Gordon & Smith Shortboards Hull

Reposted from @gordonandsmith Our History of the transitional period into Midlengths. 

In the late 1960’s surfers were attracted to smaller and smaller equipment. 

After the 1967 Paul Witzigs “Hot Generation” movie. Bob Mctavish, Midget Farrelly, Bobby Brown, George Greenough and Nat Young amongst others. Changed the way surfers looked at surfing. The most dynamic sequence of the movie was in the final minutes at Honolua bay where Larry saw first hand what smaller equipment was capable of.

Larry G. became a strong proponent of promoting the movie in the United States to gain believers in the short board movement!

In 1968 there was a definite trend to ride smaller equipment. In 68’ the Hot Curl and the Midget Farrelly stringerless Models went shorter.  How short? By our records, the smallest board was a 7’8 and was made for a 115lb person probably a small kid or girl. In 1969 Larry Gordon sent a letter to all G&S dealers letting them know that 69’ was going to see some big changes in board design.

1st being the fins, G&S started using the Fins Unlimited veri-set removable fin system. But recommended using the  already tested Wave set system. 

2nd. Was the Magic! The Magic was called the most exciting idea on the market of the day! The Magic had the wide point forward creating a smaller board with lot of paddle. The boards progressive design allowed a board to have high speeds and controlled maneuverability. It’s length was between 7’-8’2. 

3rd was the HotCurl, the HotCurl was getting a makeover. A round tail and 8’ length made for a very maneuverable “Midlength” surfboard. 

The Midlength boards became a hit! By 1969, In Approx one year, the Hot Curl went from a split stringer 9’ to a single stringer 7’ With a large flower deck laminate. Our four main team riders had there own versions of the HotCurl and the Magic.

There was the original Hotcurl, the Magic, the Frye speedboard and the Farrelly world contest design. This was the start of the short board revolution.  By 1970 longboards were a thing of the past and the race for smaller, shorter, thinner equipment truly began.  Thanks for reading, if you like these type of posts, comment below and let us know if you like the history lesson.  - #regrann