by E-Surfer.com
Happy Easter weekend MotoSurf Nation! Enjoy some historical content to chew on while you spend time with your families.
There is a long history of the motorized surfboards which got documented way back to the 1930’s. Many talented people tried to find an alternative if there are no waves or wind. Here is a brief overview of where the hobby and industry started!
How It Started
In 1935, the Surf Scooter appeared in an Australian newspaper where lifeguards were testing the surfboard on Bondi Beach in Australia. According to some sources, it had been developed five (!) years earlier, marking the beginning of the history of motorized surfboards in 1930.
In 1938, Emil Hansen from Pennsylvania presented his Scimboat. It was more of a boat than a surfboard, although the size was similar. It had a top speed of 30 mph or 48 km/h, powered by a 7.5 hp propeller drive. The propeller was mounted on the front of the board for safety reasons, but also had a magnetic kill switch. The weight of the aluminum boards was 120 pounds or 54 kg.
In 1948, Joe Gilpin showed off his motorized board. This guy certainly had style when he rode his motorized surfboard in a suit with a walking stick and cigar. However, the jetboard prototype never went into series production.
In 1960, the well-known surfer, surfboard manufacturer and inventor of the Hobie Cat catamaran Hobart presented motorized surfboards. He also invented a motorized skateboard. What a talented guy!
First Motorized Surfboards In Series Production
In 1965, Bloomingdales department stores launched the first commercially available motorized surfboard – they called it the Jet Surfboard. At around USD 1,700, it was quite expensive by the standards of the time, but 200 were produced and sold. Here’s the kicker: USD 1,700 is equivalent to a purchasing power of USD 17,277 today – this is the price for premium eFoils and jetboards today!
In the same year, George Carter developed his Surfjet. His company existed under the name “Wild Thing Watercraft” until 1998, when it went bankrupt.
George Barris also presented his motorized surfboard, which actually had a seat. In 1973, North Hants Engineering launched its Skidaddle surfboard, which was powered by a 157 cc engine.
In the 1980s, honeycomb surfboard manufacturer Neil Townsend launched his Aquajet onto the market. A propeller-driven surfboard. Various inventors also developed petrol-powered surfboards in the 1980s.
In Berlin, there was even the “Berliner Moto-Surf Club“, which used its motorized surfboards on the Wannsee near Berlin. We found two of these boards in Waterrebels’ garage.
MotoSurf Nation will be back after the Easter break. Take care!
Source:
https://e-surfer.com/en/blog/motorised-surfboards/
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