Journal
The latest news and stories from our workshop, and beyond.
The latest news and stories from our workshop, and beyond.
It’s lovely catching up with friends who have built surfboards with us in the past – that’s why we throw our “AGM” celebration every autumn to try and get as many workshoppers in one place at the same time to share their experiences with one another. Sometimes the making bug bites and building just one wooden surf craft with us isn’t enough, so whether those who have shaped handplanes or bellyboards return to build a full-size...
Earlier this year the guys over at Wavelength Magazine sat James down in their "Hot Seat" to ask him some questions about how Otter Surfboards came...
Every surfer around here is worn out at the moment, and in a really good way. April has been a bumper month for waves, with back-to-back swells,...
This week we've had Alan and a whole lot of sunshine in the workshop with us. Whilst the beach at the bottom of the hill has been intermittently...
On one of the walls of our workshop, between the rack that holds wooden surfboards in various stages of completion (from half-done to old-faithfuls...
We feel very fortunate that our workshop is located where it is, not only because of its proximity to the beach and our homes, but because of the environmentally considerate nature of the Mount Pleasant Eco Park, its history and the plans for its future. We moved here at the start of 2014 when one of the workshop units became available, and it was the opportunity that we had been waiting for. The six workshops are housed within the...
Last weekend saw the 2015 Approaching Lines International Festival of Surf (presented by Reef) go down just up the road from us in Newquay....
This time next week it will officially be summer; Cornwall is decorated yellow with daffodils lining the lanes and gorse flowers covering the...
The 6’10” Jetty was one of the first shapes that we developed here at Otter Surfboards, and it's one of the most recognisable surfboards in our...
One of the really special things about sharing what we do through our workshop courses is the fact that we almost inevitably form new...
This winter we’ve been investing some time in materials research and development. With our backgrounds in design it’s important to all of us here to be constantly evaluating and looking to improve what we do and how we do it. It’s how progress is made.
Every now and then we introduce a member of the Otter Surfboards team to you, so that should you happen to stop-by and visit the workshop one day...
The first workshop week of our 2015 programme ran this week, and it was wonderful to welcome a friend from just down the coast into the workshop....
Last September, just as the last of the summer warmth was preparing to give way to autumn, James managed to sneak in one final surf in boardshorts at...
At this time of year, living around here as a surfer, you’ve got to believe. If you don’t, then you might as well not bother investing in a...
Thomas Edward Blake is one of the most important figures in surfing, and probably the most important single person in the history of wooden surfboards. Whilst Polynesians had been riding waves on wooden surfboards for hundreds of years, it was Blake whose experiments and innovations through the 1920s and 30s led to lighter paddleboards and surfboards, alternative (and widely accessible) construction techniques, the introduction of the fin...
This deep into winter many of us rely on the woodburner in our front rooms to provide warmth through cold evenings. At Otter Surfboards we also rely...
What have you resolved to do in 2015? If you struggled for ideas and had no answer when your colleagues asked you what your new year's resolution...
Tonight the clock will tick over past twelve o-clock and we'll all be entering a brand new year. It's a time to be looking forward and making plans...
