i got a pair in new shape but they gotta be older then hell cause they say “OWEN CHURCHILL” on them and last time i checked there had to have been a split there because now theres VOIT and CHURCHIL and theyre separate brands right? these are groovey green and have a metal clasp bracket on the ankle straps? any of you old salty dudes know the vintage on these type of fins, theyre extremely flexible…
Those fins have been around since the 40’s and 50’s for divers.
Kneeboarders are big on swimfins and that wasnt even invented formally until around 1965.
You might as well be asking about Civil War history.
I know the answer, just ask the librarian ‘owen churchill voit’
As an aside even Voit swimfins(Duckfeet, UDT’s) arent even made or distributed by Voit anymore…360 inc.
But the molds dont speak.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Churchill
Here's some sort-of surf-related history info for y'all.
The boat "Angelita" referred to in the wiki page was restored for the '84 Olympics in the old C&B Marine shop off 17th Avenue in Santa Cruz. Before the rebuild, it was at Moore's Reef, where the abandonded Circuit City now stands. Angelita had a tree growing through it. Robin Mair, who posts here pretty often had at least one of the boats he designed sitting at C&B right around the same time (or maybe it was when the Alden schooner was being built...or both...). Anyway, the Mair 28 was offered as a plywood kit and I couldn't afford it. Owen Churchill himself was at the ceremony when the restored boat was unveiled at C&B. After the Olympics, Angelita was donated to a group in Newport Beach and after a year or two was put up for sale. A friend purchased it and brought it back to Santa Cruz. Last I heard it was in New England.