A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Nickname for a wood-paneled, station-wagon-style automobile, originally made by Ford, with versions introduced in the 1930s and '40s by every major American automaker; popular with American surfers in the '50s and early '60s because they were roomy and inexpensive; later restored, displayed, and sold for exorbitant prices by car collectors and a handful of wealthy nostalgia-struck surfers. "From beast of burden," surf journalist Brian Gillogly wrote in 1995, the woody was "transformed into a cultural icon." Because wood was cheaper than steel, Ford began using wood panels on the sides and rear hatch of its square-backed "station-wagon"—a name derived from the car's original use, which was to transport groups of passengers to and from the train station. As steel became more affordable in the early '50s, the woody was discontinued. Largely because the exterior wood paneling (usually oak, ash, maple, or mahogany) was prone to termite infestation, surfers in the '50s were able to buy decom- posing woodys for as little as $75. Rear seats were often removed, so that 10-foot boards could be easily inserted through the raised rear window, and to create a sleeping area for overnight surf trips; on cold nights, wood paneling might be pried from the car doors and used for firewood. Because surfers in general treated their cars poorly, and because inexpensive replacements were easy to find, a broken woody was often simply abandoned by the side of the road. Woody owners included big-wave rider Greg Noll, surfboard manufacturer Dewey Weber, and Hawaiian hotdog pioneer Rabbit Kekai. Woody restoration began catching on in the early '60s; Surf Guide magazine began running a "Woody of the Month" feature in 1963, and in July of that year Car Craft magazine published a "Wild Woodies and Surf Wagons!" cover story. ("Woodie" is often used instead of "woody.") Surf bands meanwhile began referencing the woody in song lyrics. "Surf City," Jan and Dean's #1 hit from 1963, opens with "I've got a '34 wagon and we call it a woody." Later that year the Sunsets released "My Little Surfin' Woodie." In 2002, the 1974-founded National Woodie Club, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, had more than 3,000 members and sponsored 15 woody shows across the country, including Wavecrest Woodie Meet at San Diego County's Moonlight Beach. A prime restored woody can sell for up to $150,000. The U.S. Postal Service issued a woody wagon stamp in 2001, featur- ing a rear view of a surfboard-carrying 1940 Ford wagon. Books on woodys include American Woodys (1998) and Woodies and Wagons (2000). See also cars and surfing.

woody

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

Features