The Epicenter

There are only a few places on earth that can be called epicenters of surfboard design. Australia has Coolangatta overlooking the Super Bank and Kirra. In the US, it’s San Clemente, California.

Located at the southern tip of Orange County, San Clemente is home to California’s most rippable shortboard wave, Lower Trestles, and home to one of the most famous longboard waves on the planet, San Onofre’s Old Mans.

Nestled in a small alley in San Clemente the giants of the surfboard design world stand side-by-side, constantly pushing the envelope of surfboard design. Names like Chris Kaysen, Matt Biolos, Timmy Patterson and Cole Simler. In this highly competitive market only the best survive. But those who do, go on to become legends.

For the past 25+ years Chris Kaysen has been building the finest boards on the planet. Chris grew up locally and unlike most young shapers he was never mentored or spent time sweeping up the shaping rooms. As a young man Chris took an interest in board design and started building boards straight away. His talents as a craftsman quickly progressed and in July 1993 Surfing Magazine named him one of the top 30 up-and-coming progressive surfboard shapers in the world.

The Vision: A Magic Board for Every Customer

While other shapers have grown beyond their ability to service each customer individually, Chris has stayed true to his vision of building a custom surfboard for each individual surfer. Chris doesn’t use “ghost shapers” and only uses computer pre-shaping about 50% of the time. When you purchase a Kaysen surfboard you can be sure that it was built specifically for you by Chris Kaysen.

Chris' goal is to have a relationship with every one of his customers so that he can work closely with you to build your ideal board. He’ll help you choose from our wide selection of models then customize it just for you. We also keep a nice selection of off-the-rack boards in our factory board loft. You might just find the perfect board is waiting for you when you arrive.

Prepare to be Blown Away

Chris doesn’t just design great boards, Chris builds great boards. We build carbon fiber, epoxy, and even special aircraft aluminum cloth models right here in our factory. They're extremely light with durability to last season after season, but unlike the overseas pop-out boards, your Kaysen epoxy or carbon board will be built specifically for you. And it won’t have that “dead wood” feel that overseas boards are famous for. Our epoxy boards are lively, unbelievably strong, and lighter than even the lightest pro poly boards.

If you want the best design, built by hand with poly, epoxy or carbon construction, tailored specifically for you, there’s only one choice.

Kaysen Surf Designs.