the surf wetsuit story

In the early days of surfing, this sport was not only limited to places that had the big waves

, but also exactly where the waters were at least reasonably warm. With nothing but your swim trunks or suit between you and the ocean, surfing was restricted to either short periods of time or the hardiest of people.

Then along came Jack O'Neill.

Jack O`Neill was a surfer in the San Francisco area who had a day job of selling architectural aluminum. He surfed at each opportunity he got, but surfing in the cold waters off San Francisco caused him constant sinus problems. 1 day although displaying a drawing to a client, his clogged sinuses opened up leaking on the drawing he was showing. Jack found himself not only embarrassed but out of a job.

Given his unemployed status Jack made the decision to do what any avid surfer would do in the 50s. he made the decision to open a surf shop in his garage which was very close to the beach. He made surf boards out of balsa to sell in his store, while at the same time experimenting with vests and other clothing that may help keep a surfer warmer although riding the waves.

His experiments were a study in trial and error and determination. Initial he experimented with PVC which he knew was a great insulating material but discovered that it was tough to work with. He moved on to working with plastic foam which once again proved unsuccessful for this needs. Then he found neoprene.

Neoprene proved to be not only a good insulating material but it was both flexible and buoyant making it ideal for use by surfers.

And so the neoprene wetsuit was born. Jack O`Neill's wet suits proved to be practical and could be produced in large numbers. Over the years many improvements have been created to the fits O'Neill originally designed. Nylon backing was adding to make them slide onto your body simpler with out the ripping and tearing that sometimes occurred with the original wetsuit.

Next came improvements in the way the pieces of the wetsuit was joined together. Here too a bit of trial and error was required to obtain the result the manufacturers wanted. Stitching allowed the water barrier in between the skin and the wet go well with to leak via the needle holes. Gluing the seams was attempted, only to discover that when the neoprene stretched the glue would let loose and the go well with would start coming apart. Finally tape bonding of the seams was tried and this worked fairly well. With the introduction of nylon backing on both sides of the neoprene and taping the seams on the inside of the suit the fits held together without leakage. Blind stitching was then utilized to flattened the wetsuit seams. These innovations made the go well with easier to produce and gave it a much much better and stylish look.

surf historical past

Today, O'Neill is a main corporation and leads the field in wetsuit design. But if it hadn't been for Jack O`Neill's drippy nose and his vision of being able to surf in cooler water temperatures who knows exactly where our surfing buddies may be these days.

More info

Cabarete

surf camp cabarete

the surf wetsuit story

By: Marylin Shick

POST COMMENT

History of Hoover Bagless Canister Vacuum Publishing Your Articles Effectively! When you Submit Articles, be sure your Submission won't be Deleted The Coinage History of U.K. Coin Collecting All About Spain - Important Article Tianjin Natural History Museum - one of the first and the best of its kind in the world Teleseminars - Reach Your Prospects by Holding a Teleseminar to Share Your Knowledge and Expertise Facebook Gives Major Boost to OpenID Universal Notebook Battery The History Of Mont Blanc Pens Particles carp bait? Valley Of The Kings: History Never Dies Using the Knowledge Contained in The Covenant to Create Wealth