About 10 summers ago, the finless, soft hybrid of a bodyboard, surfboard and skimboard called the Beater Board, made by Catch Surf, was the most sought-after craft for kids on LBI. Surf shops couldn’t keep them stocked. Surf City, specifically the neighborhood on the south end of town, was a hotbed of Beater action.

Each summer for several years, the Catch Surf crew would come through on the Get Wet Tour and have an informal contest at the street adjacent to the Surf City Farias.