Loved the HI story! totally true as Dad had HI rental market locked up.
spent time with him today and he shared some of the history, and is willing to answer whatever questions you all have, so ask away.
Fun facts I learned today:
Dad was engineer who saw the future in polyurethane foam (similar to the Graduate movie where the older man says; “Plastics, the future is in plastics”) and purchased the bankrupt “Bohemian surf” company.
He wasn’t a surfer, but a good (and still is) Engineer and business man. With it he got all the molding equipment and the Velsy licensing. (Velsy never got paid by previous owner, but Dad <honest guy> began paying for each board he made & said they became respected friends). Purchase Agreement came with approval to build his own boards under his own brand, Dextra.
DEXTRA name and logo was developed by head marketing guy for large national firm, friend of my Uncle & Dad. Turns out it is short for: “Dexterity with a little Extra” (may be where the more currently coined sales phrase: “what is Extraordinary? Ordinary with that little something extra”)
Dale Velzy continued to hand shape the ‘plugs’ (the forms the molds were built to produce each board).
Two more brands followed and the one with the red triangle (Hawaiian ? ) with King K in yellow cape, was designed by Hanna Barbara (yes, same animation team that went on to create many of the days shows like “ The Flintstones” et al) .
Dextra boards were made for all the military branches for R&R. Dad said: he got meeting in DC and pitched the factories ability to deliver orders on time (in season or not; “workers would not be out surfing, they would be working”), had “stress test” engineering reports to show how his foam with fiberglass & wood stringers held up vs other makers. And, could ‘brand’ the boards for each branch. He made boards for the Marines with their own decal, with Dextra nowhere to be seen… (would LOVE to have one of those! Bet they are all in the China Beach production company vault now, as, at the time, they were highly sought after to use in the shows production)
Hawaii rental: Dad went with CA guy (who wanted to grow into management), to HI to put in charge of HI renal / repair market (HI had just outlawed glassing repairs in public areas). They had Chevy Corvair side loading truck (took only one parking space vs 2) to pick up in the evening, made repairs off site/ overnight & have delivered to concessions again by 6 AM. (How he locked up all rentals around the island was, they would ONLY repair <free of charge> boards made by DEXTRA/ Accurate Systems J The guy from CA went MIA (story is he hooked up with 16 yr old HI gal and never came back), so Dad shipped another associate over and made it a great success for years (I remember summers in rental home on Diamond head, not bad for a 6 -10 yr old J
Accurate Systems / Dextra Surfboards was the first surfboard company to display at the National Sporting good show and his first year was voted: The Booth To See award! He had another friend of my Uncle (in marketing at the time) design the shippable booth. (big business now). There were large images of the factory (to insure buyers of the ability to deliver on purchase orders) and boards on rotating pivots with spot lights making them ‘strobe’. Knowing trade shows, I asked: who else was there with you, as I know manning a booth is a loooooong long day! He said he was alone, but called the office from the pay phone and said to his friend / manufactures rep: Doesn’t matter what you are doing, drop it, grab a pen and get on a plane, I need you! I can’t write orders fast enough!!! Next call was to shop manager, Paul: “we are taking orders, can we fill them”. Response was: “ JUST KEEP WRITING”!
And, DEXTRA was born / turned into the worlds largest manufacture of surf boards, at the time.
Would love to get a list of questions to Dad, so please respond with what you would like to know.
More in another post, but ask all you want, Dad has agreed to give me the entire history, one question at a time.
unfortunately, all the memorabilia was either stolen from our garages over the years, or included as property of the sale of Acurate Systems and Cochran Chase Adv agency
Dad (Acurate Systems) had 3 ‘house’ brands for 3 price points / markets (Dextra being for the ‘masses’).
Produced boards for multiple licenses / buyers (as previously stated: Military branches & custom/ labeling for ‘name’ surfers). Many displayed in museums including the Maritime museum in Oaho HI.
this ad is displayed in SanClemente CA resturaunt. Oh, Yep, it’s my Dad (the engineer) trying to develop / keep up with the changing times / at the time.
Describing an under sized surfboard as a short board, IS NOT the same as calling it a Shortboard. The Mini Board term was in wide use, and rapidly vanished when all boards were well under 9 feet. Mini Boards became surfboards again. In 1959, and into early 1960, there were lots of sub 9 foot surfboards. Most that I saw were made by Velzy&Jacobs. In 1959 I made, and surfed a 7’ 11’’ x 20 balsa board. No matter the length, we called them all Surfboards.
Dad said he ended up building (engineering) his own mixing / cooling machines and developed his foam / fiberglass core for the boards, from chemical /
‘scratch’. (Calfoam owner remained a friend even though) good story how Cal foam guy <at the time out of Compton> turned Dad on to the Bohemian surf company going BK / buy opportunity. Sales guy didn’t want to lose a customer, so found a buyer for the business (my Dad). Many business lessons in that story to be sure!
Thanks for the offer of asking questions. Below are some questions. It would be good to compile all these responses together at some stage. The story of some other 60’s moulded boards can be found here:
There were at least two bellyboards. In another Swaylocks thread she posted a picture of her brother Mike with the narrow square tail and rounded nose. I have one with a wider tail and more pointed nose. I assume the wider tail is a later model, because the board is thinner and has less rocker. The fins are similar, but thinner and less rounded on what I assume is the later model.
Over on Rod’s Paipo Forum, Rod put up this September 1964 ad showing the Dexta Doodl’ combination tow board and body surfing board. Check out that keel fin. How long was the Doodl’ board?
Fix it and ride it. To be Historically correct, it should be carried to the beach by two sailors. I paid somebody to repair some dings on a Dextra bellyboard, and he had trouble sticking to the old resin. I’m not sure why. It was something about the Dextra resin.
