Time passes. You see many people to come and go. A favorite theatre closed, and a new Blockbuster shows up instead. A big harbor shuts your favorite beach, and new breaks may appear. We just need to accept this universal rule; everything just changes, and nobody knows its consequence.

Here is a very talented but conceivably underrated shaper, Mike Minchinton, gave some words to us. Even if you have seen this 57-years-old experienced and out-going craftsman, probably never imagined that he holds such delicate internal thoughts. You will see time gives you great memories and knowledge but also surely takes away something.


R: when and why did you start surfing?

M: I was about eight years old, lived by the Sunset beach, CA, and [surfing] seemed to be the right thing to do. I borrowed a board on the beach, paddled out, surfed, got beaten up, but had fun and kept doing it.

R: How did you start shaping?

M: The first board I ever shaped… was probably when I was about 13 or 14, just from a broken board. I striped the glassing off of it and kind of re-shaped it into a belly board or something. But then about 1970, I started shaping regular surfboards. I just did it here and there, for my friends and myself. Around the 1980’s I started shaping for living, making money. Started from my garage for my friends and myself, and it went good. I met Robert (August), and have shaped for him ever since. So, I’ve shaped for Robert for about 23 years.

R: So it was natural to start shaping back then?

M: Yeah, you know, I taught myself how to do it, just trial and error. And just I liked to do it, I like doing things by my hands, like carving. Its fun, it just sort of came out naturally.

R: Any mentors for shaping and surfing?

M: There are so many, so it’s hard to say that one particular person stood out in my mind. I mean there are so many different guys. I didn't really pay attention to that pretty much in those days, I was so concerned about just building boards by myself, trying different things, and trying to actually make it so it was a good board. I made some boards for Lance Carson and shaped for him, and he’s one of my favorites. There were lots of different guys for who I shaped for, some big names like Mike Doyle, Corky Caroll, and Paul Strauch. I made some boards for Miki Dora, Wing Nut, and you know, those kinds of guys.

R: Contests?

M: I was in lots of little contests, city contests and club contests… different stuff like that. But I never really won anything that was worth anything. It was just for fun. I never really got into contests. The first contest I ever surfed in was I think in 1982, and I think I got the 4th place behind Kyle Heyward, and PT. Surfing is just for my enjoyment.

R: what's the biggest concern when you are shaping for a customer?

M: It's mainly communication, so I can make him the board that he is looking for. Yeah, just so he would be happy with it. That’s about it; I want all my customers to be happy, so it’s what he’s looking for, for the type of surf he surfs in.

R: What kinds of surfboards you love to shape?

M: All of them.

R: What is the difference in “surf-culture” between when you began surfing and today?

M: I think it is really a lot more crowded now. It was crowded back then too, but not like we see today. There was a lot more to explore in those days, it just seemed to have a little bit more camaraderie. It was just more fun to me; I don’t know, maybe just because it was new, to me anyway. Surfing's been around for a very long time. But I liked it because there was a basic style of boards, we call them “Longboards” now, but in those days they were called ‘Surfboards.' It was just going out and having fun, riding waves with your friends. It wasn't the big hype that it is now; it wasn't corporate yet. So many businesses have sprung off from surfing: wetsuit companies, clothing companies, you name it. Now everybody wants to be a surfer, or look like a surfer. I liked it because it was still somewhat of a sub-culture then. Now it's main-stream. It’s all good. I mean it is all good, but it was nice time to grow up.

I’ve seen lots of great surfers from each era. Most of the guys I really, really enjoyed watching surfed in the 60s and 70s, even some stuff in the 50s. It was more about style than it is now. Now it's about the latest skateboard move you can do on the wave… with perfect, nice barrels they are up doing 'ollie-pops' and 'what-heck-evers.' They are spending more time in air than they do on the water, which is all great. That’s groovy, and kids like it, but it’s not my style. If you watch surf contests now, the same things are going on: “Wach! Wach! Wach! Oh, he did little spinner thing and popped-out!” It doesn’t really float my boat; not to take away from them because I think their athletic ability is just amazing, but its not that fun for me to watch. I think its pretty boring because if you're watching a contest at Trestles, or somewhere like that, it’s just the same things. I mean each guy is little bit different but it's basically all the same. Maybe it’s better to see contests at places like Eddies, Mavervicks, or Pipeline; it’s ability, wave knowledge, and there is a price you are going pay: you can die. That makes difference I think.

R: Essence of surfing?

M: Essence of surfing… it's not as much just the act of riding waves. It was kind of the deal with search-and-find, and that is why I kind of miss the 70s; when you were searching and finding a new place, nobody around, and it’s like perfect 4 to 6 feet peeling and nobody around. That’s what I like about surfing. You know, new spots, just with your friends. Even if there's other people out there, but it was just clean and everybody was mellow because the waves were so good. Condition is what I strive for. You know, nice condition, sunny, nice shape, glassy, off-shore wind whatever. And set-ups, you know, point-breaks. I mean it could be 2feet, but just perfect condition and a nice place. It’s just as much fun as riding 6 to 8 feet somewhere else. That’s what I like about it.

R: How do you describe your style of surfing?

M: Probably, more casual. I probably still surf the 70s style, a little bit of eighties; it depends on the waves. I like to crank turns. I used to do the nose-riding thing, the old-style stuff. I did that forever, It’s fun once in a while if its small in a certain spot. For the most part, I like performance surfing; not like today’s standard of surfing because I don’t know how to skateboard or do skateboard moves. I just like to be a part of the wave and flow with the waves. That’s the one thing I think thats missing with modern surfing; they don't flow with the wave. They want to attack and kill it and lacerate it. To me, the ocean is a beautiful thing and waves are beautiful, but they want to go out and attack the waves. It just takes some of the beauty out of it. I’m sure it feels better than it looks. (Laughs)

R: After the shortboard revolution, that movement really accelerated.

M: Yeah, that’s when people really got into that kind of stuff. I was surfing during the revolution, with no longboard. Everybody put their longboards up in the rafters. We started taking old boards and stripping the glass off, to make them into shorter boards. We destroyed some beautiful boards, too. They'd probably be worth a lot of money now. Anyway we did that whole thing, but then there was a period of time, I'd say in the mid-70s, where we had a pretty long stretch of a flat spell. So, me and few friends down in Sunset, we just pulled out all of our longboards from the rafters and started riding them and I never looked back. I still ride some shortboards, thrusters and twin-fins and some other stuff as well; but I kept going back to the longboard because it was so fun. Knee-paddling into waves, gliding and just fitting into the wave. We started modernized old-style boards in the mid-70s. It was way before the longboard resurgence. We used to get lots of people yelling like “get your tanker out here” or “get your gronk out here” or something like that. They just hated it maybe because we caught ten-times more waves than they did. So we just kept doing it, and saw the longboard resurgence deal… And now I’m riding a 7’8”. It’s a throw-back, too, to probably the late 60s, and looks like an old V-Bottom, but without the V. It got kind of that wide outline, wider tail but shorter. It’s a fun board and it’s pretty much what I’ve ridden lately. I do get out with a longboard when it's small and crappy.

R: Where do you surf usually.

M: Oh I can't tell you it's a top-secret spot (Laughs) You know, wherever it is fun. Sometimes San-O, sometimes I go up north. Most of the time, it would be for a quick surf at the Cliffs at Huntington or Bolsa Chica. Occasionally my son likes me to paddle out with him by the Pier. Mostly I surf at wherever the surf might be good.

R: Who is innovating surfing right now.

M: In the overall picture? Probably guys like Kelly Slater or different guys like him. They are really dedicating to push this sport with trying new things. I think all the great surfers are just having fun. They try old stuff; resurgence of twin fin and even 70s style boards, something like that. I think those guys are pushing this sport to keep it going. Those guys are just genuinely stoked on surfing and trying old things and making them new or even going beyond that. They try not to be stuck on a vision, holding onto one thing; not just on a thruster, doing spinners. It’s the guys who try new things and smile.

R: Place to go in California?

M: lately I’ve been going up to North a bit. It’s really pretty out there; wild and willy in certain places. The water is pretty cold for me but it’s seasonal. I like it up there; it's laid-back, everybody is friendly. So it reminds me of what California used to be around here. It used to be, during a week, you can go to a certain spot with nobody around. But shit, nobody works anymore. So every time you go there are hundreds of people already in the water. I just don't like the big crowds because it cuts some fun out of it; if you have to yell at somebody or have some guy yelling at you or zig-zaging through the buoys of people. I like the Central Coast. I think you can catch a beautiful day just about anywhere. But see, the thing is, California is too crowded now everywhere, I mean the world in general is too crowded. You can spend tons of money if you want to go on a surf trip, spending hours and hours on airplanes or in cars, and there is already over 50 guys in the water. Forget it.

R: Is California special?

M: Oh yeah, I’ve lived here for most of my life. It is special because this is my home. But I’ve seen it change so much; especially Huntington. It was a small, rural town, and its grown up into this Metropolis: helicopters, car-alarms, people zooming around, cell-phones, and just too many people. It used to be a lot easier living here. Too many people in one place is not good. When I first moved into Huntington in 1960 or something; I think the surfing boom was just beginning at that time but even then, it was still pretty wide open. There wasn't as many fences, there wasn't as many people; it was nice. I’ve seen this transformation from wide open rural area to where now, I drive along and get flashes of the way it used to look and that makes me sad; “oh that used to be a neat spot, and oh here used to be really neat spot; there used to all be a field.” I have my memories but sometimes I wish it was the way it was. It was really neat. It was kind of a lot like being up in the central coast. It would've been nice to have back then the technology I have now, the knowledge and everything else. I could’ve enjoyed living there more. But I probably enjoyed it, because I was naïve to it; I never thought it would turn into that. So I enjoyed it but I never thought it could change that much. Oh well, life goes on.

R: Then what makes you happy?

M: When interviews are over (laughs) - Surfing and traveling, meeting new people. When a customer picks up his new board, and he’s really happy with it; jumping up and down. When he calls me and tells me how great it is. It’s a great feeling because somebody goes out surfing great waves and knowing that he's having the ultimate enjoyment on something you made for him; you made his vehicle for him to be able to do that. I try to be a craftsman. I couldn’t think of doing anything else at this point of my life. I just wish the economy was better (laughs).

R: What’s next for Mike Minchinton.

M: Hard to say, I just take every day, one day at a time. Hopefully in the future I'll still be above ground, still shaping boards and still surfing; having fun.

R: Thanks, Mike. I let you go back to work!!

To see his boards or order a board, please check his website: http://www.hbshaper.com/
Or you can check out Robert Augusut Surfboard website to get his shapes too: http://www.robertaugust.com/

Interview and Photo by Kenta M.
Editted by Dylan O.