Florida Surf Museum recently received a donation of an early 70s Tomb and Reeves surfboard from Rebecca Hoch in memory of her husband Chuck Hoch.
Rebecca and Chuck came from the decidedly non-tropical town of Petosky, Michigan where Chuck learned to surf on the ice-cold waves of Lake Michigan. In this newspaper article from 1975 Chuck says, “…he enjoys surfing Lake Michigan because there is no one else around”.
Before long Chuck and Rebecca left the cold winter surf of Lake Michigan and moved to Florida, not far from Sebastian Inlet. Rebecca recalls “So, surfing is what brought us to this area and warm water kept us here. He kept surfing for the rest of his life, but the boards got longer and the waves gentler. Our daughter married a surfer and gave birth to another one. I love seeing the tradition continue.”
This amazing Tomb and Reeves is a rocket with a shape that could easily handle some sizable waves. It seems as though it would not be the most practical shape for Florida until Rebecca explained that Chuck’s home break for years was Wabasso. The narrow tail and speedy shape would come in handy for late drops and hollow shorepound the spot is known for.
The white pigmented board shows off the skills of its shaper, Bob Tomb, and his partner, Bob Reeves (alias Thunderchicken) who handled the glassing end of the business. The sturdy glassed on fin is set far back on the tail which was typical for a board from the early 70s. Interestingly the bottom is not flat but has a subtle vee running from nose to tail -an uncommon feature that helped loosen up an otherwise rather stiff shape. You can read more about Tomb and Reeves surfboards here-
Rare Tomb and Reeves Joins Museum Collection (More photos, More History!) – Florida Surf Museum
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