Aussie IT pro loves to make surfboards

The Australian has set up a surfboard making centre in Mamallapuram

Dave is a software pro with a heart for surfing. His passion grew into a vocation after he found there were a few surfers in India, especially at Mamallapuram, the seashore town in Tamil Nadu, where he used to go for enjoying his sport. And today his company is one of the few in Asia that sells classic handmade surfboards. It all started when Dave, an Australian software professional, came to Chennai on an assignment a few years back. In Australia, he had learnt surfing when he was just three.

After picking up surfing, the Sydney-born Dave acquired the art of making surfboard. Though IT work in Australia kept him busy, the 38-year-old’s dream getting into surfing profession brightened when he visited Mamallapuram. During free time he went to beach, the temple and fishing town, near Chennai, only to find there was no surfers out there.

Some local fishermen had picked up the sport from foreign tourists, who visit Mamallapuram. But none of them had a good surfing board.

As a professional surfer and a “maker”, he decided to stay back and get into manufacturing high-tech surfboard. “Though I was good at my software profession, my passion for surfing did not leave from my heart and soul whenever I see the sea,” Dave said. The Australian is an expert in billing system under main-frame platform with UNIX operating system.
“I know that Tamil Nadu, has a long coastal line, which was unexplored for surf spots. I saw that
Mamallapuram waves are good for surfing but I did not have a surfboard to ride the waves at that beautiful beach,” Dave recollected.
As Dave, who prefers to go by his first name only, did not have any option, he imported a few surfboards and collected a few from tourists to train. When Dave came to know that importing finished surfboards was very expensive, he decided to venture into making surfboard on his own by starting a small production centre. “If you import boards from Australia, which is a good place to buy, it would cost you more than A$ 800,” he said. “It will be too costly for locals and, therefore, we decided to make our own,” he added.
In 2014, the IT professional decided to set up a surfboard-making unit at Mamallapuram after training Santhosh Moorthi, Ramadas and Mamu. Dave imports raw materials from Australia through an agent in Chennai, who will do all the customs formalities and delivers the goods at the doorstep.

After acquiring the knowledge from Dave, Santhosh joined the team and became one of the main members of the company, who can come out with a new surfboard. “I got five months vigorous training from him (Dave) to make surfboards,” Santhosh said.

After getting the special surfboard foam from Australia along with industry specialised fibre fabric, the foam is carved into the correct shape that is most beneficial for the individual to surf. This foam shape is then covered in cloth and resin and sanded smooth. Designs are added and as well as the fins and the leash.
Dave and his team start their work at 7 am and finish the day at 8 pm. “Though my colleagues take off on Sunday, I still work,” he said. Fond of north
Indian foods especially “Briyani” and “Chilli Chicken”, Dave has set up his own kitchen at his rented apartment near the sea shore. “I even prepare Thai food in my kitchen,” he said.

All the boards are hand-made, coloured and glassed one at a time by surfers for surfers and never mass-produced by a machine in a factory. According to Dev, “Temple Surfboard” draws its own ideology based around local employment in their chosen field using the best possible materials it can find worldwide.

In Dave’s factory electric power hand tools are used occasionally and all the surfboards are shaped and glassed by hand. “We believe that when making a surfboard, the feelings of the artist are absorbed into the board and create the soul of the finished product,” he said.

Dave’s in-house manufacturing process merges precision technology with classic skilled craftsmanship of Santhosh and his friends to create a timeless art form.
Every step from veneering and precision lens
cutting, to shaping and finishing is conducted in their own fishing-town workshop to promise an entirely handcrafted eye wear piece.  
A surfboard will cost between Rs 24,000 and  40,000 depending on the design, length and materials used. “We make surfboards according to the user choice,” he says.

Temple Surfboard considers a range of factors, including height, weight, shoe size, level of experience and ability and preference for boards, type of rails and fins while making the board.  
Local artists assist Dave’s team to create the
imagery of Indian classical drawings on the boards. “I do the main art work on the boards. We put all
Indian traditional design and make the surfboard much more appealing,” Ramadas said.

For Dave’s team only selling is not important. “Damaged boards are repaired and donated to needy children who like to learn surfing and have good manners and good school work. A sponsorship
programme is currently being devised,” he says.

Mamallapuram was the obvious choice for Dave as it has the best wave in mainland India and also has a good local surfing community with fisherman and stone carvers. He also sends his surfboards to Goa, Odisha, Kerala and other coastal states as per customer’s request. Moreover, “Temple” team regularly participates in surfing competition across the country.  
Dave said his business is expected to boom bet­ween this April and December when the season is best for surfing. “During this season, everyday I take a break of three hours from my job and will venture into sea for my favourite sport,” he said.
“It (surfing) not only removes the stress but also a very good exercise at any age,” he pointed out. For safety and to give financial support to his current business, Dave is still engaged in IT field and takes up several software contract jobs.
R Sathyanarayana in Mamallapuram