Excerpt from “Windansea: Life. Death. Resurrection”:
Even before his co-starring role in “The Endless Summer,” Mike Hynson ranked among the most influential surfers of the mid-’60s. Nearly as important as his movie debut was his Gordon & Smith Mike Hynson Model. Known alternately as the “Red Fin,” these boards ushered in a drastic performance change that culminated with the ’60s “Shortboard Revolution,” where boards shed a third of their length and half their weight. Similar to the “urethane revolution” that opened skateboarding to ramps and pools, Hynson’s rail designs helped lead the way to inner tubular exploration.
Hynson’s apprenticeship at Windansea led to a lifelong romance that changed the entire surfing world.
According to Hynson:
“I stalked Windansea; when the sun came up, I was there. One of the main guys there at the time was Butch Van Artsdalen. He and I became good friends. I’d irritate him once in a while, usually when alcohol was involved. And I have to admit I was a brat. But there were times when we were a team out there. He’d go left, and I’d go right. You go there with a friend and have so much fun. Man, we’d show up with the ‘Red Fin’ crew. Barry Kanaiaupuni, Darryl Diamond, Jon Close, David Rullo, Billy Hamilton, everybody took every wave, and we’d just drive them crazy.
“I began shaping in 1958 after seeing this plank in someone’s yard. At first, I thought about stealing it. Then, one day, the owner was out front, and I asked him if he wanted to sell that board. He said, ‘If you can get it out of here, you can have it.’ It was so heavy that it took me, Kenny Caldwell, and another friend to move it. I cut the board down and worked on it for three weeks before someone asked how long it was. Boards in those days averaged 9’ 6”, so I said it was 9’ 6”. When someone measured it, it was 7’ 11”.
“After that, I became the surfboard guy and would patch boards for anyone who needed it. About that time, I bought a Yater with a green bottom and a white top. Joey Cabell took us to Trestles one day, and the Marines came down. I hid in the bushes and turned my board around, so the green side faced them, and they never saw me.”
After starring in Bruce Brown’s surfing masterpiece, “The Endless Summer” Hynson reinforced his reputation by designing and shaping one of the most popular surfboards of the era, the Mike Hynson Model. The board’s trademark red fin, which led to it being nicknamed the “red fin,” was also narrower than most fins of that time. This, combined with the board’s sharper rails, led to more radical turns. Hynson’s designs would also play a significant role in the “Shortboard Revolution” of the mid-1960s.
On Jan. 10, 2025, Mike Hynson passed away. His brilliant and curious mind had never quit rearranging surfing’s deck. For decades, he was a key player at Windansea. It was there he honed his surfing and shaping craft to a fine, hard edge. Hynson’s Windansea memorial paddle on Saturday, June 28, was held during a clean south swell and attended by some of our coast’s top surfers. For his contributions to surfing and for his friendship, I am grateful. Endlessly.
“Windansea: Life. Death. Resurrection” is available for purchase here.
