Homemade Okanuie top view

After the introduction of Malibu style surfboards to Australia in November 1956 local surfboard manufacturers struggled to find regular supplies of foam and fibreglass. People adapted existing hollow plywood construction methods to make hollow Malibu style boards. Known as Okanuie's this type of surfboard was made in Australia for a limited time (1957-58) when fibreglass and foam became more regularly available. Plans for craft like this were shared and appeared in magazines like Popular Mechanics allowing people, with the skills and tools, to make their own surfboards. This home made Okanuie 9'11 x 21 1/2" x 4 1/2" was built by a young (16 years old) Peter Watson and his father Alfred at their home in Murrumbeena (Melbourne) in 1959

top view