Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Swastikas … to Waikiki Surf-Boards


Founded in 1908 by William Butte, Pacific Ready-cut Homes, later Pacific System Homes, made ’kit’ homes.  When the Stock Market crashed in October of 1929, Butte’s son Meyers convinced the family that manufacturing surfboards would be a good way to diversify the business. He began to change a small part of the production of Pacific System to surfboards.

At first, the company logo was a swastika on the deck; the boards became known as ‘Swastika’ models. “The Swastika boards were droolers … people really wanted a Pacific System.”  However, with the rise of Nazi Germany, in about 1938, the swastika name and logos were dropped and the boards became known as ‘Waikiki Surf-Boards.’

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