You should see Tom Ovelin ride the 5’8" twin HOG! Best goof backside I’ve ever seen.
I don’t know…that New York guy, Rick Rassmusan, at pipeline. Maybe overlin influenced him…best ever?..Sam Hawk… the Aussie, Rabbit something…or MR…nah, Overland. Any Pics?
I didn’t say Tom was the best goof backside ever.
I said Tom was the best goof backside I ever saw…like in person. MY person.
I’ve never seen RolfArness in person, but in film, he’s pretty close too.
Of your list, most rode bigger waves, like Pipe, where it’s hard to tell talent from guts.
TomOverlin could rip chest high 4mile, 3, PointLane, and Sewers better than the locals, and he did it backside.
Yeah Lee, I was just spewing nothing after some Zinfindel. The Santa Ana’s were blowing hot until early this morning.
Hi, my name's Ember and I'm a relative of Tom Overlin. I ADORE THAT MAN!! I married his oldest son, Joshua. He also has another son, younger, Matt and a daughter, Tiffany.
Tom and his wife, Linda, have been living here in Brookings, Oregon for quite a many years. Their kids all went to school here and Tom has had a drywall business (Chetco Drywall) since 1975, I believe.
I'm sad to say Tom Overlin has passed away not even a week ago. When I came across this page I decided that I'd put in a few words about the most wonderful man I've had the pleasure of knowing.
Tom had been making surfboards throughout all these years on the side, as a hobby. He's taught all of his kids and grandkids how to surf and he was still surfing himself.
It's not his ability to surf or shape boards that impresses me about him the most though. Tom was the most admirable man I've met in my life. He was an awesome father, very involved in his kids lives. He was a perfect husband to his wife.... and a friend to all who met him. He was a fairly soft spoken man, calm, humble and full of heart. His sense of humor was uncomparable! If asking his employees, there has NEVER been a better boss.
He's changed my life and the lives of many. He will be greatly missed.
All of us who loved him so, are comforted by his strong faith in the Lord... and rest in the fact that he is now in heaven, sitting beside God.
Good surfers are a dime a dozen, craftsmen harder to find, good men, like you describe your father-in-law , are much more rare. I’m working towards that end more than the others and I hope in the end of my run here, I’ll have loved ones that feel as much love as you do for Tom.
Aloha Nui – Akua Ke Aloha
This is a reply to all, Tom was the shaper at Overlin and Jim was the driving force behind it. They rented the space behind Hauts where Doug had the front space. They didn’t work together and were separate from each other. Tom was really nice and low key where Jim was more outspoken. I shared concepts with Tom on how to make winged boards not spinout in about 1971-72 and Jim wanted me to make rocker templates for his rocker jig.
Pat Rawson did some glossing for them in the early 70’s.
Timmy Watts of Carmel was the best Goofyfoot, and Rodger Adams was the best regular foot in that time period. The shops were combined in the later 70,s for a while but in the beginnig were totally separete.
This is sad news. Tom, as Ember said, was a real classy guy.
I know Tom had open heart surgery somewhere in late summer. A mutual friend from Dewey Weber’s in the late 60s and Westchester, Bruce Pilnick, visited him in Oregon after and though Tom was recuperating they did have a small surf together.
Very sorry to hear this. I worked at Weber’s for Tom while I was on a 4/4 program at Westchester High in 1967-68 and after I was out of high school for a while. Tom was a great guy and really gave me somebody to look up to, had a sense of humor that was second to none and a pretty level head.
I really hate to hear of his passing.
Posting a pic from 1968 as he walked through Dewey’s yard.
Tom Graner
surfertom
Hi. I really hope someone can help me out. I am looking for an original Overlin board specifically from the original company rather than a Tom Overlin board. Condition isn’t critical, but if possible I would prefer one in nice condition and one that has some cool artwork on it. Please LMK if you have one that you can part with or if you know of anyone else who does. You can send me an email at n.art@cox.net or call me at 619/342-1031. It’s my work phone and a paging vm that will ring my cell. I may even have a little story to tell. Thanks to everyone for helping.
My memory banks can get pretty foggy, but I’m pretty sure I remember a very short lived Overlin surf shop, maybe on Culver Blvd, selling essentially exact copies of Weber Performers, for less money than Weber was. Probably about '66.
Mike
Jim Overlin had a shop in So Cal that sold Webers. He and Tom were both Weber Team members in the mid Sixties. Jim’s early label was called “Clearlight”, as I recall. The Santa Cruz operation was basically Tom’s deal. I have a 6’8" swallowtail he shaped for me. Whoever did the pinline work for him back then, was a master. A local shop was a TO dealer, and the boards were impeccably finished. When airbrush became popular, the Overlins had a look that was unmatched for the time.
That really short twin fin with the Union Jack looks like it is an early to mid 70s vintage. Most likely one of Tom’s creations.
A typical example of the misguided twinfin fad of the period. The logo is not like one I’ve ever seen. Tom’s standard logo was a five-pointed star, with the points bent downward.
Jim’s Weber shop was in Huntington Beach. Here’s an ad from the Fall of '66:
(That’s Tom in the photo)
What a cool ad for Tom there, Tony… … and “what a cool guy” he was.
Thanks for posting it.
Ember Overlin
My name is carl, in the early 70s i lived in a strip motel in cocoe beach florida. I cant remember the name ‘surf and sand’ or something. Anyway, i met a dude named Tom who said he was from california. he had dreadlocks and a hole in his kne that would not heal from surfing every day, i ended up trading him something wraped in foil 
i think, for his Jim Overlin surfboard. IT WAS AWESOME. the nose was turned up at least a foot and the rails were the thickest i had ever seen Of course being the early seventys my mind now goes blank about was happend to the board. Tom if your out there please wright back… lets talk!
Any story/background on these, steiny?
hi sammy- i went and visited a friend who has a nice collection of clean condition 60s and 70s boards. those overlins have no heal dents and appear to be unridden. amazing! while those won’t be ridden soon many of his collection have been ridden recently and are lovingly maintained.
Pretty cool ones Steiny.
My old 6’1" twin fin was similar to the one in those shots, but the tail was a bit narrower. Never saw the wedding text logo, but had the more scripty one on mine.
ST
Hey guys,
I have an Overlin board here I thought I’d share… it was a craigslist find for me a few years ago in New Jersey…
Info along the stringer says #248 … 5’4"x21
It’s an interesting shape with tons of volume throughout… was very difficult for me to ride the one or two times I took it out, but then again, I grew up riding “modern” equipment and I lack the finess required to operate such a craft…
The logo is classic… and one point of interest here: “TOM” is written (as an afterthought?) over the glass, in black sharpie… not knowing anything about the history of Overlin Surfboards, I theorized that perhaps he had had a falling out with his brother at one point where he found the need to disambiguate the name… I have been very interested to hear some accurate history on this forum… thanks swaylocks!
Reiner
Very cool board! Looks similar to the twin fin in Steiny's post, which is 5'8. Don't feel bad if you find the board hard to ride. You would have plenty of company in that. Those boards were real fast, all squrt and little control. I don't remember any issues between the brothers, but it was a long time ago. I have boards that say Overlin, some that say Jim Overlin, and some with Tom Overlin. Are you sure the black writing is on top of the glass? It might be a second laminate that is between the hot coat and the gloss coat. I dont know think we had sharpies back in 1971...