Paul Surf - Creating Beautiful Things

There is a type of surfboard that makes you want to touch it and pick it up, that makes you want to make contact in some way other than just visual. Even to non surfers who might not know or recognise the intricacies and nuances in the shape of the board the feeling is one in the same. They are not sure why but they want to touch and have it. Few people in my opinion make surf boards with this level of visual impact, however I found one and his name is Paul.

Paul Surf is based in Rockaway, New York. Paul builds boards that are designed to work in local waves, oh and they just happen to look amazing. I am not just talking in a board porn type of way but in their functional design they seem to just be a step above. You really can look at Pauls boards and wonder what they are going to surf like, in short I would really like to try one. Unfortunately for me the Atlantic Ocean means that I will not get to test or touch one of Pauls boards any time soon. Luckily Paul has agreed to answer a few questions about his stunning designs.

SB: Hey Paul, thanks for sparing us the time, how did you come to be shaping boards in Rockaway?

Paul: I moved from VA to NY almost 6 years ago to attend graduate school at Brooklyn College. I was very fortunate during this time period to find a job working with a couple other artists in Soho, focusing on glass design (i.e. chandeliers and glass sculpture). I've always been interested in finding a way to work with my hands to make a decent living because that's when I feel the happiest at the end of the day. I like to sit back and look at what I did and be proud of what I've made.

I was taking the train to Rockaway from Brooklyn for a couple years, surfing every chance I could. I heard about a little room for rent in an old bungalow and I jumped on the opportunity to live by the ocean. That move changed everything. My whole perspective shifted. I was around all these other people, many of whom were also kind of stuck in NYC due to career or family but who also love the ocean and surfing. I had shaped a few boards for myself and others over the past ten years, but decided I wanted to have a serious go of it. My girlfriend and business partner, Mia, helped me make that dream a reality. We found a little studio at a marina nearby, got it all set up, miraculously pulled in a few orders to get us off the ground, and have been full steam ahead ever since, managing the company and collaborating on all designs. It's really amazing how well everything just seemed to line up for us. There was a need here in Rockaway for a shaper who could fill a good number of custom orders every month, and we fell right into that gap.

SB: How is the local surf community there? Do many people in New York surf?

Paul: The surf community is very dedicated and a little crazy due to being generally surf starved. When there is a good forecast for swell (sometimes we can go months without a substantial wave), we can have around 50 guys in the water at the 90th street jetty within the first half hour of daylight. You can imagine how much energy there is in that tight space with a good 20 guys all clawing for one set wave every 10 mins. That's why it's great to live a block from the beach, like Mia and I do.

The best days are when the forecast says it's no good and we walk the dog down to check it and something shifts for a few hours and we get beautiful, glassy waves to ourselves. But what makes our surf/beach culture unique is most people in the line-up are coming from Brooklyn or other parts of Queens, or Manhattan even. There's not a very strong contingency of real 'local' surfers, at least not like I've experienced in other surf spots around the world. I get the sense that most people act like its their beach, their wave, even if they have driven an hour to get there that morning. There are certainly pros and cons to this, which I don't need to get into here. Just something which I think distinguishes our surf community from others.

SB: How much has the surf community grown or changed since Sandy?

Paul: Mia moved to Rockaway just before, and I moved to Rockaway right after Hurricane Sandy. Coming from more of an outsiders' perspective, I think most people I know who've been around a bit longer would say the surf community has grown exponentially since Sandy. It'd be impossible to pinpoint one or even a few reasons, but one can speculate that all the media coverage of Rockaway during and after the storm along with surfing, for whatever reason, suddenly finding a prominent place in the fashion world of New York, and the general global growth of interest in surfing as a sport and lifestyle would all contribute to this influx of new surfers in Rockaway.

SB: Your board designs look like they are taken from the past but with something a little different, can you explain who gives you your inspiration?

Paul: I read as much as I can on the history of surfing and surfboard making, be it in text or online. That said, there's certainly a lot of information out there, which makes it hard to parse the good tips from the bad sometimes. When I'm able, I try to get my hands on a board. I want to feel the rails, the weight distribution, the curves and the lines. In doing so, I feel like I'm reading an entry in the shaping history encyclopedia. What I am gaining direct access to: what was important to this particular shaper, to the surfers of this era and who surfed the waves available at certain breaks. It might sound a little funny but I feel like I internalize this information through my eyes and hand, and best of all, if I can surf the board. You can learn a lot from feeling a board underfoot and against your chest paddling out. I want to make boards that ride like the ones that have inspired me in the way they perform. Often those boards are hard to find in the standard surf shop, so that's where we come in.

SB: Where, would you say, is the centre of the community and where is the best place to surf?

Paul: The center of the surf community is, as I noted before, a little hard to pinpoint because of the broad draw of surfers to Rockaway from all over NYC. That said, there is certainly a small year round community from about 86th street up to 96th street or so. In those ten blocks, you'd find a concentration of bungalows, the Rockaway Beach Surf Club, a couple surf style bars and shops.

SB: Do you ever make boards for people outside New York and how could I get one in Europe?

Paul: We have made boards for people outside of New York, but not yet outside the country. We'd love to get boards all over, and believe that's where the company is headed. To get a board in Europe, we'd do some serious padded packing and ship! If anyone is interested, please email us about a board and an exact address and we can get a quote to you for the shipping cost.

SB: What is the best time of year to visit New York if you are looking to get a surf in?

Paul: The best time to visit New York and the best time to get a surf in are, unfortunately, not mutual. Summer is a blast out here in Rockaway. If you want to see this place alive, have great food and drink, and enjoy long days and nights, come in the summer. The winter gets pretty brutal. Everyone goes into hiding. I normally only see my surfer neighbours during the winter in the water when the swell is good. It's quiet in winter and a lot of places shut down, but the swell is much more consistent and always bigger than the weak summer mushy wind swell we tend to get here on the east coast.

SB: Did you have any trouble setting up shop or is there a massive demand for nice boards in Rockaway?

Paul: So far, fingers crossed, there has been a steady demand for higher end custom boards here in Rockaway. There is a lot of money flowing out from Manhattan, and the more people who surf here, the more that seem to have extra cash to invest in a board tailored to their particular surfing style and aesthetic.

SB: I really like the look of your Pee Wee model, how much would that cost me with all the options?

Paul: The 'Pee Wee' would run you about $850 USD with all the options, meaning: resin tint and cut laps, glass on in-house hand made wooden fins, deck and tail patch, and pin lines.

SB: Can you remember how it felt the first time you caught a wave?

Paul: Honestly, no. I've been in the water, riding waves in one form or another, since I was a little boy. What I do remember, was begging my dad for a boogie board when I was really little, like 5. I spent every second of our family vacations at the beach in the breaking waves. I'd have the worse rash on my stomach and chest and I remember being proud of it, even at such a young age. Like I was getting tough, and when I was in the ocean I felt more connected with nature than any other time in my life.

SB: Can you remember your first ever surfboard?

Paul: My first surfboard was bought for me at a yard sale by my uncle. It was a super retro glass on thruster with airbrushed neon colors and the words 'Go Surf' real big at the nose. It took on a bit of water and wasn't the most elegant shape, but I was an extremely proud 12 year old walking down the beach with that board under my arm.

SB: Once again a huge thanks to Paul for sparing the time in his busy life. For me one of Pauls boards is a must have, especially if you live and surf in the area and it sounds like there are a lot of people making the trip out to Rockaway these days for a wave or two, so why not. As well as looking amazing, they look to set a new standard in functionality and will probably last forever if you look after them. This kind of water craft would be a keeper in my book and money well spent.