http://www.thesurfgallery.com.au/

The Surf Gallery, 50750 South Coast Highway, Youngs Siding, Young's Siding (2026)

23/05/2026

This is the very last board to be restored in the Surf Gallery workshops. After 6 years of operating the gallery and the associated workshops, it’s time to hit the road on a big adventure around Australia for the next 12 months or so. I’ll likely resume restorations in our new premises once they’re built, but for the time being, I’m having a break from repairs and restorations.

This particular board is an early 1960’s Cordingley that was doomed for a future life in a refuse site. It had been left in a skip bin awaiting a certain death, but fortunately it was saved by who could see the potential in the sad carcass that was languishing in the bin.

A good friend and regular customer of mine commissioned the work and I was pleased to be able to bring the old malibu back to life for him. It was definitely a massive job and a big transformation, but was all worth it in the end. In a nod to Bodhi Tree, I made a new timber fin and nose block for the board, using a combination of cedar and jarrah panels. The colour scheme on the board was also reverted back to the original and new logos replaced the badly delaminated ones.

Another classic piece of Western Australian surfboard history saved from landfill and ready for at least another 60 years.

20/05/2026

A lovely pair of MR’s have just left the restoration workshop.

A matching set comprising a single and a twin fin. My guess is they’re from the early 1980’s, but happy to be corrected. Either way they’re a stunning pair that have now been brought back to immaculate condition for their age. With careful restoration, they have both remained incredibly light… even with shiny new gloss coats. I love working on such classic boards to give them the resto love they deserve.

Beautiful boards with an outstanding MR pedigree.

06/05/2026

Who doesn’t love a vintage twin fin and this late 1970’s Byrne twinny has just been given a good dose of resto love. I had my work cut out on this one, but it was all well worth it.

From its birth on the south coast of NSW nearly 50 years ago, it will now be heading to its new home on the south coast of WA for maybe another 50 years!!!

I’m not an expert on east coast surfboards, nor specifically the Byrne’s, but I can possibly see a distinct nod or collaboration with Larry Bertlemann on this classic twin.

Whatever its genesis, this one’s a cracker and is now back to its former glory.

03/05/2026

A quiver of 1980’s West Australian surfboard royalty has moved into the restoration departure lounge and is all ready to head home to one of my very regular and valued clients.

A Colin Ladhams Santosha, a Dave Lewis Cordingley and another by Col Ladhams under the H2O label… all iconic WA boards from the era…. and just for good measure, the H2O is covered in artwork by Devo!!!

All 3 boards were in average to fair condition before the restoration work. My main aim was to keep them all nice and light to reflect their original weight. I was also keen to bring back the lost artwork on all 3 boards with careful and meticulous airbrushing… no major cover-ups though, just reinstating artwork and graphics.

These 3 surfboards are a dream collection of WA 1980’s boards and I know they’ll be loved by a very grateful owner for many years to come.

Wind them up and watch them go!!!

02/05/2026

I’ve been restoring vintage surfboards for over 35 years and every now and then, something very special comes along… and this little Hot Stuff is one of those.

Shaped by Allan Byrne for Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew in the mid to late 80’s, it’s got so much going on, I don’t know where to start. The shape itself features the iconic AB six channel hull. It has a fairly typical narrow nose planshape outline from the era and a square tail that’s scooped on the deck. The fins are very small at only 4” and are very narrow and upright at the tip. The rails are full with a tucked hard bottom edge right through. This shape was built for someone who knew what they were doing and I’m sure Rabbit would have absolutely ripped on it.

The glassing on the board is ultra-light, even by today’s standards, yet it’s surprisingly strong. Normally when I work on pro boards, it’s a challenge not to sand through the glass at the lightest touch, but this one was actually a pleasure to work on.

The logos on the board are an absolute standout though. There’s the standard Hot Stuff logo, Allan’s eye in the hand logo, plus Rabbit’s WB rabbit logo (which landed him in strife with Warner Brothers… but then it wouldn’t be Rabbit if he wasn’t bustin’ down the door!!!). It’s the other two logo’s that fascinate me though. Rip Curl and Billabong team logos that are all on tissues and glassed into the board… a dual sponsorship???

All in all… this board is an absolute ripper and it deserved a restoration that was as authentic as possible, with no airbrush cover-ups. Although the history is shining through, the board is in remarkably good original condition for its age and stands as an iconic (and highly collectable) board from the mid to late 80’s… about as hot stuff as it gets!!!

22/04/2026

A fine pair of late 1970’s Cordingley single fins have emerged from the resto workshop.

The Cordingley sunset logo is highly sought after by collectors and came about after the temporary hand drawn Cordingley logos which were used during the mid 1970’s. The sunset logo was used from around 1976 to 1979 and has been a favourite since.

The longer of the two boards in the photos measures 7’9” x 20 1/2” and was likely made in 1976. It has orange tinted resin on the bottom and an orange to yellow rail fade airbrush spray on the deck, all set off with a red pinline at the deck rail cut line.

The shorter of the two boards measures 6’8” x 19 3/4”and was likely made around 1978. It was glassed all over in milk white pigment and features some clean pinline work on the deck.

Both boards are beautiful examples of the classic outlines and shapes of one of our finest shapers from the single fin era… Greg Laurenson.

Many thanks to my good friend for his intimate knowledge and fact checking information on all things Cordingley.

18/04/2026

After 5 years of magnificent service in The Surf Shack, Bettina our FJ Holden ute has left the building and off to a new life. She’s remaining within our extended family, so she’ll always be close to our hearts. There’s a very good chance she’ll actually get to drive on the road again… and maybe even a spin down to the beach one day!!!

She brought so much joy to thousands of our visitors to The Surf Shack and was always a standout attraction… especially for the groms (young, old and furry) to jump in the front seat for a photo opportunity. She’s been a part of our life for around 25 years, but her time in The Surf Shack has, without doubt, been the time of her life. She’s been admired, loved and adored as much as the beautiful vintage surfboards on display, and has stood loud and proud in all her stunning patina.

We’re going to miss the old girl… but stoked she’s going to a good home within the family.

Drive free Bettina… the open road awaits.

18/04/2026

This little circa 1970 West Coast single fin had been on the brink of beyond hope in the backlot of my workshop for many years. At only 4’11” x 191/2”, I always knew it was a special part of surfboard evolution history, but it was in such poor condition and was missing the crucial fin to suit the unique fin box system, that I had almost given up on it.

When my good friend Jose showed me a fin that he had found while diving on the reefs around Perth, I knew I just had to restore the little West Coast now that her story was complete. Jose has collected hundreds of fins from the ocean floor over many years and turns them into pieces of amazing art. We were both stoked to be able to reunite this particular fin with the right board again. As Jose does with his art pieces, I’ve left the coral encrustations on the fin as an homage to its life on the ocean floor.

The board was originally made around 1970 by Bob Gairdner in Fitzgerald St Perth, under his West Coast label towards the end of the short board revolution. It was almost a race to see how short surfboards could actually become… and still be ridden. This one was likely at about the limit of shortness!!! The fin was probably lost around the same reefs where Jose dives and although I’m not claiming a spooky coincidence… but it could just be 😂😂😂

The restoration called for a full strip and reglass, but I retained as many original features as possible. I glassed the bottom in a deep maroon pigment and the deck in a vibrant orange tint. The cut lap line was set off by a caramel brown pinline and the original logo was recreated for me by the masters

This one is so beautiful and historically unique that it’s definitely going to be a keeper as part of my private collection.

for the colour appreciation society!!!

21/03/2026

The early 1960’s were the boom time for Australian surfing and surfboard manufacturing. Board builders couldn’t keep up with the insatiable demand from “wannabe” surfers all around the country. The epicentre of Australia’s fledgling surfboard industry during this era was Brookvale in Sydney, and more particularly… led by the Brookvale Six comprising shapers Gordon Woods, Barry Bennett, Greg McDonagh, Bill Wallace, Scott Dillon and Denny Keogh.

I’ve just finished restoring this 1963/4 McDonagh for the owner who has had it since near new. The board was originally purchased new by a wannabe surfer who quickly realised surfing wasn’t for him, so he sold it to a mate for a carton of Emu Export beer. Just over 60 years later, this mate contacted me to ask if I would be able to restore it as a family heirloom. The board had been a big part of their family since the early 60’s and his son also learnt to surf on it. These type of restorations are very special to me, and although I knew it was going to be a big and difficult job, I jumped at the opportunity.

The restoration brief was to keep the history, patina and originality of the board… definitely no strip and reglass for this one. It wasn’t until I gave it an initial heavy sand that some of the inscriptions became evident. Greg McDonagh’s serial number for this board was 666. I promptly named it the Red Devil and felt partly responsible for the Antichrist Resurrection!!! Seriously though, it was a joy to work on this special piece of Australian surfboard history and to hand it back to the family, who were extremely overwhelmed and grateful for how well it came up.

It’s definitely a beautiful beast of a board and will now take pride of place on the wall at the son’s house for future generations of the family to admire and share some great stories about its family connection.

Go you Red Devil… the resurrection of a family heirloom.

#666

15/03/2026

Two more classics leaving the restoration workshop.

Simon Anderson’s Energy Thruster and Geoff McCoy’s LazerZap are arguably the two most iconic and evolutionary surfboard designs of the 1980’s.

Both boards needed significant work to bring them back to exhibition quality and to restore all of their original features. Given that they will unlikely be ridden again, their future life will be as a time capsule of history for all to enjoy and learn from. They have likely enjoyed thousands of waves between them and given much joy to their previous owners over the years… and now it’s time to show off their shine and enjoy a life of retirement.

The Surf Gallery

23/05/2026

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06/05/2026

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02/05/2026

22/04/2026

18/04/2026

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