Larry Gordon, the surfing pioneer who more or less invented the foam core surfboard, and was the co-founder of Gordon & Smith surfboards and skateboards passed away on January 1st. UPDATE: I originally reported Larry as the possible inventor of the foam core surfboard based on information published by the San Diego Tribune, which has since been revised to: “He was one of the first people to bring polyurethane foam boards to San Diego. Picking up on a nascent trend in the industry, he started experimenting with foam materials at his father’s factory, Gordon Plastics.”
[Source: San Diego Tribune.]
8 comments
RH
I think you’re confusing Larry with Gordon “Grubby” Clark, who was one of the first three people to develop urethane foam surfboard blanks, and who eventually cornered the market at one point. But from afar (from California as possible), this Gordon (R.I.P) always seemed, like the Hoffmans and Steve Van Doren, like someone who didn’t have a big mouth, but did have a big role.
Kilwag
RH – I wrote that based on erroneous info from the San Diego Tribune, which has since been corrected.
Lard bomb
They were making styrofoam core boards wrapped in fiberglass (today called eps starting at $800.00) in the 1950s, and Clark foam had nothing to do w/ it
RH
Why would Clark foam want anything to do with a foam that was not compatible with X-Ray Spex’s singer? Don’t try to tell me ’bout styrofoam surfboards; I’ve got a 25 year old epoxy that was the only board I took to Mexico this fall… and, in waves that were making obscene cracking noises, it, as always, held up better than EPS. And has never sucked water when dinged. But that closed cell, unbeaded styrene foam yellowed early on, even with GL’s UV resistant epoxy… so it, though at least functional, hardly bears mention either, in a post about the passing of a production shaper, on a skate site.
Kilwag
I’ve been surfing twice! Wahoo! Don’t worry, I’m about to turn this into a snowboarding site.
Lard Bomb
U should they steal the entire skate scene, it’s insanely expensive too so u may get residual checks from burton
Lard Bomb
Sorry about Gordon, butt this is skate and annoy not a in memorandum page
Lard bomb
Clarke foam sucks so bad so does polyurethane pu crap. It sinks and takes on water it’s good for one photo shoot for an Oakley ad, then the fragile shit breaks. But I don’t longboard. 2nd sorry ur board turned yellow I’d rather that than fragil Clark crap its lifeless soggy shit after a year so expensive for a fragile piece o shit