famous hawaiian surfboard shapers

One of 16 children, Kinimaka came from a family with surfing in its blood. With 60 years of shaping experience and a quenchless thirst for experimentation, Brewer says he feels like his career is just getting started. 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. The world is a worse place now without him in it, but were unbelievably fortunate to have shared space on the planet with someone like him. For the ultimate surf legend sighting, you might catch a glimpse of Shaun Tomson, a South African professional . Surfboard shapers can be independent or work in collaboration with mass-production companies. With over 200 boards in stock, you'll have your choice of Schaper, Southpoint Epoxy, or a variety stand up paddle boards. Julian Wilson Australia Mick Fanning Australia While 'boardsmith' would work, the artisans of the surf world are called shapers for a reason. George Downing, Wally Froiseth, Woody Brown, and Buzzy Trent (among others), are considered the forefathers of big wave riding. In 1966, Ho began working as an apprentice to Bob Milner at Robert's Surfboards in Playa del Ray, California. How he does it: When Pearson made his first longboard in 1966, it took him a full two weeks, because he built his own tools to do the job. Hes foiled his way around the world on all kinds of waves and in all kinds of conditions. Evan Rossell Changing Towel $ 64.99. Sand the rails until the edges are square. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. It was an unlikely birthplace for a man who would become one of the most influential people in all of surfing, but he had something in his blood that, when paired with an eventual love for riding waves, would lead to wild innovations. She started surfing at the tender age of five on the beaches of Waikiki. SURFERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. Jimmy Lewis is a Hawaiian surfer, sailor and surfboard shaper . Add to Cart. Shape the tail and rocker by passing the planer over the areas. He still lives on Maui where he personally takes care of the research and development of his boards at his workshop on Nehe Place, in Haiku . Hamilton, who has shaped boards for surfing legends Andy Irons and Laird Hamilton, is famed for his longboards and big wave-riding guns. I rode it for two years, up until I left for Hawaii. 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. They hired team riders and built team models, and they created ads featuring these riders and models. Ken's first surfboard shaping job was with Lightning Bolt Surfboards and Surf Shop in 1976. For inquiries, contact Scovel at willscovel@yahoo.com. 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. 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. [6], The next technological change in the surfboard shaping industry came with the introduction of the Hollow Board by Hawaiian resident Tom Blake. Mel is known as "big wave' surfer and his son John Mel is a four-time surfing National Champion. 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. Ben Aipa was born in Honolulu in . He became famous in the longboard world and was considered one of the best shapers of all time. Dick Brewer was an icon. 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. His combination of three like-sized fins clustered together had no real precedence. ", SHIPPING: "I will ship a surfboard from Hawaii to anywhere in the world. He began designing U-control model airplanes, in which a model plane is attached to a pair of lines that control the pitch and axis of the planes. We've got you covered. Then repeat the process on the opposite side. Hawaiis royalty enjoyed long boards made of wiliwili treesas well as priority on waves. While the Zephyr shop has been closed since 1976, Jeff Ho continues to shape surfboards as a personal Hobby to this day. Scovel Surfboards are also sold at Kauai surf shops, including PoipuSurf and Aloha Exchange. Photo: Ellis, TOM BLAKE + THE HOT CURL CREW Ho shaped his first surfboard at the age of 14, and he soon began repairing and re-designing old boards found on the coast. On May 28, 2022, surfboard shaping legend Dick Brewer died at his home in Hawaii. 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. Photos: Dick Brewer Surfboards/ Doug Walker. Like about all the sweet sales we're having and fun events. Ultrasensitive under the feet, these boards allow for sharp movements, allowing riders to push the limits on hollow waves. 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. 2045 Lauwiliwili St #501 BLDG 5 Thank you for signing up. He had plans to join the National Guard, but after he was told he was to head off to basic training when school started, he had a change of heart. Surfboard shaping is not done so easily; it takes patience and determination to properly craft a surfboard. 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. He wanted to immerse himself in all aspects of it, from shaping to riding the boards he made. Nov 27, 2017 Brittany Lyte Will Scovel combines calculated precision and artistic flair to shape high-performance shortboards. 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. We were all watching, including Kelly Slater. It is time for me sit on the beach and let you guys have ALL the waves, he wrote on March 2. 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. 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 waves, custom boards for special needs kids you name it and Pearson can do it. BOBBY MARTINEZ The Hobie company continues to manufacture surfboards today. 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. He bought a blank, a Walker, and carved out a 910. While originally made from wood, most modern surfboards are now constructed from pre-formed polyurethane or Styrofoam EPS blanks. With reduced weight, a wider range of people could carry, paddle, and control a surfboard. Surf legend Pat Curren calls Santa Barbara home while his son, Tom, transforms the up-and-comer surf scene along with fellow locals, Conner and Parker Coffin. Your information has been successfully processed! What he does: Meyerhoffers most famous surfboard creation still makes the least amount of sense, at least to the untrained eye. Fins and assorted plugs are usually after lamination, and the final product is sanded and glossed down with buffing compounds and glossing resins.[10]. Though the presence of Lightning Bolt fell off the radar after its hay . Longboard Surfboards, Fish Surfboards, Shortboard Surfboards, Beginner Surfboards, Paddle Boards, SUP and Inflatable Boards,Wetsuits, Surf Apparel and Surf Gear. Pipeline, the man with the most outrageously relaxed stance on one of the most intense waves in the world. 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. It all started with one of Tom Currens boards. What began as a hobby born of a teenage desire to own more surfboards than he could afford, Scovels early dabbling in surfboard shaping developed into a career that allows him to travel the world, testing his equipment on foreign waves while researching new designs. Ten-time world champion Kelly Slater frequents his place in Montecito. That means that a Kaimanu shape is most definitely a piece of art -- but also a supremely functional one. In shaping, you have to be really calculated, but you also have to have artistic flair.. Order a custom board by phone 1-808-244-5230 or email valleyislesurf@gmail.com HOME; DESIGNS; . Hes been called surfings most influential board maker. He didnt just shape surfboards he shaped an entire culture and industry. The past five decades of building surfboards on Maui has led to years of fun surfing, Honolua Bay to name his . Evan Rossell // Chiller Fleece Pullover Hoodie $ 64.99 Size : Add to Cart. Was This One of the Best Days Ever Seen at a California Beach Break? After surfing in her first contest at eight years old, Hamilton scored her first sponsorship two years later. California in the post-World War II 1940s was a playground paradise. [2], Three foundational templates for surfboard shaping were utilized by the Hawaiian islanders: the alaia, the paipo, and the olo. The standings where the blanks are shaped are nailed to the floor with lighting aligned near them. 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. ", 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. 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 In 1966, he moved to Kauai for a stint, then got an offer from Bing Surfboards to join the shaping team. Finally, cut the rail bevel from nose to fins to give a rounded-edge shape to the board. Fifty years on, he still applies that sort of everyman precision and passion to the boards he makes today. 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. ", KNOWN FOR: "Performance shortboards, fish, step-up boards, guns and longboards. Copyright 20042023 Yelp Inc. Yelp, , and related marks are registered trademarks of Yelp. Inside the shaping bay, thats even more accurate. For inquiries, contact Brewer at dickbrewer@hawaiiantel.net. Their bold combination of P.T. Each surfboard is a custom one of a kind creation. 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. Photos: Dick Brewer Surfboards/ Doug Walker. Separately and simultaneously, Alter and Velzy built massive factories and developed large-scale production lines, capable of cranking out hundreds of boards per week. Ho was featured in the 2020 documentary, She Is the Ocean, the story of nine women who are intimately connected to the water. It was these heroic surfers that were the first to take on the big waves at Makaha, Hawaii. If you are a beginner come sign up for a lesson and learn how to surf where it all started. If you were to look for a point between the Gidget and Kelly Slater eras at which surfing made its greatest leap, none is more significant than when Australian shaper Bob McTavish built a series of competition boards for Nat Young leading into the 1966 World Championships. The list goes on. 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. Dick Brewers influence on surfing and surf culture cannot be overstated. It is definitely worth driving to and from DingDocs. Whats the Best Hawaiian Island to Live On, and Why? About: Kim Purington: Surfboards, Hawaii. He was still shaping surfboards almost until he passed, not out of necessity, but out of passion. Kinimaka was also a lifeguard who won the Waterman of the Year Award in 1996 from the State of Hawaii Lifeguard Association. 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. Bradshaw-Hawaii, Inc. is now celebrating It's Twentieth Anniversary. 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. Schaper Hawaii Surfboards + SHOP Schaper Hawaii Models MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE @SCHAPERHAWAII AND OUR USED BOARDS INVENTORY PAGE @SCHAPERHAWAII_USED FOR REGULAR UPDATES ON WHAT WE HAVE IN STOCK ** For custom models please call (808) 638-0050 and we'll work with you to get you the perfect board If it can be done on the water, Lenny has done it. ROB MACHADO 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. Then round and smooth the rails on both side. Terms & Conditions. Finally, sign the surfboard and send it off to glassing. 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.