A large, deceptively casual power surfer, Simon Anderson achieved high renown in both competition and sheer performance through the early days of pro surfing. Like many pros of the day, he also learned the craft of board shaping and design, thinking it might be useful as a career backup. When these talents came together through the last part of 1980, they resulted in the three-fin Thruster and made Anderson one person who can truthfully be said to have affected every surfer on the planet.

Born in Sydney, Simon grew up second eldest of a big family of boys. Literally big — none of the Anderson boys (Mark, Simon, Grant and Michael) stood under 6 feet. The family lived in a house overlooking Collaroy Beach on Sydney’s north side, where Nat Young had learned to ride. A … Read More »

BACK TO BUGGS’ GALLERY

KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board rated: 1(worst)-10(best)

Goodtime has been handshaping surfboards since 1971. We began with one thought, that having a Goodtime is; “what surfing is all about.” Thirty eight years later we still are having a goodtime surfing! The shop is now a long way bigger and with the huge wave and large surfer on the awning, it has now become a famous landmark in Woolloongabba, if not in Brisbane.

www.goodtime.com.au

Board Dimensions
Length: 5′ 8″
Width: 22″ 1/4
Thickness: 2″ 5/8
Classic, 1970’s knee Board.  Yet I have been using it as a surf-rider. Boaty, floaty and curvy.  Just look at that HUGE Fin.  Like a boomerang!  This thing … Read More »

Described by some as the inventor of vertical surfing and others as the ultimate soul surfer, Wayne Lynch’s contributions to the evolution of wave riding are hard to deny. He was a teenager during the critical transition from longboards to shortboards in the late sixties and early seventies. The lines he drew on early shortboards were completely new at the time and his influence can still be seen in today’s surfers.

Wayne began surfing at age 10 and was something of a child phenom in Australia. He won six consecutive Victoria state titles in the juniors division and four straight juniors division Australian national titles. He tried professional surfing for a short time and appeared in some notable surf films along the way, including a breakout performance in the 1969 release Evolution, the 1971 classic Sea of Joy and a 1978 … Read More »

Never anything but individual, Terry Fitzgerald emerged at the start of surfing’s true pro era — the ’70s — and played a key role in finally pushing high performance way clear of the sport’s longboarding roots and into the realm of the power carve. In his prime, he’s represented the peak example of the “total surfer” — a man who could ride any wave, anywhere, on his own equipment, without compromise.

Back in Australia, Fitzgerald carried his design thoughts into Hot Buttered, working with the super-hot performance school at North Narrabeen. Surfers and shapers who passed through his factory over the years include Simon Anderson, Col Smith, Derek Hynd, Steve Wilson, Greg Day, Greg Webber and many more. Along with their unique design twists, his boards became famous for the airbrush spray work of Martin Worthington, … Read More »

Without doubt the greatest competitive surfer of the ’70s, Michael Peterson set all of the standards for the birth of pro surfing’s world tour, even winning its first official event — the Stubbies Classic at Burleigh Heads in March 1977. Creatively, he bridged the gap between the Nat Young/Wayne Lynch shortboard evolution of the late ’60s and the dynamic superstar performers of the ’80s. He demonstrated a full-power style that combined an acute tube sense with fast, deep rail carves. Yet Peterson — known simply as “MP” to the core Australian underground surf community who idolized him — never converted his legend to a long-term lifestyle, and it has been many years since he’s ventured out on a board.

By 1972, Peterson was Australian champion, and over the next three years, he won every major surf … Read More »

“My shaping career began at age 13, when I got an electric planer for Christmas. There was no such thing as Pro Surfing in those days, and if you surfed, the dream career was to work in the surfboard industry. Only surfing in a few of the World Tour events gave me time to hone my shaping skills. During this time I was fortunate to work with, and learn from, some of the world’s greatest shapers, including Geoff Mc Coy, Ben Aipa, Jim Richardson, Tom Parish, Gerry Lopez, Spider Murphy, Reno Abellira and Dick Brewer. Spending a month working with Dick Brewer in Hawaii at his Chuns Reef shaping room in the winter of 1976/77 was when it all gelled. I shaped the original Free Ride Twinfin during the winter of 1977 in Newcastle. It became … Read More »

George Greenough is a living legend and unique icon in the surf world.  Best known for his innovative surf photography, surfboard designs and ingeniously conceived and constructed devices including everything from wind generators to hand-made air mattresses and blue water fishing boats.  When George becomes fascinated by an idea or project, he goes about re-inventing it in a way marked by his unusual signature.  He has produced films, sailed the pacific in a 39′ yacht he built in his back yard, built countless toys ranging from ultimately practical to amusingly whimsical in nature.

www.georgegreenough.com

KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board rated: 1(worst)-10(best)

Board Dimensions

Length: 5′ 8″
Width: 19″ 3/4
Thickness: 2″ 5/8

In typical Greenough fashion, this interesting shape is much different than most 1960’s shapes. … Read More »

The success and history of Byrne Surfboards revolved around the close knit Byrne brothers. Phil, Dave, and Chris were highly successful surfers growing up in Australia and competitive surfing took them to the top surf spots in the world including Bali, Indonesia and the surf mecca of Hawaii.

Byrne Surfboards got its start at a time when professional surfing began to emerge. Dave Byrne had been working as a glasser while Phil had been shaping in Australia and Hawaii. Thus, the three brothers decided to start their own label and their surfing experiences in Hawaii influenced their surfboard designs and methods.

Their success in creating high performance boards attracted the attention of some of the top surfers in the world at the time including Shaun Tompson and Larry Bertlemann. … Read More »

“Formed in Australia in 1976, the Bronzed Aussies were surfing’s first commercial ambassadors in the predawn era of professionalism. The brainchild of Sydney Daily Mirror journalist Mike Hurst and three of Oz’s top pros at the time, Mark Warren, Ian “Kanga” Cairns and pink fetishist Peter Townend (nee “PT”), the group took their name from an old adage for sun-baked beach boys and their inspiration from the ’60s cadre of Aussie tennis players — Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe — who’d barnstormed that sport, raising both the financial stakes and media awareness tenfold in the process…

“Very much the forerunner of today’s surf teams (i.e. Team Quiksilver), the media savvy BAs trademarked their Aussie wave logo and plastered it on everything they rode and wore — boards, trunks, sleek jumpers, … Read More »