famous hawaiian surfboard shapers famous hawaiian surfboard shapers

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. Then, she moved to Santa Cruz (with boasts iconic breaks like Pleasure Point and Steamers Lane) a decade ago with her husband, Alex Thompson, and their children. After that trip, he headed home to Long Beach and ended up on Dewey Webers surf team. Foam E-Z was founded in 1993 by Brad Nadell and Steve Adler (RIP). The vessel capsized 12 miles south of Molokai. What he does: Given all that alone time inventing the art of riding Mavericks monstrosities, Clark specializes in the long, sleek guns (eight-foot and up surfboards made to paddle into and then slice down the face of big waves) that work best at huge breaks. 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 Sand the deck until it blends with the rails. The Waialua Sugar Mill is the epicenter for custom surfboard manufacturing on Oahu, yet it remains surprisingly covert. A leader among Kauais next-generation board makers, Scovel describes himself as a surfer more than a shaper. He became famous in the longboard world and was considered one of the best shapers of all time. A few years later, he got a custom shape, a nine-foot Woody Brown template. It's super easy to communicate with them by text and Daley is just such a good listener. 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. Lightning Bolt was one of the first heavy-hitter surf companies back in the early '70s. His meticulousness has made him a perpetually in-demand shaper, known for fine-tuning old-school design ideas into adventurous, high-performance present-day experiences. He began shaping surfboards out of wooden railway ties as a young boy; however, in 1957, he moved to California to apprentice under the legendary shaper Dale Velzy. All high quality and wonderfully priced. If youre just hitting easygoing pointbreaks and summertime beachbreaks, youre better off with something different. ", KNOWN FOR: "Performance shortboards, fish, step-up boards, guns and longboards. Itd be a semi-gun today light balsa with a single layer of glass, he told Drew Kampion for a Surfers Journal profile. Takayama's knowledge and skill in regards to surfboard design have defined him as one of the most influential surfboard shapers of all time. Photos: Dick Brewer Surfboards/ Doug Walker. Like the great Mark Richards, who won his four consecutive world titles on self-shaped twin-fins, its the surfing that Anderson did on his self-made craft that really hammered the message home. Meyerhoffer, a fifty-something industrial designer, hails from what may be the least friendly surf city in the world: Stockholm, Sweden. Surfboard shaping was regarded by the Hawaiian islanders as a ceremonial rite; Hawaiian islanders often offered fish to surfriding trees as offerings. The other major hallmark of his career is his advocacy for environmentally-friendly EPS epoxy foam and resin, which he posits more as a cost-effective, high-tech approach to running his business than hippie propensity. A surfboard shaper is someone who designs and builds surfboards. Richard Dick Brewer was born on October 13, 1936, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Its an inverted hourglass shape with bulging hips in the back third of the board, a narrow empire waist, and another wide bubble near the nose. On top of all that, Blake is also credited with the first-ever waterproof camera housing, and he was probably the first to make twin-fin and swallow-tailed surfboards., DALE VELZY + HOBIE ALTER Triangle Slash Raglan Sweatshirt $ 64.99 Color : Add to Cart. Dale Velzy (September 23, 1927 - May 26, 2005) was an American surfboard shaper, credited with being the world's first commercial shaper.He opened the first professional surf shop in Manhattan Beach, California in 1950, personally hand fashioning the surfboards from wood or synthetic material. He also spent family vacations on the long, drawn-out pointbreaks of Santa Barbara, before he settled down in Santa Cruz. It is not worth putting my 85-year-old body through the stresses of treatment so I am going to hang on to the words of Buddha: The secret to health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. GO SURFING and get one for me!. [3] However, the primary distinction between each ancient Hawaiian surfboard shape is their length and weight; paipo boards ranged from 36 feet long,[4] alaia boards ranged from 7 to 12 feet long,[5] and olo boards measured up to 20 feet long. SURFERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. 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. Surfboard Factory Hawaii is the exclusive surfboard licensee for Hawaiian Island Creations and produces the best quality stock and custom HIC surfboards with the latest designs and technology to enhance your surfing experience. Ho was featured in the 2020 documentary, She Is the Ocean, the story of nine women who are intimately connected to the water. He sold a few boards shaped by other shapers, but he also began to learn more and more about the art of crafting a surfboard. Pipeline, the man with the most outrageously relaxed stance on one of the most intense waves in the world. How he does it: Junods lean, fit frame still glides through Santa Cruz lineups with ease on the beautiful quad-fin, twin-fin, and single-fin creations he makes in a former produce-packing plant. The five questions to ask yourself in order to tackle the fin equation, according Tip-time with master tipster Justin Quintal, A how-to for wetsuit maintenance, because rinsing alone just isn't enough. They call it a true cold brew -- we call it true passion. JOEL PARKINSON. [2] Blakes innovative design drastically reduced the weight of the surfboard, and by 1930, the Hollow Board became the first mass-produced surfboard in the world. Aikau hopped on his surfboard and attempted to paddle to Lanai for help. Many also know Aikau for his incredible bravery in the ocean, which eventually cost him his life. On May 28, 2022, surfboard shaping legend Dick Brewer died at his home in Hawaii. But Reidel stuck with quads, pursuing his experimentation with the new design to the point of perfection. It was 1960. When the board balanced about 80 bricks before it broke in two, Hamilton instantly knew he had created something capable of revolutionizing modern surfing. Surfboard shaping is not done so easily; it takes patience and determination to properly craft a surfboard. Customer service was above and beyond.more, Been buying surfboards and surf accessories from Dave at HSS for over 13 years now, from JS, Channelmore. Developed in the 70s, a displacement hull board has a convex bottom contour, as opposed to the standard surfboards concave bottom. Located on the North Shore of Oahu Hawaii, Schaper Hawaii is best known for our custom surfboards for every surfer. You can see the statue honoring his legacy in the heart of Waikiki today, where its often adorned with fresh lei. Buy Hawaii Shaped Surfboards by Alan Uehara Get your next surfboard from Alan in Hawaii. Mel is known as "big wave' surfer and his son John Mel is a four-time surfing National Champion. Big wave surfing has not always been the most welcoming discipline for women, but Keala Kennelly has never been one to shy away from the planets biggest waves. More than most other shapers, his obsession with surfboard design combined with his background as a union carpenter willed a previously unrideable beast into its current existence as one of the crown jewels of international big-wave surfing. He estimates shaping 25,000 to 30,000 boards, and the surfer-turned-shaper says he still assembles about 150 custom boards a year. 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. Ashley grew up with world-class longboard waves in her backyard: she was raised in Malibu, the epicenter of Golden State surfing. Rewatch "Riss", "Pentacoastal" and more of this year's s On the road with one of the most stylish surfers on this generation, These talented women offer unique perspectives on lineups around the world, Just dont come complaining to us if you plane a finger off, Not another Instagram carousel, this is the crme de la crme from our year in print. [8], The beginning of the 1940s marked the introduction of fiberglass resin, which allowed shapers to construct surfboards that were strong, light, and waterproof. I called them at 8:30 in the morning, and someone answered me. Evan Rossell Changing Towel $ 64.99. Schaper Hawaii 67-106 Kealohanui St Waialua, HI 96791 Copyright 2016. Brewers family were Quakers, and both his father and grandfather were engineers. 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. Location-106 Ka'anapali Shores Place, Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii 96761. Under Slaters feet, Merrick refined this design and took the rest of us along with him as he pushed into a bold new realm of minimalistic, precise, high-performance surfboards. Dick Brewers influence on surfing and surf culture cannot be overstated. GOOD ViBES! The Hobie company continues to manufacture surfboards today. What he does: Under the Pearson Arrow label, Bob and his team of committed shapers pump out upwards of 2,000 boards a year -- shortboards, longboards, beginner boards, advanced shapes for big. I rode it for two years, up until I left for Hawaii. They sell the highest quality surfing-related merchandise that will last a surfing lifetime. 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. By the summer of 83, nearly every stock board, in every surf shop, in every country looked like a copy of Andersons boards. [6], The next technological change in the surfboard shaping industry came with the introduction of the Hollow Board by Hawaiian resident Tom Blake. ANDY IRONS Unfortunately for him, the name he gave his board model, The Thruster, was plagiarized by everyone and essentially became public domain., AL MERRICK When you grow up in a house that faces Pipeline, it feels almost inevitable that youd form a deep connection with the wavewhich is just what Jamie OBrien has done. How to do a Frontside Cutback With Josh Kerr, 10 Things You Should Take on Your Next Surf Road Trip, 6 Female-Founded Surfwear Brands We Tested This Summer, Jon Wayne Freeman "Charges" The Wedge, Seeks Sponsorship Deal. With virtually no precedent to work from, he was the first to hollow out the solid wood boards of the time, reducing the weight by almost half, which allowed him to glide faster than anyone before. A denizen of Kauais north shore, Hamilton has been shaping surfboards for a half-century. Considering his contribution we felt it necessary to do it. Its a part of history that Im trying to bring back again.. George Downing, Wally Froiseth, Woody Brown, and Buzzy Trent (among others), are considered the forefathers of big wave riding. Hobie was a pioneer in 20th century surfboard construction and design; his most famous legacy lies in his creation of the polyurethane foam surfboard in 1958. What is your level of experience? In other words, he knows how to make boards that can seriously perform, even when made out of eco-friendly materials. Sunn was a pioneering female surfer from Makaha who fearlessly paddled out into the largely male-dominated lineup as surfers flocked to Oahu in the 50s. LABEL: Straight Up Surfboards Hawaii, Purington Surfboards. Kelly Slater is the most influential surfer of our time, and he has done the vast majority of his surfing on boards built by Al Merrick. 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. Moving to Hawaii to enjoy the surf year-round? Kahanamoku held many different roles during his lifetime: legendary waterman, sheriff of Honolulu, Hollywood actor, Hawaiis Ambassador of Aloha, husband, and father. 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. Call Us: 800-920-2363; . In recent years, Hamilton has taken up a new genre of surfboard making: turn-of-the-century classics. 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. In 1998, Bill Hamilton won a utility patent that would renegotiate the limits of what an extreme, big-wave surfer can accomplish on a surfboard. Instead, OBrien has become a master of the business of surfing, and he runs one of the sports most popular vlogs. Hawaii Surf Factory is a full service facility. Remove the extra foam by passing it perpendicular to the stringer from tail to nose. And with a true fin on the tail, the first performance surfboard was created. His boards second name, Mayhem Surfboards, stuck; but even non-surfers will recognize his third: Lost. Each aspect of the shaping process is done by hand, from start to finish, to ensure every inch of the board has his personal care -- and thats all the way down to his psychedelic, pastel color glass jobs, which Junod also does in-house. How he does it: Andreini believes that a surfboard should be customized for the wave its going to ride. But the notoriously gruff and outspoken Biolos also led a peoples power movement producing tens of thousands of wide, thick, and fun shortboards that changed many surfers perspective on what good surfing in bad waves could look like. Custom Surfboards in Hawaii, and custom surfboards from the north shore of Oahu in particular, are the best surfboards you can find, and I'm going to explain why established or underground shapers on the north shore, and all shapers in Hawaii for that matter, have every type, size and shape of wave imaginable, a deep well of local rippers, and a never . You have to have your own vision of surfing, he told Brooklyns Pilgrim Surf and Supply in 2014. He's been called " surfing . After her recovery, Hamilton adapted her surfing style and returned to the sport to win a national title in 2005. ". Long story short, he knows the coastline, and his boards are colorful, elegant creations that are the the perfect mix of Southern, Central, and Northern California aesthetics -- which explains why they can be found under the feet of proud nonconformists all up and down the coast. We realize that Ben is not a "South Bay Shaper" but his influence on modern surfing has affected all of us. One year later, he opened a little shop in Haleiwa called Surfboards Hawaii. 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. He excelled in everything he put his mind to: President of the Alpha Sigma Kai fraternity and the Association of Mens Students at Compton J.C., then a Mens Senator at Long Beach State. But hes also revered in the surfing world for transforming the four-fin surfboard (aka quad) from clunky experiment to well-oiled speed machine. [7], Currently, many surfboard shapers design surfboards using computer programs and hot-wire cutting machines that expedite the design process, especially in relation to mass-production. How he does it: By tapping into past groundbreaking work for little ol companies like Apple, Nike, Porsche, and IDEO. Finally, cut the rail bevel from nose to fins to give a rounded-edge shape to the board. Bob Simmons star shone bright for too short a time. Slowly, his surfboards began to catch the interest of surfers in Hawaii, and the legend of Dick Brewer began to heat up. Donald Takayama was a junior Hawaian champ in the late 50's, moved to california in the mid 60's and learned shaping at the VELZY/JACOB factory where he shaped the first Takayama model. Hawaiis royalty enjoyed long boards made of wiliwili treesas well as priority on waves. He was, by all accounts extraordinarily proficient with his hands. He summed it up for Surfline in 2013 when he said, simply: My boards are not for everybody.. Ho is the daughter of Michael Ho (winner of the Hawaiian Triple Crown, the Duke Classic, the World Cup, and the 1982 Pipe Masters), the niece of Derek Ho (1993 World Champion), and sister of Mason Ho (HIC Pro winner)all notable surfers in their own right. 2045 Lauwiliwili St #501 BLDG 5 What did people search for similar to surfboard shaper in Honolulu, HI? In the era known as the "Shortboard Revolution", surfboard shapers, most notably George Greenough, Bob McTavish, and Simon Anderson reduced the length of the surfboard, creating a higher level of maneuverability. Youll constantly see cars passing by with a board on the roof, sticking out over the back of a truck bed, or even squeezed inside. After few more years, when he was 16, he started working on high-performance boats and dragsters. If you frequently surf in Hawaii you would have seen one of his surfboards in the water. Surfboards shipped from Hawaii to any place in the world! In a small surf, hes said, youre already blessed by thin crowds -- so having a board with better performance makes it possible to own the waves. One of 16 children, Kinimaka came from a family with surfing in its blood. Check out some of the lastest updates from Buggs and blog posts here. All Rights Reserved. The shop was initially started in order to provide foam to the in-house shapers at The Surfboard Factory and other shapers in the area i.e. It took a while for Bob Pearson to make his name as one of the most accomplished shapers in the surfboard building game. Armed with a knowledge of military hydrodynamics and postwar, new-age materials, Simmons used the time and space well, continuously driving and surfing up and down the uncrowded coastline, crafting and testing his futuristic designs. BEN AIPA. Photo: Mike Coots Stretch, so named because of his towering height and slender frame, has a singularly defining feature: hes always obsessively chomping on a cigar. Usually the rooms are at least 5m 2m (16ft 8ft) and consist of fluorescent lights. His major contributions to shaping are such things as the ever so popular swallow tail, the "stinger" and the modern longboard. Before Blake, the few surfers in the world seemed content to glide along in one direction on gentle, sloping waves. Hess discovered his love for wood while living in Colorado and working on a sustainable building project as a carpenter. About: Kim Purington: Surfboards, Hawaii. While the Zephyr shop has been closed since 1976, Jeff Ho continues to shape surfboards as a personal Hobby to this day. While originally made from wood, most modern surfboards are now constructed from pre-formed polyurethane or Styrofoam EPS blanks. In an effort to replicate the structure of the olo board, Blake drilled holes in a redwood blank and sealed the top of with wood with sheets of veneer, effectively creating the first hollow surfboard. Julian Wilson Australia Mick Fanning Australia While 'boardsmith' would work, the artisans of the surf world are called shapers for a reason. Whether his wooden boards are found atop funky old surf mobiles, in the quivers of trendsetting surfers around the world, or in art galleries from coast to coast, the most important thing to remember is that theyll last. 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. What makes my boards different is that I have kind of married the shortboard into the longboard so its more of a high-performance riding board, but it has a lot of the characteristics of the old longboards we used to ride in the 60s.. Until, suddenly, it did. He was 85. It was the image of . LABEL: Straight Up Surfboards Hawaii, Purington Surfboards, SHAPING SINCE: "I shaped my first board in 1975; started shaping professionally in 1983. [11], Jeff Ho had a formative impact on surfboard shaping design and style in mid-20th century California. [12], Donald Takayama was a professional surfer and acclaimed shaper from Hawaii. This is a review for surf shop in Honolulu, HI: "After 40 years of surfing, I buy surfboards and surfing-related merchandise in Honolulu from only 2 surf shops, and this is one of them. 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. Let us introduce you to some of the most famous surfers who were born in Hawaiias well as some not-so-familiar ones whose names you should know. In 1966, Ho began working as an apprentice to Bob Milner at Robert's Surfboards in Playa del Ray, California. While no singular design or manufacturing first can seemingly be credited to Al Merrick, the founder of Channel Islands Surfboards has been more influential to surfers and surfboard designers than any single person over the last quarter century. You do the math., BOB SIMMONS *the wild card Ken's first surfboard shaping job was with Lightning Bolt Surfboards and Surf Shop in 1976. Current stats say women make up almost 35% of the surfing population, but even in ultra-progressive coastal California, surfing is effectively still an ol boys club. As a lifeguard, Aikau saved more than 500 lives on Oahus North Shore. He surfed Waimea and Sunset with all the biggest names at the time Greg Noll and Pat Curren, to name a few and it was then that he decided that surfing was his life. Visit our factory showroom to check out our extensive inventory: Surfboard Factory Hawaii. Don't forget to follow us on IG @schapersurfboards. 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. Probably considered the forefather of professional surfing, Duke Kahanamoku is widely revered as an icon and a beloved character of modern Hawaiian history. Custom Scovel Surfboards start at $500 for a shortboard and $900 for a longboard. Instead of just making what somebody wants, Im building boards that capture a certain style of surfing thats within my vision.. Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay up-to-date with the latest from The surfboard is then shaped using an array of tools, including but not limited to the following: surforms, rasps, grinders, sanders, and planes. That's why we'll only send you the good stuff. Please help improve this article, possibly by, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, "Ancient Surfboard Style Is Finding New Devotees (Published 2009)", "The Fascinating Evolution of the Surfboard", "History Of Surfboards: From 150lb/68kg Straight Planks To Modern Quads", "Surfboard Shaping Step by Step Guide | SURFLINE.COM", "Donald Takayama "2013 Surf Pioneer" Surfing Walk of Fame", "Simon Anderson's Thruster Reinvents Performance Surfing", Swaylocks.com a surfboard design forum where shapers show their work and discuss designs and techniques, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surfboard_shaper&oldid=1125375290, Articles lacking in-text citations from November 2017, Articles needing cleanup from November 2017, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from November 2017, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from November 2017, Wikipedia introduction cleanup from April 2019, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from April 2019, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Wikipedia articles lacking focus from November 2017, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 3 December 2022, at 17:47.