HONOLULU — Legendary surfboard shaper Dick Brewer will make an appearance at the Kahala Sportswear store from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20. The iconic shaping guru will talk story about his path in life as a master
HONOLULU — Legendary surfboard shaper Dick Brewer will make an appearance at the Kahala Sportswear store from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20.
The iconic shaping guru will talk story about his path in life as a master shaper. On display will be a rare vintage Brewer Buzzy Trent model surfboard, No. 22.
Brewer is believed to have made only 88 of these boards; No. 22 is the beloved board of Dr. Mike McCabe, a former fixture on the Makaha surf scene (who, on the advice of his dear friend, the late Rell Sunn, actually slept with the board in his bed).
With the purchase of the exclusive new Kahala “Shaping Room” shirt, which features Brewer’s hand-drawn shapes of boards he created for champion riders like Jock Sutherland, Fred Hemmings and Gerry Lopez going back to the early ’60s, attendees will receive a commemorative booklet full of Dick Brewer history, lore and vintage photos — a perfect canvas for an autograph from the legend himself.
The event will also feature complimentary fine wines by The Wine Stop, Primo beer, and pupu, as well as Hawaiian steel guitar music by Buck Giles.
The Dick Brewer appearance is part of the free Kahala Talk Story Series of in-store events, featuring the icons of the waterman lifestyle who are making history in the islands and around the world.
Dick Brewer’s love affair with surfing began in 1952, and he got his first surfboard in 1953, a 9’0” balsa Woody Brown template they called a “Double Ender.”
In 1959 he took his first trip to Hawai‘i, and quickly established himself as a big wave rider at Waimea Bay and Sunset. He spent the early sixties taking off shoulder to shoulder with the best surfers of the era. In the winter of 1960-61 he opened Surfboards Hawai‘i in Hale‘iwa, selling Weber, Scholl and his own shapes. He had found his calling.
Brewer now resides on Kaua‘i, where he continues to shape boards for customers all over the world. His 9’6” thruster gun (19-1/4” wide, 3-1/4” thick with a Derrick Doerner template) has become the standard board for intermediate surf. Since 1994, he has worked with Laird Hamilton, Derrick Doerner and other tow-in surfers to create high-tech boards for the giant outer reefs of Hawai‘i.
