Journal
The latest news and stories from our workshop, and beyond.
The latest news and stories from our workshop, and beyond.
A few weeks before Claire arrived in the UK from California, a large package arrived at the Otter Workshop addressed to her. When we opened it and unwrapped what was inside, we found four beautiful planks of Californian redwood.
It's often been said when trying to describe the sensation of getting barrelled that "time slows down in the tube". We think that time slows down...
A few weeks ago Chris arrived at the workshop to spend a week helping us machine timber in preparation for a "Make-Your-Own" wooden surfboard course,...
It's not a race to complete the list of daily tasks involved in making your own wooden surfboard with us here, but you'd never have known that if you...
Last Friday, it was grey and raining in Cornwall. In the true spirit of all the best British summer festivals and events, whilst the rest of the...
Last weekend a very special event happened in Wales, and we were lucky enough to be involved. Every year on a remote farm in Ceredigion, West Wales, just over a hundred people gather for four days to attend the Do Lectures. The Do Lectures is curated by the brilliant David Hieatt, and is a series of inspiring talks delivered by a really diverse range of pretty incredible human beings. The 80 attendees are advised early on to avoid getting...
We're not quite sure how we're going to top this one; having kept it a secret for the past few months, we're now incredibly proud to announce that...
We have a date for your diary folks; on Friday, June 12th, the workshop will be open late and we are inviting anyone and everyone who is interested...
The maxim "Measure Twice and Cut Once" is heard so often in the Otter Surfboards workshop that we thought we'd go ahead and paint it on the wall (at...
Kurt arrived at the workshop on Monday morning, having driven his pick-up truck half way across Europe from Switzerland to come and spend a week...
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...
