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Featured Posts

  • An Interesting New Addition to the Collection

    An Interesting New Addition to the ...

    Here is an interesting new addition to the Museum of British …

    Read More “An Interesting New Addition to the Collection”

  • A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

    A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

    A picture is worth a thousand words…. We are open 11am …

    Read More “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”

  • Surf Manual Written in 1867

    Surf Manual Written in 1867

    In 1867 English swimming champion Charles Steedman published his Manual of …

    Read More “Surf Manual Written in 1867”

  • British Rockstars Who Surf

    British Rockstars Who Surf

    Here at the Museum of British Surfing we are surprised about …

    Read More “British Rockstars Who Surf”

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Here is your chance to own a piece of British surf Here is your chance to own a piece of British surfing history and significantly help the Museum of British Surfing to be able to continue to preserve and display the rich history and culture of British surfing. 
As part of our “How the Past Shaped our Present” exhibition we are stoked to be able to offer an amazing board for sale, generously donated by Tim Heyland at Tiki.

The board can be viewed on display in the museum for the 2020 exhibition and is a Limited Edition (No.3/10) replica of the Surfboards Great Britain 8ft gun that was first surfed in Hawaii by Tim Heyland in 1969.

Tiki produced the short lived Surfboards Great Britain label in the early 1970’s which ran alongside the Tiki label. The SGB name came from Floyd Smith of Gordon & Smith, who had just started making Surfboards Australia. He had called in at the Tiki factory to check out the G&S franchise that Tiki had at the time and suggested the name.

The gun design was originally shaped by Barry "Bear" Mirandon for Tim to take to Hawaii in 1969. At the time Bear (who the character in the film Big Wednesday was based on) and Tim were shaping together in San Diego. When Tim booked his flight to Hawaii, Bear shaped the gun for him as a parting gift.

Only 10 signed copies of this original board have been made as collectors' pieces to be sold to raise money for charity. All monies raised from the sale of this board will go to the Museum of British Surfing. The board is hand signed and numbered by Tim and comes with full provenance.

If you are interested in owning this board, you can view it at the museum once we reopen on July 18th and you need to register your BEST BID by emailing us at contact@museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk

Bidding will close at 12pm on Sunday 20th September 2020 (hopefully, the day of the annual vintage surf meet at the museum). If there are equal highest bids, then we will conclude with an auction between the highest bidders.
Dig deep, buy a bit of British Surfing History and show your support for the work we do here at the Museum of British Surfing.
The reserve on the board is £1250. @tikisurfcompany #limitededitionsurfboards #collectorssurfboard
“What is that piece of wood down the middle of t “What is that piece of wood down the middle of the board for?” A common question asked by non-surfing visitors to the Museum of British Surfing.

The standard surfboard stringer is a thin strip of wood that runs from nose to tail down the centre of the foam blank and adds stiffness and rigidity to the surfboard. The stringer was introduced in surfboard design in 1958 by Gordon Duane, the founder of Gordie Surfboards when he wanted to reduce the flexibility, and add strength to the polyurethane core structure. 
In the UK, the early surfboard makers were experimenting with different configurations of stringers as their shapes developed. Here is a snapshot look at Tiki Surfboards stringer evolutions from 1968 - 1975

1. Stringerless blank
2. Stringerless blank with pin lined “faux” stringers
3. 1/2 inch redwood stringer
4. 2” wide high density foam
5. Wedge shaped high density foam, with thin wood stringers
6. Centre wood stringer with additional diverging high density foam stringers to add width to the board
7. Converging wood stringers
8. Diverging wood stringers
9. Centre wood stringer

Today, shapers are using a multitude of configurations especially on longboards which may have multiple stringers for the purpose of adding strength.  This is sometimes needed because the larger surface area of a longboard can flex and wobble too much. 
Some modern surfboards have moved back to no stringers. Especially epoxy and carbon fibre boards which often have a stringerless design. Their materials and sandwich construction give the board added stiffness so a stringer isn't needed.

You can learn more about the development of surfboard design in our new exhibition “How the Past Shaped Our Present” when we reopen on 18th July 2020. Please check out our process for pre-booking detailed on our Facebook page. We look forward to seeing visitors once again.
REOPENING 18TH JULY! Following the government ann REOPENING 18TH JULY!

Following the government announcements yesterday, we are planning to reopen the Museum of British Surfing to visitors on Saturday 18th July.

We would like to have opened earlier, but we need to ensure that we are meeting all of the Covid Secure guidelines for museums, and we will be taking guidance from the SW Museums Association in a meeting taking place on July 9th. This will then give us time to make any further alterations to the museum in readiness to open.

We have already made provisions for social distancing at the museum and visitors will need to pre-book (more on how to do this will be published later). The team of trustees and volunteers here at the Museum of British Surfing would like to give out a huge shout of THANK YOU to everyone that has supported the museum and especially through these unprecedented times. 
We are stoked to be able to reopen the museum to visitors. We have a fantastic new exhibition "How the Past Shaped Our Present" for people to enjoy and look forward to seeing visitors old and new.

Follow us on social media for further updates and news and articles on the rich history and culture of British surfing.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY! In the days before Covid-19 vi HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

In the days before Covid-19 vintage surfboard collectors and enthusiasts would be meeting in a field at Lusty Glaze in Newquay come rain, wind or blistering sunshine for the popular annual Vintage Surfboard meet. Sadly not this year... Here is a look back.

Please feel free to share your favorite memories of the meets.

We hope to be able to host the Annual surf meet at the Museum of British Surfing in September, subject to how restrictions are lifted. Here’s hoping!

In the meantime:

STAY SAFE - STAY STRONG - STAY STOKED
Real Surfing Magazine issue no 7 is available to p Real Surfing Magazine issue no 7 is available to purchase from the Museum of British Surfing online shop. This is the best surf magazine out there today.

You can order it here:

https://www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk/product/real-surfing-magazine-issue-7-2020-edition/

It is a great read and highly collectable and this issue has only been printed in a limited number so get it quick.

We also have a few copies of issues 4, 5 & 6 available, so why not complete the collection!

Buying it from us not only supports a small business but also enables us to continue to preserve and display the rich history and culture of British surfing. @museumofbritishsurfing @realsurfingmagazine #realsurfingmagazine
NEW IN STORE! Museum of British Surfing Limited E NEW IN STORE!

Museum of British Surfing Limited Edition Mug

STAY SAFE - STAY STRONG - STAY STOKED

We have only produced 50 of these mugs with the lockdown logo on them so grab them while you can. The are great quality and feature the "Stay Stoked" image and blue inner and matching handle.

Price £10.00 (+P&P)

Also, as a thank you for your support, when you buy on-line we'll also include one of our limited edition stickers (RRP £2.00) in with the mug.

https://www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk/product/mobs-limited-edition-mug-2020/

Your purchase will help us continue to be able to preserve and display the rich history and culture of British surfing.

We still are not sure when we will be able to reopen the museum, so your continued support is both appreciated and essential.
Have you found new hobbies during lockdown? Redisc Have you found new hobbies during lockdown? Rediscovered old ones? My other half @surfingstickman who is one of the Museum Trustees has pulled out his old silversmithing kit and made myself and others some beautiful jewellery. This is one of my favourites, the beach in a necklace! 😍😍
During the enforced shut down, we have been taking During the enforced shut down, we have been taking the opportunity to do some essential maintenance jobs on the Museum of British Surfing building including fixing a broken pane of glass.

Here is an interesting view of the end window in the museum that is usually covered by the Newquay advertising  board.

The building that we are located in is a former goods shed of the old Braunton Railway Station on what was the Ilfracombe Branch Line.

Follow us on social media for upcoming news on when and how we are going to reopen the museum on a limited basis following Covid secure guidelines.
At the Museum of British Surfing we cover all aspe At the Museum of British Surfing we cover all aspects of the history of British surfing and celebrate our rich cultural heritage.

We have a superb display of memorabilia in our early surf-riding exhibit that shows the development of surf-riding from its origins at the beginning of the 20th century through the war years and into the early 60s.

You will soon be able to view this and the rest of our "How the Past Shaped Our Present" exhibition when we reopen on 4th July.

Follow us on social media for news and updates and we hope to see visitors at the museum once again. @museumofbritishsurfing #howthepastshapedourpresent  #shaper #surfboardshaping #surfers #surf #surfer #surfboard
DEAR FOLLOWERS AND SUPPORTERS - YOUR FEEDBACK IS R DEAR FOLLOWERS AND SUPPORTERS - YOUR FEEDBACK IS REQUESTED.

We have been busy making plans to reopen the Museum of British Surfing under the “Covid secure” restrictions as we want to be able to welcome our visitors back to see our 2020 exhibition “How the Past Shaped Our Present”. OUR PLANS:

VISITING THE MUSEUM

We are planning to reopen on Saturday 4th July and throughout July opening Friday, Saturday & Sunday only (11am to 3pm). We will review the opening days and times based on how visiting goes, and if we see an influx of visitors to the area, a demand for visits to the museum and any further relaxation in restrictions.

We have made some changes to the museum to protect our visitors and volunteers. There is a perspex screen around our reception desk and signage around the museum and hand sanitising gel available at the reception desk.

We will be welcoming visitors back to the museum using PRE-BOOKING ONLINE. This will be for family groups or groups of individuals that are allowed to interact under the governments latest advice on social interaction.  You can book a 1 hour slot online and we can allow a maximum of 6 people to visit the museum at any one time. Once you have booked a slot, you will be the only visitors in the museum.

If someone turns up on spec. and no other party are pre-booked then visiting will be allowed.

We prefer contactless payments by card, but can accept cash if needed.

We still have kids activities and our very popular spotters trail and colouring competition will be available. We will have paper copies of the sheets available and give a free pen to take away to check off the items.

We will keep our entrance doors open to avoid the need for people touching handles, we will install signage reminding of social distancing, a one way system around the museum and ask people to please refrain from touching displays.

Whilst there is no requirements for visitors or volunteers to wear a face covering or gloves whilst visiting, we can recommend that if people feel more comfortable to do so, then they should. We will have hand sanitisers available at the reception desk.

RETAIL

Our retail area is a lifeline for the museum as purchases
Here is something a bit different - a Tris “Spoo Here is something a bit different - a Tris “Spoon” from around 1975. These boards were inspired by George Greenough who was experimenting with big long fins that flexed to give extra drive when turning.

This is a very rare board and the only one made by Tris in circulation that we know of. Possibly made as an experiment, as spoons never really became popular in the UK.

The board was discovered in the loft when a grandson was clearing the house. The grandfather had bought it from new and was wrapped in a plastic bag and still with the original wax on when found and is in remarkably good condition.

We'd be very interested to see photos of other spoon surfboards made int he UK and nay stories from people who ride them in the past and now.

You can see this and other great boards on loan from vintage surfboard collector Ryan Maddocks in our popular “Collectors Corner” at the Museum of British Surfing when we get chance to reopen in July.

Follow us on social media for further news and updates on when and how we are going to reopen.

STAY SAFE - STAY STRONG - STAY STOKED and STAY ALERT!
Plans are in hand to reopen the Museum of British Plans are in hand to reopen the Museum of British Surfing in a limited way early in July.

Follow us on our social media feeds for further news and updates.

In the meantime, here is a board from our 2020 exhibition "How the Past Shaped Our Present". This Zippy Sticks is from 1976 with a classic spear shape, pintail and sleek plywood fin. It has a streamer artwork design on the underside and the classic Zippy Sticks logo on the deck.

Roger Cooper is class shaper who grew up surfing on the Isle of Wight, settling in South Wales in the early 1970s. He shaped boards under a variety of labels such as Sister Sticks, Yamma, 28 Carat, Zippy Sticks & Roger Cooper. He also shaped for Tiki for a couple of years in the early 1970's.

You can see this and lots of other awesome boards and memorabilia from the rich history and culture of British surfing at the Museum of British Surfing.

Please come and see us, and continue to support the work of the team of volunteers and trustees. Check out our online shop for some great products, and if you can, please purchase something. We still need to pay our bills through this shut down period. You will not only be supporting the museum, but also helping the small businesses who supply us.
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