CON Surfboards. Born 1959... revived 2009!

The History of CON Surfboards - Con Colburn

Compared to many of his counterparts who built surfboards in the 1960's, Constantine "Con" Colburn could almost be considered a senior citizen when he began surfing at the age of 22, in 1956. And though Con may not have been known for his surfing prowess, he made significant contributions to the sport as a product innovator.

A savvy young businessman, Con quickly recognized the growth-potential of the surf industry, and opened his first surf shop in Santa Monica, California, in 1958. Called the Surf House, it was originally a ding repair shop; by 1959, Con had changed the name to Con Surfboards, and operated three retail locations. The legend was born.

By the late 1970's, Con Surfboards had all but faded into surf history, and in 1988 Con retired to Bishop, California, a resort community in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Con Colburn died just four years later, in 1992, at the age of 57.

Con Colburn and his legacy continue today through CON Surfboards and now through DEGR33. You can still get his legendary hand-shaped boards like The Ugly, the Super Ugly and the C.C. Rider Model through the CON Surfboards website and now you can get machine shaped replicas of CON's Egg, Rider, and Summer Soul exclusively through DEGR33. Coupled with our line of modern longboard and shortboard designs, Con's surfboards continue to turn heads and deliver the finest quality products in the industry.