KING CUSTOM SURFBOARDS

 King Surfboards.

According to Surfresearch this logo 

has the board dated to 1961.

Scroll down to King Surfboards listing.

 It measures in at.

9' 6 3/8" x 20 3/8" x 3 3/4"

Nose 16"

Tail 16" 

Pod 5 1/2"

The stringers are inlaid.

The bottom stringer runs down the centre line as usual.

The deck has two stringers.

The left side runs from the corner of the pod

in a curve to the nose.

The right side runs from the other corner of the pod

straight to the nose.

Both stringers are off set at the nose.

 The original fin had been removed

so that it could be displayed 

deck up against a wall.

 The bottom needed to be re laminated.

After years of exposure to UV

and only having one layer of 6oz cloth

 it was extremely weak.

 Two layers of 4oz cloth 

were added over the existing layer of 6oz cloth
 and lapped onto the deck. 

 Bottom lams on.

 Top and bottom gloss coats.

 A new fin had to be made.

9" x 11" 

 Bottom foil.

Finished.

Enlarge image to see the stringers. 

KING RESTORATION 2002

This is a KING steptail. Built by Graham King Surfboards on Sydneys South side in approx 1963. Graham King is still involved in the surboard industry today.
This board was found at a local NSW Central Coast market, in 2002, cost $200. The board was in poor condition and covered with non-original white gelcoat. Possible tail section missing. The original fin was missing and had been replaced with a 1970's Bahne-type fin-box (Multifins?) and plastic fin. See pre and post restoration photographs below. The condition of this board prior to restoration; on a scale of 1-10 would have been 2-21/2. The board was white all over. Probably not original because it covered the manufactures logo and the foam was quiet brown. It had major dings on the tail and nose, stress marks on the bottom, and fractures and dings all around the rails. The board was in such poor condition, there was no choice but to do a full pigment job. All the pigment / gelcoat was sanded off revealing the "King " logo and the wedge stringer on the deck. The fin box had to be removed and the step area rebuilt. The rails had to be faired and glassed, stress marks and dings repaired, and a new fin made and glassed in. Pigment coats applied, pin lined, wet & dry sanded and polished. A total of 40 hours work over a six month period.

THE FINISHED DECK

THE FINISHED BOTTOM

HAWAIIAN STEP TAIL

This image shows the board built by
John Kelly in Hawaii in 1962.
Which the Australian boards were probably based on.

Photo courtesy of "A Pictorial History of Surfing"
by Margan and Finney 1970.

ORIGINAL BOTTOM

Unfortunatly the King logo on the bottom
was damaged when the fin box was installed.

ORIGINAL DECK

The white gelcoat had been added at some stage.
It covered the King logos and the foam was quiet brown.

PROFILE

This profile image shows
that the board has little
bottom curve or camber.
It seems very primitive
compared to the John Kelly board.

THE FIN

As mentioned a new fin had to be made.
No clear photo could be found, of a fin template for an Australian version of this type of board. The only photo shows the board on its side. The fin looks as if it could be a reverse d fin. So that is what we went with. The dimentions are. Base 10.5 inches and Height 9 inches.