There was a time, not too long ago, when a surfboard shaper could barely scrape together enough from a day’s work—ruining his lungs and turning his hands into claws—to afford a plate lunch and a cold beer.
The low selling price of the labor-intensive custom surfboard, a surrealist creation carved from uncooperative rectangular hunks of foam, meant surfboard shapers were true artisans, crafting unique pieces of art for meager wages. Then, the industry underwent a revolution.
The shift to surfboard manufacturing in low-cost labor markets in Southeast Asia, along with the introduction of the surfboard model system—similar to skateboards and snowboards—changed the game. Customers could pick a graphic and size, swipe their card, and walk away with a board, often costing around a thousand dollars.
Suddenly, surfboard building became profitable.
Now, according to a new study, sales of surfboards are projected to grow by five billion dollars by 2028.
“The increasing number of educational surfing courses is a key market driver,” the study claims. “The ISA serves as the global governing authority for bodysurfing, surfing, SUP racing and surfing, wake surfing, and other wave-riding activities. It has introduced numerous educational courses worldwide to promote the growth and development of surfing. Additionally, surf schools have been established along coastlines to encourage and train new surfers. These courses are designed to enhance the knowledge, abilities, and skills of surfers, adopting a scientific approach to surfing coaching.”
This brings up an intriguing question: who will become surfing’s first billionaire shaper?
Will it be Matt Biolos, owner of Lost surfboards and a regular star in these pages, whose opinions I hold in high regard? Or perhaps Britt Merrick, a high-school LSD dealer turned sin-chasing preacher and part-owner of the business his father Al created?
Then there’s Darren Handley, once universally regarded as the most handsome surfboard shaper in the world and now the go-to for world champions.
Let’s recall his Look: clothed in a denim shirt open to the bottom of the frame, with arms placed on opposite shoulders, his skin lightly tanned, the face dominated by an aggressive nose and a cuspidated chin. But it’s his hair that commands attention—a blond waterfall cascading arrogantly over one side of his head, its immense opulence beyond dispute.
In a just world, the money would flow to the overlooked genius behind Gabriel Medina’s boards, the virtuoso Johnny Cabianca.
The study also notes the rise of the electric surfboard and portable kayak as big profit drivers, but we’ll see how that pans out.
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