Meyerhoffer, a fifty-something industrial designer, hails from what may be the least friendly surf city in the world: Stockholm, Sweden. 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.. [7] Furthermore, surfboard shapers began to utilize alternate base materials, including both plastic and polyurethane foam. All high quality and wonderfully priced. 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. 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. In 1966, he moved to Kauai for a stint, then got an offer from Bing Surfboards to join the shaping team. 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. My boards are my vision of how I want to surf. 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. Theyre environmentally sustainable, and theyre durable enough to last a lifetime. 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 . He is formally honored each time the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is held, and his legacy is continued by the Eddie Aikau Foundation, which promotes education and the advancement of Hawaiian culture. Developed in the 70s, a displacement hull board has a convex bottom contour, as opposed to the standard surfboards concave bottom. He bought a blank, a Walker, and carved out a 910. He prides himself on touching every board with his name on it at least three times to make sure its up to his standards. ", INFLUENCES: "Eric Arakawa, Ed Angulo, Dave Hill, Dave Purington and Peter Trombly. Dick Brewer was an icon. ", SHIPPING: "I will ship a surfboard from Hawaii to anywhere in the world. Add to Cart. Come along for the ride! 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. He was 85. 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. Almost overnight, board lengths began to dropalong with a lot of psychedelicsand the Shortboard Revolution was on. 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. Not only do they chisel away foam to make a. His combination of three like-sized fins clustered together had no real precedence. He was, by all accounts extraordinarily proficient with his hands. Ken's business interests have grown substantially in the last two years. They then moved to Whittier where Dick joined a water polo team. 67-106 Kealohanui Street, Building P-2, Waialua, Hawaii, 96791 808-638-0050 info@schaper-hawaii.com [11], Jeff Ho had a formative impact on surfboard shaping design and style in mid-20th century California. How he does it: Andreini believes that a surfboard should be customized for the wave its going to ride. In a field thats been largely dominated by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, theres really only one surfer who managed to give Slater a run for his money in his prime: Andy Irons. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. They started a ripple that turned into a wave that is still rolling today. Located at the north end of the world famous Ka'anapali Beach. When you shape a board by hand youre basically creating a sculpture, Hamilton says. Ho shaped his first surfboard at the age of 14, and he soon began repairing and re-designing old boards found on the coast. This innovation serves as the foundation for contemporary performance surfing. A denizen of Kauais north shore, Hamilton has been shaping surfboards for a half-century. They even sell wood and cushioned, multiple-surfboard, wall-mount racks, which I've not found at any other surf shop in Hawaii!". That distinction means that the surfer needs to be far more engaged with the wave: carving, turning, and redirecting to stay close to the breaking curl and avoid getting a mouthful of saltwater. 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. 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. 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. A leader among Kauais next-generation board makers, Scovel describes himself as a surfer more than a shaper. Remove the extra foam by passing it perpendicular to the stringer from tail to nose. They call it a true cold brew -- we call it true passion. Kinimaka was also a lifeguard who won the Waterman of the Year Award in 1996 from the State of Hawaii Lifeguard Association. That means that a Kaimanu shape is most definitely a piece of art -- but also a supremely functional one. Then round and smooth the rails on both side. Even as far back as 2000, when surfing was much more homogenized than it is today, Pearson said surfers were set to begin approaching surfing in an individual way, and riding different designs would not only change shaping altogether, but better equip surfers to perform at their best. SURFERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. SURFER has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Along with his brother, Bruce, the two are among the most famous surfers to come out of Kauaiwhich is saying something, as youll see from this list. You can expect 20 more years of surfboards from me, says Brewer, who is widely recognized as one of the sports most celebrated innovators of all time. 27 years after first exploring Alaska's coast, Josh Mulcoy returns to find a Watch the fourth and final episode of Torren Martyn's "Lost Track: Atla Recapping a historic day of competitive surfing, The epic biopic about the 2019 World Champ and Olympic gold medalist is finally here, Nic von Rupp and Nate Behl score all-time Ments, These 14 contestants are vying for $100K and a spot on the 2022 WSL Championship Tour, Egg Guru Devon Howard provides guidance on ordering a 7-foot-plus surfcraft, Money cant buy happiness, but it can buy cool shit. I had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport. Carefully remove all mistakes on the blank with sandpaper. Martin Daly Martin Daly is a legendary Surf Explorer, boat captain, surfer, and diver who has discovered incredible waves in the Mentawai's. And he does it on a grand scale, while still maintaining the eye for careful, personalized attention he cultivated at the very start. 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. For a prompt reply, please include the best time to call you! 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. His major contributions to shaping are such things as the ever so popular swallow tail, the "stinger" and the modern longboard. Understanding the 'Okina, How to Move to Hawaii: A Basic Four-Step Process. For inquiries, contact Brewer at dickbrewer@hawaiiantel.net. Ken's first surfboard shaping job was with Lightning Bolt Surfboards and Surf Shop in 1976. Lightning Bolt was one of the first heavy-hitter surf companies back in the early '70s. A few years later, he became the youngest surfer to win the event. Adding a business to Yelp is always free. Inside the shaping bay, thats even more accurate. Meet Your Shaper. 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. With 60 years of shaping experience and a quenchless thirst for experimentation, Brewer says he feels like his career is just getting started. Surfboard shapers can be independent or work in collaboration with mass-production companies. His surfboards largely paved the roads that led surfing to where it is today. Alter (with partner Gordon Clark) is more responsible than anyone for the introduction and widespread use of foam and fiberglass surfboards. Sunn passed away in 1998 from complications due to breast cancer. Many also know Aikau for his incredible bravery in the ocean, which eventually cost him his life. One of 16 children, Kinimaka came from a family with surfing in its blood. The surfboard is then shaped using an array of tools, including but not limited to the following: surforms, rasps, grinders, sanders, and planes. 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. The Waialua Sugar Mill is the epicenter for custom surfboard manufacturing on Oahu, yet it remains surprisingly covert. Surfboard shaping was regarded by the Hawaiian islanders as a ceremonial rite; Hawaiian islanders often offered fish to surfriding trees as offerings. 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. Don't forget to follow us on IG @schapersurfboards.