About Carl Ekstrom

Please get in contact with us if you have any questions about surfboard shaper legend Carl Ekstrom and if you have specific questions about his boards or if you want to order surfboards glassed by Hydroflex.

He started in the surfboard building business as a surfboard fiberglasser and finisher. From fiberglassing, he moved into surfboard shaping and developed his own surfboard shop in La Jolla in the early 60’s. In 1965 he developed and patented the asymmetrical concept for surfboards.

In the 70’s, using many of the same materials for building surfboards, Carl got into the business of prototype design and development.

From 1988 – 2000 he worked with Tom Lochtifeld to model and develop the Flow Rider Wave machines.  At the same time he worked with Stanly Pleskunas to develop the surfboards for riding the Flow Rider.

A few years ago, through Chris Ahrens, Carl got back into designing and prototyping surfboards. Next he teamed up with Richard Kenvin and his Hydrodynamica Pilot Project.

Lately, he’s been working with Richard Kenvin, Ryan Burch, and Hydroflex to produce surfboards that have combined superior front side and back side riding characteristics through asymmetry.

Carl Ekstrom will be honored at the Fall 2011 Sacred Craft Show  (October 8th & 9th) in Del Mar, California, were all shapers in the competition will be fabricating their own versions of asymmetrical surfboards.