History of the Surf Ski by Bill Beale

I was reading an article on the late Steve Sinclair, a dare-devil surf ski rider who only took to the ocean off California when the storm swells were twenty-foot plus. The article said he used an Odyssea ski, a descendant "… from the Australian surf ski of the 1890s …"

An early surk ski - note the belt and body rope

Interesting. Did the surf ski originate in the land of Oz, and was it that far back?

There is a great little museum at the Manly Life Saving Club, with a plethora of surfing memorabilia carefully tendered by devotees Ray (Disco) Moran and Ray Petersen.

I wandered in. "Disco, have you got anything on the history of surf skis?" I asked.

"Is the Pope a Catholic?" the amiable Disco responded. He ratted amongst some folders and said, "Have a look at this. We're always here to help."

The folder contained some aging newspaper articles and a signed statement from a Harry McLaren. And, lo, what's this? A Manly connection to the surf ski origin - albeit a dubious one! It seems the surf ski was patented by Manly resident Dr John Saxon (Sacka) Crakanthorp in 1933 and, for almost half a century, he was credited with its origin.( 'Saka' Crakanthorp and his borther Montague Churchill (Chur), by the way, were outstanding members of the the Manly LSC and their names pop up in various articles in the club museum. They also featured in the book "Gladiators of the Surf").

"There's a bit of controversy over it. Be careful what you say," warned Disco. It seems North Bondi and Maroubra surf clubs also laid claim to the fame. I was to later learn that a local paddler, Brian Dubb, a South African and now a member of North Bondi SLS, had come across an interesting craft while he was surfing in South America.

Here's the facts in regard to the Australain background. J S Crakanthorp's brother, Harry Crakanthorp, was the Town Clerk of Port Macquarie from 1938 till his death in the early 1970s. According to a mutual friend of the Town Clerk, Mr R Lindsay of Wamberal, Harry Crakanthorp always attributed the building of the first surf skis to Harry McLaren of Port Macquarie. Harry Crakanthorp's brothe , Sacka, had visited him at Port Macquarie, had used McLaren's ski, and took its measurements and the idea back to Sydney. He was entrepreneurial and took out a patent on it.

Harry McLaren was only 15 when he came up with the original design in 1912. Prior to that, Harry had used his Uncle Ern's duck hunting canoe to 'shoot the breakers' near Pelican Island. But the canoe would 'bury its head' when coming down the face.

" … I got a brainwave then if I built something that was on the style of a porpoise and made the front of it fairly round and tapered off at the stern and gave it a spring up in the front it would shoot the waves fairly good. That was when I was a kid 15. Round the latter part of 1912 I made one out of New Zealand Kauri and nailed it all together … after Christmas in 1913 I made another one for my brother … then I went off to the War. I still have photos of the two skis … In 1928, 29, I made one for (Harry Crakanthorp) and two for myself. In 1932 … Dr Crakanthorp came up on holidays."

And if you are not convinced so far folks, this, for me, is where Harry McLaren's account has a definite ring of truth. Harry said that the doctor was a big man, and " … as soon as he would get on the surf ski, of course it would tip him off." I 'resemble' that remark!

Harry said that during the winter of 1933 he read in the Evening News " …that there was to be a new surf boat of some description to be introduced to the beaches in the spring of 1933. Then Dr Crakanthorp got the credit of inventing the surf ski … But he didn't make them. He had a friend called Jack Toyer who was a boat builder … I met him and he said they'd made a lot of money …"

Harry McLaren in the early 30s

Of particular interest, when using his ski, Harry McLaren did not use the now conventional double-bladed paddle. He used two square butter-bats (like square table tennis bats, 15 cm wide by 35 cm long) strapped to each hand. He used these while kneeling on his surf ski. "They work a damn lot better than today's paddles … if knocked off, a ski paddler would not be separated from the paddles." The rider also had a rope tied to the waist and the ski. Harry also proffered that the kneeling position offered less wave resistance than the present seated method.

Harry McLaren's ute. Off to the Nationals?

One of the skis Harry McLaren built in the early 30s has been presented to the Port Macquarie Surf Life Saving Club where it continues to serve as an honour role.

The Honour Role at Port Macquarie surf Life Saving Club

The Manly Art Museum has the original surf ski which Harry McLaren built and gave to Harry Crakanthorp.

Manly girls in the 1940s on surf skis (on the ski on the left, the late Ray Leighton's name can be made out on the source photograph)

I thought I had things sorted out when Rod Taylor dropped in. I showed him the cuttings, the photographs, and the web article.

"Have you heard about those things the native fishermen use in Peru?" asked Rod. "They're made out of reeds bound together and they've got an upturned bow - like Aladdin's shoes. For a padle, they use a length of bamboo, split down the middle so they've got the scoop at the end."

"Yeah?" I responded dispassionately.

"Yeah. Brian Dubb, he's a ski paddler, he lives in the Eastern Suburbs. He was down there surfing in Peru and he saw this local fisherman go out through the break. He had no trouble getting out, they're big heavy things. It just bulldozed over the wave. Then an hour or so later he saw him come back from around the point, catch a wave and ride it in to the beach. Later on he asked a couple of the locals who could speak English what they were. They said they've been using them for thousands of years."

"Okay," I replied, but musing, 'Who's got the bragging rights now?'

I telephoned Brian Dubb. He was more than happy to help out. He kindly emailed an article he wrote on them for 'Australian Life Saver'. With Brian's permission, we've included it on the site - click to view it. Brian also provided the photograph below.

These craft are called 'caballitos' - named, as Brian said, by the Spaniards after 'little horses'.

I spoke again to Disco. "Have a look at the July August edition of 'Australian Longboard Riding' when it comes out. There's going to be a bit about them in there," he said.

The curled-up bow would have certainly overcome the problem Harry McLaren initally had with the nose-diving of Uncle Ern's duck hunting canoe. It is an interesting concept. Instead of the flared nose of the SLS surf ski, I wondered how a modern adaptation could help prevent the dreaded nose plough.

Disco looked over my shoulder at the photograph, shaking his head. "They're really canoes, not surf skis."

We're into definitions now. That'll involve the lawyers. I'm not going there! I'll let you folks make up your own minds.

So if you're siding with the Oz connection, the surf ski's origin does not go quite as far back as the 1890s as intimated in the hurrican-paddler article. It was a humble, if not controversial, beginning evolving from the brainwave of a knock-about kid. But butter-bats for paddles? I don't think there would have been too many cramming to get the patent on that idea.

If you side with ancient history caballitos, likewise, I do not think split bamboo shafts will ever compete with the Bennett paddle. Nor would they provide a functional substitute for an Honour Roll in the surf club.

But could the wider side of the debate mean that the South American Indians can vie with the Hawaiians to be hailed as the world's first surfers?

(We would also like to thank Mr Chris Crakanthorp, the son of Harry, who helped us correct some of the details in this article. Chris now lives at Willow Vale. Recently the family donated a belt worn by his father on his original ski to the Manly Museum and Art Gallery)