Why We Exist

“Stick to what you enjoy and you’ll end up doing something you love.”

It’s a simple sentiment, but one that has quietly guided me since I founded Otter Surfboards on the Cornish coast in 2010. What began as a love of surfing, woodwork and the satisfaction of making something by hand has grown into a business crafting hollow wooden surfboards and paddleboards from locally grown timber — and, just as importantly, inviting others into the workshop to experience the magic of making for themselves.

In the early days, I imagined a small, solitary operation: one person in a shed, building a handful of custom boards each year. That vision shifted when a local surfer named Steve dropped by the workshop. Over a couple of cups of tea, we connected through a shared love of the sea and of working with wood. When Steve asked whether I would guide him through the process of making his own surfboard, I hesitated. Years of learning, experimenting and refining had gone into developing the craft — was I really ready to share it?

But something about the idea felt right. And through making that first board together — what became the original Pieces of Eight model — it became clear that the future of Otter Surfboards lay not just in building boards, but in sharing the process itself.

Working side by side allowed me to relive the joy of shaping my first surfboard, while watching someone else’s confidence and skills grow through the act of making. The connection forged through shared effort was powerful. I realised then that the real magic lay in the making.

Since that first workshop in 2011, we’ve helped over 200 people make their own wooden surfboards. Some arrive with woodworking experience, many with none at all. Over a few intense, rewarding days, people discover skills they didn’t know they had, experience a rare kind of focus, push comfort zones, laugh a lot — and sometimes cry. The days are challenging, but the rewards are always worth it.

At its heart, Otter Surfboards exists to inspire people to love, learn and reconnect through the power of making. When folks walk through our big blue workshop doors, my hope is that they slow down, reconnect with their hands, and create something meaningful — something that will last.

The boards themselves are as considered as the experiences around them. We make everything using western red cedar and poplar sourced from regenerative, sustainable woodlands. Each board begins long before the first cut is made, with timber stacked outside the workshop and air-dried for months, allowing it to settle naturally before the making process.

Our construction draws inspiration from surfboard history. 

Wood was the principal material used by ancient Hawaiians thousands of years ago, and in the 1930s legendary waterman Tom Blake pioneered hollow, skin-on-frame techniques to reduce weight. We look back to these ideas, refining them with modern tools and methods to create boards that are lighter, stronger and more intricately shaped than their early predecessors.

From rough-sawn timber, we prepare two skins, twenty rail strips, and nose and tail blocks for each board. A precision-cut framework of FSC-certified poplar plywood is assembled and fixed to the bottom skin. Thin rail strips are then steam-bent and glued into place, one by one, forming the flowing outline of the board. Once the deck skin is fitted, we’re left with a hollow wooden blank — light, strong and full of potential.

Shaping follows: planing, rasping and sanding until the final form emerges. Long, curling shavings fall to the workshop floor, and the smell of cedar fills the air. There is something deeply satisfying about shaping wood with sharp hand tools — whether it’s the feel, the sound or the smell, it’s a process many people describe as meditative, even transformative.

Beyond the water, our custom surfboards often take on a second life as sculptural objects within the home. Each piece is handcrafted to be as visually striking as it is functional, acting as a centrepiece artwork that brings warmth, movement and natural texture into refined spaces. Since 2009, I’ve worked with clients worldwide — from private collectors and interior designers to Bentley Motors and the former Prince of Wales. Our boards have received international recognition for their sustainability and craftsmanship, with features on the BBC, ITV, Discovery Channel, The Guardian, The Telegraph and GQ. Whether mounted on a wall or resting between surfs, they tell a story of place, process and intention.

To finish, each board is laminated with bio-epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth. This is the most environmentally impactful stage of the process, so we use the lowest-impact materials possible, and only what is needed, prioritising longevity above all else. Boards are laminated by Paul Fluin, one of the most respected surfboard laminators in the UK, before returning to the workshop for final checks — and, if timing allows, their first waves.

Because wood is heavier than foam, we use skin-on-frame construction to achieve a familiar feel underfoot while keeping timber where it matters most. The result is boards that excel in twin-fin, mid-length and longboard shapes, where glide, momentum and flow really come into their own. That momentum has even surprised high-performance surfers. In a recent collaboration with UK pro Alan Stokes, he found the added drive of wood allowed him to generate speed more efficiently — fewer pumps, smoother turns, and a sense of the board carrying itself through the arc.

Longevity sits at the heart of everything we do. One of the questions that drove me to build my first board was whether I could create something that was fun to surf, beautiful to look at, and capable of lasting decades. Many of our boards have now been surfed regularly for nearly ten years and are still going strong. And when repairs are needed, wood offers another advantage: it can be fixed, not discarded.

So now, as we continue to push performance, prioritise sustainability and invite more people into the making process, perhaps the question isn’t “Why wood?”

Maybe it’s simply: Why foam?

Whether you choose to commission a board or join us in the workshop here in Cornwall, I hope Otter Surfboards can inspire your next journey to the ocean — and remind you of the quiet power of making something with your own two hands.

All of our sustainable, hollow wooden surfboards are made using wood from local, regenerative woodlands and are intended for a lifetime of waves. Custom made or make your own.