This is a 9'6'' x 22" Shane "Russell Hughes Excellor" model, shaped by Dick Van Straalen, C. 1966.
While clearly a longboard, it features a George Greenough style fin and a seriously rolled bottom...not unlike Nat Young's "Magic Sam."
Russell Hughes was one of the first Australian surfers to embrace the refinements inspired by Greenough...and yet, he continued riding longer boards when "everyone else" had dropped down well below 9 feet.
He was riding a super-tuned longboard in The Hot Generation ...
Greenough's epic tube riding poster -- which kick started surfing's new era in terms of the mainstream surf media -- featured Hughes on that same board at Noosa.
By winter of 1968 Russell acquiesced, and began riding shorter boards...
Riding a shortboard, he went on to a very respectable 3rd place in the December, 1968 Puerto Rico World Contest -- ahead of Nat Young, Mike Doyle and Reno Abellira. Young later said he should have won the event. (Note the double stringer on the shortboards above and below...like his Excellor models.)
More on the life and times of Russell Hughes here...
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