Shapers don’t talk to each other much. It’s a curious thing, and it seems to be a hangover from the dark ages of surfing (the late 1980s and 90s). Everybody made and rode a very small range of surfboards and the issue was cost more than quality. All boards were made from the same stuff, and the only real difference between them was the label.
FULL STORY »
“We have just experienced the best Noosa Festival of Surfing ever!” That’s what Bob McTavish said as he watched Noosa’s first point peel perfectly for hundreds of metres during the Festival. It was as if Godly forces were at work, bringing in the swell of a lifetime to the points in time for the contest.
For Wegener Surfboards, the Festival was great fun and gave us lots of publicity. We caught up with hundreds of our best friends in our shack at surf city and revelled in the success of the finless surfing movement.
In this latest instalment, the riddle of the Tuna’s phenomenal speed is revealed and we return to foam…
I’m currently in Ireland, with my family and a big crew from the UK on a promotional surfing trip, working on this, the last blog entry of our Euro-summer. (Photos by Finley Wegener.)
And so to the highlight of my European Tour…
It’s Tuesday morning and I am still in shock from the weekend’s series of events. Fortunately I am relaxing in the Brea Vean Surf House and have time to decompress.
Alaia guru Tom Wegener is coming to Europe for a series of one-day workshops. Here’s your chance to meet the man himself and shape your very own genuine Wegener alaia…
Why make your own boards? Because it is so rewarding. I would have to say it is the doubler for the surfing experience. To carry on about this would be wasted words, but what I can say is that everyone I know who has made their own boards has treasured that time.
The Spanish and French sections of our European tour are coming to an end… Matt and I have made a lot of boards and a lot of friends.
Late nights! The Spanish do not sleep much. The first night of the festival the BBQ started at 10pm and the movies followed running into to the next morning.
We’re getting from great waves over here in Spain. We’re currently on our way to the Salinas Surf Festival, meeting lots of people along the way and turning them onto the alaia. These photos of Tuesday’s session come courtesy of my friend Willy Uribe.
Tom Wegener
Noosa resident Tom Wegener is spearheading the alaia revival. His passion for longboarding led him to build ever-bigger boards, until his design for a 16-footer went beyond the capabilities of foam and he decided to craft out of wood. Inspired by ancient Hawaiian craft, after years of refinement Tom's alaia is a skilfully crafted plank.
Web site
