famous hawaiian surfboard shapers
Surf's Up at 6 Santa Barbara Surfing Breaks What he does: Andreinis specialty is one that even many hardcore surfers dont understand: the single-fin displacement hull. Ken started his own business, Bradshaw-Hawaii, a manufacturer of custom surfboards in 1978. Fins and assorted plugs are usually after lamination, and the final product is sanded and glossed down with buffing compounds and glossing resins.[10]. Mark the front fins positions on both sides then mark the back fins. 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. Measure and take note of the dimensions of the board. 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. ", 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. Ho shaped his first surfboard at the age of 14, and he soon began repairing and re-designing old boards found on the coast. The first one he made was traced from a friends board. 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. GOOD ViBES! Legendary Hawaiian Surfboard Shaper Ben Aipa of Aipa Designs - Swell Magnet Come along for the ride! 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. 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. Tour Performance Surf Hat // Green $ 38. Unlike traditional boards, these dont ride high on the waters surface -- they plow through and part the water to create forward propulsion. 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. 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. The royal backstory on Santa Cruz's rich surfing history and culture [7], The advent of the 1930s marks the next technological revolutions in the history of the surfboard shaper. There are four key steps in building and shaping a surfboard: Shaping the template, preparing the fin setup and rails, rounding rails, and smoothing the outline. Alter (with partner Gordon Clark) is more responsible than anyone for the introduction and widespread use of foam and fiberglass surfboards. 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. His boards second name, Mayhem Surfboards, stuck; but even non-surfers will recognize his third: Lost. Copyright 2013 Surfboardline. As he traveled around the world giving surfing demonstrations, he introduced the sport to the world. Surfers' Hall of Fame | Huntington Surf & Sport [2], Three foundational templates for surfboard shaping were utilized by the Hawaiian islanders: the alaia, the paipo, and the olo. Subscribe to SURFERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. Inside the shaping bay, thats even more accurate. 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 Aikau was present on the 1978 voyage of the Hokulea, the traditional double-hulled canoe headed back to the Tahitian Islands with the goal of tracing the ancient route of the Polynesian migration. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Carefully remove all mistakes on the blank with sandpaper. And he shaped good surfboards. 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. 44 Hawaiian and Pidgin Phrases Every Visitor Needs to Know, 20 Thoughts Every Hiker has had on the Trail Up Koko Head Crater, Shop These 5 Sophisticated Aloha Shirt Brands, The Enduring Nostalgia of Hawaii's Historic Drive-In Restaurants, Find Solitude and Serenity at the Waipio Wayside Bed and Breakfast, How the Klauea Lighthouse Saved an Airship in 1927, Q&A with Hawaii Fashion Designer Micah Kamohoalii. 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. 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. 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. DOT License #227698 DOT Motor Carrier License #165352 DOT Freight Forwarder License #003549 Hawaii PUC #85-C. A five-time World Champion and first-ever winner of the Olympic gold medal in womens surfing, Carissa Moore is one of the most dominant names in womens surfing right now. For inquiries, contact Hamilton at hamiltonsurfboards@hotmail.com. Using the same blend of freshly roasted beans and slow steeping process for making cold brew in their cafes, Peets hand delivers its bottled cold brew to grocery stores to ensure it is fresh and flavorful from your first sip. Perhaps the most famous pro-surfer/shaper, in 1980 Simon Anderson introduced the world to "The Thruster" tri-fin setup and his surfing went from strength to strength in waves across California, Hawaii and to the top the 1981 Bells podium and the surfing world quickly caught on, making Thruster fin set-ups the most popular for the last 30-plus It was a performance and design leap as impactful (or maybe even more so) than anything before or since. 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!. 10 Inspired California Surfboard Shapers You Should Know - Thrillist Copyright 20042023 Yelp Inc. Yelp, , and related marks are registered trademarks of Yelp. 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. The same way California surfboard shapers dedicate their lives to the perfect board, Peets Coffee has been working since 1966 to put coffee first -- and it shows in their new bottled cold brew. Their bold combination of P.T. [12], Donald Takayama was a professional surfer and acclaimed shaper from Hawaii. Terms & Conditions. Lightning Bolt Surfboards | Jack Shipley and Gerry Lopez Buy Hawaii Shaped Surfboards by Alan Uehara Get your next surfboard from Alan in Hawaii. 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. Do you need any board accessories? Accounts written by Europeans who visited the Hawaiian Islands in the late 18th century described this pastime, which, like many aspects of Hawaiian society, was significantly stratified. Martin Daly Martin Daly is a legendary Surf Explorer, boat captain, surfer, and diver who has discovered incredible waves in the Mentawai's. He summed it up for Surfline in 2013 when he said, simply: My boards are not for everybody.. Location-106 Ka'anapali Shores Place, Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii 96761. If you dont know Rell Sunns name, you should. In winter, when Kauais shores morph into a magnet for monster swells, a cluster of sleepy, jungle-encroached surf towns transforms into a world-class destination for seasoned wave riders. 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. Schaper Hawaii Surfboards His major contributions to shaping are such things as the ever so popular swallow tail, the "stinger" and the modern longboard. If you frequently surf in Hawaii you would have seen one of his surfboards in the water. BEN AIPA. They even sell wood and cushioned, multiple-surfboard, wall-mount racks, which I've not found at any other surf shop in Hawaii!". Lightning Bolt was one of the first heavy-hitter surf companies back in the early '70s. 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. The 5 Most Famous Surfers from Hawaii - Culture Trip But Reidel stuck with quads, pursuing his experimentation with the new design to the point of perfection. People will come to Kauai to surf for the first time and Ill say, Where do you want to surf when you get here and whats your experience level? and Ill know exactly what kind of board to shape for them because Ive been surfing these waves all my life, says Scovel, who wears a T-shirt that features a cartoon image of King Kong surfing while holding a milkshake. Lloyd and Thompson even play music together as The Shapes, imbuing the easygoing feeling of a cruisey California surf session in every aspect of their lives. I am leaving the hospital today and have been diagnosed with MSD. Remove the extra foam by passing it perpendicular to the stringer from tail to nose. While he may be gone, his legend will live on for as long as people ride waves. He basically invented the mini-gun. Then round and smooth the rails on both side. Captivated by the wooden boards the Native Hawaiians rode before the advent of modern surfing, Hamilton crafts raw slabs of monkeypod, wiliwili, koa and balsa wood into museum-quality wall hangers that wear glistening coats of kukui oil. still shaping surfboards almost until he passed. As a lifeguard, Aikau saved more than 500 lives on Oahus North Shore. (By the way, Sunn was assuming her rightful role in a longstanding Hawaiian cultural tradition; accounts reveal that many Hawaiian women, including Queen Kaahumanu, wife of Kamehameha the Great, surfed. ) You have to have your own vision of surfing, he told Brooklyns Pilgrim Surf and Supply in 2014. It all started with one of Tom Currens boards. Separately and simultaneously, Alter and Velzy built massive factories and developed large-scale production lines, capable of cranking out hundreds of boards per week. LOCAL SHAPERS - Surfboard Shaper Directory Surfboard shapers use a shaping room to begin their craft. On May 28, 2022, surfboard shaping legend Dick Brewer died at his home in Hawaii. Scovel, who was born in Japan but has lived on Kauai since he was a toddler, says much of his business comes from visiting surfers who want custom boards crafted by a shaper who knows the unique demands of Kauais surf. 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. Hawaiis royalty enjoyed long boards made of wiliwili treesas well as priority on waves. Basically, Biolas has a passion for making even the smallest waves fun, and is constantly tweaking ideas to make that possible. 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. And he wanted to shape surfboards. Meet These 13 Famous Surfers Who Hail from Hawaii It can drop into steeper waves, turn on a dime, and accelerate quickly, all while still producing the cruise and glide integral to any longer board. At 81, Brewer still spends the first few hours of his mornings in the shaping room, where he crafts custom boards that feature a logo of his name encircled by a lei. 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. In 1965, he began working for Hobie Alter. 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. Order a custom board by phone 1-808-244-5230 or email valleyislesurf@gmail.com HOME; DESIGNS; . Jimmy Lewis is a Hawaiian surfer, sailor and surfboard shaper . Ho was featured in the 2020 documentary, She Is the Ocean, the story of nine women who are intimately connected to the water. ". 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 After few more years, when he was 16, he started working on high-performance boats and dragsters. Scovel Surfboards are also sold at Kauai surf shops, including PoipuSurf and Aloha Exchange. Kauai's Master Surfboard Shapers are Some of Hawaii's Best Photo: Mike Coots 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. Just reach out to one of our experts for a free quote to get started. To honor these unsung heroes, were highlighting 10 California shapers every surfer worth their wax should know: Talk about San Franciscos oceanfront resurgence, which over the last 15 years has transformed the Outer Sunset neighborhood from fog-shrouded afterthought to an epicenter of creative pursuits, and one man comes to mind: Danny Hess. With an 86, he learned about that famous Hawaiian juice and eventually asked Donald Takayama to make him a board that was nearly 10 feet long. You might know Gerry Lopez as Mr. Kinimaka was also a lifeguard who won the Waterman of the Year Award in 1996 from the State of Hawaii Lifeguard Association. An Ode to Dick Brewer: How One Man Shaped Surfboards That Shaped Surfing 2045 Lauwiliwili St #501 BLDG 5 So I was thinking that in World War II the airplane wings were made out of fabric, and that must do something structurally that might also serve as a benefit in the design of a surfboard.. ANDY IRONS Moore won the Reef Hawaiian Pro at the age of 16 to become the youngest champion of a Triple Crown of Surfing event. SURFER has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. With plenty of wins under her belt, including the 2009 Rookie of the Year award, Ho has easily proven the rightful heir to this surfing dynasty. Heres What You Need, Six Exercises to Improve Your Surfing Today. Call Us: 800-920-2363; . Sand the deck until it blends with the rails. And he does it on a grand scale, while still maintaining the eye for careful, personalized attention he cultivated at the very start. Finding a Big Island Moving Company: Hilo & Hamakua Moves, Finding a Big Island Moving Company: Kona & Kohala Moves, Finding a Maui Moving Company: Tips, Tricks, and Advice, Finding a Moving Company on Oahu: Local, Interisland & Mainland Moves, Meet Your New Neighbors: 14 Celebrities Who Live in Hawaii, Is It Hawaii or Hawai'i? SURFERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. 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. 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. With the wide-open lineups of Ocean Beach at his disposal, Hess worked for years there to perfect his durable, shreddable wooden board. Its the job of the shaper to actualize all of this data into the perfect conduit, and that conduit is different for every rider. In fact, she was the female 2018 Big Wave World Champion, the first woman to be towed into the famous Tahitian big wave Teahupoo, and the first woman to be invited to the Eddie Aikau Invitational. Surfboard Shapers: The best of the past 10 years - Red Bull The past five decades of building surfboards on Maui has led to years of fun surfing, Honolua Bay to name his . We realize that Ben is not a "South Bay Shaper" but his influence on modern surfing has affected all of us. He became famous in the longboard world and was considered one of the best shapers of all time. Before Blake, the few surfers in the world seemed content to glide along in one direction on gentle, sloping waves. Hawaii Surf Factory, Custom Surfboards, Short Boards Long Boards But, did you know that Gerry Lopez is also a dedicated yoga practitioner and meditator? He also spent family vacations on the long, drawn-out pointbreaks of Santa Barbara, before he settled down in Santa Cruz. 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. In the 90s, we were trying to make our boards really light, but the double-edged sword of that is that a light board tends to be weaker, Hamilton says. A denizen of Kauais north shore, Hamilton has been shaping surfboards for a half-century. The surfboard is then shaped using an array of tools, including but not limited to the following: surforms, rasps, grinders, sanders, and planes. 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. He was, by all accounts extraordinarily proficient with his hands. Brewers family were Quakers, and both his father and grandfather were engineers. 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.
