5'10 MARK RICHARDS RETRO BUMBLE BEE SURFBOARD (267986)

‘I shaped my first twin fin in May 1976, after the 2SM-Coca Cola Surfabout in Sydney. At the time I was riding a narrow tail single fin and was struggling in small waves. I’d been inspired to make this twin fin after watching Reno Abellira from Hawaii ride a round nose, low rocker, fish style twin fin on the smaller days. He was skating over sections where other surfers were bogging down. He suggested some dimensions for me which were 5’11”, 22″ wide and 2 & 7/8″ thick. I went home from the event and shaped and glassed it myself straight away. I sprayed a big bumble bee on the bottom and that’s how it became known as the bumble bee twin fin.

I rode it on small days in Newcastle for the rest of the year. It was a revelation in small surf compared to the single fin. It paddled better and more importantly it had lots of ‘get up and go’ speed and maneuverability. It was fast and loose and all of a sudden I started looking forward to days of small surf so I could ride it. I only ever made one and I no longer own it.

I sold the original Bumble Bee in the late 70’s and it is now in Eddie Phillips’ surfboard collection in Byron Bay. He kindly lent me the board in winter 2011, to ride and to use a reference to recreate the board exactly as it was in 1976. So here it is now in the MR model range, an exact replica of the original shape with the colours, decals and Bumble Bee faithfully recreated.