Head Shaper:

Jon Henderson

Behind the Brand:Strive Surfboards is a homegrown Santa Cruz company with roots that extend back a decade. Its head shaper, Jon Henderson, says his goal is to build surfboards for a wide variety of surfers to ride across a spectrum of wave sizes and conditions. “Being in Santa Cruz has been ideal, because it’s a kind of a magnet for great shapers,” he says. “Michel Junod’s world-class planer work; Doug Haut’s perfect lines; Wil Jobson’s cerebral innovation leaps; Steve Coletta’s flawless curves; the late Mike Croteau’s futuristic design experiments; Stretch’s precise attention to detail; Ward Coffey’s limitless diversity and range—I’m honored that I have been able to become part of this very special community. But my main influence, overall, has been Randy French. His name is instantly recognizable as an innovator and as surfing’s ‘Technology Czar,’ but he also handles a planer with the best of them. I started working with Randy on prototypes around 1998. His generosity and tutelage as a mentor gave me the skills to manage traditionally constructed surfboard production for some of the most famous shapers in the world.”

And like many of his mentors, Henderson’s focus, he says, is on the boards he builds and the boards alone. “My wife thinks I spend too much time in the factory,” he says. “I love making surfboards. I don’t have a clothing line or an energy drink or a rock band to push. I am all about boards. I really get off on guys coming in and telling me that their new board works unreal and maybe they feel like I’ve helped them improve their surfing. I am approachable and still enjoy meeting with guys for custom shaping appointments.”

About Strive's Most Popular Models: “My most popular models are the Skipjack and the Bully,” says Henderson, “which are fuller template boards designed for the type of waves most surfers ride everyday. I’ve found that people want to be stoked. They want to focus on nailing the next turn, not struggling and pumping and hopping around like a dork because their board is stalling.”

Shop Talk: “For some reason, we’ve clung to a 1970s-era ideal of the shaper as a mystical guru who channels ‘bitchen’ vibes’ into each backyard-built board. Slowly, we’re finally starting to admit that there might be a better way to do things.”

How do you think surfboards and shaping/glassing boards will change in the next decade? “’Balance’ will finally begin to be understood and will eclipse ‘flex’ as the vogue design feature for us to stay up at night worrying about. We learned some years ago that strategically positioning weights on tow boards was smarter than just ordering 1"-thick stringers and laminating them with 5 layers of 6-ounce cloth on each side! Weight became more than just a number on the digital scale—it became about position, and weight position is about balance.”

What trends would you like to see continue with regard to surfboards and/or surfboard manufacturing? “Fuller outlines are great. Quads are unreal. Sure, they’re not for everyone, but for a lot of surfers they are the solution to a lot of issues. Mostly, I am stoked to see the end of ‘one-size-fits-all.’ It’s nice to paddle out and see guys speeding across the water rather than just struggling to ride the lowest-volume board that they could physically paddle.”