We all know how difficult it is to get professional-quality board building and repair in southern Maine. Pine Coast exists to bring that level of work to Northern New England.
How it started
Pine Coast’s story begins in the spring of 2000. Fresh out of the U.S. Navy and finding my way through the ultra-competitive San Diego surf scene, I landed in the glass factory of one of the best-known shapers in the world. That first job taught me the art of sanding and the pace of real production work, turning out 8 to 10 boards a day while I was also attending San Diego State University.
After two years there, I moved on to another legendary shaper who would go on to become a shaping powerhouse, known for some of the highest-quality surfcraft on the market. If the first shop taught me production, the second taught me classic surfboard building: rocker and rail design, cut-lap resin tints, gloss resin panels, and the level of detail that defines high-end craft.
Coming out of the plain white “potato chip” boards of the 1990s, that work felt like a return to the spirit of the 1960s and 70s, where skilled craftsmanship and careful finishes were part of what made a board special. That shop still means a lot to me because it’s where I shaped my first board, and I still own it today.
The next step
Only weeks after the Clark Foam shutdown in December 2005, I took a month-long trip to Hawaii to get recharged for my final year of school. The plan was simple: finish my last two semesters without the distraction of working full time. That changed quickly when a friend heading out on military maneuvers asked me to cover for him at another shaping job.
That third stop was a one-on-one shop, just the shaper and me. It gave me the chance to learn the rest of the craft more deeply: shaping, laminating, hardware installation, problem solving, and the do-it-yourself ethos I still carry today. Twenty years later, that same approach is behind the shaping bay, business, and brand I am building here on my property in southern Maine.
What Pine Coast offers today
Pine Coast Surfboards serves Northern New England with a full range of professional-quality services, including custom board orders, repairs, and laminations. Every Pine Coast surfboard core, whether custom or stock, starts with first-quality US Blanks blanks and is hand-crafted here in Maine.
Repairs are handled to professional shop standards, not average resin-and-fill ding work. Pine Coast is set up with the tools, jigs, tints for color matching, and fin installation kits the pros use. Repair work includes FCS X2, Fusion, FCS II, and Futures fin repairs. Each job is finalized with an itemized invoice and a commitment to stand behind the work. Any defect in materials or craftsmanship will be reworked at no cost to the customer, subject to terms.
On the laminating side, Pine Coast offers 4, 6, and 8 oz E-glass to match a wide range of glass schedules. Services include hot coat, hardware installation, and sanded finishes, with options for tints, opaques, cut laps, resin pinlines, gloss, and polish.
Community and values
If you want to repair your own board, Pine Coast can help there too, whether you need materials or consultation. Veteran discounts are available on repairs, and Vietnam veterans receive free repairs for life.
We also carry merch for the landlocked days, with logo designs from the local artist guild, including Pine Coast Surfboards and Kennebunk Surf Club tees and trucker hats. Surf trunks are on the way too.
Pine Coast wants to help and give back to the community and the world. Board building is not always an earth-friendly craft, so the shop is committed to the sustainability mindset of reuse, recycle, and reduce. If you have an old wetsuit, Pine Coast would be glad to recycle it on your behalf. On the reuse side, Uncle Malbert’s organic cold-water wax is formulated from natural pine sap from trees grown right on the property.