Robert August

In 1964 Robert August left the United States with one surfboard, his buddy Bruce Brown and a couple of cameras in search of the Perfect Wave. Co-starring in The Endless Summer, August went around the world to change the public image of surfers in America and around the world. Surfers weren't druggies or deadbeats or guys who sang to their girlfriends. Surfers were clean-cut all Americans who were willing to go to great lengths to get their kicks. Forty years ago, August changed the way the world perceives surfers (and the way surfers perceive the world), now August is working with Surftech to change the way a world full of surfers perceive surfboards.
The board that went around the world with August in 1964 was a sturdy 10' 2" glassed with two coats of ten ounce. "We didn't have board bags or leashes or even a ding repair kit. We just threw boards on the planes and they spent a lot of time banging around in the baggage hold and on the rocks and on the roofs of taxis and rickshaws. Well the glass was tough back then and so was the foam. After three months the boards were worked over, but they made it."
Robert August has been at it for more than 40 years. A star pole vaulter at Huntington Beach High and also the Student Body President, August had been surfing since the age of six when he graduated from Huntington Beach High and graduated into the adventure of a lifetime. Endless Summer made Robert August an international star right when the surf boom was booming, but he still had to work. He first managed the Hap Jacobs shop in Hermosa Beach but wanted to get into shaping to make more money. "I started shaping these little bellyboards for $5 a piece," August said. "That introduced me to tools and techniques and I moved up from there."
August commuted from HB to the South Bay and then eventually moved there, until the lack of good surf moved him back to Huntington. He shaped for Overlin, Petrillo, Plastic Fantastic, South Shore, Harbour, Chuck Dent and anyone else who needed him through the late 60s and into the 70s. In 1974 he started Robert August Surfboards in Huntington Beach. The retail shop and the factory have moved many times over the years, but the August label has been pumping out boards ever since. August figures he has shaped over 37,000 surfboards personally over the years. He now employs five shapers but still puts his hand in every day. "When I was younger and trying to get somewhere I was doing 50 to 70 boards a week, no problem," August said. "But now if I do three boards a day I collapse."
August was the second shaper to get involved with Surftech, but he approached it like he approached all those wild animals in Africa: tentatively. "I had been approached by other board manufacturers before but never saw any quality worth my name next to," August said. "When Randy first approached me he was enthusiastic but I thought, 'Naw, I don't want to get involved with this. They're going to sell these boards for $800. That's not going to work.' But then Randy gave me one of the veneer boards and I rode it and it was great, you know? It was kind of a heavier board and strong and I reconsidered."
August has designed a variety of boards for Surftech, from 8 to 10 feet long. "There is a 'What I Ride' board, which is basically what I ride, and then there is a Mike Doyle design from my factory and there are also boards from Mike Minchington and the Mark Martinson Wingnut model. I prefer the veneer boards because they are a little heavier, but the TufLite boards are great for high performance surfing."
We know what you're thinking so we asked Robert August for you. If he were doing The Endless Summer again, and could only take one surfboard, which Surftech would it be? "I'd take the 9' 6" All Around board in the veneer. I don't want to be wishy washy but it has a medium rocker and medium thickness and it's good in eight foot surf and in sloppy surf. I could ride that board in eight foot surf and I could ride it in slop. It would go good at Bruce's Beauties, and if I lost it into the rocks, it would come out okay."

7'6" - Corky Carrol

N : 16 3/4

M : 21 7/8

T : 14 1/2

Th : 2 1/2

FINS

Centre : FCS GPR

Side : FCS GPR

Board Review

The perfect mid-size board. its rounded pintail ensures ease of turning, yet provides adequate power and bite to lay out aggressive bottom turns without the fear of unwanted spin-out or any loss of down-the-line speed.
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7'6" - Martinson X

N : 17 1/2

M : 22 1/2

T : 15 1/4

Th : 3

FINS

Centre : Wingnut 10

Side : N/A

Board Review

Designed with all the key elements from the transition era. Fantastic longboard glide with small board manoeuvrability.
Great in fast beach break and reefs.
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8'0" - Hyper Fun

N : 11 3/4

M : 21 1/2

T : 14 1/2

Th : 2 3/4

FINS

Centre : Surf 10" RA 7

Side : FCS GX GF

Board Review

This board has very edgy rails overall, similar to a Mark Richards twin fin. The Hyper Fun Fish continues to rip with a proven design that has been popular for over 3 decades.
At a length of 8 feet, and with its ultra light weight, the result is unparalleled responsiveness and embarrassingly easy wave-catching ability.
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8'4" - What I Ride

N : 18

M : 22 7/8

T : 15

Th : 3

FINS

Centre : Surf 10" RA 7

Side : FCS GX GF

Board Review

It makes sense to ride a board that maximizes your fun regardless of the conditions. "What I Ride" utilizes a 60/40 rail configuration which, in combination with a nifty tear drop concave conveniently placed under the 18" wide nose, greatly enhances your style of noseriding.
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9'0" - HP Pintail

N : 17 1/2

M : 22 5/8

T : 14

Th : 2 3/4

FINS

Centre : Surf10" RA 7

Side : FCS GX GF

Board Review

This model features a roun-pin married to hard-edged rails at the tail.
A tri-fin setup with featherweight Surftech construction provides surfers with ample speed and sensitive control whether on the tip, over the lip or in the tube.
Designed and shaped by Robert August for those who like pushing the envelope on a long board. Comes with a 7" centre fin.
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9'0" - Saber

N : 17 3/4

M : 21 3/4

T : 13 1/4

Th : 3

FINS

Centre : Surf 10" RA 7

Side : FCS GX GF

Board Review

This design comes with low-egg rails which taper back to an edge at the diamond-tail. A slight rail-to-rail concave under the nose incorporated with an overall flat bottom give this model some high performance capabilities.
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9'0" - What I Ride

N : 18

M : 22 7/8

T : 15

Th : 3

FINS

Centre : Surf 10" RA 7

Side : FCS GX GF

Board Review

9'0" - Wingnut II

N : 16 3/4

M : 22

T : 13 1/2

Th : 3

FINS

Centre : Wingnut 10

Side : N/A

Board Review

My all around "if I could only take one board" board. Narrow enough to handle larger surf but with its flatter rocker for early entry and speed and thin foiled rails it really hangs in for turns and noseriding.
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9'0" - Wingnut NR

N : 16 3/4

M : 22

T : 13 1/2

Th : 2 7/8

FINS

Centre : Wingnut 10

Side : N/A

Board Review

Proven Design concepts from the classic nose riding models of the 60's blended with the current surfboard design and production methodologies, results in a one-of-a-kind classic.
The wide nose utilizing a flat planing surface underneath, provides for the longest, tightest nose rides possible. Modern tail-rocker and its light weight, allow this model to rip in any conditions.
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