Allan Gibbons

Interview by Glenn Sakamoto

Allan Gibbons is a Santa Barbara-based surfboard shaper and artist. Raised in Hawaii until his early teens, the islands gave him the resilience in dealing with the inevitable ups and downs of life. His shaping influences range from admiring boards in the Lightning Bolt shop in Honolulu to observing the shaping of John Bradbury and Marc Andreini in Santa Barbara. We spoke with Allan to learn more.

Please tell us a bit about your childhood and where you grew up…

Kailua, East Side Oahu. Growing up in Hawaii, especially then (1960s, early-70s) was like living in a different country.

Most days were about the beach and the ocean. It was tradewinds and palm trees, Aloha Friday and bare feet. TV shows like The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family looked nothing like life in the melting pot of Hawaii.

Apart from school and doing chores at home, it was a semi-feral and free-range childhood. My friends and I would play “war” in the hills, shooting BB guns at each other while storming actual WWII pillboxes, with F-4 Phantoms roaring overhead (from the Marine Base).

When did you start surfing?

I started surfing in 7th  grade and chipped away at it through the school year. That summer I got really serious about it, spending almost every day, all day, in the water at Kailua Shorebreak. A few times though, I got to surf Town.

My dad worked at the University of Hawaii facility at Point Panic, so I'd ride in with him in the morning, jump in at Kewalos with a bar of wax and a buck-fifty in change in my pocket. I’d surf my way down to Concessions, go in and get some food, surf a bit more, then walk all the way back out to PP in time to get a ride back home. No shoes, no shirt, no sunblock.

At the end of that summer we moved to Santa Barbara, where life really did look like The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family.

What was the feeling you had when you first caught a green wave?

It was like being struck by lightning – I felt a surge of energy and focus like I hadn't ever before. I was committed. 

Can you tell us about your first surfboard?

Since my first wave was on a borrowed board, I made a deal right then and there with a kid I knew from school to buy his board. It was a 5'11'' diamond tail single fin, lightly-used. 40 bucks.

That particular day I didn't ride my bike to the beach, so I walked home to get the $40. When I went to the side of the house to get my bike, there was an empty space where it should've been. Stolen! I was, like, “Get another bike...or get a surfboard”?

I walked back to the beach to settle up and went the rest of the school year without a bike. No regrets.

What inspired you to begin shaping?

Basically, I couldn't afford a brand-new board, and as I'd always built my own toys: bikes, go-karts, model airplanes and model rockets, etc.; making my own boards was a natural progression.

By 15, I had a thriving ding repair business going on in the garage and was learning to shape and glass. My parents and siblings somehow put up with the mess and smell.

Was this in Hawaii?

This was in Santa Barbara, which was still just a sleepy little beach town, but packed with a lot of surfboard energy: Yater, Wilderness, Marc Andreini, Al Merrick and others.

Some days after school I would ride my (new) bike from shop to shop, picking up whatever knowledge I could. I was a sponge, soaking up information and occasionally daring to ask the masters a question or two. Then I'd go home and implement what I'd learned, working on my own stuff in the garage.

Where do you get your design inspiration? Is there a particular era?

Originally, I was inspired by the beautiful boards at the Lightning Bolt shop in Honolulu. Later, in SB, it was John Bradbury's and Marc Andreini's boards that I really admired. And the Campbell Brothers' Bonzers were just the coolest-looking boards ever!

And then there were the 20+ years shaping at Channel Islands. More than anything else, the depth and breadth of that experience forged my designing and shaping skills.

What board designs are you currently developing?

Alternative step-ups, versatile mid-lengths, and glider-type boards. And I've been doing longboards, too, which are a whole new realm for me. I'm continually exploring and innovating with every design. It's an obsession, really.

What are you hoping your customer gets from riding your shapes?

An enjoyable experience, the opportunity to surf their best. My basic board design ethos is to keep it clean, simple, neutral. For customs, I tailor it to the rider and to the conditions.

What is your current favorite board? Your favorite surf spot?

I haven't made my current favorite board, yet, but it's going to be a 9 foot glider, to use at a glider friendly spot. In the meantime I've been borrowing a friend's glider that I made him.

My favorite spot these days is the least crowded one.

This is a broad question, but why do you surf?

I like being in the water and in the fresh air. Surfing's good exercise and it's just a fun thing to do.

Who are some of the people you feel are creating the path for surf culture today?

Surf culture has evolved to such an extent that it's impossible to keep up with everything that's going on these days (somebody could write a Master's thesis on the socio-economic factors that have enabled it to become such a global phenomenon).

Your art is also a part of your passions. Can you tell us more about it?

As far back as I can remember, I've drawn and painted. It's part of who I am.

How similar or different is your art to surfboard shaping? How do they intersect?

That's a hard one to answer in a few words. Both things are forms of expression, and both are equally simple and complex activities. And both things feed into my design work, which then flows back into the shaping and the art. It's a continuum.

What struggle(s) have you had that has made you into the person you are today?

While my life's been fairly breezy, I think that my early years in the melting pot of Hawaii gave me some resilience and perspective that's helped to handle the inevitable bumps and potholes.

Describe a perfect day for you. Where are you and what are you doing?

The ideal of perfection seems to change over time; and at this stage of the game it's about making the most of what every day has to offer. A perfect day for me starts off with a cup of coffee, has a balance of work and play, wrapping up with a nice dinner and a relaxing evening at home with my sweetie.

What are you most grateful for?

I'm grateful for good health, a pleasant home life, and that I can make a living doing things that I enjoy.

What’s next for Allan Gibbons?

I'm currently working on a line of boards in collaboration with Mollusk Surf Shop, under my Radio label. I'm excited to see where it goes.

To learn more about Allan Gibbons’ surfboards, follow him on Instagram. To learn more about his art, follow his Instagram at AG29art.