Ian "Kanga" Cairns Gordon & Smith Gun

Australian Ian “Kanga” Cairns was one of professional surfing’s pioneers in the mid-1970s, runner-up for the inaugural pro world championship in 1976, and especially renowned for his aggressive big wave surfing, particularly in Hawaii. Ian shaped this big wave gun board to take on the biggest known waves in the world at that time, at Kaena Point in Hawaii. A peninsula that separates Oahu’s west and north shores, Kaena Point only rarely breaks and was going unridden, with Ian believing it would be possible to ride such waves if you had the right equipment. In 1976 he shaped this board with that mission in mind (although it ultimately went unfulfilled). The board features all the pertinent design features of big wave guns of the era: a long tapered outline, lots of volume (so it could be paddled at speed) and a central single fin.