Larry Bertlemann twin fin shaped by Donald Takayama (2001)

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Larry Bertlemann designed Hawaiian Pro Team 5’6 twin fin surfboard. Shaped by the late Donald Takayama (1943-2012) in 2001. Featuring a gorgeous sky blue/neon yellow airbrush swirl design with glassed on twin-fins. Excellent all original condition with no dings. A choice example of a well preserved Larry Bertlemann twin fin surfboard. Use as a functional vintage surfboard or decorative surfboard work of art!

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History of Larry Bertlemann Surfboards

One of the most exposed professional surfers,‭ ‬shortboard pioneer Larry Bertlemann,‭ ‬can be easily credited with the vast majority of contributions to the evolution of the sport.‭ ‬His style was the exact opposite of the expressing carving of the‭ ‬1960s and‭ ‬1970s.‭ ‬He gained the nickname‭ “‬Rubberman‭”‬,‭ ‬after a definite,‭ ‬powerful spring in his surfing style.‭ ‬Larry Bertlemann was the one to deny current values and ride waves top to bottom with sharp turns in the pocket.‭
Bertlemann was born on August‭ ‬7th,‭ ‬1955‭ ‬in Hilo,‭ ‬Hawaii.‭ ‬His adventure with surfing began at‭ ‬11‭ ‬when his family moved to Honolulu.‭ ‬From that moment on,‭ ‬he progressed quickly and always aimed high.‭ ‬Soon the young Larry was surfing waves from Ala Moana bowls on the South Shore to the heavier waves on the North Shore,‭ ‬which immediately became the development grounds of modern jazzed up surfing.‭ ‬He started working with famous shaper Ben Aipa to develop and refine surfboards that allowed for his innovative approach.‭ ‬Ben Aipa was his mentor at the time,‭ ‬and together they redefined the standard for performance equipment.‭ ‬Aipa’s swallowtail and stinger designs of the mid-70s facilitated some of Bertlemann’s best surfing.
                       ‭ ‬On a personal level,‭ ‬Aipa discouraged Bertlemann from pursuing a professional competitive career in surfing.‭ ‬Despite Aipa’s advice and his own distaste for competition,‭ ‬Bertlemann turned pro in the early‭ ‬70s.‭ ‬Without conforming to the restraints of competition,‭ ‬he finished third in the‭ ‬1972‭ ‬World Contest in San Diego.‭ ‬A year later,‭ ‬he won the U.S.‭ ‬Surfing Championship.‭ ‬Although he became one of the highest-paid pros of the time,‭ ‬he experienced only marginal competitive success,‭ ‬and stayed in the top‭ ‬16‭ ‬in both‭ ‬1976‭ ‬and‭ ‬1979.‭ ‬His style was so different from the norms that competition judges rarely understood how to score his maneuvers.‭ “‬I surfed for myself and the public,‭ ‬not for five judges,‭” ‬claims Larry-‭ “‬How do you score a maneuver you’ve never seen before‭?” ‬Thanks to Aipa’s wide,‭ ‬short‭ (‬less than‭ ‬6-foot‭) ‬swallowtail and stinger designs,‭ ‬Larry had total freedom of movement.‭ ‬Bertlemann could do all the spontaneous maneuvers from low gravity cutbacks,‭ ‬360s to switchfoot antics,‭ ‬and they remained functional.‭ ‬He was also interested in design.‭ ‬Bertlemann shaped his first board inside a friend’s house.‭ ‬After watching Sparky‭ (‬from the Sparky’s Surf Shop‭) ‬and working with Aipa,‭ ‬he began shaping regularly,‭ ‬cooperating with Town and Country,‭ ‬George Downing and others.‭ ‬Bertlemann also helped in the renaissance of ultra-short twin-fins around‭ ‬1980.
‭ ‬His dominant presence in the media overshadowed Larry Bertlemann’s competitive career.‭ ‬He was featured on a record nine magazine covers,‭ ‬and he was one of the first professionals to land a deal with significant corporate sponsors like Pepsi,‭ ‬OP,‭ ‬Toyota,‭ ‬and United Airlines.‭ ‬He even starred a role in Hal Jepsen’s‭ ‬1975‭ ‬film Super Session.‭ ‬His hyper-exposed surfing wasn’t the sole thing that he used to stay in the public eye.‭ ‬Frequently surfing in color-coordinated outfits along with his characteristic Afro,‭ ‬Bertlemann made sure the cameras followed him wherever he went.‭ ‬He even surfed Pipeline in a custom bell-bottom styled wetsuit. Being in media’s spotlight made him one of Hawaii’s great ambassadors of the‭ ‬1970s.‭ ‬Larry really revolutionized the surfing world-‭ ‬it was the first time the surfing lifestyle was available to non-surfers across the planet.‭ ‬Pictures of Bertlemann spread across the globe,‭ ‬and in a short time he grew into the very well known icon of Hawaiian surfing.
Finally,‭ ‬around‭ ‬1998,‭ ‬his desire for speed and adventure got the better of him.‭ ‬The years of physical abuse from skateboarding,‭ ‬surfing and motorcycle and truck racing resulted in two degenerating discs,‭ ‬leaving the right side of his body paralyzed.‭ ‬He has since regained motion through surgery and therapy,‭ ‬but he is far from his old self.‭ ‬After coming back to Oahu,‭ ‬he began shaping as much as his body would allow.‭ ‬In the summer of‭ ‬2001,‭ ‬he was arrested on robbery and weapons charges and spent the next years in jail,‭ ‬following a popular‭ “‬Free Bert‭” ‬campaign.‭ ‬Upon his release,‭ ‬Bertlemann began making surfboards again,‭ ‬even forming mass-production deals with Rebel Boards and Santa Cruz.‭ ‬In terms of numbers,‭ ‬his greatest influence was amusingly on skateboarding.‭ ‬Award-winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys,‭ ‬relates to the rise of vert skating begins with names like Alva,‭ ‬Peralta and Adams trying to take Larry’s approach on a wave to streets and parks‭; ‬they even call their slide-out turns,‭ “‬Berts.‭” ‬Now Larry Bertlemann surfs rather infrequently,‭ ‬but people in and out of the surfing world will never forget the significant contributions of this Hawaiian legend.

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