Jake Bowrey is the Magic Glasser

I would literally pound my own face to dust with a lumphammer to get a Thomas Surfboard. That may seem like I am taking it a bit far to some of you, others will know exactly what I am talking about. Yes James, you go on about nice boards a lot but what makes these special? I will tell you. Two guys who care and are at the top of their game. Jake and Thomas (AKA the doc) have risked it all for the dream. It seemes to have paid off. The shape, artwork, glassing and finish are of the very highest quality.

Well we have got our mits on the man who, among many other things, glasses all of the boards at Thomas Surfboards. Infact Jake makes up 50% of Thomas Surfboards has also glassed for many other great shapers. I man who at the top of his game and we wanted to pick his noggin about how he sees the surfing world.

SB:  Where are you based at the moment and how did you end up there?

Jake: Currently I'm living in Noosa Heads Australia, this is where I've bought a house and made a family. It's a beautiful area and great place to bring the kids up. Plus it has some world class right hand sand bottom point breaks.

I ended up here by chance really, I split with a long term girlfriend in the U.K. And needed to get away. So I sent was board building CV around the world and within 30mins got offered a job in Noosa working at Classic Malibu, the only catch was I had to start within 2 weeks. Almost 10 years on I'm still here, now with my own business and no plans on coming back to the UK.

SB: Where and when did you shape your first board? Have you still got it?

Jake: I shaped my first board at around the age of 15. I was living with my parents in Westward Ho! Devon. From memory it was a 6' shortboard with fixed fins. It went like shit and I soon sold it. I believe it's still on the racks in the surf club there not sure who owns it now. But I have no real need to see it again ha!

SB: What inspired you to get into the glassing/shaping business?

I think the first thing that inspired my was "North Shore" the movie. I thought the character "Turtle" was pretty cool. Also I had an older friend called Steve Turner who makes boards in Westward Ho! I would watch him growing up and was keen to give it a go.

SB: How useful was you degree in Surfing from Plymouth Uni in the UK?

I think any higher education helps you for your future. I might not be using many of the things I learnt during my degree but I do feel being more educated helps in day to day running of our business. Plus it enable me to not get a proper job for 3 more years and surf a lot, which in turn has lead me to where I am now.

SB: Who are some of the people you have worked with in the Industry, what did you do for them?

I've been lucky enough to meet and work with some real legends and new innovators in our industry. I've mainly glassed limited numbers for these guys, such as Dick Brewer, Reno Abellira, Rick Pavel, Ryan Burch, Neil Randall, obvious Thomas Bexon. I just finished up doing a limited 20 board with Bob Mc Travish in our factory so that was an honour.

SB: Who are you infuences and the people you look up to ?

I'm influenced and look up to anyone who's motivated and doing something. That's what inspires me. Don't talk about doing things, actually do them!

SB: What do you think about surfing being in the Olympics?

Yeah I think it's good thing there's all sorts of sides to our sport and the professional side is rad and this is just another avenue of that.

SB: How often do you get to surf these days?

I sure lucky I still get to surf a lot. My wife and kids all surf so we are at the beach all the time. My daughter actually rides for Billabong so a lot of our weekends are spent away travelling to comps with her. She off to Hawaii in a weeks time on her own age 12!  Her schedule is busier than mine haha.

SB: How would you describe surfing to someone who has never done it?

Surfing can be many things. It can be time with your friends, it can be your time to be alone, it's beings you closer to nature and it generally makes you feel good doing it. I rode my first wave age 6 or 7 and I still get the same feeling now. There's not many things in life that are just about pure joy and surfing is definitely one of them.

SB: There we have an insight into one the surfing worlds most gifted surfboard artists and glassers, thanks Jake. I can't help feeling a certain pride that Jake is from the same windy, cold island that I myself was born to and he has made such a huge sucess doing what he loves in that smelly room. He produces the most beatiful thing on the planet next to my wife. A Perfectly finished surfboard. Right, I am off to find that lumphammer...