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| NATURAL CURVES HISTORY |
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Welcome to Natural Curves Surfboards. We design, shape, and
manufacture fantastic surfboards for everyone who surfs. Our passion
for surfing began in 1959 with my first Magic Moment gliding in trim
along a small wave in Southern California. The same passion for
shaping began in 1967 when I shaped my first board in my family's
garage.
The mid to late '60s was an era of spectacular growth in surfing and surfboard design. Surfing was in transition from gliding like a pelican on the updraft of clean ocean swells to high speed turns like a dolphin in, around, and through the powerful critical sections of waves. In the late '60s I was fortunate to cross paths with surfer designers George Greenough on the Hollister and Bixby Ranches in Santa Barbara County and Mike Diffenderfer in San Diego County, Hawaii, and Southwest France. Greenough's innovative surfing on "Velo" - his flex spoon kneeboard - was the prototype for modern on rail surfing. Diff's designs and shapes - his rockers, outlines, foils, bottom contours and rails - were the foundation of the modern shortboard. A year surfing SW France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in 1969 amplified and expanded my passion for surfing, surfboard design, and shaping. We shared waves, surfboards, and magic moments with a progressive new generation of surfers including Diff, Bob Cooper, Michel Barland, Jean Marie and Francois "Murphy" Lartigau, Jaques Albert, Miki Dora, Nat Young, Wayne Lynch, Gerry Lopez, Jeff Hakman and a handful of frothing young surfers from around the world. This crew was on the leading edge of the Shortboard Revolution. The evolution of surfing and surfboard design was accelerating dramatically. |
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Surfing in SW France 1971 |
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After a another year surfing in SW France and Europe in 1971, I
returned to wave rich Santa Cruz, California in 1972 and started
Natural Curves Surfboards. Inspired by Greenough, Diff, and the
shortboard revolution, it's been my passion to design and shape
excellent custom surfboards for every surfer searching for a quality
surfboard.
Over the decades since that magic era of the shortboard revolution we've been committed to design, shape, and manufacture the finest surfboards possible. Surfers of all skills, ages, styles, and techniques have enjoyed the thrill of their own Magic Moments on our boards. |
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Traditional Shaping Tools |
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Our son
Kalu
shaped his first board when he was 12 years old. In 1996 when he
was 18 he started shaping professionally. Soon after he created his
own brand, Kalu Shapes. In 2008 he moved to the North Shore to
continue his career. He worked with Charlie Walker and Eric Arakawa
at the Sugar Mill in Waialua and Bret Morimoto at Sunset Beach. In
2014 he returned to Santa Cruz to shape and manufacture his boards
and manage, fine sand, and glass my shapes.
I retired from full time shaping and manufacturing boards in 2019 and moved to wave rich Huatulco in Southern Oaxaca with my wife Renee to enjoy surfing the exceptional sand points, the culture, and the sunny weather. I still design and shape boards for my surfer clients and Kalu fine sands and glasses my milled CNC designs in Santa Cruz. Kalu coined this description of my boards, "Designed in Oaxaca and built in Santa Cruz." Thank you for sharing our passion for surf culture and amazing surfboards. We hope you enjoy your visit to the Natural Curves Surfboards web site. |
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Contemporary Shaping Tools |
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MEDIA LINKS
Justin Housman Steve Colettas used to be common in surf towns Surfer Magazine Steve Coletta's Surfing Legacy Brainworks by Kyle Buthman Brainworks: Steve Coletta US Blanks Feature Interview with David Scales Surfline Feature Shaper's Alley Santa Cruz Kyle Thierman Podcast Surfing, shaping & navigating life SHAPER LINKS Bio Steve Coletta Bio Kalu Coletta |
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