used to take it out, it 's literally take two of us to carry it down to the beach.
(Picture the opening credits of The Monkees.)
It was a beast, but what a sweet ride that was.
You could hold a picnic on the dang thing!

 

[Mike K.]

Hey Lincsong! The better surf spots in Florida are on the east coast, specifically the Cocoa Beach area and around Sebastian Inlet. Over here on the gulf coast it's pretty flat most of the time. However there's a fair longboarding spot at Englewood and another at the pass between Sanibel & Captiva Islands. A few local spots exist too. You really have to wait for the "cold" fronts during the "winter" unless you ride the hurricane waves.

 

[Lincsong]

Mavericks

Mike K.
The waves at Princeton, CA were 20-40 foot in February when they had the contest at Mavericks. Usually they're about 10-20 feet.