Mike Woo might not be the most famous shaper that springs to your mind, but he should be. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Surfboard shapers don’t often get the credit they deserve. Sure, the bigger names do sometimes, but in general, it’s the person riding the surfboard who gets all the glory. One shaper in particular is a little bit more under-the-radar than some of the other big names: Mike Woo.
Yes, he’s a very well-known shaper. But his name isn’t on the tip of one’s tongue like say, Pyzel or Al and Britt Merrick. Mike Woo, though, is an artist. He’s the guy behind a few of Kelly Slater’s designs, like the Great White Twin and the newly released Spaceship.
It would be hard to not be overshadowed by Kelly Slater in a group project. He’s a pretty big name, after all, and big names sell. And although Kelly Slater certainly knows a whole pile about surfboards and what makes them work, Woo’s hands make that knowledge come to life in a tangible way.
Woo grew up on Oahu’s south shore in the Pālolo Valley. He surfed Ala Moana Bowls growing up, but when winter hit, the North Shore was his place. He was surrounded by legends like Brock Little, Shane Dorian, Kelly Slater, and Rizal Tandjung.
“He first started shaping in the late ’80s, and would make trips to shape and compete in Japan in his early twenties,” Firewire wrote. “One year, after going to Bali after Japan, he decided to stay in Bali and lay roots, and has been designing and manufacturing surfboards there ever since.”
And it’s a good thing, too, because Woo is responsible for creating things that allow us to have some of the best times we’ll ever have. If you don’t know about him… well, get to know him.
