Peter ‘Doc’ Docherty (age 13) started riding plywood ‘Toothpick’ surfboards at City Beach in 1958. Doc surfed metro, Lancelin & South West beaches and shaped balsa surf boards at his parents place in Floreat (and nearly sent his folks crazy). Brian Cole employed Doc as a sander at King & Cole Surfboards in Wembley. Brian recalls Doc used to sit in a corner & play his guitar. Doc co-founded the City Beach Surf Riders (CBSR) Club with Viv Kitson in 1962. Late 1963 Doc toured eastern states surf beaches with Terry Jacks, Ernie Potter & other WA boys. He returned to WA to attend Uni in 1965, then moved back & settled on the East Coast.
Doc is a talented artist & musician. He now lives with his wife Annie on the NSW Central Coast near his home beach of Avoca Beach.
This montage is Peter’s autoboardography showing all his surfboards from his 12ft plywood board in 1958 to his 11ft Surftech surfboard in 2011. The orange pig board (2nd from left) was Murray Smith’s first surfboard. The green board in the middle is a 10ft Reynolds Yater (USA). Doc had the board recoloured Maroon by the guys at Scotty Dillion’s surf shop (NSW) and sold it to Cordingleys (WA) in 66. Doc says “If you come across a 10ft maroon board, grab it, sand through the maroon resin and you may discover evidence of a valuable antique.” Missing from the montage is Doc’s current board a Tom Wegner Alaia shape (finless) board. Image credit Peter Docherty.
1962 This is a fuzzy shot of Peter Docherty’s bedroom / surfboard shaping room at his parent’s place in Floreat. The CBSR Club’s inaugural meeting was held in this room. Photo credit Peter Docherty.
In the early 60s Doc shaped balsa surfboards for City Beach hot rats Barry Day & Norm ‘Dot’ Kitson. This 1965 photo shows Norm Kitson of Floreat holding a 9’10” balsa board shaped by Peter Docherty. Photo courtesy of Norm Kitson.
1 comment on “1958-2011 Peter Docherty’s Autoboardography”