Smorgasboarder 46

winter grovelling, nice racks, pistols, gliders and loads of surfboards 

issue 

46 

WINTER 19 

f r e e 

SURF MAG 

f r a m e d 

the life, times and work of craig levers

smorgasboarder 

sam mathers at raglan enjoying the winter wonderland. 

photo: craig levers 

foreword 

Winter’s a mixed bag. It’s when the ocean is at its 

wildest in some parts of the country and in others, it is 

when the sea resembles a pond. You just have to love 

the season for its unpredictability and that freezing 

water that awakens your senses. And just as you can 

never predict the weather, you never quite know what 

to expect with each edition of Smorgasboarder. Maybe 

it’s our short attention span or a few too many cold 

water icecream headaches at this time of year. 

In this issue there’s lots of nice racks, winter grovellers, 

pistols, gliders and a whole heap of eye candy. Don’t 

know what the hell we are talking about? Look inside 

and you will find out. It is always so much fun pulling 

each issue together. It’s our chance to present a really 

diverse mix of stories. We guess there is so much 

more to our surf culture than just riders on waves. 

Indeed, we are blessed to meet so many interesting 

characters in our travels and none more so than the 

former editor of New Zealand Surfing magazine and 

founder of Photo CPL Media, Craig Levers, who is 

our feature story. Craig not only has some amazing 

surf photos but such an interesting story to tell – a 

few good shark tales as well – a Smorgasboarder 

favourite. And just in case you are not up with the 

latest and are keen to hear more from our interview 

with Craig, you can now tune into the Smorgasboarder 

Podcast on smorgasboarder.com.au, iTunes, Spotify 

and BuzzSprout. 

Righto, by now you should be rugged up and comfy 

on the couch in front of a cozy fire or heater. 

Get reading! 

3

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• Aussie-made leashes 

• Raw balsa / cedar DIY board kits 

• Instructional DVDs 

• Timber Board racks 

• Pinch and Roll storage 

• Tide clocks 

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wearable devices 

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scan this! 

to get into listening at smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast/ 

issue 

forty-six 

winter 2 0 1 9 

03 foreword 

08 stuff 

14 framed - craig levers 

26 surfing italy 

28 collective consciousness 

30 pistols in the desert 

36 rack 'em up 

46 custom made 

50 gliders 

58 gear 

67 aloha barry 

cover photo 

sam mathers at raglan 

by craig levers 

WINNER 

BEST NON-DAILY 

PUBLICATION 

QUEENSLAND MULTIMEDIA 

AWARDS 2013 

FINALIST 

BEST NON-DAILY 

PUBLICATION 

QUEENSLAND MULTIMEDIA 

AWARDS 2017 

want to get your hands on a copy? 

there’s three ways to score yourself a 

copy of smorgasboarder. 

1) subscribe - the mag is still free - you 

just pay for delivery. 4 editions per year - 

$25 annual subscription (Aus and NZ) 

2) call in to one of the businesses 

featured in this mag - they’ll have some 

free copies. If they're not, they won't. 

3) download or read it online at 

smorgasboarder.com.au 


Smorgasboarder is published by Huge C Media PTY 

LTD ABN 30944673055. All information is correct at 

time of going to press. The publication cannot accept 

responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or 

unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. 

The opinions and words of the authors do not 

necessarily represent those of the publishers. All rights 

reserved. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly 

prohibited without prior permission. 

listen up! 

the 


podcast: 

full-length interviews and 

conversations 

enjoy an intimate listen-in with 

alex and dave, as they have 

interesting chats with interesting 

people about surfing, surfboard 

building and completely unrelated 

things. 

available on: 

iTunes/Apple Podcasts 

Spotify 

Buzzsprout 

(search for smorgasboarder and 

remember to hit subscribe) 

or listen on our website 

smorgasboarder.com.au for 

additional links and show notes 

6 

editorial 

dave swan 

dave@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0401 345 201 

editorial contributer 

alex benaud 

alex@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0423 950 235 

advertising 

tami argaman 

tami@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0466 439 330 

new zealand 

jiff morris 

jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz 

0220 943 913 

south australia 

jimmy ellis 

james@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0410 175 552 

design 

the team at horse & water creative 

mark, kate, helen, taylah 

mark@horseandwater.com.au 

accounts 

louise gough 

louise@smorgasboarder.com.au

YEARS


stuff 

coastal sports kaikoura 

The cold water specialists. "We get you further and out there for 

longer. Not just your average surf shop, we believe in gettng you out 

having more adventures in the water or on the land, need quality gear 

we’ve got you covered, need info, we’ve been sharing our passion for 

the surf and outdoors since 2003. Same Location for 16 years." 

Call on +64 3 319 5028 

coastalsports.co.nz 

seventhwave 

"After a decent winter of testing 

we are excited to finally release 

our newest piece to the winter 

collection, and this one is for 

the ladies! 1.5mm of Yamamoto 

Zirconium neoprene in a super 

comfortable cross back tog. 

Worn under your suit with no 

bulk or restriction just pure 

warmth. They can also be worn 

on their own in summer or on 

your tropical holidays. Serious 

cold busters!! Getting out of your 

wetsuit in a howling cold wind 

just got alot more pleasant! And 

they dry so fast!! NZ made with 

our lifetime stitching warranty!!! 

(don't worry guys, the men's 

version is under development)." 

seventhwave.co.nz 

8


stuff 

board traction for the 21st century 

Looking for a wax free traction solution? Contribute 

to a more sustainable planet with RSPro traction 

products. 

No more mess or missing waves while you’re waxing 

up! HexaTraction is a modular traction system to suit 

any size board and can be combined with our cork 

front foot deck grip where a greater level of traction is 

required. 

rspro.com.au 

waw handplanes 

The new WAW Handplanes BadFish is a premium 

bodysurfing handplane designed to turn beginners 

into pros and pros into experts. Australian made 

using ocean plastic harvested from our Great Barrier 

Reef, the WAW BadFish will have you catching Wave 

After Wave leaving nothing but cleaner oceans in 

your wake. Every purchase helps us clean more of 

our beaches. 

wawhandplanes.com.au 

photo: bryce wilson @wilson_and_co 

pedal and paddle 

Winter in The Paradise Coast, Whangamata is the 

perfect time to visit. Sea and land are both uncrowded 

crisp and clean. It is truly an amazing place especially 

at this time of year. 

Pedal and Paddle have extensive knowledge of their 

area and will send you in the right direction with all the 

right equipment. Simple fun. 

pedalandpaddle.co.nz 

real surf 

Real Surf can be found on the sunny (windy) shores of 

Lyall Bay, Wellington. They pride themselves on being 

a core store, run by surfers for surfers. Here you can 

find a huge range of quality surfboards, wetsuits and 

accessories, along with a full ding repair service and 

rentals for those without equipment. They're open 7 

days a week with a friendly and experienced team ready 

to help with your next purchase. REAL SURF is NZs #1 

Core Surf Store. 

realsurf.co.nz 

9


stuff 

raglan surf emporium 

We here at Smorgasboarder love a cool surf 

shop and the Raglan Surf Emporium located on 

Wainui Road on the way to the world-famous surf 

break Manu Bay is a ripper. The 1940’s structure 

that used to be an old coal shed holds some of 

the best surf brands in its four walls that scream 

everything surf. 

Their friendly and knowledgeable staff are also 

there to help you with your every need seven days 

a week…from a block of wax to the latest wetsuit 

by Ripcurl or Surfboard by JS Industries. Indeed, 

their hardware section has everyone sorted from 

the beginner to the hardcore. 

Raglan Surf Emporium also stock the latest 

season apparel from the leaders in the surf 

industry to have you covered from head to toe. 

Get everything you need in this one location so all 

you have to worry about is getting to the surf as 

quick as possible. 

quick tips 

• A must for anyone visiting the store for the 

first time is to pick up some of Raglan Surf 

Emporium’s branded gear. Famous artists like 

Ozzie Wright, Jamie Brown and Arnau Wilson 

have designed some amazing tshirt art for the 

RES crew. 

• If you’re a coffee addict like us, the best coffee 

in town is Raglan Roast - a must to start your 

day and the best way to recharge after a surf. 

Stockists of Rip Curl, Volcom, Vissla, RVCA, Rusty, 

RPM, Santa Cruz, Da Kine, O&E, JS Industries 

and HS surfboards. Surfboard and wetsuit rentals 

available for beginners to experts. 

Open 7 day’s per week 9am - 5pm. 

raglansurfemporium.com 

10



stuff 

winter blues 

at NZ Shred 

It’s the end of summer … No, no, 

it’s the start of Winter! 

As the sun arcs lower across the skies … mornings 

have a different feel. A crisp chill is in the air … Your 

fingers are cold first thing, and you find yourself 

vagrantly reaching to the back of the cupboard for 

your favourite hoodie. 

1. literally, let the ‘change of seasons’ 

embrace you! 

As you smell the change in the 

air, switch your wardrobe 

around. Make a change from 

summer shorts and tees and 

get yourself a new flannel, 

knitted jersey or riding 

hoodie. These are super 

comfy, easily layered, and 

something new always makes 

you feel fresh and revived. The 

Burton Dryride series (in both 

guys and gals) has a great amount 

of tech for mountain riding, in what looks for all 

intense and purposes like your standard street hoody. 

2. continue to love the brands you love! 

So many of our summer 

brands now cross-over 

into winter ranges, and in 

doing so, are very techsavvy 

with their integration. 

Brands such as Roxy, 

O’Neill and Oakley have 

significant product all year 

round, for all seasons. 

Two worth pointing 

out for Winter 2019 are 

Ripcurl and Electric. With 

a significant piece of the 

sunglass marketplace, 

Electric has proven itself 

to have both style and 

comfort in a technically 

appropriate range of eyewear. This has extended into 

Snow Googles, where the EG3 and Kleveland pro-models 

are faultless. Along with Electric goggles, NZSHRED roadtested 

the Ripcurl Pro-Gum Outerwear series in Japan this 

year. Combining 4-way stretch and 37.5 moisture wicking 

technology, this Outerwear at 30K/40K is the ultimate in 

tech and performance. 

3. get to it, making plans … 

Always the best thing to get you through some hard times, 

is the chance to dream and focus on something ‘coming 

up’. Whether it be, a mid-winter trip to Queenstown for 

your boarding fix or the ultimate in snow experiences of 

a once-in-a-lifetime trip to that powder-mecca of Japan 

… having an embryo idea, developing it with thoughts of 

time spent with friends, and feeding it with where to head 

to and what kit to take - is often enough to shake off the 

doldrums of those initial ‘winter blues’. Get in with your 

local shop. Ask Us where we go, what we do … we might 

just give away some secrets to stoke you out for your next 

experience. 

So … get to it and start making some plans … Winter is 

just around the corner! See you in Queenstown! 

NZ Shred 

nzshred.co.nz 

11


WIN! 

pack + rack*? 

... and supersize your prize!! 

WE HAVE A MASSIVE MIXED BAG OF AMAZING SWAG TO GO 

TO ONE LUCKY, LUCKY SMORGASBOARDER SUBSCRIBER! 

To be in the running to win all of these goodies (worth $500 RRP!), 

all you have to do is be a current subscriber to smorgasboarder 

magazine and drop us a line with the reason you love 

smorgasboarder to competitions@smorgasboarder.com.au. 

Our favourite compliment (or cloaked backhanded jab) will take 

home the bacon* 

1. 

So whats in the pack? 

1. BARZ SUNNIES $95 

3. HANDPLANE & FINS $190 

5. 

4. 

2. 

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and dual moulded non slip 

temples and nose piece. 

2. TRACTION GRIP $67 

Thin, light, easy to 

install and made from 

environmentally friendly, 

sustainable cork whose 

honeycomb shaped cells 

offer excellent impact 

absorption properties. 

The new Australian made 

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is a premium bodysurfing 

handplane made from 

ocean plastic harvested 

from our Great Barrier Reef. 

It will have you catching 

Wave After Wave leaving 

nothing but cleaner oceans 

in your wake. Comes with 

Zak Noyle Blue DaFiNs in 

size 9-10. 

4. SMORGASTEE $40 

5. SMORGASHOODIE $60 

But wait! That’s not all… 

BONUS! 

‘Catrina’ 

holds two 

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6. 

3. 

6. We also have a beautiful ‘Catrina’ Cactus Rack 

($429) on offer for the truly selfless lady or gent!! 

To supersize your prize to include the rack, all you have to 

do is subscribe for a mate too and let us know… Being an 

awesome person, if you win, you get the bonus inclusion of 

a $429 RRP surfboard rack to display your good virtue (and 

good luck!) to all and sundry! 

1. Subscribe at smorgasboarder.com.au 

2. Email competitions@smorgasboarder.com.au 

with your best compliments... 

3. To upgrade your prize, tell us the name of the 

friend you’ve bought a gift subscription for! 

* inclusion of rack in prize is subject to a demonstrated purchase of 2 x subscriptions by the winner 

** no actual bacon is included... This is a game of mad skill, baby. 

12


f r a m e d 

words: dave swan photos: craig levers 

14


Internationally acclaimed and award-winning 

photographer and former editor of New Zealand 

Surfing Magazine, Craig Levers, chats with us about 

how he first got started in surf magazines and 

what he’s up to nowadays. 

Craig’s first serious foray into photography came when 

he purchased an old SLR from a friend. 

“I had done photography through school and when I was 

about 21 or so I got offered a cheap SLR from an old boss I 

used to work for in surf shops. He was selling his old camera 

and back in those days, which was the late 80s, cameras were 

super expensive. They had heaps of import tax on them so 

getting that camera was such a big deal. And as soon as I got it 

I was just like, right, this is it, I am really into this.” 

15


f r a m e d 

“I’m a Born and bred Auckwhacker, which is 

derogatory term for an Aucklander. I started surfing 

out at Piha when I was 12 or 13 – Piha was about 40 

minutes from my home along a gravel road – and pretty 

much since then, I was just like, I have to figure out 

how I’m going to end up living out here. And just over 

10 years after that decision, I kind of figured it out.” 

“Interestingly, when I got into photography I very 

quickly realised that if you’re taking photos of 

surfing, you’re not surfing. And so, I didn’t want to 

do that. So I went more down a commercial route 

with my photography.” 

Craig wasn’t interested in fashion photography. 

Instead, he pursued commercial studio work. He 

figured this would enable him more time in the 

water. 

In his spare time however, Craig continued to 

shoot surfing. It attracted the attention of Mike 

Spence, the editor of New Zealand Surfing at 

the time who also knew Craig socially. Mike put 

Craig’s name forward for a gig at the magazine. 

“Mike was leaving the magazine and he put my 

name forward to be interviewed with the publisher 

because I was taking photos and I had had some 

of those published, and so he put my name 

forward and I turned down the interview. When I 

mentioned it to my dad he said, ‘what the f#ck, 

ring the guy back’. That’s the long story short of 

how I became a professional surf photographer - 

through kind of just knowing the right people and 

not necessarily or actively wanting to be a surf 

photographer.” 

Funnily enough, Craig ended up working for New 

Zealand Surfing for the next 15 years, moving up 

through the ranks to Senior Photographer, Photo 

Editor and ultimately Editor of the magazine. 

“It was amazing to be a part of it. 

“When I started at the surf magazine in 1993, 

we had a goal of doing one overseas trip a year 

and by the time I left the surf mag in 2008, I was 

doing two to three overseas trips a month. At the 

height of it, probably in 2006, I worked out I was 

probably overseas for something like 16 weeks 

of the year. We travelled the well beaten path of 

many New Zealanders: the South Pacific; Samoa, 

Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji and obviously Indo. I would 

spend at least four to six weeks in Indo.” 

Whilst it all sounds very sexy, there was obviously 

a great deal of hard work involved too. Hell, we 

here at Smorgasboarder know it is not all waves 

and beers, although we have been trying our best 

to achieve that end. 

“It sounds glamorous and of course, there is no 

way I was not grateful for what I was able to do, 

but the fact is, you are carrying 30 kgs of camera 

gear, you are not taking a surfboard and you’re 

not there to go surfing. There is pressure on you, 

not just from your publisher, but also the surfers 

16


17


f r a m e d 

that you’re with and the companies that they’re 

representing to come back with the goods. The first 

person on a surf trip that gets thrown under the bus 

if there is no photos or a story is the photographer.” 

Nonetheless Craig’s days at the magazine were 

what he refers to as the “Golden Years”. 

“I mean, it was just absolutely ridiculous. You 

have to remember it was such a different world. 

People who might be only 10 or 15 years into 

surfing wouldn’t realise that in the early to mid 90s 

and the 80s, the only source of surf stoke was 

printed matter. There were sporadic dvds but the 

background of your consumption of surf stoke was 

print media and that was worldwide. 

“Surf Mags were 

absolutely the 

dominant source of 

surf entertainment for 

decades. And that really 

had its pinnacle in the 

early 2000s where we 

saw the surf industry 

become extremely 

buoyant. They had a lot 

of money and they had 

to spend that money. 

They were going, 

‘wow, we’ve got all this 

money to spend on 

marketing. Let’s send 

photographers and our 

team to Teahupoo, all 

expenses paid.’ It was 

awesome to be a part 

of it. At the same time, I don’t think we thought the 

bubble was going to burst, but there was definitely 

discussions in the publisher’s office that the internet 

was definitely going to affect us.” 

Craig was also very candid with his views on 

Smorgasboarder when we first arrived on the scene 

in 2010 and our whole ‘surf is free’ approach. 

“I think to be very honest, when I first saw 

Smorgasboarder it rattled me. Because all the 

work that we put in, I was going, well, it’s worth 

something. And here’s something that’s come 

along and they’re saying, well, the old school way 

of thinking and what we’re doing isn’t worth the 

cover price. However, that said, at the very same 

“I reckon Terry Fitzgerald 

summed it up years ago pretty 

accurately when he wrote a 

piece called Postcards from the 

Edge, which was about New 

Zealand. We have got incredible 

waves here, there’s no doubt 

about it. You just have to be 

Johnny on the Spot, which 

is so f#cking hard, given that 

weather systems move over 

New Zealand so quickly.” 

time that I could easily fall into that old school way 

of thinking, I was also producing a surf magazine 

called O9, which is the area code for Auckland. 

And that was a freebie that went into all the surf 

shops in the greater Auckland area and that was 

performing super, super well.” 

As I discussed with Craig, it wasn’t that we didn’t 

think the crop of magazines weren’t worth their 

cover price. After all, the team at Smorgasboarder 

had come from a paid media background. We had 

simply seen the writing on the wall. We felt paid 

media was dead. The internet had taught everyone 

that if you can get all this content and information 

for free, why should you pay for it? It forced us to 

come up with a different 

approach and as they say, 

the rest is history. 

“You guys have been 

around for so long now that 

you’ve proven it. Another 

thing which I really like 

about Smorgasboarder, and 

especially the way you guys 

started, was that you very 

much started with the grass 

roots of the surf community. 

It’s easy to lose sight of 

who your reader is but you 

guys haven’t.” 

New Zealand Surfing’s 

approach was similar. 

Overseas trips aside, the 

magazine was very much 

aware of the appeal of their 

own local breaks and thus the remaining time was 

spent on numerous road trips along both the North 

and South island. 

“We knew our niche was reporting on and reflecting 

the New Zealand surf community and doing road 

trips is a huge thing here, more so than it is in 

Australia I believe. So as much as I was doing a 

lot of international travel, being on the road in New 

Zealand was my primary thing. 

18


19


f r a m e d 

When pressed for his favourite surf spots on the 

North and South Island, Craig was pretty coy. In 

fact, if I recall correctly his reply was, “Yep, that’s 

them”. Thankfully he shared a little more with us 

citing the reason why he calls Piha home. 

“Home is where the heart is. The main appeal is 

its consistency. There is always surf and on its 

day it can be world class.” 

Craig also mentioned his love of the far north. 

“I definitely feel very much at home in the far 

north, that’s both coasts. I just love the adventure 

of being up there. And the fact that on that skinny 

top peninsula, there are spots where you can see 

both surf coasts. 

“You can go up for a west coast swell and check 

out the east coast at the same time and its 4 foot. 

So that’s pretty unique and you get to go fourwheel 

driving and do all that stuff.” 

20


Home is where 

the heart is. 

The main 

appeal is its 

consistency. 

There is always 

surf and on its 

day it can be 

world class. 

I was equally keen to hear Craig’s perspective on my favourite subject 

– sharks. I asked him whether there were any places in particular that 

scared the crap out of him, hoping he would share a Noah story or 

two. 

“Yeah there is because one of my biggest passions still is taking water 

photos and I don’t really like going out in small stuff. I don’t think it 

looks good in photos when it’s a thin lip. I reckon the better photos are 

where you can see volume in the lip. And that’s definitely not saying I 

am doing what Russell Ord does. But we have a few slabs. 

“Swimming around the South Island, so many of the surf breaks are 

around seal colonies. That really f#cking shits me. I hate it. I just hate 

it. Cause even earlier on in my career, we went down to a place called 

White Rock, which is down in the Wairarapa and there used to be a 

dear stalkers hut in front of this amazing right hander. And so you’d 

4WD your way in and you’d stay in the deer stalkers hut and you’d 

wake up every morning and there would be six foot lines peeling down 

this right hand rocky point. We would do an annual surf trip there every 

year with the surf mag. Anyhow, there is bull kelp everywhere. So 

every time it hits your flippers you’re thinking ah f#ck, f*ck, what was 

that? It’s easy to get spooked out there.” 

21


f r a m e d 

Mungamaunu as featured in South Seas Revised Edition. Photo: Brodie Jackich. 

On the particular day in question, 

Craig recalled an awefully strong 

smell of decay permeating the 

air. When they headed back in 

from their third surf, after Craig 

had used up his third roll of film 

taking water shots, they went in 

search of where and from what 

the smell was emanating. 

“We walked down to the inside 

of the point and there is a fourfoot 

carcass of a seal with the 

most perfect bite mark taken out 

of the area between its tail and 

stomach. And the boys are like, 

‘Oh ok. So Craig, are you going 

to keep on swimming?’ and I 

was ohh, I might start using the 

600ml (zoom lens).” 

It is stories like this that confirm 

in my mind that people who take 

water shots in places like these, 

regardless of their sex, must 

have balls the size of elephants. 

“So really what I’m saying is that 

I drop nuts. I don’t like doing it 

but there are photographers, 

and absolute kudos to them, the 

guys in the South Island who do 

give it a thought, but they still 

do it. They will go out into a seal 

colony and out at these slabs 

that have seals up on the rocks 

and shoot that stuff. It is cold 

and gnarly and a front will come 

through and they are doing that 

stuff. I just don’t want to do it.” 

With that said, I was keen to 

hear if Craig had ever faced a 

situation where he wasn’t keen 

to get in the water but pressure 

was on him to do so. 

“Not really. I have been involved 

in those conversations. If there 

has been a team manager who’s 

come along on a surf trip and 

gone, ‘hey look, we really want 

you to swim out there’ and I’m 

“The Catlins is an 

amazing surf zone, 

as is all of Otago, 

but the fact remains 

there is a shark 

down there called 

KZ 7. And the 

reason it is called 

that is because that 

is how big it is.” 

{ 

12-metre New Zealand maxi KZ 7 

otherwise known as ‘Kiwi Magic’ 

competed in the 1987 America’s 

Cup Challenger Series. Reportedly, 

KZ 7, the shark, also has a smaller 

companion that follows him around 

called Dinghy. Nice. Who’s up for a 

surf in Otago? 

22


going, well dude, I’ll tell you what, I’ll set up the 

water housing, here’s my flippers. You have the 

same shoe size as me, you f#cking go out there. 

“To be fair all of the team managers that I have 

dealt with over years have been very good 

mates. And most of the time they’re going, ‘f#ck I 

wouldn’t have gone out there. I can’t believe you 

did’.” 

Getting back to the main story, my shark 

obsession aside, Craig shared with me the 

reason why he started Photo CPL Media. 

“The new publisher (of New Zealand Surfing) and 

I were butting heads on a range of things.” 

The fact he wasn’t seeing eye to eye with the 

new publisher coupled with the realisation he 

was now a 40 something year-old guy going on 

surf trips with young 20 year old surfers, often 

falling into the role of “Camp mother”, prompted 

his move. Craig also realised he had lost contact 

to a degree with family and friends. A new 

chapter in his career ensued. 

“When I left the magazine in 2008 it was very 

weird, but part of my exit was that I retained 

copyright of my images. 

“I knew I wanted to produce a hard copy book of 

my 20 years of taking photos and I felt if I didn’t 

do it real fast, it would be consistently put on the 

backburner. So as soon as I left the magazine, 

I just went straight into producing the first hard 

cover book. 

“The idea of that book was not necessarily to be 

a launching pad to start a publishing company, 

but more to just get this bloody book out and see 

what happens after that.” 

It did become a launch pad however for what is 

today Photo CPL Media and to date six coffee 

table books have been published. After the 

success of his first book, two books on New 

Zealand’s fabulous beaches followed. 

“Those two books (Beached As) was my foray 

into sort of mainstream and not really putting 

much value on surfing. But it came to the stage 

where, because I was using my graphic designer 

that I used to work with at New Zealand Surfing 

magazine, both of us simultaneously came up 

with the idea of doing the South Seas book.” 

23


f r m a e d 

It is here that I will make the point about what 

appeals to me so much about South Seas. 

Whilst surf photography often focuses on the 

surfer on the wave, the photos that have been 

compiled for South Seas encapsulate the spirit 

of surfing – not only the rider on the wave but 

the surrounds – the environment in which they 

are surfing in all its splendour. In a sense, it 

allows the reader to experience what that very 

surfer is experiencing. It truly is special. 

With the success of his first three books behind 

him, Craig set out to make a book he wanted 

to, not constrained by 

the usual publishing 

formulas. 

“We just went, let’s get the best photos off the 

best guys and actively chase those photos. And 

lets talk to the guys that started surfing in New 

Zealand. And within reason, it doesn’t matter 

what the printing cost is, let’s make the book 

that we want on our coffee table.” 

Craig’s also published a book for the South Island’s 

most prolific surf photographer, Warren Hawke, 

entitled NZ Surf Captured by a Surf Lens. From 

surfing at New Brighton beach in 1966, to shooting 

off the back of a jet ski in 2014, the bio beautifully 

depicts Warren’s coming of age along with a 

whole heap of humorous stories and experiences 

shooting many different places and surfers. 

“I mean, one of the first posters on my wall when 

I was 14 was a Warren Hawke dawn shot of 

Mangamaunu. It made me want to go and surf 

Mangamaunu. He’s pushed out an incredible 

amount of work since the late 60s and to publish 

his work was incredible.” 

In total, Photo CPL Media has published six hard 

covers since 2008 along with Notecards, Postcards 

and Print Sets to compliment them. 

Craig is no doubt pursuing his passion and having 

a lot of fun doing so but it has not come without a 

hell of a lot of hard work. As they say, ‘the harder 

you work, the luckier you get’. 

24


If you have enjoyed my chat with Craig Levers, 

there is a heap more to it. Simply tune into our 

Smorgasboarder Podcast for the full interview. 

smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast 

itunes spotify buzzsprout 

25


surfing italy 

words and photos: alex benaud 

Italy… Pizza, pasta, wine, sunsets over vineyards, beautiful women, old castles, famous monuments, 

surf… Perhaps the last one doesn’t usually come in to mind when you are thinking one of the most 

historically rich countries on our planet. But surf exists in Italy and I was there to find it. 

I wound up there last winter and I was determined to get my surf fix. 

onshore wind slop, but who can say no to an empty line-up? 

26


I’d often just suit up and hope for the best. 5 mil wetsuit with booties. Almost enough. 

30 knot onshore winds, sleepy beaches waiting for 

the long, cold winter to pass before being engulfed 

by tourists from all over the globe, and water that 

hovers below 10 degrees thanks to the rivers that 

flow with melted ice from the mountains directly 

into the sea, Italy doesn’t seem all too appealing 

for a surf destination I know, but I was desperate 

and needed an excuse to get wet. Even if it meant 

bracing the harsh winter conditions for one to two 

foot wind generated waves. 

Italy pumps, you just have to be on the right side 

of the country and have a little bit of luck. I was 

unfortunately on the wrong side, the Adriatic 

Sea side and thus was forced to rely on the cold 

southeast winds to whip something up. Even 

though it could never compare to the waves we get 

back here in Australia, I still enjoyed it just as much. 

Just the thought of surfing in a place where no-one 

would even think of surfing added to its appeal. 

It’s strange to think I would never paddle out in 

such conditions if I were at home in Australia, but 

here it was almost a way of making me feel closer 

to home. I’d usually grovel for around 30 to 40 

minutes until I could no longer feel my feet through 

my booties and the wind was too uncomfortable 

to stand. I guess it shows us that no matter where 

you are in the world, surfing gives us all a similar 

feeling. 

27


mark ranucci with founding partners andrew ranucci and mike beckerleg 

collective consciousness 

words: dave swan 

Surf Collective was essentially born of a desire to 

help support and protect Australia’s grassroots 

surfing culture. In the space of just two short 

years it has become a united front for over 70 

independent Aussie surf businesses. It is a 

remarkable feat. 

Realising how much the surf industry had changed 

since his childhood in the 70’s with it now 

dominated by multi-nationals and their massproduced 

products, Mark Ranucci, who is one of 

the founders of the Surf Collective, connected with 

a number of independent Aussie surf brands. The 

idea was to provide them with a greater voice by 

bringing them together via an online platform. Each 

of the brands has their own unique story and are 

not found in mainstream surf retail stores. 

I recently spoke with Mark about what it means 

to be a part of the collective and how they have 

managed to attract so many purveyors of our 

surf culture spanning some 38 categories from 

bespoke surf apparel manufacturers to artists, 

photographers, surf accessories, skateboards, 

wetsuits, handplanes… indeed all manner of surf 

related products. 

“Having been a surfer for a while, you go to surf 

shops and you see that except for a few, they 

are largely selling all the same stuff. I love surfing 

and the culture it represents but due to the rise of 

multinational corporations I felt a small part of its 

charm was slipping away. I became disillusioned 

with the fact surfing culture was becoming big 

business. It is so out-of-step with our authentic 

Australian surf culture that supported individuality. 

But when you go digging, there’s a whole lot of 

people doing a whole bunch of interesting stuff. 

And I think the world is changing, in that people 

are going to farmers’ markets to buy their food, 

wanting to know where the produce is from. So 

we thought, why can’t we do that with the surf 

industry? Provide surfers with an alternative. But 

rather than forcing them to go looking for these 

brands, let’s put them all in the one spot.” 

The premise behind their approach was that all 

within the collective could benefit from each other. 

28


“Someone trying to plug organic surf wax online is 

going to have a hard time doing that, people don’t 

really shop that way. People will go looking for some 

boardies or a t-shirt and perhaps grab some wax 

on the way out. So, our idea was to put everyone 

together on an online store. We started off with a 

couple dozen brands and we have over 70 on there 

now across some 40 categories. 

“We write up a story on each business because we 

feel that is what people want - to be able to make 

that connection with the brands they support. It’s 

been really nice from my point of view, dealing with 

a whole bunch of small businesses that are really 

passionate about what they do and enjoy what they 

do.” 

To date the venture has proven a success for all 

involved with Surf Collective selling quite a bit of 

gear, not only here in Australia but overseas as well. 

“I think the Australian surf culture is aspirational to 

someone sitting in an office in London, Spain or 

the US. Probably a quarter of our stuff gets sold 

overseas at the moment. So in turn we are helping 

these brands to become known beyond just their 

immediate market at home.” 

“It allows people to see what we are about, touch 

and feel the gear, it also provides us with another 

sales channel. It has also contributed greatly to 

coffee sales and given the café a point of difference 

to others in the area and provided another income 

stream. It has worked really well and it is something 

we would like to do again if we find the right café. 

“I think it is something we will see a lot more of. 

Bricks and mortar (retail shops) have to change with 

the times. You have to be doing something a bit 

different to force people off the couch to come into 

your shop nowadays.” 

Aside from a different approach to retail, there is 

also an ethical consciousness to Surf Collective’s 

endeavour. 

“Hopefully we’re helping a few people along the 

way and helping customers to find something 

different and feel good about supporting small 

businesses. 

“I think the next generation are a lot more in tune 

with their place in the world and how they can have 

a positive impact.” 

surfcollective.com.au 

Interestingly, the Surf Collective embarked on a 

collaboration with a local café in Avalon called The 

Sneaky Grind to establish a physical presence for 

the entity as well. It’s proven a success with Mark 

looking to partner with others in similar ventures 

along our coastline. 

29


photo: somewhere on their north western road trip 

30


pistols in the desert 

words: alex benaud photos: jack o’grady photography 

It would be interesting to see whether we would 

change our minds about buying a certain surf 

product if we really knew the person who created 

it. It’s something we never really think about, we 

usually look at the price, the colour and if that’s good 

enough, we buy it. But if we actually got to know 

some of the people behind these products, I’m sure 

it would influence our buying behaviour. 

I recently sat down with the humble, passionate 

and well spoken Nick Muntz, the young man behind 

Western Australia’s Pistol Surf Co. to talk about 

the brand, what it’s like to be involved in the ever 

growing surfing industry of today and their recent 

trip to the north west Coast of Australia. 

Originally a team rider for Pistol Surf Co, Nick took 

over the brand a few years a go after finishing his 

business degree at university, and has since worked 

hard to expand beyond West Oz. 

“It started off as kind of a hobby but now I’m doing 

everything I can to make it into a career. It was 

basically just a couple of tail-pads and that was it. 

Now there’s tail pads, front pads, leg ropes, stretch 

socks and wetties. I’ve also got some exciting new 

products on the way, such as travel and accessory 

bags, tie downs and a bit of everything.” 

With it seemingly becoming more difficult to 

differentiate the various brands within the surfing 

industry today, an admirable belief that Nick stands 

by is having the Pistol Surf Co. name represented 

in a way that represents his own values and 

personality. 

“Obviously I’m interested in people that surf well, 

but I think it’s also important that they are outgoing, 

super positive and offer a lot of charisma. You don’t 

have to be the best surfer to be sponsored by Pistol, 

but my team riders defiantly bring something a little 

unique to the brand which is important.” 

31


32


33


34


Last year Nick and the Pistol team made the trip up the 

north western Coast of Australia to enjoy 37 days of life in 

the desert. With no internet, phone reception or civilisation 

many hours drive away, they got to immerse themselves 

in desert life. It’s no wonder they came away with such 

incredible footage of world class waves resulting in the 

creation of the film ‘Desert Blue’. 

“Well I can tell you we all got desert fever by the end of it, 

well and truly. It was epic, up north is such a remote place, 

we were hours away from civilisation and we kind of just 

lived day by day. When you wake up you just want to 

spend the day surfing, fishing, diving or even just drinking 

beers and hanging out. 

“The trip sort of really summarises what Pistol is about. 

Hanging out with mates, surfing, fishing and living in the 

now, all while having a good time.” 

Surfing, beers and tubes aside, Nick knows what it takes 

to make a brand successful… 

“You have just got to keep on pushing and trying your 

hardest because nothing ever happens over night. You 

have to maintain that drive to one day have your brand 

where you want it to be. For example in 5 years time 

I know where I want Pistol to be and I’m going to do 

everything I can to get it there.” 

nick with a board displaying his Pistol traction 

In today’s world, brands rely heavily on social media 

platforms to market themselves and sell products. The 

personality, trust and clarity of who you’re really buying 

from can be lost somewhere along the way, which is why 

it’s important to understand not only from where, but who 

your product is coming from. Just hope that it’s someone 

as personable and passionate as Nick Muntz. 

“I think social media is super important but getting 

out there physically and just socialising is a 

really good way to increase your brands 

exposure. Word of mouth, I still personally 

think it’s the most powerful marketing and 

advertising you can do.” 

Wise words… 

For the bigger, longer conversation, listen at 

smorgasboarder.com.au/podcast 

itunes spotify buzzsprout 

35


rack ‘em up 


It has often been said that surfboards are functional works of art. 

You can admire them and you can ride them. You have possibly 

even used that line when explaining to your better half why you 

have so many surfboards. “They are not only beautiful to look 

at, I ride them all!” I have used that excuse nonetheless but with 

what degree of success is certainly debatable. 

The point being is, if you are going to refer to your babies as 

works of art, you might as well display them right. In this special 

feature we look at a number of the top surfboard display and 

storage racks available on the market today from vertical racks 

to horizontal racks, wall mounted racks, ceiling racks and even 

invisible racks. 

Let’s face it, displaying your prized possessions in the best 

possible fashion adds to the appeal of your home (I have also 

tried this one). It also provides you with a constant reminder to 

go out and get wet. Furthermore, storage wise, poorly stored 

boards result in lots of extra visits to your local ding repairer so 

invest that cash in a cracking set of racks instead. 

photo: endless inspiration from shepp solutions. 

more on them on page 41 

36


37

ghost racks 

surf n’ rak 

cactus racks 

boat channel boardracks


boat channel boardracks 

Boat Channel Boardracks offers custom handmade 

timber rack systems for display and storage of your 

boards. Completely freestanding racks as well as 

ceiling or wall mounted racks are also available. 

Using the timber you specify, you can choose from 

some of their popular designs or work together 

with them to get the perfect rack to fit your board 

collection and storage location. Boat Channel rack 

systems range from displaying vintage collectable 

surfboards in designer homes to cleaning up that 

beachside garage that has 40+ boards in it; they can 

offer a rack to solve your storage and display needs. 

All racks are built with exterior glues and galvanized 

screws, ensuring your rack has a long life. Exterior 

grade timbers are also available for racks that need 

to live in the elements. Best of all, Boat Channel 

Boardracks offer a trade-in guarantee, meaning that 

if you outgrow your rack or move to a new home 

and need a different rack, you can trade your old 

rack in towards a new one. 

Based in Lennox Head, Boat Channel Boardracks 

manufacture and ship their rack systems all over 

Australia. 

Give them a call to discuss what solution might be 

the best for you, or browse and order online on their 

website. 

boatchannelboardracks.com.au 

39


shepp solutions 

gnarwall multi board rack 

40


shepp solutions 

Remember your first board? 

What about your favourite whip? 

There’s something special 

about every single board you 

buy. Something that sticks out, 

something that makes you smile; 

like that perfect barrel you shot 

out of on your last surf trip, 

something that you don’t ever 

want to forget. “At SHEPPS we 

know how you feel about your 

boards because we feel the 

same way. That’s why 

we developed the 

Gnarwall System. 

The only truly 

hidden surfboard 

hanging system 

that puts your 

board front and 

centre. With 

our laser cut fin 

box hangers and simple wall 

mounted hook, your board goes 

from driftwood to artwork in 

seconds! Got more than one 

board in your quiver? 

“At our affordable price you 

can hang every board in your 

collection without breaking 

the bank. Ask our favourite 

Surfer Josh Kerr who has been 

showcasing Matt Parker from 

Album Surf’s sick sticks:” 

‘It’s rad! 

‘I’ve been getting some amazing 

looking boards lately and started 

wanting to showcase them in 

my house. I came across 

this product and I love 

the way it looks like the 

board is floating on the 

wall. Great design and 

super easy to install!’ – JK 

Gnarwall was designed 

by Great Lake Surfers on 

the shores of Lake Ontario, 

and is crafted from sustainable 

materials. The system is 

available in three colorways 

and works with Futures, FCS or 

single-fin, fin boxes. 

sheppsolutions.com 

41


surf n’ rak 

The big deal about Surf n’ Rak storage systems is 

they are made of steel so they are literally as strong 

as… steel. There’s a reason for the saying. Simply 

put you never have to fear your prized possessions 

will come crashing down. Best of all, they have 35 

different styles of racks to choose from: angled 

raks, ceiling raks, free standing raks, wall mounted 

raks, bike raks, SUP raks, surfboard shaper raks… 

Hell, they have racks for every kind of surfboard, 

paddleboard, snowboard, skateboard, even kayaks 

you own... Surfers making raks for surfers since 1996. 

Features: 

• Aussie made 

• Light weight and super strong 

• Made from erw steel tube and tig welded 

• Powder coated in textured black 

• All contact surfaces are protected with non 

marking foam rubber 

• PVC end caps 

• Plugs/screws and instructions included in each kit 

surfnrak.com.au 

cactus rack 

Inspired by the lack of board storage options 

available for their small apartment, the team at 

Cactus set about developing a modular board 

storage solution that would look great in any room. 

After countless designs and prototypes, they finally 

arrived at their perfect solution. Something that is 

both functional and beautiful. The Cactus rack is 

crafted from sustainably grown bamboo, so your 

sleds can look sharp whilst you sit back and feel the 

good planetary vibes come your way. 

The Cactus rack can hold snowboards, kiteboards, 

wakeboards and all surfboard types up to 10ft in 

height - they capped the sizing at 10ft due to the 

average ceiling height of a room and the weight / 

size of larger boards. 

One of their most innovative features is its 

modularity; so you can pick and choose which 

storage size is right for you! Conveniently; this also 

means there is no messing around with ordering 

odd bits and pieces in order to have everything fit 

together. 

The innovative design also allows their product to 

be flat packed, which means it arrives at your door 

in one box and can be easily assembled using only 

a single Allen key. Order, receive, connect and Voila! 

Simple and seamless. 

cactusrack.com.au 

42


riley timber racks 

Mark Riley of Riley Balsa Wood Surfboards 

crafts hand-made wooden racks to suit any 

of his boards from short through to long, 

displaying 1, 2 or even 3 boards. 

He also sells via his online store the innovative 

Pinch & Roll hanging system along with the 

award winning Solid Racks. Made from highly 

elastic, durable silicone, Pinch & Roll rolls onto 

the nose of you board and can be hung on the 

supplied wall mount. 

balsawoodsurfboardsriley.com 

ocean & earth 

Keep your favourite boards out of harm’s way with 

Ocean & Earth’s diverse range of board storage 

solutions. For more storage solutions see our ad on 

page 7 of this edition or go to 

oceanearthstore.com 

t-bar board 

ceiling rax 

fits 1-4 boards 

Suits all board types, easy side loading 

ceiling mount, 60mm protective EVA 

padded sleeves, heavy duty metal 

frame and holds boards up to 34” wide. 

hoist ceiling rax 

Fits 1-2 SUP /Longboards or 4 Surfboards. Heavy 

duty pulley system, adjustable height, holds up to 

40kgs with easy installation for garage ceilings. 

side loader bike rack 

Fits 1 board on most 

bikes, including mountain 

bikes. Attaches easily 

under seat post (25mm 

to 32mm) Anodised, 

rust resistant aluminium 

frame. Adjustable EVA 

padded arms - fits most 

board sizes up to 8’. 

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44


ghost racks 

Here’s a ghostly surf story: Shane Atkins and Darren 

Barnes share a passion that bought them together 

as best mates - surfing. A few years ago, Shane 

purchased his first vintage board - a 1980’s Mark 

Richards twin fin that he wanted to display on his 

living room wall. 

Shane soon realised however he had a problem. 

Most of the racks on the market were made 

from obtrusive timber, steel or aluminium that he 

considered big, bulky and ugly. 

Enter Darren – a qualified plastics fabricator. After 

many designs and prototypes, Darren and Shane 

created the perfect solution - a secure, seamless 

and precise rack design that is almost invisible! 

Their outstanding design and workmanship gave 

Shane’s vintage MR surfboard pride of place in his 

living room that even his girlfriend loved the look 

of. The guys shared photos of the MR display with 

family, friends and on social media. Then, surfers 

from around the world saw them and wanted their 

own ‘invisible racks’. 

One of their early customers from California said 

“it looks like my board is floating, like it’s held by 

a ghost or something”. “Ghost Racks” was born. 

Now, the big names such as Jamie O’Brien, Rob 

Machado, Mark Richards, Luis Real, Firewire, 

Quiksilver and Album Surf love and use Ghost Racks 

and now you can too. 

Ghost Racks models range from free-standing racks 

to wall-mounted horizontal or vertical racks. If you’re 

after something more ‘outside the box’ they can 

create your own custom model to suit your unique 

space or board design. 

ghostracks.com.au 

“For someone like me who likes 

to display my vintage surfboards 

with a clean look, Ghost Racks 

are really the best option. Strong, 

tasteful, easy to install and simply 

the best custom racks I have ever 

seen. I would recommend the use 

of this high end product.” 

Luis Real ‘North Shore Surf Shop’ 

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46


custom made 


Newcastle master shaper Peter Sheely has been 

making surfboards for close to 50 years. Today he 

specialises in nothing but custom designs, all made 

in-house by himself, by hand, from start to finish. 

Pete also makes some pretty sweet looking guitars. 

I recently caught up with him to chat about his 

beloved crafts and what rocks his world. 

A wood machinist by trade, Pete firstgot an 

apprenticeship with a local Novacastrian furniture 

factory before he scored a job with legendary 

surf identity Sam Egan - from that day, his world 

irreversibly changed. Pete got to work alongside 

and learn from some of the best in the business, 

not just Sam but the likes of Neal Purchase Senior 

and Peter Cornish. 

“Sam knew I was a wood machinist and he initially 

got me to come in and cut the blanks in half. He 

knew they’d be straight instead of the guy at the 

time who was cutting them like a dog’s hind leg. I 

virtually started glueing up (blanks) and then Sam 

got me to make fins and then to finish coat and 

I just went right through the whole scene Dave. 

That’s why I now can do everything and don’t have 

to take anything off-site (outsource).” 

Pete credits Neal Purchase Senior as having a 

large influence on his development as a surfboard 

shaper. Glasser Ronnie White, who was also 

working with Sam at the time, was another notable 

influence on his board making abilities. With the 

surfboard industry booming during his formative 

years, he got plenty of opportunity to develop those 

skills. 

“I tell you now mate, Sam was making a lot of 

boards Dave, I mean a hell of a lot of boards.” 

When Bill Wallace brought out a pop-out surfboard, 

things stepped up a notch again. Sam (Egan) 

partnered with Barry Bennett opening a shop in 

Hunter Street within Newcastle’s CBD and with 

its opening, brought out his own version of the 

popout. Pete was given the responsibility of making 

them look good. 

“Sam said, ‘Pete you’ve got to do six pop-outs to 

put in the surf shop’. And I’d go, oh yeah, alright 

and I was left to my own devices. I just put all these 

whirly pigment colours on it mate. I learnt a lot 

just figuring it out myself. I really learnt how to use 

pigment and do pin lines and things like that. And 

then in the end, I got into trouble. Barry said, ‘Hey 

we can’t sell these for $200 bucks, these are worth 

more. They’re better than the other boards we’ve 

got in the shop.” 

After 10 years or so working for Sam, Pete went 

out on his own starting a surfboard factory with a 

little more than $400, which was just enough for a 

few surfboard blanks. 

“Yeah, I started the factory in ’79. I took over an old 

car yard, which was a mess. I had so many guys go 

through the factory through the years. I had Sam 

(Egan) and then I had Peter McCabe. I even had 

Roy Lee from Pacific Dreams in there. Ross Smith 

was the sprayer, Shane Partridge was sanding, I 

did most of the shaping, all of the glassing, and I 

think I did the finish coat too. And Jamie Distro was 

polishing and fixing things. I had the factory until 

2006/2008 before I began shaping from home. 

“Another guy who showed me a lot mate was Frank 

Williams. When I went into business for myself, I 

went down to Midget’s to get some blanks and 

there was a guy there called Frank Williams. Frank 

showed me how to put ‘Vs’ in the bottom of boards 

amongst other things. He taught me a real lot.” 

At its peak, Pete’s factory was pumping out 10-15 

custom shapes each and 

every week. 

“I always just made what 

the customer wanted. That’s 

me job, I’m a custom-made 

surfboard manufacturer. 

47


48


“I have always done boards for the norm mate, the 

normal type of guys, the normal guys who go into 

surf shops and get talked into a board they bloody 

can’t ride. And they come and see me and I look 

at them and I say, do you surf, how long have you 

been surfing for and then we take it from there. 

I think that’s why they kept coming back to me 

mate.” 

With the arrival of cheap boards from overseas Pete 

got out of the factory and set up a small workshop 

in his New Lambton home. His focus on custom 

boards however has carried right through to this 

very day where he shapes all manner of boards for 

his loyal and growing clientele. 

“I just finished a 10’4” off you know. Beautiful 

board. And then I have been on to Surf Blanks 

about a kneeboard. I’ve got to make a kneeboard. 

And things like that don’t faze me, and I think 

that’s why I’ve always had an open mind towards 

shaping. People say, ‘why do you want to shape a 

kneeboard for?’ And I’d say, well, why not. What’s 

wrong with it?” 

As Pete explains, it’s the variety of boards he 

shapes that keeps it interesting. 

“Cathy (Pete’s wife) said to me the other day, ‘Are 

you getting sick of it?’ and I said no. I get different 

orders, that’s why I don’t get sick of it. I can see 

why people do get sick of it, if they get stuck doing 

500 boards exactly the same. Like these guys that 

do these machine boards, all they’re doing is just 

rubbing them back and glassing - here’s another 

one, here’s another one. Well you know yourself if 

you walk into a surf shop these days and you look 

along the line, the boards all look the same.” 

Of late Pete’s shaped quite a few 12 footers (we will 

get into that a little later within our special editorial 

focus on Gliders) along with a few mini Simmons 

disc style shapes. 

“I think the smallest one I did mate was 4’6”. 

Nothing of it. A big wide tail on it.” 

The variety of different custom shapes Pete crafts 

has in turn attracted a pretty diverse crew riding his 

boards, both in terms of age and sex. 

“I tell you what, I’ve got a lot of girls riding my 

boards now, hell of a lot mate. You know I mean up 

and down the coast, around here, a lot in Sydney. 

They’re loving them mate. One girl got a 9’6” and 

she goes right down to about to a 6’6” I made 

for her. She loves them. She goes on those Yoga 

retreats and they see her board, next minute one 

of the girls who was on the retreat is ringing me up 

about a board. 

“And that’s another thing. I think some of the 

manufacturers are a bit funny with girls. I’ve always 

made boards for girls. I also deal with a lot of 

parents buying boards for their kids. I suppose it 

is because the parents can talk to me, as can the 

kids. I am happy to sit down and discuss what they 

want.” 

Apart from the various types of surfboards he 

shapes, including some remarkable wood boards 

and restorations, Pete also handcrafts some 

beautiful guitars. 

“I just read an ad in the local newspaper, and I 

thought geez I always wanted to make one. It’s 

really rewarding you know, making one. 

“There are some similarities to shaping a board in 

that you’re using your hands. It’s a really hands-on 

thing. All my boards have always been hands-on, 

and guitar works, you know, you’re bending with an 

iron and selecting timbers. There’s no easy method. 

“You’re shaping the blocks of wood, you’re shaping 

the neck, you’ve got to put the wood through a 

thickener, then you’ve got to use a scraper on 

it to get it down to the right millimetre. Yeah, so 

very similar to shaping only you’re working with 

wood and you’ve got to be careful because you 

are working with very exotic wood that’s worth a 

fortune.” 

Pete has a fondness for using Rosewood in his 

guitars with Spruce on the deck and mahogany 

on the neck, if he can source it. His most recent 

creation was a super cool semi-acoustic jazz guitar. 

“It is very similar to a Gretsch. I always wanted one 

after I saw Neil Young and Stephen Stills playing 

back in the day… but I could never afford to get 

one because those Gretsch White Doves mate, 

they’re worth a fortune. This was the best way to 

go. It’s a little bit different but it’s good. It’s still got 

a good sound.” 

Pete’s not only made a few for himself but a couple 

for his daughter as well. 

“Yeah that was a bit of a challenge because she is 

left handed. It turned me upside down. I thought it 

would be exactly the same but it’s not you know, so 

I had to go and see my guitar guru Lenny, and he 

said you need the bridge to go the opposite way, 

you need this, you need strength here. I had to go 

back to square one. For my next guitar I wouldn’t 

mind attempting a cutaway acoustic.” 

Through the years I have not only come to know 

and see what a talented craftsman Pete Sheely is, I 

have gotten to know him as one of the most down 

to earth blokes I have met. He is the epitome of 

what our magazine is all about – grassroots surf 

industry legends. 

49


“Their popularity has grown somewhat in the last 5 years or 

so but it is still a bit of a niche which is nice. Riding them 

isn’t something that will appeal to everyone but most 

people that give it a go tend to want one pretty bad. 

Definitely suited to long peeling point breaks or 

waves that give you plenty of time. It’s 12 foot of 

board, nothing happens fast other than the trim.” 

thomas bexon 

surfer: thomas and arkie 

photo: ben osborne 

50


g l i d e r s 

gliders 

They’re a new phenomenon. 

You have probably seen one out in 

the surf and thought what the hell 

is that and wondered how friggin 

long it is. If you’ve been grovelling 

to get on a weak little one-footer 

akin to the winter ripples we get 

here on the Sunshine Coast, your 

next thoughts are probably along 

the lines of, I wish I had one. 

But what the hell are they? Yes 

they’re big boards, often in the 

vicinity of 12 foot plus, but in a 

design sense, are they extra long 

longboards, paddleboards without 

a paddle, oversized guns or a 

subtle blend of all of these? 

We spoke with several shapers 

who have been crafting a number 

of these gliders for their customers 

to find out what aspects of design 

they have concentrated upon in 

their development. 

51

g l i d e r s 


“Pure bliss is the only other word that comes to 

mind to describe the feeling...” 

surfer: matt williams 

photo: @white_collective 

matt williams 

thomas 

Thomas Bexon of Thomas Surfboards was first 

inspired to develop his glider, aptly named The Postie, 

after local postman and unofficial mayor of Noosa, 

Peter Biden. “Biddo has been sitting wide and picking 

off sets on his glider at National Park since long 

before I started surfing. I love his approach. 

“The Postie is the ultimate trim machine. It’s inspired 

by and designed for glide. The Postie works from 

knee high to double over head, and it’s great for small 

day tandem sessions with the babe, or whoever. Soft 

roll through the nose entry moves to a flat-ish mid 

section, with a really soft panel V in the tail.” 

It’s all executed over 12 foot plus of rail with the 

utmost subtlety. A 10 inch version of a mid ‘60s 

Greenough 4A / Hayden involvement era fin offers 

the perfect amount of drive and stability. Rocker is 

smooth and consistent over the entire length of the 

board with just the right amount to offer a nice mix 

of glide, turn-ability and nose riding capability. I’m 

in love. 

thomassurfboards.com 

52


factory 

Matt Williams of The Factory Surfboards in Moffat 

Beach is quite accustomed to shaping boards 

of this size. After all he was apprentice to world 

renowned shaper and big board advocate Tom 

Wegener for many years before going out on his 

own. 

“Working with Tom Wegener all those years back, 

funnily enough, 12 footers were mid-size boards. 

“I really like to focus on the turning aspect of 12 

footers as everyone appears to just make gliders to 

go straight. There is nothing better then a pocket 

turn on 12 feet of foam.” 

Matt achieves this feat through the design features 

he’s incorporated into his gliders. 

“My 12’s don’t have an edge but more of a 30/70 

up rail through the tail. Having a board that size 

doesn’t need drive I feel. Also, I feel an edge will 

track up the wave sometimes when you don’t want 

it to. A flatish rocker through the nose and actually 

more lift in the tail like a noserider helps it not to 

pearl the big girls and fit in the pocket a little better. 

They do nose ride but it’s not what they are made 

for. Pure bliss is the only other word that comes to 

mind to describe the feeling, especially in winter!” 

The trimmings on this one, such as the intricate fin, 

nose and tail blocks is no doubt a nod to the skills 

Matt honed working with Tom Wegener. 

thefactorysurfboards 

53


sheely 

l i d e r s 

Peter Sheely from Newcastle is another shaper 

who has been shaping a number of these boards 

of late. Whilst Pete admitted it was initially a bit of 

trial and error, as is the case with virtually every 

new surfboard design, he eventually dialled it 

into a subtle blend of his favourite mal and gun 

templates. Pete shared with me how they perform 

based on a recent trip to Scotts Head. 

“I couldn’t believe it mate. It was only about a foot 

and I’m sitting out there with this other guy on a 

clubbie paddle board and I just kept getting wave 

after wave whilst he was left watching. He said, 

‘mate, how big’s that board?’ And I said it’s over 

12 foot. He’s going, ‘geez, I can’t pick them up on 

a paddle board and here you are catching them 

all and the next minute I see you right down the 

end.’ Yeah Dave, they go really good.” 

I was in no doubt as to the ability of these boards 

to trim but was equally keen to hear how they 

handle. 

“Turns good Dave. You’ve got to be right on the 

back. I have also been down the South Coast 

(NSW) with it. I had some beautiful waves at 

Bennelong off the boat ramp. I was going right 

across the boat ramp over to the other little point 

there. Once you’ve got a rolling wave mate, they 

fly, and when you get into the wall of the wave, 

you’re going so fast they are just incredible. But 

they’re no good on a shore break. They’re not for 

shore breaks.” 

As for the work entailed in crafting one of these 

big buggers, Pete informed me there is a lot of 

board to shape and then you have to deal with 

fitting them into a shaping bay… or not. 

“I’m out on the road shaping them. I have to get 

my mate Larry out with the Stop and Go sign out 

in the street, they’re that long.” 

sheelysurfboards.com 

54


riley 

Mark Riley of Riley Balsa Wood Surfboards has 

made quite a few big gun balsa blanks for a number 

of shapers around the world, and shaped a few of 

his own guns too, along with some huge cruisers. 

“The beauty of balsa is its buoyancy and strength. 

It doesn’t matter what length the board is, the 

boards float and glide and they are incredibly 

strong, which can be an issue when you start 

getting up over 10 foot plus. You don’t want the 

boards snapping. 

“I can obviously make these boards of solid balsa, 

as in our solid balsa Hawaiian guns, which come 

with a triple cedar stringer and a glassed on single 

fin, or as a glider or cruiser, with our high strength 

balsa skin wrapped around a recycled EPS foam 

core – incredibly strong, yet light and environmentally 

friendly. And they make great wall hangers.” 

balsawoodsurfboardsriley.com 

rabbidge 

Another bloke who lives down Bennelong way and 

has also been making a few of these boards is 

the one and only Mark Rabbidge. Mark set about 

making this 13 foot monster by grabbing two 9’8” 

blanks, cut the tails off each, glued them together 

to get the right deck rocker and then started shaping. 

As for how it goes, Mark’s reply was classic 

Rabbidge, “F*cking unreal. I can’t throw it around 

like I used to so now I just glide. I am trimming and 

positioning and gliding. It’s unreal.” 

Discussing this design, Mark recalled a surf he had 

with a legendary crew back in the mid 80s. 

“We were over in the States for a few contests – 

me, Nat (Young), Donald Takayama, Skip Frye and 

Joel Tudor, when he was just a kid. We were down 

at Old Man’s in San Onofre (southern California).” 

They hit the waves straight away but Skip’s wife 

informed the gathering he would join them at 10 

minutes to 11 when the conditions were just right. 

“Right on 10 to 11 Skipper comes down to the 

beach with his 12 footer, paddles out right past all 

of us, spins and smokes this thing f#cking straight 

past all of us. I never forgot that. So, when I started 

making my gliders, I remember that all the time. 

Skip was right on it. He wasn’t jumping all over 

the place, just trimming and gliding....speed. At 70 

years of age, I get it. That to me is still killer.” 

Mark Rabbidge Surf Design 

55


big sun 

Ryan Glover of Big Sun in Mt Maunganui, New 

Zealand is another shaper producing some rad 

shapes including some super slick glide machines. 

Drawing inspiration from multiple surfing epochs, Big 

Sun celebrates the wider surfing experience with all boards 

locally made with a quality, refinement and finish second to none. 

Their range of logs and gliders are designed to achieve perfect 

trim – “drop low and you will feel it take off across even the flattest 

section.” These boards can be custom made to suit personal 

preference from pin to square tail, fin box or glass in fin, specialised 

tints and even single, double or triple cedar stringers. 

bigsun.nz 

g l i d e r s 

photo: guy thompson @soggytoesmagazine 

56


SUPcentre 

The arrival of gliders has seen many become 

converts. As the SUPcentre in Auckland has grown 

and matured, the knowledge and curiosity of their 

team has also grown leading them to explore 

various ways to enjoy riding waves of varying size 

and shape. 

SUPcentre manager Jeremy Collins had this to 

say about his love for these boards, “This summer 

our Board Meetings not only included stand up 

paddle boards but also a mixture of longboards 

and gliders. We found they all have one thing in 

common, the beautiful sensation of the glide - the 

amazing feeling of gliding smoothly and effortlessly 

across a wave. It led us to think it would be a 

logical progression to integrate stand up paddle 

boards, longboards and gliders under one roof.” 

Considering expanding your wave riding quiver? 

Why not consider a glider? To make the experience 

even more special, include the knowledge and skill 

of a local shaper, the one person that can link your 

ability and the waves at your favourite local break. 

It will be a life changing journey. 

supcentre.co.nz 

Finding the perfect glider however is a journey that 

you best embark on with some sound advice. 

“It is hence why we have teamed up with two 

skilled local kiwi shapers to help guide our 

customers: firstly, Steve Morris from Morris 

Surfboards based just north of Auckland. Steve’s 

knowledge of longboards and gliders has been well 

honed through a number of years in the shaping 

bay. His quiet, unassuming manner hides a shaper 

who has a depth of knowledge second to none. The 

second is an up and upcoming shaper from Mount 

Maunganui, Whare Heke. He’s the Man behind ALT 

Surf. Talented in working with various mediums, 

Whare started his career as a full-time carver. 

Moving to foam in recent years he has developed 

a dedicated following of wave riders around the 

Mount Maunganui region. His dedication to the 

craft is inspiring.” 

57


Custom shortboards, 

hybrid & fishes, 

Mals & Logs. 

Full repair service. 

9’4” nose rider log 23” x 2 3/4” 

Smooth easy turning stable nose rider 

CLEARWATER SURFBOARDS 

M: 0417 912 207 

E: stevedelrosso@yahoo.com.au 

Insta: @cwsurfboards 

WWW.CWSURFBOARDS.COM 

WORLD CLASS AUSTRALIAN MADE SURFBOARDS AT 

AFFORDABLE PRICES. 

DBURGE SURFBOARDS 

Factory 3/6 Kerta Rd, 

Kincumber NSW 2251 

M: 0415 577 085 

7’2” step up on 

its way to Bali for 

the Qantas pilots 

to play with on 

their stopovers. 

Hard life for 

some!! 

7’2” x 21 ¼” x 2 ½” 

Single Fin 

THE DING KING / CLARK SURFBOARDS 

Units 7 & 8, 9 Chapman Road, Hackham, SA 

E: leightonclark01@yahoo.com.au 

M: 0422 443 789 

HARVEST & 

JACK KNIGHT 

SURFBOARDS 

2/24 Christine Ave, Miami 

P: (07) 5576 5914 

E: hello@harvestsurfboards.com 

HARVESTSURFBOARDS.COM 

58


Performer Model 

9’2” x 23” x 3” Glassed in 7.5oz 

Volan with cut laps 

Killa Fish 

5’10” x 21” x 2 3 / 4” Glassed in 

Red resin tint with black rails, 

channel bottom twin fin 

NMC SURFBOARDS 

Barwon Heads, Victoria 

M: 0438 800 539 

E: nmcsurf@bigpond.com 

Different strokes for different folks. 

I make surfboards specifically tailored to the rider not 

carbon copy cut-outs. Talk to me about your next custom. 

Shortboards through to longboards and everything in between. 

RABBIDGE SURF DESIGNS 

P: 02 4456 4038 

M: 0427 767 176 

E: markrab88@gmail.com 

Flat Deck Gypsy Inbread 

5’5” x 19 1 / 2” x 2 3 / 4” 33 litres 

Swallow tail with 5 fin FCS2 for thruster or quad options. 

Inspired by a combination of retro aesthetics and modern 

performance designs to create the ultimate fun board for waves 

ranging from 1-5ft. 

COSMIC CRAFTS SURFBOARDS 

4/34 Sunrise Crescent 

Lennox Head NSW 

P: 0439 063 811 

E: travisbristow@hotmail.com 

COSMICCRAFTS.COM.AU 

59


Volan/cedar 

STUBBIE 

#surf #surfing 

#surfboard 

#stubbie #volan 

#cedar #cutlap 

#singlefin 

#australianmade 

BLACK SQUARE SURFBOARDS 

M: 0407 604 753 

E: info@blacksquaresurfboards.com.au 

BLACKSQUARESURFBOARDS.COM.AU 

Custom Surfboards // Restoration Specialists // 

Surfboard Glassing // Anything Fibreglass or epoxy 

The Fast & Loose 

fish in Quad. 

5’3’ x 20.1” x 2.2” 

@ 27 Litres 

Based on the 

traditional retro style 

fish outline. Featuring 

the latest in bottom 

contours with a single 

to double concave 

through the back. 

Made from PU foam 

furnished by US 

Blanks and quad fins 

by FCS fins. 

Available also in Twin. 

This fish lives up to its 

name. 

BUCKO’S SURF BOARD REPAIRS 

Unit 12 22/24, Arizona Rd 

CHARMHAVEN 

M: 0422 304 078 

E: buckossurfboardrepairs@outlook.com 

C-SHAPES – CUSTOM SURFBOARDS 

E: c@cshapes.com 

Insta: @cshapesmiami 

P: 1-786-247-0538 

CSHAPES.COM 

60


OKE SURFBOARDS 

1/1-7 Canterbury Rd, Braeside, VIC 

P: 03 9587 3553 

E: rory@okesurfboards.com 

OKESURFBOARDS.COM 

surfer @cecisurfskate 

photo @marianaquintgom 

Shh! 

THE LITTLE SECRET 

The little secret is the high 

performance short board made 

for the moderate to intermediate 

surfer. We realise that not 

everyone can surf everyday and 

be as fit as the pro’s, so we have 

designed a board to allow the 

average surfer to perform in high 

quality waves. With a full rocker, 

low rails and plenty of foam under 

your chest. Available in a step up. 

This ones an all rounder for those that like to cruise. With the classic 

“single fin outline” and the additional quad fin to really make for a 

board with two personalities. Flat deck and beveled rails to carry 

plenty of volume and still have a nice performance rail. Glassed in a 

grey resin tint. This one comes in at 6’6”x 21” ½ x 2” ¾ 

Handshaped and glassed by yours truly. 

GEN4 SURFBOARDS 

E: hello@gen4surf.com 

Insta: @gen4surfboards 

Facebook: gen4surfboards 

GEN4SURF.COM.AU 

SJS SURFBOARDS 

Insta: @sjscustom 

Facebook: Scotty James Surfboards 

61


Built for you by 

Tree to Sea. 

If you prefer you can 

build one at one of our 

2 day board building 

workshops. 

Our range of Splinters 

(9’3”, 9’1”, 7’6”, 6’6”) 

are great boards for all 

surfers. Splinters are 

among the most popular 

models in Tree to Sea’s 

range. 

Splinters paddle well 

and catch waves with 

ease. Whether you’ve 

just discovered the stoke 

of surfing or just want to 

add a versatile board to 

your quiver, a Splinter is 

a great choice. 

Check out other board 

model and workshop 

dates on our website. 

Splinter 

9’3” x 23” x 3” 

72 Litres 

weighs 6 Kgs 

TREE TO SEA 

P: 0409 211 751 

E: info@treetosea.com.au 

TREETOSEA.COM.AU 

5’11” x 21 1 / 2” x 2 5 / 8” 

single through to 

double concave 

MORGAN WOOD SURFBOARDS 

P: 0413 393 630 

E: tyronmorgan@outlook.com 

MORGANWOODSURFBOARDS.COM 

CHRIS GARRETT SHAPES / 

PHANTOM SURFBOARDS 

M: 0424 450 690 

E: phantomsurfboards@gmail.com 

W: chrisgarrettshapes.com.au 

Custom surfboards, contact Chris 

or see Board Culture at Mermaid 

Beach for stock boards 

62


all things i love 

words: tami argaman 

Yair tattoed my sister when I was in Tel Aviv for 

a family event a few months back. As soon as I 

walked into his studio, I knew he was into surfing. 

Looking at his designs my interest grew and I was 

dying to share his story by the time he told me how 

much he loves Australia. 

Yair learned how to surf when he was a kid, and 

grew up painting on surfboards and shoes just 

for fun. Back then he worked as a life guard and 

managed surf shops for a living. 

“I never considered myself doing something regular, 

like a job from 9 to 5”, he says. “I like graphic 

design and my parents wanted me to go high tech 

but I realised my actual passion were tattoos.” 

At the start, tattooing was more like a hobby for 

Yair. He started with a cheap machine from the 

internet and practised on friends who told him: 

“Just do whatever you want.” 

“All my designs and styles come from the way I 

live”, he says, “the beach, the sea, surfing, freedom 

– All things I love.” 

Yair travelled Australia in a campervan for 6 months 

when he was in his 20’s, he particularly loved Byron 

and the Gold Coast and how laidback people were, 

compared to busy Tel Aviv. 

He has also surfed in the Maldives, in South 

America and, sponsored by Corona, promoted 

culture, art and surfing in Morrocco. 

What travelling taught him was to “never stop 

learning” and that “you can do whatever you want.” 

That led him and his business partner to open his 

Tel Aviv studio Ink Me Baby. They now have six 

artists including two apprentices and invite guest 

artists over from around the world to their studio. 

“There is nothing evil in our tattoo shop, only 

friendship, family and good vibes.” 

If you happen to travel to Tel Aviv, make sure to visit 

@yair_assaraf and the Team @inkmebabyt and 

give them some love on Instagram. 

“All my designs and styles 

come from the way I live. 

The beach, the sea, surfing, 

freedom – All things I love”. 

“There is nothing evil in our tattoo shop, only friendship, family and good vibes” 

63


support the grassroots 

surf directory 

alkali adorn 

Beautifully handcrafted artisan jewellery with rustic unpolished silver, 

shells and precious stones to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Inspired 

by the surf and the natural wonders of the sea. 

Instagram: @alkaliadorn 

raglan surf emporium 

Clothing, wetsuits, surfboards, surfboard and wetsuit rentals. 

Open 7 days 9am – 5pm 

3 Wainui Rd, Raglan 

P: +64 7 282 0018 E: info@raglansurfemporium.com 

raglansurfemporium.com 

the board shop 

New Zealand’s Surf Specialists – The Board Shop has been at 

the cutting edge of hi-tech epoxy surfboard, longboard and SUP 

technology for over 20 years. Drop in or check them out online. 

49 Barrys Point Rd, Takapuna, Auckland 

P: +64 9 486 0930 | theboardshop.co.nz 

coolest spot in town 

A front row seat to beautiful Lyall Bay, Wellington’s top surf spot and 

the best brunch around! 

Located at Lyall Bay in Wellington. Opened 7am – 5pm 

maranuicafe.co.nz 

new zealand 

jiff morris 

jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz 

0220 943 913 

island surf shack 

Gear we carry: Carve sunnies, watches, clothing, boards & surf 

hardware, Ocean & Earth clothing & surf hardware, Maddog Boards 

& surfing hardware, Bear clothing, Bamboozld Bamboo Socks & 

Boxer shorts, Mexican Bajas , Sunbum sunscreen, ILoveEarth 

recyclable collapsible reusable coffee cups, Old Guys Rule Tees & 

accessories, Nepalese woollen yin yang jumpers & ponchos, Golden 

Breed, Hawaiian dashboard hula girls, coconut soy candles, Kombi 

giftlines and replicas, fun beach and hawaiian gift lines. 

150A Thompson Avenue, Cowes, 

P: 03 5952 1659 

for 

more 

enquiries 

australia 

tami argaman 

tami@smorgasboarder.com.au 

0466 439 330 


64


the heart of the surf community 

your original surf shop - packed full of the best gear 

Celebrating great customer service along with the latest surf gear 

and fashion for 44 years and going strong. 

T7, 119 Princes Highway, Woolworths Centre, Ulladulla 

P: (02) 4454 4904 

Instagram: @southernmansurf 

southernman.com.au 

goodtime surf skate and sail 

Caring for a surfer’s every need since 1971. 

Goodtime Surf Skate and Sail @goodtimesurfandsail 

29 Ipswich Rd, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD 

Car-park at rear of the store, off Gibbon St 

P: (07) 3391 8588 E: info@goodtime.com.au 

www.goodtime.com.au 

surfware australia 

So much surf gear in store you will be amazed! 

From surfboards to skateboards, wetties, surfwear and all the latest 

gadgets. SPECIAL FOR THIS ISSUE: 50% OFF LAST SEASON 

WETSUITS (INCLUDES VESTS, SPRINGSUITS & STEAMERS) 

2 Bulock Street, Caloundra Qld 

P: 07 5491 3620 surfwareaustralia.com 

surfing accessories 

We have Australia’s hottest new surfing accessories to keep you 

in the surf longer. Our innovative products can help you enjoy the 

surf and outdoors even more and provide you with protection and 

comfort as you follow your passion! Stockists of H2Odyssey webbed 

gloves and X-STING-WISH®IT. Organic sting relief. 

seeyououtthere.com.au 

tried and trusted blanks 

Family owned and run for the past 56 years, our consistency is the 

best in the world. Our blanks come in a multitude of different lengths, 

rockers and weights. We also have an extensive variety of timber 

stringers of varying widths. And we have all the shaping tools you 

need to make a board from scratch! 

5 Stewart Road, Currumbin Qld 

P: 07 5534 3777 burfordblanksaustralia.com.au 

for your culinary delights 

The Rivermouth General Store. Great coffee + speciality teas, 

gourmet food, fresh juices, smoothies, art, awesome vibe, surfing 

stories + the floor is worth reading. 

101 Sunpatch Parade, Tomakin Nsw 

Instagram: @therivermouth 

Facebook: The Rivermouth General Store 

65


support the grassroots 

raglan longboards 

Quality surfboards Long or Short 

Short or Long term rentals 

Mickey T. custom shapes 

Full repair service. 

P: +64 7 825 0544 

raglanlongboards.co.nz 

standup paddle boarding nz 

South Island’s complete SUP centre. 

Lessons, hire, demo, training, sales. 

Unit 2, 1030 Ferry Road, 

Christchurch NZ 

P: +64 3 384 5086 

groundswell.co.nz 

up surf coaching trips 

Travel with like-minded surfers at your 

level, surf fun waves with video analysis 

of your sessions, improve your skills. 

Designed for intermediate/average surfers. 

Locations in NZ, Indo and more to come. 

upsurfcoaching.co.nz 

surfboards designed and shaped 

by mike jolly 

Full repair service. Rentals, surfing gear 

and good advice. 

122 Seaview Road, Piha Beach NZ 

P: +64 9 812 8723 

pihasurf@xtra.co.nz 

PIHA 

DOMAIN 

MOTOR CAMP 

piha domain motor camp 

Camp on the beach in front of the iconic 

Lion Rock, at one of NZ’s top surf breaks. 

Rates from $18 a night for tent sites. 

E: pihacamp@xtra.co.nz 

P: +64 9 812 8815 

preece’s surf shop 

Plenty of new and used surfboards, 

bodyboards, wetsuits, clothing and 

accessories. The only surf shop right on 

the coast. Open 7 days. 

159 Esplanade, Port Noarlunga Sth, SA 

P: 08 8386 0404 

preece-sthport-surf.com.au 

Holloway Gallery 

“Anatomy of a Wave” by artist Col 

Chandler, Holloway Gallery is at Moffat 

Beach, QLD. We specialise in unique art 

to fill your home. 

Come in store or see us online. 

1 Roderick Street, Moffat Beach QLD 

p: 07 5491 5557 

hollowaygallery.com.au 

sup centre 

Life’s better standing up. A one stop 

shop for everything SUP with the best 

brands, range, prices and expertise. With 

access to all the major SUP brands in NZ, 

through a nationwide delivery service. 

20 Melrose Street, Newmarket, NZ 

P: +64 9 520 3366 

supcentre.co.nz 

brunswick surf shop 

Chock full of awesome threads, sunnies, 

surf and skate accessories, Therapy, 

Matt Hurworth and RA Hand Shaped 

Surfboards to have the locals frothing. 

1/12 The Terrace, Brunswick Heads NSW 

P: 02 6685 1283 

brunswicksurf.com.au 

66

catching up with kevin 

On a recent trip to Northern New South Wales to secure 

payment for a horticultural delivery, I stopped in at the 

quaint country town of Mudgee. It was about 10 in the 

morning and I was gagging for a coffee and perhaps a 

little something sweet...maybe a finger bun or a snot 

block, even a jam tart - red not yellow of course. 

So I’m bumbling along the main drag; barefoot, 

bewildered and dishevelled, considering my bakery 

complexities when, out of nowhere, I’m slapped in the 

moosh by a moist and salty mammalian flipper. And 

then I heard him, my old mate Kevin... 

Aloha Barry you useless bastard! The man they 

couldn’t root, shoot or electrocute! 

So, for those of you that don't remember, Kevin the 

dolphin was once the darling of the Gold Coast theme 

park scene, who ran off the rails, went rouge and 

ended up chomping off the paw of a Japanese tourist. 

(Smorgasboarder: issue #19, 2013). 

Turns out Kev decided it was time to turn his back on a 

life of debauchery and sleaze, and move to Mudgee to 

start a humble business selling recycled marital aids. 

It started when he came across an assorted box lot at a 

mortgagee’s auction at an abandoned womens shelter. 

Kevin ended up locked in a heated bidding war with the 

local CWA, which saw him pay a hefty $1500 in what 

turned out to be a double ended deal. 

Yeah it was the start of a new and exciting career, 

but a bit of a tough one to swallow. Most of that 

initial purchase was no good, so I had to throw them 

away, give ‘em the arse, the quality just wasn’t there 

mate. I’m more than happy to admit that I can be a 

bit anal, you’ve got to be in this game, you’ve got 

to scrutinise every inch of you’re business or this 

industry will chew you up and spit you out. 

And so what started in a manky bedroom, has now 

blossomed with this brand new, light and airy shopfront. 

To be honest, I'd love to have more time to 

concentrate on expansion and increasing market 

share. But in reality my passion lies in building 

unique custom pieces. At the moment I’m refitting 

a 1972 Jack Thompson Cleo Ceramic with a rebuilt 

whipper snipper motor for a client in Grafton. Last 

week I repurposed an ‘81 Harlem Globetrotters Box 

Set for a gent in Double Bay, and you should have 

seen the look on his face! He started to dribble like 

Magic Johnson!

BACK TO THE FUTURE 

RETRO SOUL 

REPRODUCTION 

ICE BLUE GLASS TINTS 

6’8” SINGLE FIN PERSIAN 

SLIPPER FLEXTAIL 

OUTER ISLAND SURFBOARDS 

P: 02 6655 7007 

info@outerislandsurfboards.com

Smorgasboarder 46

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