Garek Hurt - Why I went custom...

For nearly 8 years now I've been creating custom boards for myself and others and I really haven't looked back. There really isn't anything quite like running across the sand and watching other surfers stare at my board with 100 questions they'd like to ask. And that's before my feet even hit the wax. So, without further interruption, here's why I simply must go custom...

1. I'm not a pro surfer..

Surfers come in all shapes and sizes... surfboards in the rack at your local surf shop are not designed for you or your wave. They're based on team rider feedback, riders that are often lean and compact in size with advanced skills to boot. That does not describe the average surfer. I'm not on a surf team, I'm not compact, I'm not a pro surfer. So why would I try to jump on one of those boards and try endlessly to tighten the gap between pro team surfers and myself? I wouldn't... I'm no fool. I can't surf their boards. Designing and building boards specifically for me allows my surfing to progress at a much faster rate.I simply need a lot more foam than they do. You're probably not a 5'8, 140lb, 19yo sponsored surfer getting free boat trips throughout the year, so don't try to surf like one. Be YOU! Surf the way you know how! I go custom because my board should cater to ME not somebody else.

2. My surfboard knowledge is limited to my own experience...

I used to shape all of my boards. They surfed well, but running my hands up and down the rails told me I had SO much to learn. I know what I want, but I don't have the ability to make that perfect craft, not yet anyways. Since we're not surfboard scientists, then we should leave the final designs of a board to the person that IS a surfboard scientist, your local shaper. Bill Minard has 45 years of experience shaping for every type of surfer imaginable. From the newbie getting their first custom, to the dad that still rips harder than his sponsored teen kids, that's on his 20th custom. Heck he even shaped for one of the first professional surf brand teams. Bill takes what you want to do, and builds that ability into a board based on your skill, your wave, your body, your personality/style and where you want to go with it. You know what you want, but you'd probably ruin 10 blanks before you even get close to what you really need. Bill will get it right in 35 minutes. Bring in your favorite board and tell him what it feels like under your feet. He'll tell you why it's doing one thing, or why it's not doing another. Then he'll draw up a template that can solve both sides of the coin. I go custom because when it comes to details, I trust my shaper more than I trust myself.

3. A custom board expresses my personality...

I've always come home with paint under my nails, fiberglass strands stuck to my shoes, charcoal on my fingertips. From the day I got my first pencil and my first box of crayons, I've been expressing myself on every medium possible. The same can be said when it comes to surfboards. My old craigslist acquisitions, built for whoever, never satisfied my taste for art. I'd strip it down the day I'd get it and stencil/tape designs aerial over it until it best represented ME! Now I'm able to work with Bill on a template concept and feed off his knowledge to fine tune every detail in the dimensions. From there, the art is up to me, and I couldn't be happier. Every D33 custom I've had built has been splattered, covered in paint, an artistic impression of what's happening in my mind and in my heart. The clean white canvas of a pre-glassed surfboard can never be left untouched if it's going under my feet. I am colorful, bright and slightly chaotic. So are my boards. That's a huge part of why I go custom. If you have a D33 custom built, we'll explore every artistic option you have running through your frothing mind, I guarantee it!

To add, every shape that I create with Bill's insight, is built with precise intention. My quiver screams North County San Diego. My T9, one of the 2 originals made, is specifically designed for semi-clean Cardiff reef and beach breaks, built for speed and easy paddling, yet fits the bill when I head up to Carlsbad to take off outside and DEEP on left hand point breaks that require some finesse through soft sections. My Codfather is built for every day blah conditions when I still want to carve figure eights while other shortboarders scoff at their sticky rails and obstructive rocker. My Karma stays minty, coming out only when North County is FIRING! If it's not 4-6ft and up, she stays in the stable. I go custom because my custom D33 quiver represents my surfing as a whole and the direction I'm taking my skill set. So should yours!

To put all the pieces together, I've gone custom because it's the most cost-effective and accurate way to get my surfing to the next level and express who I am while doing it. I go custom because I want a one of a kind craft. That's who I am, and since a surfboard is an extension of your mind and body, it should be too. Go drop in to your local big brand surf shop and check out the price tag, then hop on our website and check ours. You can get a custom board for less than you'd pay for a best-fit shape from any of the industry leaders. Finally, I'll be blunt. Your local shaper knows the wave you surf even better than you do. They also know your wave better than those world-renown shapers do, they've surfed it!

I go custom because I'm unique.

To take your surfing to the next level and start the conversation about your perfect board, call us at 858 693 3692.

Better at at conveying your thoughts in writing? Email us at surf@degree33.com

Or, just have a look at our Custom Page to get the ball rolling.