Journal
The latest news and stories from our workshop, and beyond.
The latest news and stories from our workshop, and beyond.
It was our Chris' birthday last week but despite him having the day off, he came in to the workshop anyway. Why? Because the surf in the little bay just around the corner from us was booming, and he wanted some company for a birthday bodysurf. We managed to get some photos of him too, from a great student called Vinny who was in filming with us for the day and also from local photographer Sarah Bunt. It was sizey, heavy and fast, and there was...
All of the people who walk through the big blue workshop doors here are multifaceted; everybody has more than one interest, and the same goes for...
As autumn ends here in Cornwall yet more neoprene is taken out of the backs of sheds and garages to help us keep surfing through the winter. We’ve...
This autumn our friends at Surfers Against Sewage have been busier than ever with a twin-pronged attack on the plastic pollution that blights our...
Last weekend, we held our Annual Gathering of Makers. It's a special occasion for us, when we invite all of the makers who have joined us over the...
Wherever you are and whatever you do, a little more space would inevitably come in handy. Since moving into our workshop at the Eco Park three years ago, most of the “office” work involved with running Otter Surfboards has been done on James’ kitchen table. For a long time we’ve toyed with the idea of building a mezzanine into the workshop so that we can have an upstairs space for various elements of what we do here, and over the past...
It's always a great honour to be featured in a publication celebrating craftsmanship, and we couldn't have been more thrilled last week when a...
The premise is simple: twenty slides, lasting approximately twenty seconds each, sharing the backstory of the speaker to uncover what makes them...
Last summer we received an e-mail from one of our friends at Surf Simply; Kerianne, their logistics manager, was spending a summer on Long Island,...
Naming something is a difficult business. And, you only get one shot. Sometimes, a name comes instantly as if it was always meant to be, whilst at...
The 7’10” single fin pintail had been back from the laminators for a few weeks, taking up residence on the workshop wall whilst we waited for a suitable swell to test her in. It being mid-winter, we didn’t have to wait very long. The Clipper is a very specific surfboard; reminiscent of 1970s Sunset guns, it was designed with size and power in mind.
With Christmas fast approaching and because of the handmade to order nature of many of our products, we need to let you all know when our last...
We've just taken delivery of our 2017 calendars, and they're available to buy now over on our products page. We selected twelve of our favourite...
Back in spring we visited Ireland and spent a couple of weeks surfing our way down the wild West Coast. One of the beaches that we stopped off to...
There's no entrance fee for the sea; it's a free natural resource that so many people get immeasurable pleasure from. At worst you might have to pay...
Late last spring we were visited by Chris, Rob and Matt, who were travelling the length of the British Isles documenting makers, producers and manufacturers who work with a purpose. They arrived in their lovely white landrover late one evening and camped out on site here at the Ecopark, spending the night sitting around the fire in the walled courtyard. The following morning they joined us in the workshop to shoot photos, film, and ask James...
The Sunday of the first weekend in September has, for over a decade now, been the day that bellyboard aficionados converge on Chapel Porth beach...
Well not quite, but almost. This past week, Patagonia have been touring the UK showing their latest range of wetsuits; wetsuits that are neoprene...
Robert Chapman (known around the Otter workshop as Rob) joined us last November to make a surfboard as a gift for his son who’s currently living...
