Arakawa Surfboards

Born and raised in Hawaii, Eric Arakawa shaped his first board at 14 out of his family's Pearl City home, and today brings over 40 years of experience having shaped boards for more than ten World Champions. Operating out of the North Shore of Oahu, his boards carry the tagline "Proven Boards from the Proving Grounds," and have earned that reputation the hard way. His designs have been ridden to victory in countless Triple Crown events, WCT and WQS competitions, and across Longboard and Big Wave World Tours, with world title holders like Michael Ho, Derek Ho, and Andy Irons among those who trusted his boards when it mattered most.

In 1982, Arakawa founded Island Classics on the North Shore, a label that had some of Oahu's heaviest hitters on the roster, riding deep in Pipeline's tubes. He also invented the Nose Guard and helped establish SurfCo Hawaii, a wholesale marketing company with worldwide distribution of surfboards and surf accessories. Named Surfing Magazine's Shaper of the Year in 2003, Arakawa remains dedicated to the innovation and advancement of performance surfboards, from shortboards to mini Simmons to longboards. Few shapers in history can claim his combination of North Shore credibility, championship pedigree, and decades of quiet, consistent excellence.