This is a story with pictures.
In posting this on VSC I heard from Tony Dempsey that he is pretty sure be shaped it.
1969 which means it’s 50 years old this year.
Back from the dead. A little story of resurection. Have a read. Maybe a giggle.
I picked this little 5’6" beauty off Tony Willett a year or two ago. In fact my missus bought it for me for Christmas. Although it was at my suggestion. Yes, she’s a keeper.
Best guesses by everyone who knows more than me is 69 or 70. Well, I finally got a makeover done on her.
Now Tony says she should be a boy cause she has “kenn” on her. But with the curves she has I’m calling her “barbie” from now on.
Well, now to the point of the post. I have included 5 before pics, a couple of durrings and the finished product and a plug for Matt Williams from factory surfboards who made her beautiful again. (Dunno about you guys but the battle scars all over this thing suggests it was well surfed well loved, and to me that makes “barbie” that much more pretty). Then me and my ugly shirt waxing her up for her first run in salt water for probably decades. (Tony how long had you owned her?)
Anyway it was a single fin contest, raising money for the Disabled Surfing Association. The rules are ANY single fin. So she was up against the newest freshest single fins around. Gotta say she was a crowd pleaser.
Matt didn’t get to the leash loop, a little bit of flash flooding the night before put a hold on that and meant i was doing the last wet sand by hand in the dawn light outide his factory the moring of the contest. This thing was pre leash and the fact it had a hole in the fin suggests she was retired not long after leashes came out. Or you would think a leggie plug would have been installed?
How did it surf. Bloody good actually. I won my heat by a mile with a few nice little carved here n there. Was a bit sketched out by the no leggie thing. Especially when the last wave had her wash into the beach to kiss the one rock exposed on the beach. Nothing to bad just a few scratches across a section of the deck.
After my heat I retired to go home and tell my lovely lady about it. “Cause I didn’t wanna be part of this dumb, wanna be tennis tour no more”.
Can’t wait to get some more waves on her and get a leggie loop installed.
Happy 50th birthday Barbie.
