Michael Arenal

Interview by Glenn Sakamoto
Photography by Jesse Carmody and Dylan Gordon

Michael Arenal is a California shaper/surfer originally from Orange County who now lives and works in Ventura. Mentored by some of the biggest names in shaping, Michael produces surfboards that are inspired by the late 60s and early to mid 70s. His current interest is in producing gliders and his upcoming lead shaper role at Hobie Surfboards. We caught up with Michael to learn more.

Can you tell us a bit about your childhood and where you grew up?

I grew up in South Orange County, always just inland from the coast. I spent my junior and high school years in San Juan Capistrano. Like most kids in that area, I grew up playing baseball, skateboarding and BMX. Luckily I was able to go to the mountains most winters to snowboard. 

My dad would always have me help him work on stuff in the garage since I was little. We would build Pinewood Derby cars, work on go-karts, bikes and other things. This played a big role for me when an interest in building boards came up. I thought to myself, “Hey, I can do this” as I already was familiar and comfortable with tools and my hands. 

When did you get your first surfboard?

I got my first board when I was 15. It was a 6’6 John Carper “Flying Pig” thruster off the used rack from the shop Killer Dana in Dana Point.

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

Excitement and fear. I took a trip to the North Shore with my friend Zac Russell and his dad taught me how to surf at Log Cabins. I just remember feeling that the whole wave was angling down towards the sand. It was such a crazy feeling of lift and speed. 

What inspired you to begin shaping? Where did you get your training?

It was at the time when the Alaia got really popular. Cyrus Sutton put out a video featuring Tom Wegener on how to build anAlaia. I saw that and I wanted to do it. After making a few, I decided, “Heck I guess I should try to make a ‘real’ surfboard.” So my buddy Chris and I went to Foam EZ and bought some blanks and got after it. It was so fun to be able to ride something you yourself made. 

Shortly thereafter, I met Donald Brink and he was incredibly gracious with his knowledge and time. He answered questions, explained how to do things, and showed me how to glass. I owe so much to Donald. I am so thankful and feel so lucky that he spent all that time with me. 

“Surfing offers so much and I am so grateful for it. It’s a place to clear your head, get some exercise, have new experiences, hang with friends and to meet new ones. Surfing really is what has shaped my life – where I live and what I do.”

I also worked at the Hobie Shop in Dana Point and met Gary Larson and Tyler Warren. Both were extremely gracious with their time and knowledge. Later I started to take some boards to the Waterman’s Guild for glassing and got a job doing quality control, boxing and cleaning. I was there only a brief time when I got a job at Wes Holderman’s shop in Oceanside. He taught me hot coating, how to glass on fins and to gloss a board. Sadly I experienced some weird health issues which took me away from glassing. From that point on, I simply pursued shaping. 

You’ve certainly worked with an amazing number of people in the industry…

Yes. I feel so lucky that I had such an encouraging group of mentors and looking back, it is so amazing how kind all of these people I looked up to were. Donald Brink, Gary Larson, Tyler Warren, Josh Martin, Greg Martz, Wes Holderman, Ryan Lovelace – just to name a few. There are plenty more people I need to thank and I am just so thankful for all of those guys. 

Where do you get your design inspiration? Is there a particular era in surfing that you are interested in?

I wouldn’t say it’s from one era in particular. However I have a fond appreciation for the 60s-70s like most people. Over the years it’s been fascinating to see how boards progressed the way they did through each era. You can see why these different board builders got to where they did and why they made the changes they did – I think this is incredible. It’s one aspect of what’s so cool about being a shaper today. We have so much groundwork laid out for us and we get to build off of what all of these great craftsmen have done throughout surfing’s history. It’s a constant back and forth – and a balance between old and new design. 

What board designs are you currently developing?

Lately my fascination in design has been focused around gliders and working to move longboard design forward. When I was introduced to the realm of the glider, or big boards, it totally grabbed me. It felt like riding that first wave again. After riding nose riders and more traditional longboards with 50/50 rails, to hop on a glider and feel the momentum and speed was instantly addicting. It has inspired me to incorporate similar design characteristics into other longboard shapes. Working to get boards that can trim hard, project with speed and noseride. There’s so many combinations of rockers, foils, rails, bottoms, etc. to work with and I think there’s still a lot of room for progression in this area. 

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

I think there’s two answers to this. One, more associated with custom boards, is that I want the customer to get the feelings that they want to achieve from surfing and the what they envision surfing for themselves. Two, it would be able to get the same enjoyment out of a shape that I am having fun with. Maybe a new sensation in their surfing. Ultimately, surfing is about enjoying ourselves. Having fun. Having that feeling of freedom while on a wave. 

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

That’s a tough one. I think it really depends on the day and wave, but the simple answer is a glider. There’s plenty of spots I could consider a favorite, but on a day-to day surf basis I really enjoy being able to ride my bike to C Street and get a variety of waves there. Also spots just north of Ventura. I love being able to drive north and quickly be at a spot where it’s just the ocean going into the hills. It’s nice to be in the water feeling surrounded by nature.

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

Surfing offers so much and I am so grateful for it. It’s a place to clear your head, get some exercise, have new experiences, hang with friends and to meet new ones. Surfing really is what has shaped my life – where I live and what I do. Surfing is pretty powerful in that it has directed my life. I guess the short answer is: I love the lifestyle, culture and the simple act of surfing. 

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

Anyone moving things forward in their creative zone. It could be with board design, photography or film or surf shops. It comes down to the younger generation to keep it all going. Just in the Ventura area there’s a lot of young people excited about building boards and it’s really cool to see. Surfing has spread so much throughout the world and it's really apparent with social media now. It has allowed us to connect with other board builders and surfers on the other side of the world. There’s this sort of global surf culture at the moment which I find really cool. 

What’s your favorite meal?

Anything prepared with family and/or friends. 

What music are you currently listening to?

It’s all over the place. I have a lot of time to listen to music while I’m shaping so I change it up a lot. Electronic beats, house, acoustic, folk, afro-funk, hip-hop, reggae. Pretty much everything but pop or pop country. 

What are you most grateful for?

Lot’s to be grateful for. My wife, Mikaela. The love of family and friends. My dog Otis. Being able to live near the beach and spend my time making surfboards.

What's next for Michael Arenal?

A slight change in my day-to-day shaping. I will be moving into the lead shaper role at Hobie Surfboards. I’m super excited to be able to work with such an iconic brand, to be a part of the Hobie lineage and to keep the Hobie name moving forward in surfing. 

To learn more about Michael Arenal and his shapes check out his website here or follow him on Instagram here. Photography by Dylan Gordon and Jesse Carmody.