Surf Rider 1960
4ft 2" x 15-3/4" x 1/4"
donated by Peter Robinson on May 25, 2010
Based in South Molton, North Devon, the late Dick Pearce (passed away July 10th, 2010) – with others including Roy Wilson – spent more than 50 years making traditional wooden surfboards used for ‘prone’ surfing; also known a surf riding and bodyboarding.
Made from plywood, this one is a special extra-wide ‘Surf Rider’ model – two pieces of ply glued vertically with a slight ‘nose kick’ to prevent pearling on the wave and dates from 1960.
This type of board is a direct descendant of the ancient Hawaiian surfboards used hundreds of years before. This design of board with the round, kicked nose was first made in Britain in the 1920s from solid woods like Ash, with lighter plywood first being used in the 1930s.
Originally people in England just called them surfboards or surf riding boards, but as stand-up surfing became more popular in the UK in the 1960s they started to become known as bodyboards or in some areas as ‘chicken run’ boards – to describe the frenetic rush towards the beach propelled by the frothing whitewater.
More recently people have been referring to the art of surfing prone on a wooden board as ‘bellyboarding‘, but true aficionados find this term somewhat derogatory and still prefer to call it simply ‘surfing’. Outside the UK the term paipo board is often used to described the type of surfboard used.
The are mentions of this type of surfboard being used in the 1800s and early 1900s, but their use became widespread in Britain following the First World War.
Added to the website collection on May 25, 2010
bellyboard, bodyboard, boogie, dick pearce, north devon, paipo, surf bathing, surf riding
As the national charitable organisation celebrating & preserving the UK’s surfing heritage, we provide the information and images on our website for you to use free of charge for personal or educational use only – if you do use our material please credit the Museum of British Surfing including our URL. Our images contain an electronic watermark which must not be removed.
If you are a commercial organisation, or professional individual, using our research and material for profit, please contact us for licensing and usage fees for images, video and text.
We make every effort to ensure the information on our website is accurate, but if you spot something wrong or can add new information please get in touch.