THE MALIBU BOARD
Introduction to THE MAIBU BOARD Chapter
Aloha and welcome to this introduction to yet another chapter in the LEGENDARY SURFERS series. The
Malibu Board tells the story of how the prototype for today's longboard
came into existence in the late 1940s. While Bob Simmons set the stage
for its development, his assistants and protoges Joe Quigg, Matt Kivlin,
Tommy Zahn and Dave Rochlen came up with what is known as The Malibu Board.
No one really knew what they had until Rochlen and guys like Melonhead (Porter Vaughn)
and Leslie Williams started ripping Malibu apart with these boards. The
whole story is covered in the booklet, available by ordering, below.
Malibu balsa image
courtesy of Pods for Primates.
To Order "The Malibu Board" in electronic ebooklet format (delivered to
your email address) for USD $4.95, click on the Pay Pal icon below:
To pay by personal check or money order,
email: malcolm@legendarysurfers.com
Contents of What You Will Receive:
1946: Fiberglass & Resin
.. Fiberglass
.. Resin
1947: Zahn, Quigg, Kivlin, Rochlen & Melonhead
.. Tommy Zahn
.. Joe Quigg
.. Dave Rochlen
The Darrylin Board
Other Joe Quigg Designs, 1947-49
.. 1st Pintail Gun, 1st Fiberglassed Skeg
.. Foam Prototype
.. Multiple Fins
.. Grey Ghost
.. Malibu Perpetual Surfboard
.. Nose Rider & Ridicule
1948
1949
.. Hot Curl Experiments
.. Foam Experiments
.. Simmons Styrofoam Sandwich Boards
The "Birdman" & The Malibu
Matt Kivlin & The Malibu
.. Dave Rochlen
Simmons Breaks It Off, 1950
Joe Quigg in Later Years
In the post World
War II period, surfboards went through a period of radical change in weight,
materials and shape. Not since Tom Blake first developed hollow boards
in the late 1920s had wave riding vehicles gone through such metamorphosis.
Bob Simmons, the "Father of the Modern Surfboard," was the primary person
to introduce new materials that eventually made surfboards lighter -- materials
like fiberglass, resin and styrofoam. His understanding of hydrodynamics
resulted in surfboard designs that incorporated features we still enjoy,
today -- like rocker, foam core, and multiple fin placement. Yet, he was
not alone in his experiments with war-generated technology to improve surfboard
performance. Significant in their contributions were Brant Goldsworthy,
Jamison Handy, Preston "Pete" Peterson, Joe Quigg and Dave Sweet and Hobie
Alter. Peterson would become the first one known to use fiberglass in surfboard
construction. Sweet and Alter would, later on in the 1950s, become pioneers
in the use of polyurethane foam.
Joe Quigg -- a Simmons protege for a while -- along with input from Matt
Kivlin, Tommy Zahn and Dave Rochlen, would become the creator of the Malibu
Board... the precursor to the board that many of us still ride, today...
Related Resources
Read About Volume 1 of LEGENDARY SURFERS
Buy Volume 1 of LEGENDARY SURFERS!
TOM BLAKE: The Journey of A Pioneer Waterman
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