A beautiful metallic blue Mercedes S123 was the main actor in the surf story about the correct transport of surfboards. However, this was not originally a report initiated by the surf editorial team, but a highly serious series of tests by Daimer-Benz AG. The company had invested "over 100,000 marks" to provide surfing Mercedes owners with scientifically proven advice on how best to transport their equipment on their favourite vehicle. However, the results "tend to apply to all vehicles", as emphasised at the beginning. After practical tests on the Hockenheimring with a Mercedes 500 (of which there are unfortunately no pictures to be seen), further tests are carried out on the aforementioned Estate in the wind tunnel. One of the most important findings: One board causes around 50 kg of lift, two boards on top of each other around 70 to 75 kg. However, when two boards are strapped next to each other on the roof, a staggering 200 to 230 kg of lift is generated - in other words, forces that pull the front end of the car upwards, making road holding and safety noticeably worse. Although these values were measured at 220 km/h, the trend was also identical at 130 km/h. Another finding: aerodynamic drag is hardly increased in estate cars, but it is in saloons.
The roots of pump foiling
A rather inconspicuous half-page advert for "leisure fun in calm conditions": The "swing surf" is apparently a construction that can be plugged into the centreboard box. A swivelling step surface with foot straps is placed on the deck, and a kind of fin construction is connected at the bottom via a mechanism. Standing on the top of the disc and moving rhythmically generates propulsion via the fins. It remains to be seen whether the word "accelerate" is the right choice for the promised 6 km/h, but the whole thing will definitely be interesting.
Is the "real" inventor of windsurfing from Great Britain?
Darby, Drake, Schweitzer - the invention of windsurfing was often the subject of surf and other publications and, thanks to the dubious business acumen of certain patent holders, even more often in court. It was all the more curious that another protagonist suddenly appeared on the scene in 1982: Peter Chilvers claimed to have built a construction as a twelve-year-old (!) that was vaguely reminiscent of a windsurfing set-up. The board was a hollow wooden construction, the rig a canvas cloth with flexible battens and a wooden louvre as a "boom". There were no pictures or original drawings back in 1982; Chilvers, 36 years old at the time, sketched his design from memory. In the hustle and bustle of patent litigation, Tabor Marine, the British importer of Bic, became aware of Chilvers and called him to court as a witness in the trial against Schweitzer. The judges and lawyers even went in search of evidence at the campsite where Chivers' design had allegedly met an inglorious end as a jetty plank. In fact, the thin evidence was enough for the court to overturn the Schweitzer patent in the UK.
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And what else?
- "From 0 to 470 cm length in 1 second" is how surf advertises the new subscription premium: A Tsche for the then still one-piece masts
- Pearls of advertising: Marker certifies that its "Mark 1 O.K." model has an "extremely successful hydrodynamic underwater geometry".
- 8500 test rides were registered at the surf test week on Lake Garda - a forerunner of today's surf festival. Even back then: seminars and guides on various topics.
- "I would love to strangle Hoyle Schweitzer and Fred Ostermann," one Olympic official is quoted as saying. The two business heads of the surf industry are really getting on the nerves of the committee that is to select an Olympic board for 1984.
- surf explains in detail in a kind of essay why windsurfing could become one of the most popular sports. In the booming early eighties, people were still dreaming of soon overtaking even skiing. There are also tips for beginners.
- For easier handling, there is now the "comfort rig": with a shorter boom, higher leech and more surface area in the upper area, it should be particularly easy to pull out of the water
- Pearls of advertising, II: "Masculine, strong, sporty", says the double-page advert, and at the end: "Have a weakness for the strong!" The advert is for the Opel Manta II - what ever happened to "Wie wennze fliechst!"?
- A tiny little surfer right next to an imposing cargo ship - that was the somewhat terrifying cover picture of the emergency guidebook
- "Sport Bittl" is causing unrest among surf retailers, as the shop on the outskirts of Munich is selling hundreds of shelf warmers and cheap boards well below the usual prices. The competition is fuming, the buyers are happy, and surf gets to the bottom of "cheap Jacob".
- A hit even back then: surf shows the best spots on the east coast of the IJsselmeer in the Holland area guide: Workum, Hindeloopen and Co. are still extremely popular over 40 years later - and offer many great Campsites right on the water
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Tobias Frauen
Editor
