LOCALS ONLY
MURPHY
DENNIS
“Nine times out of ten, my customers come back. It’s not my ego talking. It’s just that my boards work.”
COUNTRY SHAPER? Words & Photography By Aaron Goulding
When I think of a little town called Julian, my very first thought is…oooohh, Apple Pie. This little town is 60 miles northeast of San Diego and is a definite mountain town. Julian is famous for their baked goods and even some Julian Hard Cider, but surfing definitely has never crossed my mind, until I met Dennis Murphy, Professional Surfboard Shaper. Why Julian? Dennis grew up in San Diego surfing the winters while spending his summers on the farm in Iowa helping his uncle. Several years ago, he and his wife took a drive through the countryside here one day and noticed a “For Sale” sign. They fell in love with the area and made a purchase. Dennis appreciates the fresh air and four seasons that Julian has to offer and he says it’s just an hour and ten minutes from the ocean. Dennis, now 60, has settled down in this quite little town, not only with his with his wife, but two house cats, four dogs, seven barn cats, three donkeys, dozens of chickens, a rooster, “Kipper” the race horse and acres of land. At first look you’d swear Dennis was a cowboy with his denim pants, boots, silver hair, and silver mustache and then you see the Mitch’s T-shirt and you know that this man’s a surfer at heart. And when you see the country tools around the property it just feels…oh…country. It’s not often you meet someone so kind and genuine. Dennis is just that and humble too. He has some amazing history in the surf industry and photos to prove it. “What I do is shape custom surfboards. That’s where I’ve made my mark.” said Dennis. Though he specializes in Longboards, with 40 plus years of shaping experience, he can shape any custom design you want. He can even build you a beautiful custom table. He uses Balsa, Redwood and Foam but he wants his neighbors to like him so he has his glassing done at Diamond Glassing. For the record, the glasswork is equally amazing to Dennis’s hand crafted designs. The boards he has standing around are beautiful! They are custom made and glassed to perfection. It doesn’t get much better. During my visit with Dennis, he recalls one of his idols Gerry Lopez and working with some of the greats. About 40 years ago while shaping for G&S, he was influenced by the likes of Dick Brewer, and Mike Diffenderfer, but his greatest supporter was his brother Doug, a world-class surfer.
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Winter is a tough time of the year for shapers. Dennis says he manages to survive by his regular clientele of 250 happy customers that keep coming back for more and odd jobs that he does for the state with his tractor gear. He admits the state of the economy doesn’t make it any easier. I got the full tour of the property and the shaping room located in the barn where I noticed a great photograph on the wall of a Redwood surfboard. It really drew me in for a closer look and I asked if he had made that. And he said ”Yes!” That’s a chambered Redwood Board.” It turns out that one of his neighbors, Kenny, disassembled an old water tank out at Cuyamaca that otherwise may have been burned up in the Cedar fire. The Redwood is clear heart from 1900 which his friend sells piece milled. “It’s very pricey but well worth it.” said Dennis. Redwood boards start out weighing about 90 lbs but after it is delicately chambered, it weighs about 45lbs. It takes up to 100 hours to build a board like that and sells anywhere from $7500 to $10,000. Over the years Murphy Surfboards has had the honor of shaping boards for many pro surfers including Tom English, Mike Emerson (Swami’s Surfing Association), Ron Greene (Slide Magazine) , Mark Etchings (Longboard Magazine), Eric Sommer, Mike Meyers, Sean Haggar (Hobie). Currently, Murphy Surfboards sponsors JP Marengo and may soon be announcing the addition of a high profiled surfer to the Murphy Surfboards family. Dennis’ approach with his team is that all boards are on loan. And he encourages his team riders to let people try the boards. And with that in mind, if you try it and you like it, then you will buy it. So if you see JP out one day surfing the Shores of La Jolla ask to try the board. Believe me. You will like it! Dennis is working on more projects, additions to his team, and ‘announcements’, but wants to keep it hush-hush at the moment. He is very thankful for his loyal customers. “Nine times out of ten, my customers come back. It’s not my ego talking. It’s just that my boards work. I’m proud of the rideability of my boards. They are all tried and tested.” You can find Murphy Surfboards at PB Surf Shop in Pacific Beach, Mitch’s in Solana Beach, and Central Coast at Good Clean Fun in Cayucos. Dennis can shape Redwood, Balsa and Foam. His Foam of choice is Polyurethane, US Blanks. Longboards start off at $715 for a polished 9.0 with 2 plus one that includes fins. For more detailed pricing and photos visit the website and for updates and team photos go to the blog. You can also order online. Dennis Murphy is very grateful for Chris Miller’s help with the blog and handling orders and deliveries. “You can find Chris Miller in the water at Del Mar haunting some of the secret spots. If you find him, talk to him about a new stick for your quiver.” Murphysurfboards.com Murphysurfboards.blogspot.com