The Surf Flyer appears to be a European phenomenon. At least nobody from North America has chimed in about them. This one comes to us from Dean Tyrell ( It’s his week!) Believe me when I say that there are virtually no other shots of the vintage Surf Flyer skateboard anywhere on the web, so help me Google. The wheels of these things were supposed to be near rubber-like and super slow. On the detail shots you can see some sort of weird bearing covers that probably didn’t help either. The trucks are another winning design that looks more like ’60s technology than ’70s. Can anyone date these? Follow through to see more pictures of a Surf Flyer than you’ll likely ever want to. Someone has to do it.
UPDATE: Lots of comments on this post and a picture of one near mint. Good reading. Also, check out this Flyer Land Surfer advert from 1977. So “Surf Flyer” is a misnomer. The brand is called Flyer, and boards were called Land Surfer.
The Surf Flyer
Thanks again to Dean. Click to enlarge.
UPDATE: Here’s two more pictures of a blue Surf Flyer in an amazing condition, courtesy of Stefan Richter.
37 comments
Andrew Gillespie
I had the red printed one from Tesco’s in Gloucester around 1976/77 for around £4.99 after pestering my late mother to buy me one. All I could do for weeks was sit on it going down hill until I learned to stand up on it. A year or so before I had made a skateboard on seeing a picture of a guy doing a handstand on a skateboard in Dirt Bike, a US Motocross magazine. I’m 58 now in 2025
Lucy Brown
I had one of these in around 1977/8, it was horrifically terrible, week one, a wheel collapsed and all the bearings fell out, took it back to the shop and the shop guy repaired it, week three the truck rivet let go and the truck collapsed, put a nut and bolt through to replace the rivet, week 4 the truck rubber block disintegrated, gave up at that point and dad got me some red fibreglass thing made in the UK from his friend at the sports shop, that was unkillable. I am 60 now, I still skate occasionally, I have walls full of Alva and Dogtown now, making up for being a broke 12 year old all that time ago.
Tom Craig
Had the green Surf Flyer as a kid. Like others have said if you hit a grain of sand on the kerb it would send you flying. Speed wobbles were another level and remember being patched up by my mother after many a ‘Flyer’ thus the name. Still loved it and bought one thru nostalgia last week from eBay. Got my eye on a modern replica by Still Stoked boards.
Hans
I got this board around 1972-1974 when i was on vacation in the south of England and still have it (in proper condition. I keep it as a relic.
Moss
I had this one for my 10th birthday in 1977 from a shop in Paris. I still have it, the “deluxe” letters are blue tho. What miss on the picture is a metal part sustaining a small cylinder piece made of rubber which was nailed/screwed under the back part (I still can see 3 small holes on the longer side next to the weird truck) I’ve lost it very fast back in the day, I think it was some kind of breaking system. This skate was very smooth and fluide, you could turn or slalom really easily. It made my days for more than a year, then came the Rollet made of curved plastic board … not the same
El Burpo
Update – my brother just told it was sometime in 1977 that we got these boards.
El Burpo
Never ever thought I’d see one of these again.
My mum bought me and my brother each one of these skateboards from the local supermarket back in 1976 (Dumfries, Scotland). The graphics on my skateboard were different to the ones in the photos above but it was exactly the same construction. The wheels on mine were yellow rubber.
I remember that the skateboard I had was sold with a “free” 7 inch single by a band called “Ricky and the Kween Teens”. I think the A-side song was called “Skate Out” or something.
I quickly forgot about and junked this skateboard soon after getting a more quality set up. Still, it’s amazing to see one again after all these years.
Kenneth McDowell
This was my first board great memories some difference to what I skate on today over 40 years later
Bernie
Hi together, i
Stefan Richter
I’ve got one of these. Not sure who gave it to me but I was living in Germany at the time. It’s in very good condition – and has the break. Terrifying!
http://imgur.com/LHpcK00
http://imgur.com/RCC4rDu
Kilwag
It’s in great condition! Looks awesome. Love it.
Neil Lintern
This was my first ever skateboard! I loved it but it didn’t last long because the wheels used to wear very quick from the outside in with the cornering. I soon went on to bigger and better Boards with laminated wooden decks AC 500 trucks and red Kryptonics wheels. Lee Jackson I’d think about buying that board,is it Blue?As that was the colour I had.
phil duggan
there are regularly some on ebay…about
Dean
Had one of these in the 70’s but in blue. It was my first skateboard given to me for Christmas and within 30 minutes I had ripped most of the skin of my knee caps. This was due to it’s unique ability to throw you at the mere hint of a stone! Apart from those trucks, it’s biggest flaw was that the wheels came directly from the kids roller skates of the day and were basically solid, see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Flyer-Roller-Skates-Strap-Adjustable-/380603143429 and scroll down. Needless to say, it didn’t take me long to upgrade to Gullwing gold split axles and Sims Lime Green Snakes!
Matt
The brake at the back is missing!!!!!!
phil
Hi guys the best of it is that i have the de luxe version..with a brake !!…well its a pressed metal rubber tipped stopper at the back. ! it was my first deck in the uk c.1975/6 cost
Peter
Wow, i had owned one in the 70s i brought it new from woolworths in cambridge England UK in 1973 when i was 10 years old my was red, happy days : )
Bernardt
Hey! I just bought one of these in Pretoria (South Africa)! Saw it in a pawnshop and paid R10.00 (a little over $1) The only difference is that mine has a red print instead of the green. I’ve looked everywhere to try and get info on it untill I went to Google images and typed “weird boards”… Thanks for the info.
rick prescott
i had one these, my first ever skateboard. the came with different colour prints on the deck, the green as shown was the deluxe version, a red wich was the basic (could it be any more basic) and the one i had was blue, the super deluxe vesion which also had what loode like another of those “trucks” behind the rear one with a rubber stopper attatched to use as a brake :-0
i got mine from debenhams department store for 4.99 uk pounds, the red basic one was even cheaper.
i wiped out spectaculy going downhill a few weeks after getting it and tore most of the skin from my face……i am handsome again now though.
as for the date, yeah…..1978.
david
i found a red surf flyer board in mint condition in a charity shop.if you search online for the skateboard museum you will find more info.
marshwiggle
saved up my money to buy my “surf flyer” from a shop called jacks in colchester essex (uk), thought i was useless at boarding till i tried a frends board, then realized this was a crap set up, summer of 77, went on to a plastic “sitco rocket” thgen stumped up the money for a “skuda california” wow
Bevilacqua
Cool post – lots of them in France back in early 77 – I think they actually came from old 60’s stocks.
The truck system is not that bad: some mountain boards use the same nowadays.
At the time it was cheap, and impossible to get back from any steep leaning.
Good piece of history, end of the ’60s wave.
skaterhusseindave
My first set-up had trucks like that, and what iain says is nonsense. They turn just like a truck with pivot and kingpin. “Double-action” is marketing noise.
houseofneil
no dave, unless you were in england in the mid 70s you didn’t have a board with trucks like these. The Surf Flyer trucks didn’t turn at all. You might have had a setup with trucks that looked like that, but much as cheap-ass toy store trucks look like real trucks, they are not.
Will
Neil, I was around in the 1970s and I still have my board. The board does turn…
marek
hahahahaha. that looks exactly like my first board. thats awesome.
nweyesk8
Dear Mr Jackson, it is worth as much as you can get some dip shit to give you for it, my advice, either skate it or give it to someone who will and quit trying to cash in on skateboarding, we have enough of you blood suckers already……
lee jackson
hi there i have got one of thesae flyer skate boards and its in mint condition nothing at all wrong with it it even has the lines still in the centre of the wheels fron the moulding i did have a little go on it an it has been ridden by prvious owner a few time also all of the graffic on the top of the deck is in great condition dose any one have any idea how much this is worth ?
ZAK
damn
what’s the deal with those trucks?
never seen anything like that before
that’s tops
Jeremy
Wow, Blast from the past. I can date this reasonably well as I bought one in Bournemouth UK just before my eleventh birthday which was the Summer of ’78
Thanks to the original poster. Never thought I’d see one of these again. It rode quite well I recall – for a cheap ’70s plank on wheels, not much in the corners and pretty hard to mod in any way. Reminds me of Skate City and Weymouth Skatepark action of the late ’70s – pleant of them to be seen around then.
Prickly Pete
My older cousin gave me a crap-ass plastic board with these trucks circa ’79. We were living in Indiana at the time so the Brits didn’t have the market cornered on this “technology”. This thing didn’t turn or go fast, but was able to generate speed wobbles. Highly embarrassing to show up on this POS when everyone else was riding G&Ss & Santa Cruzes. How did I ever get past that point in my skate career?
iain
The thing with these was the trucks, which are single action, not double action. Basically, they only move along one axis, not two, like every other truck we know. This means they don’t really turn AT ALL, and consequently, they’re a nightmare.
solboy
Two parts supermarket shopping trolley and one part “surfboard” (the shopping trolley with the busted front wheels that is) But wait, dig that smoooth deck shape!! Kinda looks like the Flip Mountain Crest, doesn’t it? There is another 70s UK connection there… Maybe Lance has one of these stashed away in his collection too…
houseofneil
It was the first “skateboard” that I ever set foot on. That would probably have been 1976 or thereabouts. Even on a smooth wooden floor the board went about 6 feet and then stopped. And forget about trying to steer. Basically the trucks attached the wheels to the board. That was about as much as they did.
Kilwag
Each truck looks like it has one giant bushing. That huge chunk of black/gray rubber.
LP
NO BUSHINGS?
Kilwag
DIg the crazee kingpin.
One angle missing, from the back of the truck at board level.