famous hawaiian surfboard shapers

He summed it up for Surfline in 2013 when he said, simply: My boards are not for everybody.. The standings where the blanks are shaped are nailed to the floor with lighting aligned near them. Sunn was also an early advocate for equal pay and equal say for female surfers, and she helped to establish the Womens Professional Surfing Association. What he does: Meyerhoffers most famous surfboard creation still makes the least amount of sense, at least to the untrained eye. The Hawaiian islanders most likely utilized only three species of tree as the base for their surfboards: the wiliwili (Erythrina monosperma), ulu (Artocarpus incisa), and koa (Acacia koa). DOT License #227698 DOT Motor Carrier License #165352 DOT Freight Forwarder License #003549 Hawaii PUC #85-C. He grew up during the annexation of Hawaii and is a strong representative of Hawaiian culture and attitude. Alter (with partner Gordon Clark) is more responsible than anyone for the introduction and widespread use of foam and fiberglass surfboards. She studied music at UC-Santa Barbara, where she familiarized herself with the Queen of the Coast surfing spot Rincon Point. Focusing on intuitive, engaging solutions, Meyerhoffer mixes the functional and the emotional, relying on computer-assisted design techniques that redefined the way surfers thought about their boards and the assumptions we routinely make about whats right and wrong. Meyerhoffer even teamed up with the futurists at Global Surf Industries, which mass produced his signature board using EPS and epoxy, the most efficient materials then on the market. It was a performance and design leap as impactful (or maybe even more so) than anything before or since. Surf Prescriptions, Cordell Surfboards, Chas Performance, Pesce Surfboards, Poi Dog, A-39, Mohn, Sakal, Line Up, Wallin, and Country Surfboards. I had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport. SHAPING SINCE: "I shaped my first board in 1975; started shaping professionally in 1983." INFLUENCES: "Eric Arakawa, Ed Angulo, Dave Hill, Dave Purington and Peter Trombly." KNOWN FOR: "Performance shortboards, fish, step-up boards, guns and . Whats the Best Hawaiian Island to Live On, and Why? We get a lot of emails, and you probably do too. Not only do they chisel away foam to make a. Tour Performance Surf Hat // Green $ 38. still shaping surfboards almost until he passed. Thank you for signing up. It's super easy to communicate with them by text and Daley is just such a good listener. Ten-time world champion Kelly Slater frequents his place in Montecito. The 2018 film Kissed by God offers a telling glimpse into the tragic end of Andy Irons life and celebrates the impact he had on surfing, as well as his friends and family, especially his brother, Bruce: Speaking of stand-out surfers from Kauai, Bethany Hamilton certainly qualifies. What is your level of experience? Or, you might know Gerry Lopez as Subotai, friend and ally to Arnold Schwarzeneggers Conan the Barbarian. Kennellys most recent passion, though, is her career as an international DJ. How he does it: Its that upstairs-downstairs dichotomy that represents everything the Mayhem brand stands for today: the highest of high performance, delivered to the worlds best surfers in the best waves, and a singular focus on helping the worlds average surfers ride their average waves better. Then round and smooth the rails on both side. The evangelistic tribe of maverick, underground, backyard, and garage shapers around the globe praising and preaching the mantra of Simmons continues to grow daily.. Before any waverider straps on a leash, a pair of hands puts in hours in the shaping bay, molding foam, resin, and solid wood into a work of rideable art. What she does: Lloyds sleek longboard shapes, made specifically for Santa Cruzs slow, easygoing pointbreaks, represent such an important connection back to the golden days of California surfing. ". Like about all the sweet sales we're having and fun events. If it can be done on the water, Lenny has done it. We've got you covered. Jimmy Lewis is a Hawaiian surfer, sailor and surfboard shaper . He was 85. As the word started to travel, more and . The type of surfboard shape was actually indicative of Hawaiian social structure; the alaia and paipo boards were used by the commoners, while the olo boards were reserved for the royal class. SHAPERS RENO ABELLIRA BEN AIPA BAHNE BILL BARNFIELD CLYDE BEATTY BENNET LARRY BERTLEMANN BING BK HAWAII TOM BLAKE BRONZED AUSSIES BROTHERS NEILSON BUNGER SURFBOARDS BUSHMAN BUTTONS HAWAII BYRNE CALIFORNIA COMPANY CHALLENGER CHANNIN OWL CHAPMAN CLEAN LINES CON CORKY CARROLL JEFF CRAWFORD DRB CHUCK DENT GEORGE DOWNING PHIL EDWARDS ENERGY-S. ANDERSON ET SURFBOARDS FIBRECRAFT MARK FOO FRESH JUICE . A few years later, he became the youngest surfer to win the event. BEN AIPA. After the chosen tree was cut, Hawaiian shapers used sea coral and oahi stones for light reduction; subsequently, the root of the ti plant and the bark of the kukui plant were used for the final burnish of the surfboard. He's skilled enough to pull off a giant air maneuver while surfing Peahi, Maui's big wave, but he's curious enough to try windsurfing it, too. How she does it: Lloyd works closely with her husband when shaping her boards -- in fact, Thompson applies the final layer of fiberglass to Ashleys nine-foot-plus creations in their Greenest Glassing facility, which uses a bio-based resin thats far more environmentally friendly than traditional polyurethane. The list goes on. In shaping, you have to be really calculated, but you also have to have artistic flair.. Hawaii Surf Factory is a full service facility. How he does it: Hess crafts a molded perimeter wood frame, then fills it with recycled foam on the interior and eco-friendly resin on the exterior. Ultrasensitive under the feet, these boards allow for sharp movements, allowing riders to push the limits on hollow waves. One year later, he opened a little shop in Haleiwa called Surfboards Hawaii. Balsa wood began to emerge as the most versatile base for the modernizing shaper; the balsa wood drastically reduced the weight of the surfboard, and allowed for surfers to move in the water with more speed and agility. What he does: The four-fin surfboards Stretch Reidel is known for today began as a peculiar anomaly in the 1980s, when single fins gave way to twin-fins and the eventual industry-standard three-fin Thruster. So he worked with legendary shaper Hap Jacobs to produce a smaller, more refined model that set Junod down a lifelong path of experimentation with the cornucopia of shapes -- twin-fins, quads, finless planks, kneeboards -- commonly referred to today as alternative. But ironically, Michel was also one of the first surfers in the 1970s to dust off his traditional longboard again, flying in the face of the Shortboard Revolution and reviving one of surfings most traditional art forms. After that trip, he headed home to Long Beach and ended up on Dewey Webers surf team. 2045 Lauwiliwili St #501 BLDG 5 When you shape a board by hand youre basically creating a sculpture, Hamilton says. Let's get in touch and discuss your next surfboard project.Send me an email with your phone number! He went on to college at Long Beach State, where he surfed as much as he could generally in the mornings before classes, since he spent his days in the classroom and his nights working as a toolmaker. I rode everything in California on that same board Lunada Bay, big Cottons Point, Windansea, Ventura overhead so I knew you could ride a 15-foot wave on a nine-foot board.. Lightning Bolt was one of the first heavy-hitter surf companies back in the early '70s. Copyright 20042023 Yelp Inc. Yelp, , and related marks are registered trademarks of Yelp. Growing up on Oahus North Shore didnt hurtand it ultimately gave Florence a level of comfort and familiarity with Pipeline that few others ever experience. Understanding the 'Okina, How to Move to Hawaii: A Basic Four-Step Process. Kinimaka was also a lifeguard who won the Waterman of the Year Award in 1996 from the State of Hawaii Lifeguard Association. SURFERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. What he does: The forty-something Ventura native specializes in wooden surfboards -- and not the old-school collectible kind. Alan has been shaping surfboards in Hawaii for many years. For better or worse, they made the surfboard available to everyone and created the template for starting a surf company, which is still followed, over and over, around the world., BOB MCTAVISH + GEORGE GREENOUGH You can see the statue honoring his legacy in the heart of Waikiki today, where its often adorned with fresh lei. Separately and simultaneously, Alter and Velzy built massive factories and developed large-scale production lines, capable of cranking out hundreds of boards per week. Barnum savvy and Henry Ford industrialism basically birthed the surf industry through manufacturing, merchandising, and marketing. Inside the shaping bay, thats even more accurate. It all adds up to explain why that curvy, curious surfboard attracted so much attention when it first debuted ten years ago. Best Surfboard Shaper near me in Honolulu, Hawaii. You have Jeff Clark to thank. Hawaiian surf legend Ben Aipa, who achieved renown in the 1960s and '70s as a powerful, creative surfer, innovative board shaper and dedicated coach, died Friday at his Hilo home at the age of. The Coast Guard saved the rest of the crew, but Aikau was never seen again, despite an extensive search. It is definitely worth driving to and from DingDocs. Using his engineering talents and his knowledge of wave riding, he made boards that worked incredibly well in a time when real, intelligent design was still in its infancy. A man at the top of his craft, Brewer continues to evolve the art of shaping while expanding the limits of surfing, one bespoke board at a time. They then moved to Whittier where Dick joined a water polo team. Its the job of the shaper to actualize all of this data into the perfect conduit, and that conduit is different for every rider. How he does it: Reidel once said that his dad taught him you cant make anything clean in filth so, he cleans his shaping room twice a day himself. ", PHILOSOPHY: "Listen to the customers to find out what type of board will suit their needs, FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE EASTSIDE: "Great surf community, fun waves and a small-town vibe. But there was a time when the practice didn't exist there or anywhere in North America. A leader among Kauais next-generation board makers, Scovel describes himself as a surfer more than a shaper. The surfboard shaper often designs their surfboards based on the specifications of their client; the shaper will adjust the dimensions and concave of the board to tailor to different styles of surfing and various types of waves. At least half of the World Surf League Championship Tours top surfers rely on his boards, particularly when they descend on Lower Trestles in San Clemente for their big contest every summer. Larry Peterson of Seaside Glassing, one of Pyzel's main glassers and one of the Mill's first occupants, says that the co-op is really only known by word of mouth. [1], There exists very little evidence that pinpoints the exact location of the first surfboard shaper; however, historical analysis suggests that surfboarding itself first originated in Hawaii. Probably considered the forefather of professional surfing, Duke Kahanamoku is widely revered as an icon and a beloved character of modern Hawaiian history. Ho shaped his first surfboard at the age of 14, and he soon began repairing and re-designing old boards found on the coast. 67-106 Kealohanui Street, Building P-2, Waialua, Hawaii, 96791. The 5,000,000+ surfers bobbing up and down Californias 840 miles of coastline spend a lot of time in the spotlight, but there is a small group of artisans working in the background to make all those epic YouTube-worthy rides possible: surfboard shapers. Meet Your Shaper. After all, when youre this close to the oceanand a ton of perfect waveswhy not get out there and enjoy it?! In recent years, Hamilton has taken up a new genre of surfboard making: turn-of-the-century classics. Richard Dick Brewer was born on October 13, 1936, in Bemidji, Minnesota. How Well Do You Know Your Hawaiian Place Names. He prides himself on touching every board with his name on it at least three times to make sure its up to his standards. Working together with, and inspired by, Californian expat George Greenough and his flexible scooped-nose kneeboards, they hacked the lengths down dramatically, kicked up the nose rockers, and cut deep vee panels into the tails. They started a ripple that turned into a wave that is still rolling today. In 1966, Ho began working as an apprentice to Bob Milner at Robert's Surfboards in Playa del Ray, California. Hawaiian South Shore 4.4 (97 reviews) Surfing Surf Shop $$Kaka'ako Takayama eventually began to shape for Jacobs' Surfboards; his visually-clean longboard design became one of the most popular surfboard models in the mid 20th century. Although Andreini always wanted to be a teacher, today hes happiest making small batches of his hand-shaped boards for displacement hull devotees so that they can derive the same joy from surfing as he does. On top of that, he instituted the first surfer-led big-wave Water Patrol brigade to keep daredevil surfers safe and helped elevate Half Moon Bay to international lore through organizing the on-again, off-again Mavericks surf contest. Then confirm the overall symmetry of the board. Copyright 2013 Surfboardline. The process of surfboard shaping has evolved over the years, and the shaper often tailors his or her work to meet the requirements of a client or a certain wave. Privacy Policy. (FYI -- Thats as tall as a 7-story building.) Was This One of the Best Days Ever Seen at a California Beach Break? One of 16 children, Kinimaka came from a family with surfing in its blood. He wanted it for the North Shore, and as soon as he showed up on the scene, it was apparent that he had a little something extra. Hawaiians were riding waves with a great deal of authority, and when the missionaries came and put the kibosh on surfing, it became a forgotten art, Hamilton says. Before Blake, the few surfers in the world seemed content to glide along in one direction on gentle, sloping waves. Commoners boards were made of koa wood. He became famous in the longboard world and was considered one of the best shapers of all time. The combination of materials far surpasses the strength of a standard foam and fiberglass, which explains the steep price tag for Hess creations (think $2,000 and up). George Downing also developed the first big wave surfboard, making the bigger waves more accessible. Born in Newfoundland Canada, he moved to maui when his father was stationed Hawaii. (Hint: not anything like what the guys and girls on the World Tour were doing). As he traveled around the world giving surfing demonstrations, he introduced the sport to the world. Michel Junod bridges both gaps -- he was raised in Los Angeles in the mid 1960s but, in the 90s, he experienced a renaissance with the young, hip longboard crowd thanks to fruitful collaborations with todays trendsetters (like filmmaker Thomas Campbell). He created surfboards that were able to do what surfers wanted them to do, and in doing that, he kicked off an era of progression that led to what we see on waves today. Instead, OBrien has become a master of the business of surfing, and he runs one of the sports most popular vlogs. How he does it: While Chad inherited dads Kaimanu Surfboards label when he was 18, he immediately set out to push the business into the future by concentrating on natural materials: eco-friendly, agave-based foam for the surfboard blank; a hemp-derived fiberglass substitute for its strong outer layer; and recycled redwood for the fins on the bottom. Furthermore, youd be hard pressed to find an earlier example of his groundbreaking outlinethe narrowish nose and bump-wing squash tailto which he married his three-fin setup. Schaper Hawaii 67-106 Kealohanui St Waialua, HI 96791 Copyright 2016. Following in the footsteps of all-around watermen like Duke Kahanamoku, Eddie Aikau, Laird Hamilton, and Dave Kalama, Kai Lenny has embraced a broad variety of disciplines in the water. Photo Credit: Grant Ellis From the Campbell brothers Bonzers to many others attempting to add rear stabilizers to twin-fins, its no secret that people had put three fins on surfboards before. Ho was featured in the 2020 documentary, She Is the Ocean, the story of nine women who are intimately connected to the water. Hawaiian shaper Dick Brewer immediately used these design concepts to create a whole new style of Hawaiian guns for surfers like Jeff Hakman, Gerry Lopez, and Reno Abellira, allowing them and others to almost instantly push performance levels in tube riding and radical maneuvers in large Hawaiian waves., SIMON ANDERSON Born from legendary shapers Jack Shipley and Gerry Lopez, surfers knew they were getting quality product and flocked to Hawaii to get their hands on Lightning Bolt boards and apparel. After the form of the surfboard is sculpted from the blank, the shaper can lay fiberglass or carbon fiber sheets over the top and bottom of the surfboard, and laminate each sheet with a thermosetting substance, such as epoxy or polyester resin. Nov 27, 2017 Brittany Lyte Will Scovel combines calculated precision and artistic flair to shape high-performance shortboards. JOEL PARKINSON. [2], In the 1960s, the design of surfboard began to significantly shrink in size. Start by adjusting the template paper over the blank, then cut the blank with a handsaw on both sides. Visit our factory showroom to check out our extensive inventory: Surfboard Factory Hawaii. They call it a true cold brew -- we call it true passion. However, these days, OBrien is less focused on competition and more on freesurfingenjoying the sport on his terms, free from the grind of the World Surf League tour and its rankings.

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