WA surfing & surf
industry pioneer Brian Cole has been making Malibu surfboards since 1957.
Brian’s first Malibu board was 10 ft long and constructed of hollow plywood in his backyard at Wembley. The shape was based on the balsa Malibu surfboards the American Surf Team introduced to Australia at an International Surf Lifesaving Carnival held in conjunction with the 1956 Olympics in Victoria.
1957 Brian Cole surfing his homemade 10ft hollow plywood surfboard at City Beach. West Australian newspaper pic.
Brian shaped himself a Malibu board out of polystyrene foam sourced from old foam packaging in 1959. The board had triple wood stringers and was glassed with epoxy resin. Brian and his short epoxy board are second from left in photo below.
In 1962 Brian Cole & his partner Barry ‘Joe’ King started King and Cole Surfboards in Wembley. They purchased blanks from Bennett Surfboards and were the first to produce foam surfboards in WA.
1962 King & Cole Surfboards Roydhouse Street Wembley. Brian Cole pic. L-R Artie Shaw and Brian Cole
Then the boys got the travel bug and headed overseas chasing waves in 1963. They sold a lot of their surfboard building equipment to another surf industry pioneer Len Dibben.
On his return to WA in 1964, Brian married Rhonda and made himself
a fibreglass Malibu surfboard in his backyard at Scarborough in 1964.
2017 Brian with his 1964 Malibu surfboard at Dunsborough. Jim King pic
In 2006 Surfing WA awarded Brian the Len Dibben Award
for his outstanding service towards the development of surfing over an extended
period.
2006 Surfing WA’s Len Dibben Award to Brian Cole. Image courtesy of Brian Cole. 2009 Brian with his single stringer Malibu board at Yalls. Jim King pic 2011 Brian with his triple stringer Malibu at Yalls. Bruce King pic. 2012 Jim King & Brian reading 2006 Surf WA 40th anniversary Offshore and Pumping booklet in the beach car park at Yallingup.
This is a collection of images of Brian (age 76) surfing fun waves on his triple stringer Malibu surfboard at The Cove Yallingup in 2015. Bruce King pics.
2015 BC knee paddling Yalls lagoon. 2015 BC negotiating Yalls reef 2015 BC turning 2015 BC trimming
Brian surfed late into 70s. Sadly his health has deteriorated, and he now resides
in an Aged Care facility at Carine.
WA surfing & surf industry pioneer Brian Cole has been making Malibu surfboards since 1957.
Brian’s first Malibu board was 10 ft long and constructed of hollow plywood in his backyard at Wembley. The shape was based on the balsa Malibu surfboards the American Surf Team introduced to Australia at an International Surf Lifesaving Carnival held in conjunction with the 1956 Olympics in Victoria.
Brian shaped himself a Malibu board out of polystyrene foam sourced from old foam packaging in 1959. The board had triple wood stringers and was glassed with epoxy resin. Brian and his short epoxy board are second from left in photo below.
In 1962 Brian Cole & his partner Barry ‘Joe’ King started King and Cole Surfboards in Wembley. They purchased blanks from Bennett Surfboards and were the first to produce foam surfboards in WA.
L-R Artie Shaw and Brian Cole
Then the boys got the travel bug and headed overseas chasing waves in 1963. They sold a lot of their surfboard building equipment to another surf industry pioneer Len Dibben.
On his return to WA in 1964, Brian married Rhonda and made himself a fibreglass Malibu surfboard in his backyard at Scarborough in 1964.
Brian’s 56 year old fibreglass Malibu surfboard is now on display at the WA Surf Gallery Aravina Estate Yallingup.
In 2006 Surfing WA awarded Brian the Len Dibben Award for his outstanding service towards the development of surfing over an extended period.
This is a collection of images of Brian (age 76) surfing fun waves on his triple stringer Malibu surfboard at The Cove Yallingup in 2015. Bruce King pics.
Brian surfed late into 70s. Sadly his health has deteriorated, and he now resides in an Aged Care facility at Carine.
Thanks for sharing your story & images Brian.
Related material:
Brian Cole’s East Coast Surf Trip 1959-1961
1963 Brian Cole’s Overseas Surf Trip.
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