ABOUT MARK ANGELL
Mark Angell has been living a surfer’s dream for over six decades and shaping for 54 of those years. He began shaping longboards, shortboards then sailboards and finally standup paddleboards, which he was responsible for shaping some of the original SUP’s on Maui in early 2000. Recognized as a high quality craftsman, he creates true custom hand-shaped boards designed with features that enhance the board’s purpose. He is an innovator, not a duplicator. Armed with his templates, planer and surform he creates magic for his clients.
Mark has shaped through decades of design change, solidifying his expertise in the ever changing surf industry. Not only is shaping his craft, but he’s a core soul surfer dedicated to his passion both on land and in the ocean.
GROWING UP IN SANTA CRUZ
As a toddler, his mom took Mark to
the ocean everyday and so it was only natural that it
became his playground and his home.
As a young grom, he saved his money mowing lawns and bought
his first solid “water logged” balsawood surfboard
for $20.00 and the “surfing bug” took hold forever.
He and his buddies were surfing every moment they
could; before school, after school and oh yeah,
sometimes during school.
COMPETTION
In high school Mark started actively competing in surf contests. Hobie recognized Mark’s surfing ability and signed him up as a team rider. It was on a Hobie board that he set and still holds the record for the longest noseride in competition, 39.6 seconds at the Cowell’s Beach Noseriding contest in l966.
He also rode for other prestigious surf companies, such as Jabcobs and was a team rider for the very first O’Neill’s competition team.
He consistently competed and placed in the finals in Longboard and Shortboard in Costa Rica, California, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. Still to this day he continues to compete and place in surf competitions in Hawaii.
SHAPING HISTORY
His career as a shaper began building rental boards during the summer of 1964 at Otto's Fun Sport, as portrayed in the book "Images of America Surfing in Santa Cruz".
His mentors in early years were Don Hansen, Jerry Benson, Ken Tilton, George Olson and Doug Haut, shapers in the Santa Cruz area.
Mark opened his first business, Kienholz & Angell in 1968 in Santa Cruz, CA. A few years later, he decided to make a move to Kauai and opened a small shop on the east side in Kapaa .
He stayed in Kapaa for about three years and then made the decision to move to Oahu to further his shaping career. There he shaped for some of the largest surfboard companies in the world such as Lightning Bolt, Surfline, Brewer Surfboards, Country Surfboards, Local Motion, Hawaiian Island Creations , Town and Country plus his own label, Mark Angell Surfboards.
Yearly he found himself heading to Japan, sponsored by Mr. Namakawa of Central Beach Surfboards, where he would shape under his own label “Mark Angell Surfboards” and distribute boards to half a dozen retail stores throughout the island.
In 1985 Mark migrated to Maui to be with family and expanded his knowledge by shaping sailboards for Sailboards Maui, while continuing his surfboard shaping business and eventually shaping only under his label. Sixteen years later he gravitated back to Kauai where he continues to shape, innovate and create some
of the finest boards in the industry.
