Growing up, I was always tinkering with things and building. My primary source was wood. My Mum was into yachting and flying so from early childhood I spent time around boatyards, docks and aircraft hangers. I soon had an appreciation of hydrodynamics and aeronautical lines, curves and flow.
When I moved to Noosa @ 26 years of age, I learnt to surf when I was a young boy and this is now a great passion of mine. After learning to surf I wanted to make my own boards and started to experiment with the lines curves and flow that I had studied at an early age.
So off I went to the local board factory and studied the subtle craft of surfboard manufacturing, under quite a few well respected shapers. Albeit in Foam and Fiberglass Steve Friedman of Friedman flyers does some beautiful balsa work, and Tom Wegner I introduced to Pauownia Wood. Legend Bill Wallace showed me a few tips as well.
Now I am doing hollow wooden surfboards, fishes, guns, malibus, stand up paddle boards as well. I stll make foam and fiberglass surfboards of all shapes and sizes but it is the wood boards that I really enjoy the most.
I do like to use recycled wood wherever possible or sustainable plantation grown timber. (We all have to look after the environment however we can).
ABOUT ME
STEPHEN HALPIN
