SB-issue59_digital

gear
“I wanted to be known
as someone who can give
you the fastest, funnest
performance twin-fin
ever, but can then back it
up with a hyper refined,
balanced, beautiful,
contemporary shortboard.”
# 59 // smorgasboarder //
86
Dan’s designs such as the Ventura, Sabre,
and Atlas all basically stem from the
conception of his Foot Soldier and the
M1 series, which are his two best-known
shortboards.
“These things might seem to be the easiest
things to shape, but they really are the
hardest boards to design. When you ride
them, you’re going so fast. They’re such a
little board, so the tiniest variances in design
or even your shaping technique can affect
the performance of the board.
“My Ventura model has that mid-length
shape. It’s a beautiful tracker and you’ve got
a little more room to move, whereas with a
M1V5 for a high-end surfer, there’s very little
room for error. So, I really wanted to make
sure that was on lock first.
“For me personally, I’m at a point in my
life now where I’m literally 50/50 with the
boards I ride. I surf a lot on my Atlas, which
is our performance twin-fin, and I’ll still grab
an M1 shortboard.
“I think there are obviously times and places
for shortboards. Basically, I just love going
fast and surfing easy.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m moving on
with age. I turned 40 last October, but I have
been riding the same curve and dimensions
basically for nearly 30 years. So, I think
it’s just that and the curiosity of chasing
different feelings.”
Obviously, publishing a magazine titled
Smorgasboarder, we are all in favour of
those sentiments. As we say, variety is the
spice of life.
“That’s the beauty of designing and shaping
your own stuff. The feelings you’re pursuing
are endless — it’s just incredible.
“The combinations you can put into a
certain board to gain those feelings are so
addictive. It’s something I love more than
anything else.
“When I look back, I’ve been absolutely
blessed to work with and get a helping hand
from a lot of really good people. I’ve learnt a
lot of hard lessons from a few as well.
“It’s a gnarly industry. If you love it and
you are in it because you love it, it is so
rewarding.
“It’s the best thing that I’ve ever done. I
should have kept with it when I was 15, but I
am certainly making up for lost time now.”