There are two main characteristics that establish the Bonzer as an archetype.

Our establishment of the triangular arrangement of the three fins, with side fins placed forward of the center fin. The side fins were placed 10 1/2” to 12” from the tail and 1 1/2” to 1 3/8” from the rail. They were also towed in toward the nose at what has become the standard angle

Our design and development of the single to double concave (double through the fin area) bottom. This bottom contour was designed to work in conjunction with the fins to organize the water flow through the tail area.

We hope this peek into the Bonzer archive will be of interest and provide an expanded perspective into the evolution of the shortboard.

In 1970 we were really getting into the super short (5’4 – 5’8) Australian shapes. We quickly realized that these short single fins, and the Corky Carroll and Australian twin fins, had many limitations in terms of speed and control, especially in powerful surf.

We really wanted to be able to ride short boards in good size surf, so we talked it over with our Dad and he suggested we give 3 fins a try. The three of us checked out some information on hull design and hydrodynamics that our Dad had come across over the years. Duncan and I took a little here and a little there, combined it with our intuitive feel for what would work on surfboards and “presto”, the Bonzer entered the third dimension. I still remember my first wave on our first Bonzer. It was shoulder high, a lined up left, and the speed out of the first turn was just crazy. At that moment we knew a quantum leap had occurred, but we had little idea of how big a part it would play in our lives.