Surftech Announces Partnership with Donald Takayama Family to Launch in 2016
Carlsbad, CA (PRWEB) September 09, 2015 -- Surftech, the original board manufacturing company, announced today that they have formalized a long-term partnership with the estate of the late Donald Takayama to continue the legacy of the iconic shaper with the production of select Donald Takayama Hawaiian Pro Designs boards. The new deal will reintroduce some of the most iconic shapes of the late shaper in the 2016 Surftech surf lineup and introduce some new favorites.
“Our whole team is super stoked on the re-launch of Takayama's brand within Surftech and getting to share our technology with Donald’s shapes to surfers from around the world,” said Chris Dunn CEO of Surftech. “We have big things in the works for the 2016 surf season and are extremely optimistic about the future.”
Donald Takayama’s shapes have always brought out the best in the surfers who rode his boards and over the years his ability attracted the world’s best wave riders to join his team. He was a very hands-on shaper designer working diligently to refine and perfect his designs, never satisfied till they were perfect. The result was boards that to this day continue to define performance in surf around the globe.
“Donald had always believed in Surftech and their technology. The consistent quality of the boards paired with durability made it a perfect combination for surfers around the world,” said Diane Takayama. “We are very happy to be able to re-launch this partnership and look forward to great future together.”
The new boards from the collaboration will be debuting at the January 2016 Surf Expo and will be a sampling of the most popular and proven designs using Surftech’s latest technologies.
About Donald Takayama:
Donald Takayama was a well-regarded waterman, an artist in his craft, and an ambassador to the sport of surfing. He started shaping his own surfboards at nine years old and soon became a shaper and team rider for world famous Velzy/Jacobs Surfboards. In the late 1960’s, Takayama’s focus on design and shaping was instrumental in the creation of some of the worlds most desired and progressive longboards including the Bing Nuuhiwa Noserider and the Weber Performer.
Takayama founded Hawaiian Pro Designs in the late 1970s in North County San Diego, shaping shorter more progressive surfboards. 1984 he collaborated with professional surfer Joey Buran on his winning boards for the Pipe Masters. In the early 90’s, Takayama refocused his energy into longboards, mentoring a new generation of surfers including a young surfer named Joel Tudor. On Donald’s boards, Joel would go on to win 8 world titles and become one of the most recognized surfers in the world. Other team riders include Devon Howard, Brendan White, Noah Shimabukuro and Kai Salas all of whom have come to define the modern longboard movement.
Sadly Donald passed away in 2012 due to complications from heart surgery, he is survived by his wife and four daughters.
About Surftech:
Surftech “The original board manufacturing company” was founded in 1989 in Santa Cruz CA. As a pioneer of new technologies, Surftech was the first company to introduce composite manufacturing to the surfing industry. The process provided a consistent finished product that was lighter and more durable than anything on the market. The success of the original process caught the attention of many of the world’s top craftsman and the company grew rapidly. Surftech’s business model has always been about board builders giving them a way to scale and expand their businesses with a seamless solution that complimented their existing lineups. The international popularity of Surftech’s technology created an increase in demand and fueled the need for global expansion. In the early 90’s, Surftech partnered with a world-class international factory that matched their commitment to excellence, providing unparalleled capabilities, strong environmental practices, unmatched craftsmanship and most importantly could scale to meet demand.
Rob Farrow, Surftech, http://www.surftech.com, +1 760-487-8087, [email protected]
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