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-   -   Watersport History Lesson (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=799793)

idaho_hillbilly 09-01-2013 9:24 AM

Watersport History Lesson
 
How old do you think this "new" sport of wakesurfing really is????

Here are some pictures from 1967!

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps41505c12.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps90418604.jpg

My in-laws were in a ski club in the late 60's and this is from a show program they went to in Kennewick Washington.

I say Mastercraft can blow it out there nose with there $100k boats, all I need is a 25hp Johnson on a fishing boat. :D

grant_west 09-01-2013 10:47 AM

Wow cool pic's thanks for posting it would be cool for others to share or start a Vintage wake surf thread

DenverRider 09-01-2013 12:45 PM

But I read on here that you couldn't surf a wake with stock ballast.

rexlex01 09-01-2013 1:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverRider (Post 1842541)
But I read on here that you couldn't surf a wake with stock ballast.

Don't forget it can only be done with a V-drive as well. SOL DD's and I/O's

nick_in_ssp 09-01-2013 1:35 PM

I think I see a Surf Gate on that boat.

phathom 09-01-2013 2:15 PM

Anyone else remember those belt flotation devices he's wearing? They would make you float, but were so awkward once you actually it the water.

boardman74 09-01-2013 3:05 PM

I've still got 2 of those belts. Only way my late grandmother would ski. She would not wear a vest...Period! But she would ski at 80 with that belt!!

morgan437 09-01-2013 3:19 PM

Lol my grandparents have a few of those belts on the house boat, never seen my grandma wear an actual life jacket only the belt

JDK13 09-01-2013 4:03 PM

At least when you fall forward you hit the motor and die.

idaho_hillbilly 09-01-2013 6:33 PM

When I was a kid, a buddies Dad that would waterski with one of those belts. He would ski the whole time smoking a cigarette.

Let just try to deal with the history and not the whole "it's not safe" discussion. Relax dudes!

The next water sport history lesson is coming soon..... :D

idaho_hillbilly 09-01-2013 6:45 PM

Here is Unit 2....

Has anyone ever tried these?

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps76f31775.jpg

Found in my father-in-law's barn a set of 2' and 4' hydrofoils. He bought them in 1968 and paid $35!

So, we spent a couple evening trying them. WOW! these things are tough! Here is what it looks like after some practice.....yeah, AFTER practice.

**Video coming soon!***

idaho_hillbilly 09-01-2013 7:03 PM

How do you post Youtube videos?

Pad1Tai 09-02-2013 6:45 AM

I'm guessing 50's here..

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps9a3e3d81.jpg

jpaul 09-02-2013 10:19 AM

I believe it's called "skurfing" years ago i was explaining wakeboarding to an older gentleman and then he told me he used skurf in Fl. and in Panama (the country). I never doubted him.

boardman74 09-02-2013 11:02 AM

The original wakeboards were more like a surf board shape and were called skurfers. That may be what he is talking about.

idaho_hillbilly 09-02-2013 11:50 AM

The booklet I got the pictures from called it wakesurfing.

I had someone give me a skurfer. It's like a surfboard and wakeboard mix. They said they bought it in the 80's. The funny part, I found it 1 week after a buddy brought his toe-in Surfboard from Hawaii to surf behind my boat. It looks like a fat version of the Toe-in?!? I'll post picture of that board as soon as I find it.

phathom 09-03-2013 11:58 AM

Skurfers were made originally by Herb Obrien and was what wakeboarding was called, before everyone decided that skurfing (ski surfing) was a stupid name and wakeboarding was a better name. We actually had one of the original skurfers. The one we had was actually this one exactly.
http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/m...921/459351.jpg

boardman74 09-03-2013 1:10 PM

Phathom your history is not correct.

That is an original wake board by HO, Herb Obien's company which later became hyperlite. They did not make the board branded the Skurfer, which was around way before that. Skurfer was a brand. Tony Finn made the board and owned the brand. We all know where Finn ended up!

skiboarder 09-03-2013 2:18 PM

Herb Obrien was a ski-shaper turned mogul: Obriein-->HO Sports-->Radar/Ronix. He had a very interesting life. If he had a documentary, I would watch it for sure.

phathom 09-03-2013 3:07 PM

I stand corrected. This was the history of it that I learned growing up.
Apparently wikipedia disagrees with both of us, while Finn was before Obrien, and while he did make skurfer boards, and sale them under the skurfer brand, he was not the creator of them, but made them under license.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakeboa...f_wakeboarding

The pic is one of the ones we had, although I do remember one of my dad's friends bringing out one that just said skurfer that was yellow with black writing and bungee bindings on it.

Interesting looking back at the history of our sports, funny how much and how little things changed. You learn more everyday.

machloosy 09-03-2013 3:28 PM

Girl on the shoulders is awesome. That looks like an old school tower of power merc motor from the late 60's or maybe the Mercury 1000 aka phantom, which was the first production outboard to break 100hp. Anyhow, looks like people were surfing just fine behind a 100hp O/B boat.

idaho_hillbilly 09-03-2013 8:55 PM

I have the Yellow with black writing skurfer. Watersport "barn find"? :) Friends of ours had it in their lake cabin shed. They said no one could ride it so it has just sat for YEARS. They just gave it to me. Pretty fun, beside the horrible bindings.

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps71357a92.jpg

idaho_hillbilly 09-03-2013 9:10 PM

Here is one of my attempts at the 4 foot Hydrofoils:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Wx8TFi3PsdI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here is my attempt at killing myself using the 4' Hydrofoils:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QIag_8HXXbQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

illini88 09-04-2013 5:25 AM

The old skurfers are fun, once you get up. They're a bear in the water due to being so buoyant. We've come a long long ways from those things, though.


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