The Other Side of the Tracks

Eli and the boys cross the tracks on their trek down to the beach in search of some waves.



Through the eyes of a talented lensman everyday landmarks take on monumental forms of striking beauty. Such is the case when David Smith (dustybermshot.com) joins up with the crew for a surf.



This was one of those magical times when the sun just breaks through the grays of the morning fog and everything turns sparkly and bright. It's moments like these when you look around and know how lucky we are to be able to live and surf in such a beautiful little notch along the coast.

King Neptune Says Surf

Toby had one of Neptune's favorite sons, Dave Gardner, do some of his wacky surf themed art on his new board.



If you've cruised through the lower Westside neighborhoods or along the North Coast just outside of town, chances are you've seen Dave's artwork hanging from telephone poles or tucked obscurely along the train tracks.



And any sidewalk surfer who has ventured the highline along the tiles at the Santa Cruz Skate Park will know Dave's work well.

Choosing to work with materials on hand and a lover of all things organic, Dave is the ultimate underground artist. And when you have a resume that includes teacher, farmer, and ultra smooth wave slider you have a lot of humus to draw from.







This surfboard's artwork is witty, simple and fun, and is filled with little treasures of Oceania mixed with what a spirited sailor would dream of while out at sea.

4x4 at the Fun Factory

Thomas C ponders the possibilities of his new quad fish. We've recently collaborated on a few surfboard projects with some really good results.



With this board we've focused on maximizing the performance features in the design. By pulling in the tail, adding tail rocker, and redesigning the bottom contours, the board feels super responsive, cranks off the bottom, and seamlessly transitions into tight snappy turns off the top. I've paired the board with the Future Fins V2F4 Quads which by all reports is the go to set up.

Like all projects, things keep evolving. And I'm completely stoked in the direction it's going.

Modern Art

Seems like every time you open a surf mag all you see are super human surf stuntmen chucking their boards above the lip line. As one commentator at the recent WQS contest said, "the air reverse is the new cutback." Interesting.



The other thing you may notice is that most of the artwork is done on the deck of the board, and particularly in the back 2/3 of the board. Reason? Well, admittedly we're all followers of fashion in a sense, and what the pros ride is what the kids want. But there is also a bit of function to the direction of color design.



One, the fresh white canvas of the nose area allows the sponsor's logos to be seen clearly (important, because they are paying the bills). Two, all that color between the surfer's feet flashes brightly as they go through one of their tail chucking turns. Judges like that and the big turns get rewarded accordingly (also important, because good results mean the sponsors keep wanting to pay the bills).



Where is this going? Let's get back down to earth. The folks at Del Cabo Surf Shop asked me to do a batch of shortboards and were wondering if I would do the color work too. "What would you like?" was my question. "Something the kids like" was the reply.



Hmm. I might have an idea. The one thing about the youth movement is that anything goes. And that's what made doing these loose and simple sprays so fun. This batch will also have the WCS logo offset to the right side so the kids can put all their cool stickers up on the nose.


Post script: Stress Test



The most stressful part of my week is loading up freshly shaped and airbrushed boards and driving them to the glass shop. It's similar to running an "egg in a spoon" race across a prairie dog town - land mines everywhere. Traffic and road construction is all part of running the gauntlet.



Not until after the boards are all safely lined up with work cards and decals can I take a deep breath and relax. Now let's go surfing.

Spring Fling

So here is one of the reasons I haven't done a post in a while. You see, we've been having such a good run of surf I treated myself to a new board. It started out so innocently but things have gotten pretty serious and I've been spending a lot of overtime in the water with my new ride.



This board measures out at 6'0" x 14 1/2 x 20 1/8 x 14 3/4 by 2 1/2. I'm using the Future VF4 Quad Fins which really give the board a lot of drive and speed. With the rounded pin it's very smooth rail to rail and holds tight in the pocket. I'm pretty jazzed.



It's a bonus to the stoke factor when you find a faithful companion that will fly freely on the face of a wave and surprise and enlighten you on each go out.

A Word from the Toy Maker

My fitness friends Scott and Todd at SurfStronger put together this nifty little video of me talking about getting a custom board. It gives some insight into the thoughts and process that go into shaping a board, plus the stoke I get from my customers.

As you can see, I'm serious about being a toymaker. And the gang at SurfStronger is serious about being fit and in shape to surf at your full potential. Their programs have worked great to help this stiff old geezer stay in the game. Maybe the next workout video will be ShapeStronger.

Easter Egg Hunt

Damon hops up and takes the high line on his backhand. Like all creative people, Damon not only puts a lot of positive input into his boards, he also designs his own color jobs. For more on his work, check out www.PitchedMedia.com.

The one thing you might not find is where this photo was taken. But that's what surfing is all about, going out on a hunt to find little treats that await us tucked away in the coves and along the beaches.

20th Anniversary

image by Robert Sturman

Let's face it folks, most people like comets, rockets and meteors, loud bangs and fireworks. Admittedly, there have been very little of these pyrotechnics at Ward Coffey Shapes over the last 20 years. I've been content to quietly hang my shingle, listen to my customer's wants and desires, and go into my hobbit hole and produce the goods. It seems to work and I thank you all for it.


2004

Building surfboards for a living is tricky business at best. But it has afforded me a humble place in a community that values the rhythms of the ocean. Besides, in addition to being able to keep my door open during boom and bust times, I feel fortunate that my wife and I have had the time to share our love for the ocean with our boys. They've logged more beach and wave time than the average bear and their stoke has been fun to watch and be a part of.



When I first started Ward Coffey Shapes I had already put 10 years before the mast at Arrow Surfboards. I had quite a few boards under my dusty belt, wore a lot of hats, learned about the surf industry, and most importantly found out that I really liked shaping surfboards.

At the time I didn't, and still don't, have all the answers on running a business and what it takes to make a magic surfboard. But I'm just as keen and stoked as ever to grab a blank and start a new board. The coolest thing is, the main ideas and values I had back then still ring true today. To me it's just basic common sense that you treat people the way you want to be treated.

That means taking the time to meet the customer, listen to them, and look at their equipment. I want them to have the confidence that I'm the one who will shape their board and put in the time and the attention to detail needed to make it right. I'll see it through the whole process and be there when they pick it up with fins in place and a bar of wax in hand. Oh, I know it doesn't fit the mass marketing model but I'm good with it. Being the town toy maker and seeing my customers riding their boards on a daily basis is both satisfying and rewarding.

Thanks to all of you for your support and inspiration.
Ward

Bold is How We Roll

Lou at SenaReider Advertising decided to stoke out his client by getting a surfboard done with the product logo. We got together and laid out a board to the customer's specs and Jerry Anderson at Headline Graphics provided the stunning images that we laminated into the board.



Though it doesn't look like it, this is a massive board. It's a big boy performance shape coming in at 7'6" x 23 1/2 x 3 1/4. Jeff at US Blanks was kind enough to cut a custom EPS blank for the job. It's what really made the whole project happen.



It's my guess when the client rocks up to his local surf spot sporting a board looking this cool, bold is how he will have to roll.

Gionni's Green Machine

This big boy quad is the second generation in Gionni's quest for a floaty yet maneuverable short board. He got a good 5 years out of his last one so he was due. This time around we added some tail rocker to give it a tighter turning radius.



We also used the Simon Anderson quad fins for more grip and drive and, in Gionni's words, "I'm loving the new board. It turns great and can still move down the line when I want it to. Stoked!"