13 . 01 . 18
Attending a course to make a wooden surfboard is, for many of our customers, the culmination of many months or even years of day-dreaming and either saving up or waiting for a suitable bit of clear space in their diary. During that time some immerse themselves in the anticipation, and a few ask about the options available for customising their surfboard even further so that they end up with a unique surfboard, as well as having had a unique experience. Martin Spurway was one of those workshoppers; a graphic designer by trade, living and working in London, Martin had been looking forward to last August’s workshop week for a long time and his wooden surfboard developed into a true passion project which we were honoured to be a part of.
Martin approached his new wooden surfboard like a work project, creating a mood-board of inspiration, thoroughly researching all of his options, and then keeping both a written and photographic diary over the course of his week. Martin had designed a specific black paint job for his finished Island Hopper wooden surfboard, and we helped him in creating an inverted stencil of his own personal marque to complement the Otter Workshop logo. He also designed and commissioned a bespoke bag to perfectly fit and protect his new pride and joy from Whasup Custom Boardbags in Dorset.
Martin collected his surfboard at our 2017 Annual Gathering of Makers, and a couple of months later the postman delivered a package to the workshop here. Inside was a beautifully designed book that Martin had had printed, documenting his experience from his initial inspiration and mood-boards, through his design ideas and details of material sourcing, to a day-by-day account of his week with us and the AGM in September. It’s visually stunning, and we really loved leafing through this very personal memento that Martin clearly poured so much time and passion in to.
