Design & Development
Shapes, constructions and materials developed with the team behind two Good Design Awards, or built from your own designs and specs.
Co-Founder & Director, The Surfboard Agency
From the factory floor to all surf markets globally.
I design, develop and manufacture surfboards for brands through The Surfboard Agency's OEM program. We take your boards from first sample to full production and deliver them to whichever markets you sell in.
2xGood Design Award winner for surfboard design
Built and run in our system
- Mick Fanning Softboards
- Aloha
- McCoy
- Rip Curl licence
2xGood Design Award winner for MF Softboards
200+retail doors stocking boards we've made
13+years designing and manufacturing surfboards
Multifactory hardboard and softboard production that scales with you
Aloha Surfboards · Northern NSW
OEM manufacturing
What we build for you
Your brand on boards built in the same system as our award-winning ranges. You get the factories, people and experience of a much larger brand without building them yourself.
Sampling & QC
Samples, revisions and sign-off before production, then quality checks on every run, so the boards that arrive match the boards you approved.
Production at Scale
Hardboard and softboard production across multiple factories, from a first run through to full container loads, without changing suppliers as you grow.
Components & Finish
Fin systems, plugs, leash cups, graphics and packaging sourced and fitted to your spec, with your branding on every board.
Freight & Delivery
Container shipping from our factories to your warehouse in Australia, the USA, Europe, Japan and other surf markets.
Route to Retail
Optional access to our wholesale network of 200+ retail doors when you want help with sales as well as production.
Fit
Who we build for
We take on OEM partners whose boards sit well alongside our own brands. We'll tell you on the first call if we're not the right fit.
A good fit
- Surf and lifestyle brands adding or growing a board range
- Retailers and chains launching their own private-label boards
- Shapers who need production volume on a proven model
- Athletes and personalities building a signature range
- Brands outgrowing their current factory or paying too much for small runs
Your designs, specs and pricing are treated as confidential.
Not a fit
- One-off custom boards
- Copies of another brand's protected designs
- Ranges built to compete head-on with the brands we already run
Process
How it works
Every partnership follows the same four steps. You'll know what your boards cost and when they'll arrive before you commit to production.
- 01
Intro call
Thirty minutes on your brand, your boards, your volumes and where you sell.
- 02
Brief & fit
We agree the range, constructions, target costs and timing, and confirm we're the right partner.
- 03
Samples & costing
Samples are made and refined, then you receive final landed costs and production lead times.
- 04
Production & delivery
Your boards go into production, through QC, and onto the container to your market.
Our work
MF Softboards with Mick Fanning
Three-time world champion Mick Fanning wanted a softboard that performed like a real surfboard. With The Surfboard Agency, we built Mick Fanning Softboards from the first concept: the shapes, the construction, the materials and the factory process behind them.
I led product design and development, working with Mick on each model and with our factories on how to build them. The range is now sold around the world, has worked with surfers like Laura Enever on signature models, and runs a global shaper challenge with the World Surf League.
The same design, sampling and production process is what we offer OEM partners today.
"Elegant, simple and understated design with high quality materials and fit for purpose manufacturing."Good Design Awards jury, on Mick Fanning Softboards
- Good
DesignGood Design Award, 2019Product, Sport & Lifestyle: Mick Fanning Softboards. Kurt Henson, Product Design Development. View award - Good
DesignGood Design AwardMick Fanning Softboards
- RoleCo-Founder & Director, The Surfboard Agency
- SinceFounding, 13+ years
- BrandsMick Fanning Softboards, Aloha, McCoy, Rip Curl licence
- BasedLennox Head, Northern NSW
Aloha Surfboards
Contact
Check your brand's fit
Email me with a few details and I'll come back to you within two business days to say whether we're a fit and what happens next.
- Your brand and website
- Board types you want made
- Rough volume per year
- Markets you sell into
- When you need boards landed
- Current factory, if any