This surfboard was used as a prop in the 1964 Hollywood movie “Ride the Wild Surf” starring Fabian, Tab Hunter, Peter Brown, James Mitchum, Barbara Eden, and Shelly Fabares. The theme song of the same name by Jan and Dean was a surf music Top 20 hit on the Billboard charts. The movie itself was also quite successful. It was generally regarded as a better portrayal of surfing than most others of the post-“Gidget” years. The big-wave surfing sequences in the film are spectacular on the big screen, and were filmed at Sunset Beach, Haleiwa and Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore. Top surfers of the day were employed as extras and stunt doubles, principally Greg Noll and Miki Dora, but also Butch Van Artsdalen, Mike Hynson, Rusty Miller and Phil Edwards, among others. .

The board bears a “Surfboards by Phil” logo, but it’s unlikely it was made from scratch by the trademark’s owner, Phil Sauers of the Inland Surf Shop in Downey, Calif. Sauers did provide surfboards as props for several of Hollywood’s “surf” movies of the era, including “Muscle Beach Party” and “Bikini Beach Party,” which he promoted in 1964 advertising for his shop. But this board was probably made some years earlier and had the logo added to it, since very few balsa boards were still being produced in the winter of 1963 when the movie was shot. .

Although the board was clean when it featured in “Ride the Wild Surf,” there are now all kinds of notes, autographs and scribblings on the board. It was signed by some of the film actors and by people in surf shops where the board went on tour after the movie’s release. All manner of surfers have signed it, including Hawaii’s legendary Rabbit Kekai, but it does not appear to have the signatures of the film’s principal stars. It is unclear how the board came to be broken.

The Trailer From the Film "Ride the Wild Surf" - This Board Can be Seen 1:18 Into the Scene.