A Ryan Burch surfboard won’t make you surf like Ryan Burch, but at least it’s easier to try now. Photos: YouTube//Screenshot
Getting a surfboard made by Ryan Burch is very, very hard. If one were to try and purchase one from his website, one would quickly find that nearly every stock surfboard is sold out all the time. Even the custom board order section seems vaguely aware that you’re going to be twiddling your thumbs with anticipation for longer than anticipated. “Enter your information to get on the list for a custom hand shape by Ryan Burch,” it reads. “We will get to your name eventually and reach out to dial in your order.”
But now, Ryan Burch is doing something to help ease the pain: a new line of surfboards called The Lam Line. Burch is well-known for having his hands in every part of every custom, from the first cut of the saw to the final lines of the artwork. The Lam Line takes a bit of that work off the table.
“This is a line of boards that has a laminate logo – a version of one that I often draw on my boards,” he explained. “But it’s a screen-printed laminate instead of a pencil drawing. These boards are computer shapes of some of my proven designs and they’re finished by shapers who are familiar with my designs and who I really admire.”
Burch, of course, isn’t one to just ship things out the door as fast as possible. He has final say over each and every one of them.
“Once the boards are shaped, I go over the board and make sure that it feels like one of mine or that it’s got all the design features that I want people to feel when they go to ride one of my boards. Making sure all the final details are dialed in.”
From there, they go to glassing, an ever-important and under-appreciated part of what can make a surfboard magic. Burch has a guy for that.
“Alex Villalobos glasses these,” Burch explained. “His resin art is amazing and has been really elevating the look of my boards for a long time now. These are still really premium surfboards, they’re just not a hundred percent hand-shaped, all finished by me with a hand drawing on them.”
A Ryan Burch surfboard won’t make you surf like Ryan Burch, but at least it’s easier to try now.
