Nat Young
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About Nat Young
Robert “Nat” Young began surfing at the ripe age of 10 in Sydney, Australia. At the age of 16 he won the open division of the 1963 Australian International Surfing Championships and the following year joined the men’s division and placed second behind Midget Farrelly. Nat’s legacy took shape in 1966, where he won the World Championships in San Diego virtually unmatched, largely due to a board he deemed the “Magic Sam”. The 9’4 thin square-tail, complimented with a (at the time) space-age high aspect fin made and designed by George Greenough. The new equipment allowed Nat to turn and maneuver his board more aggressively and deeper in the pocket than his nose-dwelling competitors. Young and Bob McTavish helped usher in the shortboard revolution when they traveled to Hawaii in 1967 and inspired the next generation of surfers such as Michael Peterson, Ian Cairns and Simon Anderson. Nat began competing regularly beginning in the 80s and won 4 world titles between 1986 and 1990. Nat has been a writer since the mid-60s and has published multiple books like Surfing Australia’s East Coast (1980) and The History of Surfing (1983). He’s been inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame, the International Surfing Hall of Fame, and the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame. He’s considered one of the greatest surfers the sport has ever seen and we’re honored to offer his fin template as apart of our catalog.