HISTORY

This is one of the first Morey Boogie advertisements that appeared in the April /March issue of Surfer Magazine in 1975. Its the do it yourself kit board mailorder plus theres stock models now  available from shops as well. As the picture shows the first boards were ridiclously bendy due to the fact they did not come  with a hard slick bottom.

Phylis was the sports first female star. She earned this reputation not winning contests but charging big Sunset and Waimea Bay back in the late 70′s. She was one of bodyboardings first big wave chargers.Pictures started turning up of her taking massive freefall drops on her bodyboard outside at The Bay on the biggest days. Her performances were up there with any hardcore surfer of the time. She even had rigged a special super thick wrist rope and a homemade square plug for extra strength when wiping out to help prevent her being seperated from her board. Phylis was profiled in 79 in Surfer Magazine.

 During the 1930s right up to the 1960s small blowup devices known as Surf-O-Planes a forerunner to the bodyboard were a common sight and could be hired at most City beaches in Australia. These inflated hard ribbed rubber rafts lacked any real maneuverability and came with two rubber handles attached at the nose for turning.  With the invention of the Surf Mat followed soon by the Bodyboard in the 70’s the Surf-O-plane all but disappeared from sight. Check out this retro photo below of the Surf-O-Planes and the stylish swim costumes these guys are wearing.

         Adam “Wingnut” Smith had the honor of being one the first bodyboarders to be sponsored by Manta in the late 80’s. By the time he was 15 he was already regarded as the Super Grom of the sport. He was winning comps, traveling the world, charging Shark Island and he was living the life. When Terry Fleming from Manta and he got together in the early 90s in the shaping bay they came up with The Wingnut Grommet board. It was the first signature board to cater for younger kids. The following summer on its release the board hit the best sellers list in Australia.  Below, Wingy and Tezza work on the design. Photo Stroh

Young Tully Beevor came from Avalon on Sydneys Northern Beaches and it wasnt long before his reputation began to spread about the kid with the text book style riding a Morey and with snowy white hair. In 1995 Tully hit Hawaii and forged a name for himself with a gutsy go for it performance. The video Ocean Fire captured Tully in full flight and he was soon being lauded as the next big thing. Not long later the Avalon kid who had shown so much early potential lost interest and faded from the scene. Another wasted talent who went underground before hitting his full potential   pic Stroh mid 90′s.

Dave was one of the original Skid Kids the group of Cronulla bodyboarders known for their charging at Shark Island and causing mayhem on land. What set Bal apart was his Dropknee skills. Dave possessed a powerful gouging style and daring lip launching moves that he made consistently, not like most of his DK rivals. Through the 90′s he battled Roach and Aka Lyman for top honors.Sponsored by Billabong and Manta for a while Bal had the distinction of having more Riptide covers than anyone else. Today Bals still ripping both prone and DK and is still an Island standout.   photo Stroh, Garie lip bash.

Hauoli was one of the sports true characters. He built up a reputation in Hawaii for his go for it lip launches at maxing Off The Wall. He was also a bit of a exhibitonist on land getting him plenty of media coverage  for his outrageous behaviour that earned him the title Rude Boy. This photo was taken in Aus when touring for Morey Boogie. Hauoli would don a Sadam Hussan mask and freak out any lineups when he paddled out….photo Stroh crica 90

The first Underground Tapes videos by Chris Stroh came out in the early 90′s. The original concept behind the series  of 10 films was similar to guerilla warfare according to Strohy. “Nothing was planned , just hit and run and shoot everything that moved vertical. It was all about the action  rather than quality”. Strohy foccussed on the upencoming young Aussies as they struggled for recognition. Names like Macca, Hellman, Nugget, Eppo, Wingnut, Perce, Bal, Riley and the rest showed what they were made of and the series created a cult like following. Shot on Hi8, what it lacked in high definition it compensated with busting big, mutant barrels and a heavy helping of writing off. The vids were left of centre and ahead of there time. The good news is Strohy is working on releasing a box set of UT action digitally enhanced for release sometime in 2011. Stay tuned….Below the original cover with a silhoutette of Mike Stewart busting an invert at Guilotines. photo Stroh

Before No Friends and Premier Clothing the people at Morey Boogie unleashed a brand of beachwear. Jay Reale was there main ambassador and although it only lasted a few seasons it was the beginning of breaking away from traditional surf brands.