Category: Blog
25th July
Timpone
Jeff Timpone began his shaping career in a Laguna Beach garage in 1968. Later that year he moved to Hawaii, working as a boat builder on Oahu where he continued to build boards and surf. After 3 years he returned to California where he was hired by Russell Surfboards in Newport Beach where he perfected his skills. In 1980 he opened Timpone Surfboards in Huntington Beach.
After almost 10 years of successful business in Huntington Beach Jeff Packed up his house and family and returned to Hawaii in 1989. Landing on Maui Jeff has shaped for the 3 largest sailboard manufacturers on the island. Doing this allowed him to learn all aspects of sailboard construction and board design. Once again Jeff set out on his own and opened Timpone Hawaii — a surf and sailboard factory that … Read More »
19th July
Hot Stuff
In 1973 “H” (Paul Hallas) and Michael Peterson formed the legendary Michael Peterson Surfboards. That partnership was short lived (read the life and times of MP book) that explains it nicely. Paul then took over the management of Harmony Surfboards for Keith Paul. This all led to the creation of HOT STUFF SURFBOARDS in 1975 , when Paul Hallas started a contract fibreglassing business, which grew to a fully blown successful surfboard manufacturing Company. Paul’s skill and reputation drew to him the likes of “RABBIT” Wayne Bartholomew 1978 World Champion, 2 times world masters Champion plus 10 conscecutive years in the top 5 of World Champions – LEGEND! Hot Stuff Surfboards began at Currumbin and the original crew included Gill Glover in the Shaping Bay and John Allen in the glassing room. It wasn’t long before Hot Stuff … Read More »
8th July
Larry Bertlemann
One of surfing’s high performance pioneers, Larry Bertlemann became one of the sport’s biggest influences. Born on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1955, he moved to Oahu at age 11 and surfed at Queens off Waikiki. One day he broke his 9’6 and tried glassing the fin to the front half of the board but had trouble getting it to stay. A guy walked up to show him how to do it properly and that guy turned to be Donald Takayama. From that very day he mindset changed on what types of surfboards could be ridden (longboards were the norm in the 60’s) and he would also work with Ben Aipa who began shaping shorter, wider, and faster twin fins, swallow tails, and stinger designs.
The new shorter designs allowed Bertlemann to surf faster and … Read More »
23rd June
Tanaka
Tommy Tanaka, son of the late respected Hawaiian shaper Ernie Tanaka, grew up in Santa Monica, California but moved back to Hawaii to live with his dad during high school. He started off body boarding Waikiki and then progressed to surfing. Soon he was competing in summer contests and won Hawaii’s biggest longboard contest, China’s Uemura’s Annual Longboard Contest.
He studied and learned the art of surfboard shaping under the wings of his father Ernie and eventually worked full time for him. Tommy later got a full time shaping job for Town & Country Surfboards with the help of his father and in the five years that he was there shaped over 1,000 boards.
Ernie Tanaka passed away a few years after Tommy landed the T&C gig and after his father’s passing, decided that he wanted to … Read More »
18th June
Randy Rarick
He began patching dings for Greg Noll Surfboards in 1964 (earning the name “Super Patch”). He graduated and left for Australia to attend Sydney Tech, studying accounting and commercial law as well as surfing and learning about shaping. In Australia, he traveled much of the east coast, including a stint at Byron Bay where Bob McTavish and George Greenough were reinventing the surfboard. When his shop bombed, sending him into hefty debt, Rarick dug himself out by shaping and working the night shift as a fiberglass sprayer in Pearl Harbor. Primarily, Rarick works as a shaper, operating under the exclusive license for Bear Surfboards as well as Hawaiian Designs. Since picking up a planer in 1964, he has crafted more than 8,000 boards.
KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board rated: … Read More »
14th June
South Shore
Jerry Mowe started building surfboards in 1968 using his first label Church Surfboards in Corona Del Mar California. In 1968 he and his wife Patti moved to Puerto Rico to build boards with Bill Holden. They moved back to Newport Beach and rented a building in Costa Mesa. While building his boards he started to do team glassing for Petrillo Surfboards and eventually got a job shaping production for Creative Designs and California Company for Grant Reynolds in the South Bay. Tired of the day to day grind of production shaping he jumped into production glassing, built his first glass shop and changed his name to South Shore. He started to put together a crew to handle the volume of shaping and glassing that came in to the shop. With shapers like Robert August, Terry Martin, … Read More »
11th June
Small Faces
Petrillo moved to Texas to build boards there and we started manufacturing SMALL FACES Surfboards. The concept was that instead of one person’s name on a board there were a lot of small faces that worked to make these surfboards, interchangeable faces, plus Rod Stewart’s band, Faces, was popular at the time.”
“Our shaper back then was Steve McGregor, who shaped for us maybe 4-5 years, then a guy name Bobby Kazanis. He shaped for years. He is one of the best shapers on the West Coast to this day, but he never had the political acclaim in the industry and didn’t play well in that circle. But he has the abilities of any of the top shapers from that era. He still shapes today in Huntington.”
KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board … Read More »
9th June
Sunset
Not alone in his efforts, Ed wright had his father, Bud Wright, a commercial illustrator, create the first Sunset Surfboards logo that soon graced the decks of many surfboards, t-shirts, and other merchandise. Ed Wright also had plenty of help to run this factory and shop. Over the years, such noted shapers included Sid Madden, Bill Shrosbee, Ned McMahon, Mike Willis, Rusty, and Tim Bessell, and along with a crew of Dave Devorak, Mike Shoneman, Bill and Richard Bernard (now own Surf Ride), Cheer Critchlow, and Brian Frederickson (took over the Sunset shop and name in 1989). In 1980, Peter “Pinstripe” St. Pierre, Gary Stuber, Kenny Mann, and Mark Donneland who were a stable force at Sunset went off to create Moonlight Glassing which is still going strong today as San Diego’s top glassers.
KEY: O= Original, R= … Read More »
7th June
Sky Surfboards
After dropping out of high school, he began shaping surfboards at 17 in Sydney. He worked for the then major manufacturers of surfboards in Australia including Larkin Surfboards, Dillon Surfboards, and Keyo Surfboards.
Bob was a natural shaper and a competent surfer. However, he was constantly looking for better equipment ideas and how to use the power of waves. In the beginning of 1967, McTavish concentrated on an entirely new bottom design. The design consisted of a deep “V” shaped into the back third of the board, and a wide tail.
These shorter, lighter V-bottomed surfboards with the new Greenough-designed high aspect ratio fins began the short board revolution. Surfboards and the style of surfing changed forever with the evolutionary concepts and designs of Bob McTavish, George Greenough, and Nat Young.
KEY: O= … Read More »
4th June
Owl Chapman
Owl Chapman is considered one of the fathers of the short board revolution. He pioneered board riding with early designs on Oahu by Dick Brewer, including the minigun. The school of surf that Chapman originates from is different from the Australian and South Africans who are best known for Bustin’ Down The Door. Their philosophy of western competitive traditions has been argued by other surf pioneers such as Gerry Lopez and Owl Chapman, as being respectful of the Hawaiian culture. Chapman, on the other hand, worked within the Hawaiian community, as a resident of the North Shore, to further the short board revolution.
KEY: O= Original, R= Repaired, RF= Refurbished. Condition of board rated: 1(worst)-10(best)
Board Dimensions
Length: 7′ 0″
Width: 18″ 3/4
Thickness: 2″ … Read More »
