I trained as an Industrial Designer so my interest in vintage surfboards is in their innovative hydrodynamic design features as much as it is in their history or aesthetics. So I get super excited when I find board with more than one "new" innovation on it. When I say "new" I mean new for 1980 and when I say innovation I mean new idea, good or bad.
Strapper is a surfboard brand from the outskirts of Melbourne of which I know little about. I rang them, they still exist, but don't have a website and the guy on the phone couldn't really help me with much about their history. I'd be really interested to learn more cause there was obviously someone there trying some pretty wacky things in the early 80's.
The first thing to note about this board are its Turbo fins. Curved inwards, for what reason I'm unsure. But it is the Scoop deck concept that is definitely a unique innovation. I've surfed this board and it manages to combine all the disadvantages of the fat rails of a thick board with none of the floatation and all the negatives such as drag and slowness of a thin board with out any of the responsiveness.
6'0", pulled in nose, double flyer, swallow tail, turbo fin, scoop deck thruster.
I just love it!!
www.strapper.com.au
ReplyDeleteThe board was made in early 80's. Either shaped by Dennis "strapper" Day or by me. Spray very likely was by myself and glassing would have been Rousa or Freddy Mac. We called those sprays "turbo sprays" and we did heaps and lots of different colours. Strapper has continuousely made surfboards from the late 60's and still make surfboards today at our factory at the back of the main Strapper Surf store at Torquay. We have two shapers John "Robbo" Robertson and Myslef and specialise in custom boards as well as haveing a range of stock surfboards and also surfboards from JS, Channel Islands, Pyzel, Stacey, Rusty and more.
ReplyDeleteCome and check us out!
Mike D'Sas
Strapper Surfboards
03 52612312
www.strapper.com.au