In this episode I chat with Sergio Gomez from Gomez surfboards.

Sergio grew up on the coast of Argentina. The town was rather large, but surfing was considered counterculture and there were only two surf shops. Sergio fell in love with surfing and on one occasion when his board was being repaired, he borrowed his friend's brother's board.

The board went amazing! It was like no other board he had ever ridden, and he took up the challenge to find out why? Sergio learnt how to shape, glass and sand surfboards and as a young adult began to travel. He searched for the waves he had seen in the magazines and happily discovered it coincided with local surfboard industries.

Many years have passed, and many surfing destinations have been crossed off his list. Sergio is currently residing on the west coast of Victoria and shapes all types of surfboards. During our conversation Sergio talked about various construction types he has explored and his interest in the pursuit of more sustainable materials.

Speaking with Sergio, it's clear he is a very creative person and the decision to create a book about surfboard design is less surprising. The result is over 300 pages of a rich photographic gallery with surfboard design presented in an easy way to understand.

The book is called ' Shape Shifter' and I would encourage you to grab a copy, you will not be disappointed.

I hope you enjoy my chat with Sergio Gomez.

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In this episode I chat with Dylan Perese from DP surfboards and inventor of the soon to be released 'Leashbar'.

Dylan caught the bug for shaping in his early teens and instantly knew this was what he wanted to do. A couple of years later he left school to focus on surfboards and never looked back.

A member of a thriving surf community south of Sydney as well as an opportunity to work with Graham King was all he needed to establish himself a solid reputation for making great boards. Speaking with Dylan it is clear he is very determined, meticulous and business savvy.

I caught up with Dylan after he recently consolidated his glassing factory and showroom to a new space in Bulli. Any praise he receives for the quality of his boards is quickly shared with his team with whom he has great respect.

Dylan is also the creator of the soon to be released 'Leashbar'. A new type of leg rope plug that allows the user to attach their leg rope to the board using the rail saver and eliminate the need for a string. I predict this will be a game changer for the surfboard industry.

I hope you enjoy my chat with Dylan Perese.

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In this episode, I chat with Daniel Hawes from Shapers Collective, New Zealand.

Howie and I recently discussed the feedback we received about the difficulties currently facing shapers around the world. Shortly after hearing our chat, Daniel reached out to share a business model he is implementing.

An Australian expat living in a town named Mangawhai, tucked right up in the north of New Zealand. After establishing Small Kine Ding Repairs many years ago, it was uncommon for him to come across New Zealand shaped surfboards in his factory. Daniel had crossed paths with many shapers in New Zealand and heard about many more.

He explained to me how many of the local shapers are not supported by the surf shop boutiques and instead carve out a living doing custom orders. Daniel was motivated and felt compelled to try and promote local shapers. It wasn't long before he found himself evaluating space in his factory and deciding to build a retail space.

The new showroom would be named the Shapers Collective NZ and instead of the traditional surf shop business model, Daniel came up with the idea to charge a one-off fee for a rack space. This fee would subsidize his rent, and the shaper could curate and manage the rack space.

His idea quickly expanded to include local manufacturers and owners of fins surfboard wax, board bag and more. Daniel wanted to support as many local New Zealand surf industry businesses as he could. His passion for surfing and pride in locally made is undeniable.

There are many twists and turns ahead for Daniel establishing Shapers Collective NZ but we certainly wish him all the best.

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