Roger Hinds is the 2014 and 2015 back-to-back champion, and the only five time consecutive participant in the prestigious Boardroom - Icons of Foam surfboard shape-off. Many of Roger’s peers consider him to be one of a few masters of complete surfboard building, meaning he does it all, every single stage of the process by hand, and with impeccable quality.
If you’re looking for a custom shape then you’ve come to the right place.
In the summer of 1973, after a couple of winters living on the North Shore, I wanted to experience a surf town and simply hang out. I surfed spots like Ala Moana rock pile, among others. My board was a 6'10" Lightning Bolt, 20 inches wide, with a single fin and swallow tail.
Fifty years later, bored with an injured arm, I went into my shaping room and pulled out the original template. I added a 1-inch piece of tape around each side, effectively increasing the board's dimensions by 2 inches overall. This brought the board forward half a century, resulting in dimensions current with today's standards. The only differences are the bottom contour and the rails.
This design would be excellent in a wide range of conditions. I particularly love the significant curve in the outline, which shortens the turning radius. Back then, we were largely guessing at how different design elements affected performance.
I named this board "The Genesis" because, although I had been making boards for a while by 1973 (not a lot, but some), it was the point when I began to truly understand how specific features influenced a board's performance across various conditions and with any fin setup. Up to 6'10", it will also work as a twin fin; beyond that length, the twin fin setup becomes less effective. This board design ranges from 6 to 9 feet, and since I hand-shape every board, I can adapt the curve to work effectively in all these sizes.
Roger started shaping in the early 70’s and was mentored by Kent Smith, a longtime friend just as the sea of craftsmen were at their thickest in the industry.
SOCIAL MEDIA