The first skateboard like toy available was the red metal toy called the Scooter Skate which was made in the 1930s. The Scooter Skate had 3 metal wheels and a handle. The handle could be removed and the board may be ridden like a skateboard. It wasn’t straightforward to ride as it had steel wheels and couldn’t turn. During the 1940s the Skeeter Skate which had 4 wheels was introduced. This was merely a small enhancement over the Scooter Skate.
It was not until the 1950s the first bona fide skateboards were introduced. At first they were home made by kids who actually wanted them. They typically were designed of wheels taken off roller skates and nailed to a wood board. One company began to offer a Scoot Kit which allowed kids to make their own skateboards with no need to take a pair of roller skates apart.
Roller Derby, which was known for making roller skates, developed a skateboard kit in the 1960s. These kits featured clay wheels that were mounted onto trucks that could be mounted onto boards with assistance from metal plates. It wasn’t long before Roller Derby decided to produce a fully assembled skateboard for sale. The skateboard they manufactured were bright red and had steel wheels.
In the 1960s many companies began to produce skateboards. Many California corporations created long skateboards that resembled surfboards. Loads of companies sold the idea of skateboarding as surfing over the concrete. The outline for the skateboards we see today stems from these early 1960s boards. Lots of the practices we see such as putting a company logo on the deck and burning letters into the wood were also happening then.
Despite the fact that these primitive skateboards from the 1960s and 1970s lack some of the hi-performance features of modern skateboards loads of people still have an affection to them. They have now become a cherished collectable item for skateboard lovers all-around the globe. Find vintage stateboards here.
First on your surfing holiday itinerary should be the amazing Cocoa Beach in Florida. You have to time you visit correctly, but if you do you can enjoy some spectacular surf. Go in summer and your surf trip might end up being a wash out, with you spending more time paddling about than you do riding. Visit in the winter season though and you’ll be amazed at the difference. You can get swells of around 10ft in winter and the sets are a whole lot more reliable this time of year. The surf is some of the safest around and the area has a great party vibe going on. This makes it very popular with beginner surfers and people after a but of fun. If you’re after the best surf possible, make sure you visit between November and March
Secondly, why not head to the birth place of the great sport. Hawaii is well known for being a surf haven, and for good reason. There are waves here that are as tall as sky scrapers and as regular as day and night. It’s so steeped in surfing history that you could easily spend your whole time on your Hawaii holidays, cycling around on the traditional second hand bikes, visiting historic sites, talking to locals about the good old days when surfboards were made out of wood, or checking out the thousands of surfboards on sale. Well, maybe not the whole time, you need to save some to check out the 20ft waves at Oahu or the miles and miles of beautiful surf at Ehukai Beach and Waimea Beach. Simply paradise
Last but not certainly not least, no American surf holiday would be complete without experiencing the “surf city” of the USA, Huntington, which funnily enough is also known for the snowboards they produce.The sun loves being in the sky here and top surfers flock like sheep whenever there are waves. There are surf competitions taking place all the time here and its a regular haunt for the big names of the sport.It does have a tendency to get a little cramped here though, 11 million people come each year. So if you don’t like crowds then stick to the winter months, the surf is just as good.