Scarborough surfer Tom Blaxell founded Blaxell Surfboards in Western Australia in 1968 at just 17 years old, growing it into a major local surfboard, sailboard, boat building/repairs, and retail empire. The company operated for 19 years and at its peak employed 44 staff and reached a $2 million turnover before a franchising collapse ended manufacturing operations in 1987.
Key Shapers & Glassers
A number of prominent local and international shapers and surfers worked with or shaped for Blaxell Surfboards over the decades:
- Shapers: Tom Hoye (Californian shaper who moved to WA in 1971 is credited with introducing twin-fin designs), Greg Laurenson, Alex Korwin, Al Bean, Darryl Wilkes, Nat Young’s brother Chris, Ken McKenzie, Colin Earle, Greg Trotter, Benton Moran. Steve Cockburn, Rohan Aird, Russell Catto and Mike McAuliffe.
- Glassing & Finishing: Vin Nolan, John Garbutt, Phil Henderson, Kevin Rumble, Peter Wise, Bunky Miller, Re Marshall, Gary Bovell, Chris Tweed, Rod Harrison, Russell Catto, Ken MacKenzie, Scott Batten, Al Bean, Trevor Kenyon, Ray Goddard, John Spengle, Darryl Wilkes and Darb…
Surfing Administration
Tom has been heavily involved in surfing administration over the decades…
- President of Dolphin Surfriders Inc in 1970 (Life Member)
- Vice President WASRA 1973
- Head Judge Aussie Titles 1973
- President WASRA 1995-1997 (Life Member)
- Commodore Offshore Powerboat Club of WA 1977
Blaxell Surfboards History by Tom Blaxell
When I was 5 my dad built a house on the beach for us at Scarborough. I became an instant beach nut. We would always be in the water, and when we weren’t, I took a liking to making things.
When I was 10, I made a canoe out of a sheet of tin. Dad was impressed and later got some decent materials to help me make a small sailing skiff, the Meteor.
Dad also noticed that I had developed a strong interest in surfboards, and he bought me a book by the newly crowned world champion Midget Farrelly. It wasn’t just about surfing, but about totally immersing your life in surfing. That put me on a pathway.
Dad then made a concrete mould, so that we could blow a foam blank, in order for me to make my own first surfboard at the age of 14.
Sadly, Dad passed away at the ripe old age of 99, and it was really his encouragement and action, that got me started!
Then of course my mates wanted boards, and then their mates, and so the garage became pretty busy, much to my Mum’s displeasure. There was resin on the taps and dust everywhere!
Dad then talked Colin Cordingley into giving me a job, over the school holidays, which I did over a couple of years.
This was a great privilege to be in the thick of a team of craftsmen at the top of their game, Colin and Rex, Charlie Campbell & Dave Ellis, plus the young rising star Greg Laurenson.
1964 Rex Cordingley shaping surfboards in Cordingley factory Hay St Subi. Photo courtesy of WestPix WA Newspapers..
Back in the garage things were still humming on, in my spare time, until I had a visit from a man in a suit, a factory inspector. He had come to close me down!
There was a light-hearted side to this serious moment, however when he sat down on a chair to write out the closure notice. It had wet resin on it and I really struggled to stop bursting out in laughter when he stood up with a big wet patch on the seat of his trousers.
Dad organised a temporary move to my Uncle Ian’s place, just down the road, while he found a back lane shed to rent, in Ossie Park.
By this time, I had finished year 12, and my pathway had become a freight train. I had 24 boards on order.
I was going to devote my life to surfing, as Midget had decreed.
Mid-60s Tom with Blaxell Surfboard at Scarborough. Photo Tom Blaxell.
Dad loaned me $1,000 to set up shop, along with the long-remembered advice that “All you have to do is work hard and success is guaranteed! “
I was off and running and never looked back.
By this time Australian surfboard design was leading the world. The short board revolution was in full swing, courtesy of the Aussie aficionados – Midget, Nat Young, Wayne Lynch, Ted Spencer, Bob McTavish and co.
Board design was charging along so quickly, that at one stage, by the time a board was finished, it was already out of date.
I was so busy, I needed help, and Steve Cockburn, Phil Henderson, Re Marshall and others came on deck to help the cause. We were making boards for the likes of Bob Monkman, George Simpson, Craig Bettenay, Jim & Bruce King, Ross Utting, Peter Bevan & Kevin Merrifield. It was exciting stuff!
The shed was located behind Lyn McClement’s swim school, and we would regularly slip into the pool, to wash the dust off. Pity about the poor students!
1970 Blaxell Surfboards advt featuring Peter Bevan & old factory (insert) in Country Surf Magazine.
We would also regularly shut up shop, to drive away on surfaris, including to the east coast, to catch up on the latest ideas. Nothing to do with sampling exotic waves. It’s what you call R & D.
Editor’s Note: Including the 1970 World Surfing Titles in Victoria & surf trip up the east coast.
1972 Blaxell Surfboards van on old Bears track. L-R. Greg ‘Egory’ McDonald, Bruce Elliot & Tom Blaxell. Photo Jim McFarlane.
Then we made the move to a Scarborough Beach Road shop front, just opposite the VW dealer Regent Motors. I also went into a retail outlet venture in Nedlands, the Sand n Sea Inn Shop, in partnership with Trevor Burslem and Steve Cockburn.
1971 Tom in Blaxell Surfboards factory Osborne Park. Photo Ric Chan
Tom Hoye and Tony Hardy came on board in the shaping bay, at yet another exciting time. The short board revolution had gone too far!
Tom Hoye stepped into the fray with his longer, slimmer, drivers. They were a revelation and a refreshing change of direction.
Tony Hardy was the best power surfer in WA at the time, in my opinion, and he could tear it up on an ironing board, but he became a refined, and sought-after shaper on his watch.
1971 Blaxell shapers Tom Hoye & Tony Hardy Osborne Park. Photo Tom Blaxell.
1971 Blaxell Surfboards advertisement in West Country Surf Magazine featuring shapers Tom Hoye & Tony Hardy (inset) and team surfer Peter Bevan cutting loose on a Tom Hoye designed Blaxell board.
1971 Tom featured in Blaxell Surfboards Advt in West Country Surf Magazine.
We had made our shortest ever board, a 4’10 for Steve Fordham, and I can clearly remember testing out a wide tail 5’2, out at Margarets on a big day. I took off down on a steep right hander, waited, and then laid into the bottom turn, it just kept going down. No drive, or traction out of the turn at all. I got smashed!
1976 Tom with 4’10” short board at Blaxell Surfboards Osborne Park. Photo Tom Blaxell
Dad also encouraged me to get involved in fibreglass moulding, which later led me to boat building, but he wanted me to make a big feed bin, for his chicken farm. Then he wanted me to test it for strength.
So, I filled it up with water. This thing was about 4 metres high and 3 metres in diameter. I stuck the hose in and turned on the tap. After about 3 hours the water level was building up, when all of a sudden one of the seams burst, shooting out a great jet of water.
My instant reaction was to run around the back of it, to turn the tap off. I nearly got killed as the monster propelled itself into the wall right next to me!
1970s Tom Blaxell designing safer surfboard fins. Media story by Doug Young.
Later we moved into a brand-new shop, down near the Nookenburra Hotel. This is when the revered Aboriginal logo came into being. It is also when Margo came on board, to take care of the books. This was a task that never excited me but happens to be a very important part of any successful organisation.
1970s Blaxell Surfboards aboriginal logo designed by Bruce Owens. Image courtesy Tom Blaxell.
1976 Blaxell Surfboards 3rd shop in Scarborough Beach Rd Osborne Park. Photo Tom Blaxell
Tom and Tony then wanted to relocate down south, so we set up Tom as a subsidiary of Blaxell, under his name at Surfside. We also set up Tony as a contract shaper in Margarets, where we sent blanks down in boxes, by rail, for him to send back the finished shapes.
This brought Rohan Aird into the shaping bay, at Ossie Park.
I consider him to be one of the best shapers we ever had!
1970s Rohan Aird designed Blaxell twin fin. Photo Tom Blaxell.
Over the years there was a cosmos of gifted designers, gracing our lineage, including Mike McAuliffe who brought in a fresh and enthusiastic edge, Greg Laurenson, Alex Korwin, Al Bean, Darryl Wilkes, Nat Young’s brother Chris, Ken McKenzie, Colin Earle, Greg Trotter and Benton Moran.
1983 Shaper Mike McAulliffe featured in Blaxell advt in West Coast Wind & Surfer Magazine.
We had also always nurtured a team of sponsored surfers, to test our designs, and provide feedback & ideas. There are too many to mention, but their contributions, and successes were all very highly regarded, and valued.
They all brought their various themes and ideas, and all contributed to the matrix, of what a Blaxell Surfboard was.
1977 Blaxell promotional poster featuring Steve Fordham. Image courtesy Tom Blaxell.
In 1984 we made another move, up the road to the Oxford Marine premises and set up a big scale factory in King Edward Road.
By that stage we had a team of 44 staff on board and an annual turnover of more than $2 million.
Here’s a good example of one of the Blaxell Surfrider boats we used to build about 50 years ago, a 17’6” Santa Cruz.
I’d just done an overseas exploratory trip and came back with some new ideas on superstructure design.
The exceptional hull design was the product of my dad Don, and then the raised deck above the gunwhale gave it the look, as well as extra volume in the cabin that caused our dedicated team to struggle to keep up with demand.
Those were the days ❤️
This was followed in 1987, with Ian Cairns approaching me to join the big end of town. It was going to be franchised worldwide, launched on the stock market, and was going to be bigger than Ben Hur. Editor’s note: New WA surf industry company called Surfrider. It was located at 482 Scarborough Beach Road Osborne Park and operated from 1987 to 1990.
It was an offer that was too good to refuse, and too good to be true. And so it proved to be!
At first it was like Hollywood, with so much money being spent – rebuilding the shop, making TV commercials at Coral Bay and Kalbarri, fashion parades and launch parties, etc, etc.
But then the money ran out! Major retrenchments of long faithful staff were brought down, including myself, Murray Smith and Tim Duff. In a few years it was all closed down.
The shareholding had gone up in smoke, and 20 plus years of hard toil had gone down the drain. I was shocked. It’s a pity that it was all cut short, but we did do some wonderful things!
That’s when I as invited to join Martin Box as a boat broker at Hillarys, which later became Mansfield Marine with Travis Mansfield and, I’d been there ever since, just having fun ‘mucking around with boats.’
Editor’s Note: Tom retired from Mansfield Marine just this year.
2000s Tom Blaxell at Mansfield Marine Hillarys with more than 55 years of exceptional service to both the Surfing and Boating Industry of Perth,
2015 Tom surfing Pasta Point in the Maldives. Photo by Dara from Atoll Adventures.
2015 Tom with former World Champion Midget Farrelly NSW in the Maldives. Photo by Dara from Atoll Adventures.
Life is short. Make the most of it!
Tom Blaxell
—————————
