I thought I'd send you these pics of an infamous surfcraft of yesteryear. I'm sure you've seen one in your travels. (I'll bet most prone-riders haven't!) I'm talking 'bout the lowly Captain Swim-Surfer!
Is it a surf mat? Not quite...
Is it inflatable? Kind of...
Is it totally indestructible? Just about...
Was it developed by mad chemists, with a keen sense of advanced hydrodynamics? Perhaps...
Long discarded in surfing history's pile of flotsam, I say this funky relic deserves another serious look!
3/4 view, showing concave deck, and "chine" transition rails.
Logo shot - still intact!
Rear view, showing drain plug and -- WOOOPS!!!! -- UNION CARBIDE??? I bet they wish they would've stuck to making these, rather than offshoring their pesticide refineries. (Remember Bhopal?)
Bottom view rear - dig the subtle keel fin!
Bottom view front - It appears that all the rocker is in the hulled bottom profile, while the S deck remains quite flat - up onto the rolled hips....hmmm.... And what of those concave nose pockets? It's almost as if Simmons had a hand in the design of this thing!
10 comments:
you know,that is really weird.found similar one on ebay,yellow for a tenner.Dave Heard of bodyboardhq shop in Cornwall was selling off his unused watercraft to fight the credit crunch.Is it duckdivable?Looks fun!
This one's blue...
I have one exactly like that, standing just inside the doorway of my shop for the last several years.
Dale
very interesting, I doubt that it would work as well as a mat but interesting none the less.
How does it flex? Whats the twist like around the center?
Thanks for posting
Bet Morey Boogie's law firm had a field day with it.
I remember those Jetson style surf sleds. They looked as if they belonged in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. Funny how the sixties futurists were so enthusiastic about aesthetically sculpted appearances and yet veritably blind to functionality. I really liked the model cities under plexiglas domes with like ten cars moving around, rather than easily predictable urban gridlock. Monsanto's "Better Living Through Chemistry" jingle sounded decidedly hollow while Santa Monica Bay was the most mercury toxic open ocean area in the world due to their subsidiary Montrose Chemical dumping 160,000 tons of the stuff off of Palos Verdes. And so it went for Captain Swim Surfer as well. Cool looking, like Will Robinson would ride one on Lost In Space. However the reality was that the bog-slow round bottom was more suited to a sailboat and the scow bow served brilliantly for spraying water in your eyes, plus they were rock hard, which made them ride like a dead horse. Ah, the miracles of science, where it looks so good on paper. I reckon that researchers and industrialists are brilliant at providing materials and equipment, and less formal garage enthusists are far better suited to design and fabricate actual products. Of course, surfmats are a prime example in this regard. So, hats off to both parties for bringing us the space age artistry of our modern wave riding vehicles!!!
Damn. Here I was searching the Internet for this from my teens ( I'm 56 now) and your pics popped up, along w the comments from December 29, 2008 ( coincidentally that's my birthday) so I just had to comment. I had a blue Captain Swim Surfer identical to the pics you posted. I had sat it on the beach when I went out surfing only to come back to find someone had walked off w it. Though it was hard ass plastic and would turn my stomach red from rash, it was still a fun thing to use back in the day. I only wish I could find a blue one for sale. I'd buy it just to hang on the wall as art. Thanks for posting the pics.
Hal
Ocean City, Maryland
Damn. Here I was searching the Internet for items from my teens ( I'm now 56) and I came across the pics you posted of the blue Captain Swim Surfer and Posted comments from December 29,2008 ( coincidentally my birthday) so I just had to comment. I had a blue one just like your pics but left it laying on the beach when I went out to surf only to come back in to find someone had walked off with it. Ruined my day as a 12 year old ! Though it was hard ass plastic and left numerous rashes on my stomach and chest it was still a blast to ride. If you ever come across a blue one that someone's willing to part with I'd love to buy it. I'd display it on my wall at home as artwork. Thanks Ocean City, Maryland
I have owned one of these boards for roughly sixty years. I can tell you from firsthand personal knowledge that Union Carbide NEVER sold these boards -- they were a limited run premium, back in the day when U.C. owned EverReady batteries. The term "Captain" found on it was a direct reference to their EverReady line of flashlights -- the finest of the era. Also once owned on their top of the line flashlights that had a wide spring loaded impact resistant headlight-type lens and best yet it was a seven D cell that was easily convertible down to a five or three cell configuration by unscrewing the barrels and moving the end cap. It also came with a genuine leather shoulder strap. As far as the boards were concerned, they were strictly available as a premium / display item, they are considered RARE and even though I have been offered as much as $1000.00 for mine, there is something about the memories of the fun I had with it as a child that I could never part with it. That offer didn't even make me blink. How do I know from what I write? Among the many products distributed by the family business -- U.C. was one of them and my dad scored my board when I was around seven years old.
I have owned one of these boards for roughly sixty years. I can tell you from firsthand personal knowledge that Union Carbide NEVER sold these boards -- they were a limited run premium, back in the day when U.C. owned EverReady batteries. The term "Captain" found on it was a direct reference to their EverReady line of flashlights -- the finest of the era. Also once owned on their top of the line flashlights that had a wide spring loaded impact resistant headlight-type lens and best yet it was a seven D cell that was easily convertible down to a five or three cell configuration by unscrewing the barrels and moving the end cap. It also came with a genuine leather shoulder strap. As far as the boards were concerned, they were strictly available as a premium / display item, they are considered RARE and even though I have been offered as much as $1000.00 for mine, there is something about the memories of the fun I had with it as a child that I could never part with it. That offer didn't even make me blink. How do I know from what I write? Among the many products distributed by the family business -- U.C. was one of them and my dad scored my board when I was around seven years old.
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