| 03. Best thing that's happened in shaping / board design in the past few years? |
The advent of the “concave”. This allows for a curvy board (which mimics a wave face) yet with the concave ie a flatter bottom, allows the surfer to perform radical manoeuvres in the most critical part of the wave, while maintaining their speed and flow. The various fin systems today allow the same board to perform differently depending on the fin templates used. All surfers should experiment with different templates and learn what enhances their style of surfing best.
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| 04. Where do you see the future of board design going for performance surfing? |
The sky is the limit, with surfers continually raising the bar of high performance surfing. Shapers and surfboards will follow as they develop with their team riders and this is why good feedback is always vital. Lightness, flex and strength are key elements for high performance surfing and as more advanced materials become available, this will lead the way in future board design.
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| 05. Weirdest / strangest stick you have ever had the pleasure of making? |
I have recently had the pleasure of making some big wave guns for John McCarthy to use at the Redbull contest held at Dungeons. It made me feel like I was back in Hawaii where those style boards were the order of the day. The same 10.2ft style surfboards that John and I rode at Waimea. I have also been taking a keen interest in surfboards from yesteryears. Our “Flying Fish” model has wooden keel fins with a deep wide swallow and although they look antiquated they have become very popular surfboards of choice. They go well in any size surf - as big as what you can paddle into.
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| 06. Why are 'da natives restless'? |
With seven of the top current WCT men and three ladies and top South African surfers having ridden and riding our boards, we are up there with any international surfboard label. South African surfers are coming into their own and so are we. We are proud to be part of a progressive surfing nation from the “Dark Continent”.
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| 07. What labels have you shaped for before your own? |
After working for Safari for many years at the beginning of my shaping career, I travelled extensively overseas. I worked in a large surfboard factory in Hawaii for the brands of Eric Arakawa (HIC) and Morris Cole. I then worked for sometime in Australia shaping for Phil Byrne, doing the export business and made numerous trips back. I continued with the Byrne label under licence here in South Africa until I decided to launch my own label.
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| 08. What does the Hutchison logo represent to you? |
| Our logo originated from one of our numerous trips to Indonesia and epitomises our lifestyle. It represents “Surf, travel, adventure, performance, freedom and passion.” |
