← Back to overview
Board of the week! #31
Howzit,
To end the week, we're excited not only to mention we did a major update but also to squeeze in our Board of the Week 31, a Sea Flight surfboard from the early to mid-80s. This board was shaped in Jeffreys Bay by one of four shapers at the factory: Larry Levine, David Lipschitz, Kenny Freeland or Glen D’Arcy. The Sea Flight label was born in 1980 from a surfboard factory located in the old Urban and Johnson fishing factory on the main beach in Jeffreys Bay.
Brand: Sea Flight
This particular Sea Flight board is a shortboard with a PU construction, measuring +- 6’6” x 19 5/16" x 2 5/16". It features a squash tail and a thruster fin setup with glass on fins and polyester resin. The design is an old-school spray design, showcasing the creativity and artistry that goes into every surfboard.
The Sea Flight surfboard takes its name from the inter-island Hawaiian ferry, Sea Flite, which was popular in the 70s. The idea to create Sea Flight surfboards was proposed by David Lipschitz to Glen D’Arci upon his return from Hawaii, and the label was born. Glen left his job at the Tompson Surfboard factory in Durban to work on the Sea Flight surfboards.
In the early 90s, Kenny and Glen were producing around 25 Sea Flight surfboards and 3 kneeboards per week. Many of these boards were shipped to Cape Town and sold in David's surf shop, Surf Centre, due to the lack of shapers in the area at that time.
The Sea Flight surfboard is one of the boards displayed at Nina's Realfood Restaurant and was picked up from Smities, a local second-hand shop in Jeffreys Bay, by Brandon Watson a surfer Jbay local. We hope that this board inspires you to appreciate the history and craftsmanship that goes into every surfboard and to scan the QR code on the board to learn more about it.
If you're interested in learning more about Sea Flight and its relation to surfing in the early eighties, we recommend checking out the movie produced by Bob and Ron Condon.
Stay stoked and keep surfing!
At Surf Neutral, we are committed to preserving the rich history and legacy of surfboard shaping and helping surfers connect with their board builders. Our mission is to keep surfboard history alive by showcasing different boards and their unique stories and letting surfers try them when possible. If you have an incredible surfboard that you'd like to share, we encourage you to upload it to your profile for a chance to be featured in our weekly Board of the Week newsletter.
Collaboration and sharing are core values at Surf Neutral, and we welcome any ideas or suggestions that could benefit our community. If you would love to contribute and stand a chance to win a two night stay at African perfection in Jeffreys bay then please complete our survey here!
Thank you for being a part of our community, and stay tuned for our upcoming Board of the Week!
Best regards,
The Surf Neutral Team
Connect with us on one of our social platforms too!
← Back to overview
|