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Back in 1971, during my junior year in high school, I worked at the Look Lab of Oceanic Engineering, under the guidance of the UH and Army Corp of Engineers. I reduced wave data for the Haleiwa Harbor Project. Data included wave energy, heights, direction, duration, and tidal and ocean bottom, topographic influences. I did this for two years and plotted the various swells on topographical maps. I also met John Kelly who was working on his own theory of all good surf breaks having boils on the point. John was also a surfboard designer, and we would compare notes on our designs. I had trifins, John Kelly had the first kick tail surfboard designs.
Oahu Surf Report
George Ku's Surf Forcast
| | Custom Surfboards Built in Hawaii on the North Shore | I have always had keen insights to new trends in surfboard designs. In 1971, I had designed two prototypes of surfboards with three fins, one was the thruster, and the other, the tri fin. It was the logical direction as single fins and twins had already been in production. It just made sense to put the two together, and shorten and widen the boards accordingly to accommodate the fin set up. My inspiration was watching Joey Cabel win the Duke on a concave single fin gun. Later that same day, two Auzzies went out on their twin fins and really just ate crap during their surf session. I checked out their boards when they came in, wide twin fins. They admittingly stated that their boards did not work in the large surf, but they tried….I give them credit for at least trying something different. It was at that point that I realized that the two designs put together would probably work better than either one would on it’s own. I went to Surfline and bought three surfboard kits and made two trifins and one thruster….wow what a difference. I rode a 7’ concave to flat bottom trifin and never went back to single fins until I stopped shaping in the mid ‘70’s. I tried to market the designs to G&S, but had no takers. I used the boards in surf up to 15’+, second reef Laniakea, surfing with the Legions like George Downing, BK, Tiger and Eddie. Most guys at that time just couldn’t relate to the three fin design…. Take a look inside the Surfboard Shapers Blue Room |
About George Ku, And Hawaiian Surf Designs |  | At 19 I got into the Fire Dept., I started buying boards again, but just didn’t quite get the same feel as the boards I had made for myself, and my friends. I hooked up with Tom Parrish and really lucked out on getting some really good boards, and learning more about rockers and designs in the interim. Tom would occasionally let me use his shaping room, and would also help me with my boards. He was true friend, and a really good surfer too. We would often run down to surf late in the day and surf ‘til dark….the good ‘ol days….Tom still shapes and surfs in Maui where he practices Law. When Tom left Lightning Bolt, I spent several years riding all kinds of boards by different shapers… Dennis Pang, Glen Pang, and Brewer. Some were OK, some were really good, but just not quite what I wanted, so in 1983, I started shaping again, and registered Hawaiian Surf Designs. I started shaping for Lightning Bolt and North Shore….Later, Seawind Challenge, Hobie Maui, Downing, Blue Hawaii, HIC, Island Classics, and several small surf shops along the way. In 1991 I was contracted by Russ K Makaha where I primarily made longboards for many Pros and two World Champions, Rusty Kealana, and Dino Maranda. During this time, I designed new bottoms(inverted vees, double concaves) rockers, templates and fin set ups. I also designed the first hybrids and inverted vee bottoms for both longboards and hybrids…. | Sunset Beach Fire Department, Today, 33years later, a Fire Captain in the HFD at Sunset Beach, I’m still challenged with doing what I do best, and like most, and that’s helping people, especially in time of need. If your of good character and physical strength, I would strongly recommend trying out for the HFD. It’s been good to me. You’ll be physically and mentally challenged, and work in the best place in the world, Hawaii. Being in the department has also given me the time to train and to work on the outside, which you will need to do, unless your independently wealthy …. Shaping and surfing, are still my other passions, and although family and God are #1, I still enjoy shaping that special board for someone…maybe you…..I believe that my boards are amongst the best boards you can get any where…and I stand by reputation and product 100%. Aloha gk |  | | |
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