Surfboards: Our life and our company.

Degree33 Surfboards is a web based surfboard company and shop based out of San Diego, CA. We specialize in bringing high end, hand shaped (not just hand finished), surfboards to the public for entry level prices.

When I was looking at surfboards (surf boards) for the first time I remember how frustrating it was to get all the information that I needed to pick the right surfboard.

I looked on multiple websites trying to gather all the details to make a good decision. IT TOOK FOREVER!!

I knew there had to be a better way but I just couldn't find it out there.

Let me introduce myself.

My name is Luc Stokes and my wife Holly and I are avid surfers and owners of the online surf shop, Degree33 Surfboards, San Diego.

Let me tell you a little about myself

I am just like you, I put my pants on one leg at a time, I like caffeine in the morning, I love to laugh and goof around with friends, I think I have a good sense of humor (opinion I know, but if you'll hang with me for a sec I think I can convince you of the same thing :), and I live for surfing.

I'm not world class at it or anything, but I can hold my own. Unfortunately I wasn't one of those cool kids that grew up surfing. I grew up in the pacific northwest... not much surfing there. Surfing was something that I picked up later in life and have become a student of. Not just surfing, but all things surfboard related.

Here's the good and the bad of that

If you're like me, which 80% of surfers out there are, then you have fun and are comfortable in surf up to a little overhead. Double overhead and above... not so much. Here's the good thing about that... I know exactly where you are right now... because I am right there with you.

Now I am no surfboard professor, but all you're after is for someone to tell you what the best stick will be for your unique situation, and since we already established that you are probably just like me, then I know I can help you get exactly what you're looking for. This is really basic stuff, and doesn't take a brain surgeon... good thing because I never finished college. :)

The funny thing is that some people and blogs out there rant about how you absolutely have to be a surf legend, master shaper, and generally a PHD in surfboards before you can make a solid recommendation... come on, you're smarter than that.

Now a little about our company

We are not like other surfboard companies... in a good way of course. :)

Let me tell you a story...

Late in 2005 Holly and I moved down to San Diego, CA to chase the California dream... live where it was warm and surf our brains out. The only problem was that buying new surfboards when we got down here was a nightmare.

We went to local surf shops, online surf shops, looked on eBay, checked out Craigslist, and any other classified places you can think of, trying to find discount surfboards for sale . And you know what we found out?

If you wanted to buy a new surfboard from local surf shops you were going to spend anywhere from $500 to $800. If you wanted to buy a used surfboard, you were still going to pay anywhere from $300 to $500, unless the surfboard was in really bad shape.

I felt like I was missing something... there had to be a better way, right?

We took the next 11 months of our lives and dug in to the business of surfboards. I was so ignorant to what really went in to a surfboard. I thought it was just foam and fiberglass. Slap it together and you have a surfboard right? Wrong!

We found that we could get high quality, completely hand shaped, surfboards at a fraction of the cost. There was a catch however... We had to get materials from various locations as well as here in the USA... hire shapers to cut the lines... get an artist to come up with some killer graphics (still workin on this one)... I mean the list goes on and on.

There is so much that goes into a surfboard and the tiniest of adjustments makes the board surf totally different. Understanding these tiny nuances is the difference between selling surfboards and making sure that the surfboard you are about to purchase is without a doubt the perfect one for you.

We were gonna have to partner with people that new more than us. So, we partnered with our parents (my Dad has a huge entrepreneur background), the bank, and other big names in the surf industry like Clyde Beatty Jr. (been shaping boards since the 60's) who oversees our operation, local San Diego shaper Bill Minard to create our masters, and a sick team of board shapers who shape boards for everyone from Rusty to Robert August to Takayama and Hobie (and and and... the list is long I'll stop there).

Truth be told, the main reason we started this company was because we thought the prices of surfboards were out of hand. You'd think that after hiring and partnering with all the people above, that we'd have to charge the same thing that everyone else does. But in reality, unless you have a big name brand, and you want to maintain the perceived value of that brand, the costs are very reasonable to get boards made.

Here's my point, if you could have the best of all worlds, high quality boards built by the same shapers that know what they are doing, without having to pay for the name brand, wouldn't you do it? Why would you go to the retail surf shops and pay $300 - $500 more for a similar surfboard when you don't need to? Let me give you my backyard bro deal.

Here's the bottom line

We love surfing here at Degree33 Surfboards, we can help you get exactly what you need, and we can do it for a better price. We are here to pass our low overhead business model on to you. Translation... real savings in your pocket.

So that's our story. I hope it helps you know a little bit about us and in some way makes you feel a little more comfortable about doing business with us, because in all honesty, we did this for you. Enjoy, and let me know how our surfboards ride.

Luc & Holly Stokes - Founders

Contact Info and Directions for Degree33 Surfboards