Head Shaper:

Max Medeiros

Behind the Brand: Max Medeiros founded Hawaiian Blades on Oahu in 1990 and then moved the brand to the outer islands in 1996. “Shaping for me was a financial decision,” he says. “At 12 years old it was cheaper for my brother and I to shape boards than buy them. I’m glad we went in that direction as kids. Not only did it help us to save money, it also created a valuable foundation for me to use later to create a business.” Now shaping high-performance boards and filling custom orders on Kauai, Medeiros teamed up with Coastal Surf Designs in 2009 as one of their featured shapers. “Joe Kuala on Kauai was one of my first and best teachers,” says Medeiros, reflecting on the arc of his brand and the development of the skills that brought it to its current place. “He showed me the way when I was young. Then, as a teenager, Eric Arakawa allowed me to design my boards under him. I also worked with Dennis Pang and Glenn Pang. I’m appreciative of all of them, but it really started when my brother and I found one of our old boards under the house. We stripped it down and then reshaped with hand tools. That was Hawaiian Blades’ first project.”

About Hawaiian Blades' Most Popular Models: “The Shark Tooth,” says Medeiros, “here in Hawaii, is my most popular model. Its midpoint is dead center and the bottom-rocker and single- to vee-concave give the board hold and drive.”

Shop Talk: “Surfers are going all over our planet to ride waves in the oceans, lakes, and river bores. Coastal and I offer numerous models and new constructions that fit into that mix. Some of our models allow you to change the fin cluster, which helps one board perform in big or small surf. This will save the surfer cash when buying and traveling. In our challenged economy, it’s important to design a single board with numerous benefits.”

Why the name Hawaiian Blades? “My Hawaiian blood is my identity and my foundation. Being Hawaiian has allowed me to find my place in the world and also allowed me to give back to my culture. Hawaii is surfing’s birthplace and it is respected across the world. Preserving my cultural identity is key, so I named it Hawaiian Blades because the blade is a weapon and it also represents mana. It was a traditional symbol for power in Hawaii for our ancestors and only those skilled enough had the privilege to use it in battle. I think surfboards are very similar to the blade—they take a great degree of skill to handle.”

When customers come to you looking for a custom shape, what kind of questions do you ask them? “I ask how proficient they are. I ask what types of waves this board will be riding, what they’re riding now, what works for them, and what doesn’t. I also clarify whether they want the board to be versatile or specifically designed for a certain type of wave. Plus, I take their height and weight.”

What’s the most important quality to have in a board? “Hawaiian quality is the most important. We want our customers to have fun and be able to relate to the wave-riding experience that our predecessors had. We want them to feel Hawaii under their feet.”