Kurtis Woodin: Shaping A Life

“I think I'm the 6th generation of my family here in San Diego, and my son is the 7th.” Kurtis Woodin is speaking from his shaping bay in Carlsbad, California – pots of resin and paint overflowing with colour on a shelf behind him. Known as a shaper with an affinity for colour and nostalgic design, the backdrop is fitting.

Growing up a block away from the beach, Woodin explains how the ocean was a constant presence throughout his childhood. “I never got into video games or stuff like that because my entertainment was literally out front,” he recalls. “I started making boards in my Mom's backyard, 600 feet from the beach. I could hear the waves crashing as I was shaping, and I’d run out of the shed to go surf. I was very, very fortunate – I got into it young and have been pursuing it for almost 20 years now.”

A true product of his environment, Woodin grew up around shapers, contractors and tradespeople, quietly absorbing their experience and knowledge. His father, was the embodiment of a ‘hands-on’ dad – a man of many talents who wasn’t shy to turn his skills to anything, as Woodin jokes, “we used to call him MacGyver because he was always welding things, making bike racks for us, fixing things and being around us with tools.”

Emulating those around him, Woodin set out to establish himself in a trade. At 19, he embarked on a career as a massage therapist – aided greatly by the tactile and kinesthetic awareness he had developed through surfing and shaping. “It got me more aware of the sculpting of the body” he explains, “and then I began to see how I could transfer that to how I sculpt a surfboard.”

“I did that for about 5-6 years, but I was getting burned out,” he recalls, explaining how it didn’t take long to transition back to surfboard building, fully committing to it as a career and carving out a reputation for beautiful and functional surfcraft. “I was giving so much energy, and so much of myself, but not getting much back. And the ocean was something that was giving me that energy back.”

That relationship with the ocean remains a constant feature throughout our conversation, as Woodin himself admits, “the ocean has given me everything. Having grown up here, and now shaping – it’s given me my job, my wife, my family, my home. Just everything…”

Coming from a family that has lived in this area for almost 125 years, the ever-presence of the ocean is both a comfort and an inspiration, and Woodin reflects on how “it's always there, waiting for us. We get carried off in our life but it's always there to come back to – for us to be nurtured and for us to nurture it in return.”

As thanks for the energy the ocean gives him, part of the way that Woodin gives back is by sharing its joys with others – from building boards that lift the spirit to look at or ride, to educating his customers on the nuances of board design and their applications. “If they’re new to it I’ll explain about the design of the boards” he says, “or how different boards serve you and what type of boards you ride for the conditions.”

For Woodin though, surfboards are about far more than just their practical application, saying “they're not just a wave tool.” Instead, he sees them as functional pieces of art, an attitude reflected in his vibrant designs. When asked about this inspiration, it again seems to come back to the history and culture of this area of California. Influences that have conspired to make Woodin the shaper he is today.

“Back in the 50s and 60's the surfboard industry grew at the same time as cars, hot rods, choppers and motorcycles – all right next to each other in the same neighbourhoods in LA,” he explains. “Everyone got inspired by everyone else, and it created this timeless global style and fashion. That’s what I draw from.”

This sense of timelessness also extends to Woodin’s attitude on the longevity of the craft he builds. As shapers experiment with more sustainable materials, Woodin instead likes to focus on premium materials and building something that stands the test of time.

“Surfboards are not environmentally friendly,” he claims, “those are my own feelings about it. You can be conscious and use different materials or be careful with waste and all that, but my own approach is to use quality, high-end materials and make something that lasts for as long as possible.”

“I'm not just pumping out these toothpick shortboards to be broken in half and then never used again,” he says, as he pushes home the point, “I’m using quality materials, thicker fibreglass. As long as the board isn’t just left outside and it’s actually maintained, it should last a lifetime.”

Now a father, the legacy Woodin leaves behind is even more poignant. “I just feel like I'm doing something positive for us, for our little community” he muses, citing how life now hurtles along at the pace dictated by his 2-year-old-son. “He's been on the beach his whole life.” Woodin smiles, “He's been out in the water too, but we're not trying to push it. We just want him to enjoy the beach.”

With a father so passionate about the ocean, and a community so geared towards embracing this lifestyle, that feels like a given.