An orange and green autographed surfboard from the 2008 premiere of 'Bustin’ Down the Door' now on display at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. (Courtesy photo)
Autographed surfboard from 2008 premiere of ‘Bustin’ Down the Door’ now at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. (Courtesy photo)

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will present new exhibit featuring an autographed surfboard from the 2008 world premiere of “Bustin’ Down the Door,” the surf documentary narrated by Edward Norton and directed by Jeremy Gosch.

The film had its debut at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Jan. 27, 2008, at the Arlington Theatre, followed by an after-party at SBMM, where the surfboard was signed.

Shaped by Al Merrick of Channel Islands Surfboards, the board bears the signatures of surfing greats:

Ian “Kanga” Cairns — 1973 Smirnoff Pro Champion (pre-professional era)
Peter “PT” Townend — 1976 International Professional Surfers (IPS) World Champion
Shaun Tomson — 1977 International Professional Surfers (IPS) World Champion
Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew — 1978 International Professional Surfers (IPS) World Champion
Mark “MR” Richards — 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 International Professional Surfers (IPS) World Champion

“Bustin’ Down the Door” chronicles the surfing revolution of 1975, when groundbreaking Australian and South African surfers challenged the status quo in Hawai‘i, reshaping competition, culture, and the industry itself.

“This surfboard is more than a collectible, it’s a piece of living surfing history,” said Greg Gorga, executive director of SBMM. “With the signatures of five world champions on an Al Merrick shape, and a direct link to the film premiere here in Santa Barbara, the board captures the spirit of innovation, risk, and community that defines our coastal story.”

About the signers

Bartholomew burst onto the international scene in 1975, inspiring the original “Bustin’ Down the Door” article (Surfer Magazine, 1976) and earning the 1978 world title.

Richards redefined performance surfing on the North Shore, and developed a revolutionary winged swallow twin-fin (1976) – the wing (a small cutaway in the outline) and swallow tail add bite and pivot, giving the twin fin more control, which is key to the speed and carving style that helped him win four straight world titles (1979-82).

Tomson, famed for innovative tube-riding (getting “barreled), when a surfer rides inside the hollow, spinning part of a breaking wave — the cylindrical space under the lip as it throws forward.

It is considered the pinnacle of surfing because the rider must match the wave’s speed, choose a precise line along the face, and use subtle stalling and pumping to stay in the pocket while the lip pitches overhead.

Tomson became South Africa’s most successful surfer, winning the Gunston 500 six times and the 1977 world title.

Cairns earned multiple Hall of Fame honors because he was both an elite competitor and a key architect of modern pro surfing.

As a big-wave “power” surfer, he won major events (e.g., 1973 Smirnoff Pro) and dominated Hawaii’s North Shore; as a builder, Cairns helped found and lead the International Professional Surfers/Association of Surfing Professionals system that became today’s world tour, plus youth pathways like NSSA, shaping how the sport is organized and judged.

That dual impact is why Cairns is in the Western Australian Hall of Champions (1990), the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame (1993), the Surfing Walk of Fame (Huntington Beach, 2010), and the Surfers’ Hall of Fame (Huntington Beach, 2010).

Townend, among the best of the ’70s-’80s, became the first International Professional Surfers/Association of Surfing Professionals World Champion (1976) and continued shaping the sport through competition and board design.

“This special acquisition is a gift from Gary Simpson in honor of Executive Director Greg Gorga,” SBMM said. “The exhibit furthers SBMM’s commitment to interpreting the region’s maritime history and Southern California surf culture.”