Quality and Soul
“I enjoy shaping boards that are unique and different. One of the things I like to do shaping is blending the retro with performance.”
This redwood 7’0” mid-length board is being shaped out of salvage pieces collected over a period of about a year. Super excited to use my wood working skills to shape a one of a kind board.
Before Farwell Surfboards, there was the Rat Stick…
Working with my hands is almost as enjoyable as a great day of surf…almost. Growing up sailing and working beside my dad in our garage, I took for granted how lucky I was to be taught by such a skilled and creative craftsman. My dad was the kind of person who said, “Oh, a skateboard, we can build that!” We built everything and anything possible.
At age 16, I was lured into the surf world and soon became curious about shaping my own surfboard. With most of my early influences coming from the traditional longboard world, I learned as much as I could about the greats like Rich Harbour, Ben Aipa, Robert August …. And Mike Marshall. Marshall was a friend and mentor in all aspects of life.
The first surfboard was called “The Rat Stick.” Mike Marshall “coached” me how to do it and Larry Miller did the Sewer Rat artwork. I glassed it in my backyard. Not the prettiest board, but it was all mine and I couldn’t wait to take it out. Almost immediately, Blackie’s tossed me and the board into the sandbar. Within a couple of minutes, the board had its first and only go out. I loved that board and didn’t realize at the time what it would lead to.
Over the years, my study of shaping mostly took place in the water around the world. It was a gift learned early on to notice what the shape and engineering of a board did to the performance. Clearly the best surfers have an optimal intersection of shape to skill. As I developed my skill as a surfer, I was also developing my foundation as a shaper.
In 2011, I needed to exercise some creative energy and make a little side money. I had been sponsored by Harbour Surfboards at the time and Rich needed someone to take on a bit of the workload - especially longboards and boards with wood tail blocks and such. I was hugely intimidated to work with such a legendary shaper. It was an opportunity to learn and help a friend out. Of course I was going to do this. Ten years later, Rich remains the single most influential person in my decision to shape surfboards full time.
With the challenges of 2020, came an opportunity for me to pursue making my own brand of surfboards. My first retail customer was Surfside Sports in Costa Mesa and my first custom orders were with the 36th Street Crew. I couldn’t be more grateful for their confidence in me to get this project off the ground floor. -Steve Farwell