MANUFACTURER HISTORY
See Hayden Surfboards

SHAPER HISTORY 

Althougn credited with the introduction of the shortboard with the Vee bottom Stubby design of 1967, Bob McTavish shaped an 8ft 4'' pintail design with Ted Spencer at Keyo Surfboards during 1967 - "Little Red".  Ted Spencer won the Windansea Contest, Palm Beach in 1967 on the board (see The Fantastic Plastic Machine) and then took it to Hawaii for the 1967-8 winter (see The Hot Generation). Image left :  Bob McTavish and Litle Red, Honolua Bay, Maui, 1967-8. Surf International Magazine  Volume 1 Number 12, circa 1969. Photograph by John Witzig Click for further details.

DESIGN HISTORY
Following the failure of the wide-tailed Vee bottom experiment in Hawaii December1967 plan shapes became the focus of design
In early 1968 some designs merely added a pintail - the Pintail Vee bottom - see #107
This was quickly abandoned, and as the year progressed plan shapes literally reversed to a fully foiled gun derived template.
Wide points moved dramatically forward (up to  +ve 12'') and tails narrowed, with three main variations.
Bottom features, particually Vee, were much less extreme but  50/50 rails were retained
Many boards were stringerless, but the newly introduced coloured resin glue-line stringer was also widely used.
Volan fibreglass was an industry standard and the boards usually have identifiable laminated rail overlaps, often with deck and/or fin patches.
Fins usually were large Greenough-influenced flex fins, with advanced placement towards the nose.
The first commercially available finboxes were introduced in 1968 - WAVESET (by Morey-Pope) and SAFESET (by Fins Unlimited) - from the USA. 
These were fitted with a selection of molded plastic fins.
See Pintail #96      Roundtail  #171 and   Tracker   #108
The three models were illustrated in Surfing World Volume 12 No. 1 1969...

Image courtesy of Gordon Wood's Archives.

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SURF CRAFT PERMIT A circular vinyl sticker usually white and one colour, to indicate the year. Printed text includes the council area and year validated by an individually stamped serial number. These were issued by Sydney beach side councils 1962 – 1968 as a reaction to public concerns about safety.  Valid only for the beaches of the issuing council and policed by beach inspectors and surf club members (sometimes resulting in confiscation) the system was reviled by boardriders. Perversely the stickers are now highly prized by surfboard collectors. A similar system was in use in the US at this time. Image right. Surfcraft registration sticker : Randwick 1968-1969

COMMENTS
A classic design .of the period , with some experimentation in the unusual setting of the fin.
The Clark Foam decal is of interest - the original US foam manufacturer, I am unaware of the brand being manufactured in Australia.
The surf craft permit significantly suggests manufacturing date.
REFERENCES
Magazines
Surfing World Volume 12 No. 1 1969. See above.
CONDITION: 7