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Ed Sinnott Junior is a Australian surfer with a lifetime of experience in 2 to 12 foot surf who lives Byron Bay on the N.S.W north coast. Since 1976 he has combined his knowledge of surfing with a passion for hard work, originality, and innovation within the field of surfboard manufacturing. Over the last 30 years he has shaped over 18,000 surfboards for a huge variety of people from all over the world and gained invaluable experience by shaping for surfers the ASP World Tour as well as several World, State and Australian title holders. The expertise that comes with years of design and shaping experience keeps him on the cutting edge of creative and innovative surfboard design. “I shape the whole spectrum of surfboard design, everything from hi-performance shortboards, fishes, mini mals, retro designs and longboards, in my opinion any shaper worth their salt should be familiar with all aspects of design. My shaping focus is inter-generational ”
Torren Martyn. Derricks. Pic Simon Guthrie Over the course of a career that has spanned the single-fin, twin-fin, thruster and the modern longboard eras; Ed has seen a lot changes in the surfboard industry. “When I started surfing in the late sixties many of the surf companies and board manufactures of today didn’t exist, we didn’t wear leg ropes, wetsuits were basically non existent and no one would have ever conceived you could get a surfboard made in China or that plastic boards made in Thailand would ever be acceptable.” "The angle that got me into surfboard design in the first place was a creative one. In the seventies as a teenager I was at art school doing the bohemian thing surfing everyday, painting, drawing, doing leatherwork and dings for cash." I started working at John Skipp’s factory painting surfboards, doing pin lines, polishing, sanding, glassing, sweeping the floor, doing dings and gradually shaping more and more. I just had this incredible drive and passion to create really good surfboards. "It was all about the creation and the joy of riding those pieces of functional sculpture out in the ocean." I was raising a family on the beach at Shellhabour on the South Coast of N.S.W. at the time: I was surf mad living the most hardcore surfing life you could ever imagine and to some degree still am, it’s been my life and I love it. I remember waking up on a full moon in the caravan and getting on my wetsuit and surfing at three in the morning watching the glow of the sun growing brighter. I was exceptionally motivated. and super keen to say the least. Marion my partner at the time thought I was obessed, possessed and a trifle eccentric ”
ESP withover 30yrs of Progressive Knowledge in All Areas of Surfing. In a world where mass production and pop-outs from Asian countries abound it’s refreshing to see someone still following tradition and living the dream as a surfer/shaper. “I personally chose to manufacture my boards using Australian workers and materials. Mass production is not my scene, but producing professionally made surfboards of A1 quality is. Here at ESP we are proud of what we do and as a group of Australian surfers we have never embraced the propaganda pushed in the surf media by companies owned by overseas dollars promoting Asian surfboards. The fantastic shapers and craftsmen I learned from and worked with were all at one time master surfer/shapers, Terry Richardson, Frank Latta, Michael and Tom Peterson, Kevin Parkinson, Carl Schaefer, John Skipp, Ben Shaw, Tom Storey and Ralph Riddell."
Joel White Coffs Harbour Spot X
"My vision of the surfing lifestyle is one of complete interaction as a shaper/surfer and I ride a lot of the board I design"Some of the shorter boards my team does the testing for me.
Living in Byron Bay I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to surf every day in classic set ups like Broken Head, The Pass, Tallows and Lennox. I first picked up a planer back in 1976 and have not turned it off since. I’m still doing what I started doing over thirty years ago and that is surfing and shaping every day, playing music, writing songs and staying fit. Even though I get really busy I still take time everyday to get in the water. It is like living in a dream and I’m stoked. Mass production, plastic surfboards and the hard sell are not my scene and never ever will be.”
Secret Spot North Coast NSW doing its thing. |
Ed's Honour Roll Utilizing feedback from a team of dedicated surfers from around the globe, he strives to produce the most advanced, high-performance boards available. Some of the surfers who have used Ed’s boards and who are on his honour roll include: Michael Lowe, Simon Law, Jake Spooner, Sandi Ryan, Paul ‘Dirty Face’ Brooks, Bill Lloyd, Aquiles Sande, Shane Powell, Dylan Longbottom, Chad Ryan, Josh Lewan, Izen Dsana, Chris Holmer, Jock Barnes, Torren Martin, Rob Page, Jeremy Byles, Saul Baker, Josh Cooper, Kevin Holt, Steve Mills, Beau Young, Terry Richardson, Lee Miller, Kris Puckeridge, Darren Landers, Jeremy Williams, Christian DeClouett, Glen Kelly, Dan McNaughton, Hans Hedemann, Ritchie Collins, Mog, Solly Bailey, Scott Cannon, Chris Peel, Matt Douglas and a host of other surfing greats.
As an expert shaper, Ed likes to shape boards the way he wants them to be surfed - fast and radical.
Ed strives to design boards that will challenge a surfer, whether it’s a beginner, touring professional, young or old.
Ed has seen the surf industry grow from local grass-roots operations to a multi million-dollar global surf network. He also believes in the strong traditions and heritage associated with the history of surfboard manufacturing. Especially involving surfers who become masters of shaping and designing by surfing the boards they ride.
“It is simply the fundamental roots of our surfing that dates from the early surfboard shapers and designers such as the ancient Hawaiians, through to the Duke, Tom Blake, McCoy, Brewer, Lopez, Joe Larkin, Bob Mctavish, Nat Young, Michael Peterson, Simon Anderson and Mark Richards to name a few. They all rode, shaped and designed their own equipment and I am proud to be part of that continuing evolution.”
Ed has dedicated his life to surfing and to the construction surfboards. He has worked for many well-known labels like ESP, Skipp, Gordon and Smith, Beachstreet, Law, Fluid Foils, 2481 and Michael Peterson Surfboards. Ed is also one of the few shapers world wide to be invited to shape under the banner of the Hawaiian premier surfboard labels of Lightening Bolt and Hawaiian Island Creations.
"If you want a real custom surfboard shaped by someone who will listen and give you the best value for money then I’m your man. I started out with hard-core surfing and professional quality in mind. Over 30 years later I still hold these values close to my heart and live this surfing life, this dream to the fullest."
Josh Cooper getting a solid barrell at the Malfuntion competition.
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