History of Innovation

Born in Newport Beach, Peter Schroff took up surfing at the age of eleven on a stolen, purple spray-painted Hobie given to his father. This was during the heyday of the Blackie’s parking lot scene. Lined with customized Volkswagens from the Newport Beach Volkswagen Association (NBVA), of these surfers belonging to the prestigious Newport Beach Surfing Association (NBSA) included Peter’s best friend “The Newport Kid” Lenny Foster, David Nuuhiwa, Owl & Gray Chapman, and 1960s & 1970s wave/tube photographer Scott Price.

It was around this time the short board revolution exploded in Newport. First on the scene was Brad McCall riding a Hobie “Corky Carrol Mini Model.” Amazed by the new possibilities of this style of surfing, Peter knew that the long board days were over. It was shortly after this time Peter began experimenting with his … Read More »

The name Michael Hynson conjures up images of a red hot regular foot surfer gliding effortlessly at St. Cape Francis in the movie Endless Summer. Mike’s association with the film is something that will always influence the way people perceive him, just as it has influenced the course of his life and career. However, to truly understand Mike is to dig beneath the Endless Summer aura. It is to understand the contributions he considers his most important to our sport. It is to understand his passion for shaping, his instrumental and incredibly influential work on surfboard research and design, and his place in our collective history on a scope that goes beyond his long past travels with Bruce Brown and Robert August.

Now in his 60’s, Mike has found a niche that allows him to continue to … Read More »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »