This is the forth in a series of postings where I try to determine the worlds most famous and culturally valuable surfboards, where they are now, examine their history and celebrate their obscurity.
The definition is simple, the surfboard the most people have seen and are aware of.
The next board I'd like to submit for your consideration (again) is the square tail single fin from Puberty Blues. Puberty Blues is an Australian movie based on Kathy Lette's novel about growing up the the surf side suburb of Cronulla in the late 70's. The story climaxes when the two heroines overcome their hardships and prejudices and buy their own board and just go surfing. The movie made a huge impact on me as a kid growing up in love with surfing. But it wasn't till I watched Bombora - The Story of Australian Surfing that I realized just how influential the movie really was. A number professional surfers in the documentary site the movie as one of their main inspirations to get involved in surfing. World champ Mark Occhilupo actually scored a extras part in the movie as a 10 year old grom!
The highlight of the movie for me is seeing the board they buy. A square tail single fin with an unbelievable spray of a leaping tiger on the bottom. To me it is one of the most collectible surfboards in Australian surf culture history. I have been doing my research on who shaped it and where they bought it. Apparently there were two surf shops in in Cronulla in 1981 when the film was made. With help from my friend Sam who worked in one of the shops at the time (and rumor has it played the part of the shop assistant who severs the girls the chicko rolls) we have worked out is was a locally made G&S or Emerald and probably came from Steve Core's Surf shop.
We need to find out.
a) How many people know of this board?
b) Who shaped it.
c) Where is it now? I think Keith already knows the answer to this one!
Good work Damion - would be great to flush this one out. Only problem is that the 'tiger board' isn't the one Nell actually surfs on - you can clearly see there's no spray job and red stripe underneath...mystery deepens eh...
ReplyDeleteone of my mate's had a identical board at the time shaped by emerald
ReplyDeleteIf it was an Emerald then its a big chance it was shaped by Steve Griffiths , "Griffo".
ReplyDeleteHad a few of his boards myself including my very first thruster. Griffo was a good shaper well known for his two Corvette Stingrays (at the same time)-Rubberman
Hi there guys, I actually know a fair bit about this surfboard's history. First of all the surfboard is 100% an Emerald Surfboard, and a Steve Griffiths shape. I know this for 2 reasons, #1 I used to ride my bike home from school (De La Salle, Caringbah) every day past Emerald Surfboards & they had a rack out the front of the Factory/shop and this board was on display for a fair while. I used to stop off and check out their boards, but I absolutely loved this board. And #2 reason I know about this board is a kid I went to school with bought it. He didn't have it for long as the board was fairly short & he out grew it. Now here's the real interesting thing, they made 2 boards with the same spray job, a single fin & a twin fin. The twin fin didn't have the red around the edge, just black.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't think these boards would have survived, but I sure hope so.
Hope this helps.
Glenn
the same tiger board appeared in an Emerald Surfboards advertisement featuring Ross Marshal which can be seen on the
ReplyDeletewww.cronullasurfmuseum.com.au
site. Adv was in Surfing World in the early 80s. The board used to be mounted on the wall of the Windensea shop where the girls in Puberty Blues are seen leaving to cross the road.
Just picked up an emerald board off council clean up with the same spray but no red around the edge but it is a single fin swallow tail double flyer. Yeeeeeewwwww!
ReplyDeletegriffo'made heaps of boards with that spray job on them twins singles..i used to sell emerald boards for him out of skateboard world in burwood,not what youd call the surf capitol of australia..but that was it griffo was happy our ethnic freinds in that neighbourhood couldnt get enough of those ''mural'' boards...there was a dragon version as well from memory..and griffo had also pioneered this full on glitter finish..heavy metalflake like youd see on hot rods
ReplyDeleteHey, i bought a 2nd hand " Emerald nulla bord " back in 2000.
ReplyDeleteI was about to sell it but thought i would do some research on it first which bought me to here.
Is there a market for Emerald boards?
My "guess" is that it was made in the late 80's to mid 90's judging by the fluro logos and girps which was popular around that time.
Any info would be greatly apppreciated, cheers.
Hi,
DeleteCan you send us any photos?
Yeah sure, do you have a email address or something?
Deletethanks
Damion@boardcollector.com
DeleteThanks, replied.
DeleteHey damion, did you get a chance to look at Emerald board?
DeleteHi, just to let you know one of the boards still exists. I bought it second hand with a damaged tail in the 1980's from a surf shop in Coogee. I hadn't seen the film then but friends soon pointed out the similarities. I took the board to Jackson's surfboards at Cronulla for a touch up a few years ago and was told by the owner that he'd called his friend in Queensland ( I can't remember if he was the shaper or artist ) and he confirmed that the board was one of a couple he had made for the film. They were after all primarily props for a film and they needed a backup. What puzzled me about the board was that it is a twin fin which the board in the film is obviously not. But thanks to Anonymous April 25 comments above, my board is the other board made, a twin fin, not used in the movie. I might be prejudiced but I think the twin fin looks cooler. The other difference is they gave it a black fin which looks better against the rear artwork which is predominantly black near the fin. Bhagwan
ReplyDelete