Pepperdine University Libraries Malibu, Calif John Mazza Historic Surfboard Collection, Pepperdine University Special Collections and University Archives
Copyright to the photograph is retained by Pepperdine University. Physical rights to the item are retained by John Mazza, the John G. Mazza Loving Trust Dtd 5/17/90, and the Malibu Surfing Museum. Images are intended for educational and research use, and may be used for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution. Organizations and individuals seeking to use images for publication must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright, patents, trademarks, and other service marks.
Description
George Downing is a champion big-wave surfer and board-shaper of Honolulu, Hawaii. He was a protégé of legend Wally Froiseth, and a contemporary of 1950s surfers Woody Brown, Buzzy Trent, and Walter Hoffman. He is referred to as “the teacher” or “the guru” by surfing insiders, and his knowledge about surfing, based in part on his study of marine topography, weather patterns, and wave intervals, is encyclopedic. In 1950, Downing designed what many consider to be the first true “gun,” or big-wave board. Based on the finless hot curl board, Downing’s “Rocket” was a 10-foot long, narrow-tailed, balsa and fiberglass board with a removable and interchangeable fin. Downing shaped this Inter-Island Surf Shop board for Bernie Ross, the only female surfer featured in the classic surf film "Endless Summer" (1964). Slightly shorter than most guns at the time, this board features a classic big-wave single fin in the style of Dick Brewer. 9 ft., 6 in.
Surfboard collection exhibited at Payson Library, Pepperdine University. The collection is owned by John Mazza, the John G. Mazza Loving Trust Dtd 5/17/90, and the Malibu Surfing Museum. Mazza (John) Collection of Historic Surfboards 0172: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8j67q1b/
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