Chuck Linnen 2003 Local Hero, 2007 Honor Roll "The Boys of '55" & 2011 Honor Roll "Hole in the Wall Gang"
Competition has always been Chuck's forte
PHOTO: Huntington Beach Pier, courtesy of Ron Stoner
PHOTO: Makaha Nov. 65', courtesy of LeRoy Grannis
PHOTO: Huntington Beach, Linnen Archive
"As I ride the wave distantly, following the echo, I have arrived at my home"
Chuck Linnen
A longtime Huntington Beach local, Chuck Linnen began surfing in 1954. And from then until now, competition has always been his forte.
He competed in the 1958 Oceanside Invitational, the first U.S. Championships held at Huntington Beach Pier in 1959, the 1961 World Contest at Makaha and the 1964 World Contest in Peru. Linnen was runner-up at the 1973 Malibu Masters event. More recently, Linnen was crowned N.S.S.A. Senior champ and won the W.S.A. Grand Master title.
Way back when, Linnen taught Corky Carroll how to shoot the H.B. Pier and was among the first wave of California surfers to travel to Hawaii’s North Shore during the early-‘60s. The “Surf King” as many called him was a member of the Huntington Beach Surfing Association and ‘The Boys of 55’ surf club. Linnen also held jobs as a Huntington lifeguard and an Irvine high school teacher.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Sharon Marshall
PHOTO: Chuck and other team members arriving at the Peru Airport for the the 1964 World Contest, standard attire. Linnea Archive.
PHOTO: Chuck at Huntington Beach Pier, courtesy of Ron Dotson. Linnea Archive.
PHOTO: Chuck with Joyce Hoffman at Sunset Beach December 65'. Courtesy of LeRoy Grannis.
PHOTO: Navy days "When Men Were Men", Chuck Linnen second from left. Linnen Archive.
PHOTO: 1965 Chuck Linnen in his younger days riding a good sized wave at Makaha in Hawaii. The former Long Beach resident made many trips to Hawaii to ride the large waves. Chuck, now a Huntington Beach resident, was inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfing
Walk of Fame on July 31st as the Local Hero. Courtesy of Leo Hetzel
Timeline of Boards
- 1954 Hobie Alter 1st Board
- Gordie Surfboard 3rd Board George Stremple reshaped Balsa board, referred as a "Pig Board"
- 1957 Del Cannon Step Down
- 1960-62 Hap Jacobs
- 1962-64 Sonny Vardeman
- 1962-64 Surfboards by Jacobs in World Contest Lima Peru, South America.
- 1963-65 Vardeman Surf Team
- 1963 Joey Cabell, Paul Strauch
- 1964-65 Vardeman Wayne Land Model. Guns Big Wave Boards 11'4"
- 1966 Buzzy Trent Model shaped by Dick Brewer
- 1966 Bing Copeland Surfboard-Only three made "Bing Pipe Liner"
- 1967 John Peck-Morey Pope Penetrator
- 1967 Riding My Bing Pipe Liner
- 1968 Greek Surfboards
- 1970 Dick Brewer Gun and Greek Surfboards
- 1973 Bruce Jones
- 1973 Robert August
- 1974 Carl Hayward
- 1974 Hawaii Surf Design
