Allan Byrne

Allan Byrne was an elite level surfer and pioneer in surfboard design, making his biggest contribution through experimenting with channel bottom surfboards. He won over a half dozen prestigious surfing titles during his career and he attributed his success, in part, to the highly functional advancements he was making with his radical channel bottom desgns. His crossover impact connected to wakeboarding through his “skurf” boards he would make, these smaller surfboards that he would “test ride” and experiment with various channel bottom shapes behind boats before taking scale models into the surf. Foot straps were soon added to these “Skurf” creations and just like that, a new industry in towed watersports was borne. Allan Byre passed away from a motorcycle accident in 2013 but his legacy and impact in surfing and wakeboarding are eternally sustained with his induction into the Wakesports Hall of Fame.