Our sixth featured shaper for the Inaugural Coastal Craft Event is Mike Hall, from Blackfern Surfboards. Mike resides in Portland, Oregon, where he shapes and glasses a range of boards that usually have some amazing resin tint jobs! Get to know Mike a little better below, and come watch him shape a board in person on September 15th!
Coastal Craft: Where did you get your start and why?
Mike Hall: I started shaping in 2011 with a few friends. We thought it would be a fun project to attempt and might also provide an opportunity to create a better functioning board than what we were currently riding. The state of the surfboard industry, particularly when it came to shortboards, was not particularly well suited for NW waves at the time. The boards had lots of rocker, minimal foam, and narrow outlines. We made a few boards that were wider, more foamy, and flatter and immediately noticed a difference in performance. From there, I was hooked! I found the whole process from start to finish was super intellectually and creatively immersive and I couldn’t get enough of it!
CC: Where are your board shaped and sold?
MH: 95% of the boards I make are custom orders that are tailored to the preferences of the customer. This includes shape, design, glassing weight, finish, and materials. I make and distribute them from the garage in my backyard. On the retail side, you can find a few of my boards in Cosube, Evo, and Zuhg Life.
CC: What's your go to board to shape and surf in the PNW?
MH: Only one?! I personally like to have a longboard, a retro shape, and a shortboard on the ready and let the conditions dictate which one to ride. There’s too much fun to be had on these different craft to choose just one.
CC: What draws you to this event?
MH: Generally speaking, It’s fun to get the surf community together. The addition of the shapers’ event will shed some light onto the process of board building and will hopefully build support for local shapers.
CC: What do you want visitors to take away from this event?
MH: I hope visitors have fun, meet a few people, learn a bit about the board making process, and see how vibrant our local community of shapers has become.
*** Don't forget, the board Mike is going to shape along with all the other boards shaped during the event will be available at our silent auction, with all proceeds going towards the Pacific City Skatepark!
