Narm No 2 Rubber Surfoplane

Inflatable rubber "Surfoplanes" were a popular way for Australian kids to catch waves and learn about ocean dynamics, from the early-1930s through to the 1970s. First designed and made in Australia by Dr Ernest Smithers in 1933, the rubber surfcraft were soon promoted as "Surfoplanes", after Smithers teamed up with famous Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith to promote their sales. At many beaches these user-friendly craft could be hired, with the added advantage of surfers being able to ride them between the flags (off limits to boardriders). Like many other brand names, "Surfoplane" became the generic term for similar products. Many older Australian surfers remember learning to surf on their "Surfos", but their reign as ideal beginner craft ended in the mid-1970s when they were superseded by Morey Boogie boards, plasticised foam surfcraft of a similar shape invented in America.