How he does it: Clark’s resume is a long one, but one of the key points is the functionality of his surfboards at Mavericks, along with other big-wave magnets around the world. On top of that, he instituted the first surfer-led big-wave Water Patrol brigade to keep daredevil surfers safe and helped elevate Half Moon Bay to international lore through organizing the on-again, off-again Mavericks surf contest. 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. He discovered the heaving coldwater behemoth and surfed it solo for years before he could convince anyone to join him. Instead of just making what somebody wants, I’m building boards that capture a certain style of surfing that’s within my vision.”Įver heard of Mavericks, the world-famous big-wave break located off the rugged cliffs of Northern California? You have Jeff Clark to thank.

“My boards are my vision of how I want to surf.

“You have to have your own vision of surfing,” he told Brooklyn’s Pilgrim Surf and Supply in 2014. Although Andreini always wanted to be a teacher, today he’s 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. As he describes it, shaping for him is about creating curves that extract the best performance out of the wave itself. How he does it: Andreini believes that a surfboard should be customized for the wave it’s going to ride. 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. Unlike traditional boards, these don’t ride high on the water’s surface - they plow through and part the water to create forward propulsion. Developed in the ‘70s, a displacement hull board has a convex bottom contour, as opposed to the standard surfboard’s concave bottom. What he does: Andreini’s specialty is one that even many hardcore surfers don’t understand: the single-fin displacement hull. 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 also spent family vacations on the long, drawn-out pointbreaks of Santa Barbara, before he settled down in Santa Cruz. Courtesy of Annabelle ShumannĪndreini grew up in San Mateo, where he started shaping in 1970 (one of his first customers was actually the next shaper on this list).

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 they’ll last. The combination of materials far surpasses the strength of a standard foam and fiberglass, which explains the steep price tag for Hess’ creations (think $2,000 and up). How he does it: Hess crafts a molded perimeter wood frame, then fills it with recycled foam on the interior and eco-friendly resin on the exterior. They’re environmentally sustainable, and they’re durable enough to last a lifetime. Yes, Hess’ boards will look great hanging on the wall of your modern minimalist studio, but they really shine in the water. Hess discovered his love for wood while living in Colorado and working on a sustainable building project as a carpenter. What he does: The forty-something Ventura native specializes in wooden surfboards - and not the old-school collectible kind. With the wide-open lineups of Ocean Beach at his disposal, Hess worked for years there to perfect his durable, shreddable wooden board. Talk about San Francisco’s 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.

Aku shaper longbaord