Strive Surfboards

A B O U T

OUR STORY

The Strive Surfboards brand was founded in 2000 because one day an 11 year old grom rode his first wave and was hooked. It was fun. It was cool. It was all Jon Henderson could think about!

Strive is the perpetual continuation of that deep love for surfing. We are inspired to learn, to grow, to always improve so we can bring you the best boards. We build the boards that go on surf trips to far away dream worlds. We design the boards that paddle in early and get over the ledge on drops that seemed impossible. We create the boards that give us precious moments of sanity in a crazy world.

Strive Surfboards are proven from Jaws to Ruggles, RI; from Pipeline to Alabama Point Jetty; from Mavericks to Cornwall, UK; from Nazaré to Chiba, Japan; from Teahupo’o to San-O. We are proud to build boards for everyone, everywhere.

OUR COMMITMENT

Strive will continue to keep finding new ways to make all types surfing even more fun, while honoring surfing’s roots, style, spirit, culture and everything that makes surfing the coolest thing ever.

MEET YOUR SHAPER : Jon Henderson

I founded the Strive Surfboards brand because one day when I was 11 years old, my sister’s boyfriend let me tag along to the beach and borrow one of his boards. Most of us can clearly remember that moment when we first felt the stoke of riding a wave and we knew we were destined to be a surfer. For me it was the most profound awakening of my young life.

I was always making something (mostly a mess in dad’s garage) and I immediately started building all kinds of boards from whatever scrap materials I could find; skim boards, paipo’s, even a skateboard with a sail so I could ‘windsurf’ down my street. I was stoked, I wanted to try everything, and building the boards was as fulfilling as riding them.

Santa Cruz, California is home. It is a beautiful place with amazing waves and great surfers. Santa Cruz has a very rich tradition of great board builders, and it is humbling to find a place among them. I have also been lucky to travel the world making boards. I have built boards in 8 countries, on 4 continents. I spent 15 years working internationally as a designer and production manager for dozens of brands with production of 20,000+ boards per year, of all kinds of boards: Surfboards, Stand-Up Paddle boards (Race, Wave, Recreational), Prone Paddleboards, Wake Surfboards, Kite boards, even Bodyboards. Surfboards have always been my passion and primary focus, but I am so grateful to have learned about hydrodynamics, materials, design, structural engineering, and production processes from across such a wide spectrum of water craft.

I love surfing. I love surfboards.

MAKE SURFING MORE FUN. KEEP SURFING COOL.

S U R F B O A R D S

STEP-UP

A step-up is your everyday shortboard, but slightly more serious, more reliable. When conditions pick up a bit, bigger, steeper, faster, more critical, most typical performance shortboards can start to redline. In these prime wave conditions the last thing anyone wants is to hold back, you want to be free to meet power with power. Our step-up’s start with the performance shapes, we add a bit of length, a little more rocker. We maintain performance design characteristics, blended with utilities which allow maximum power and control.

BIG BOY

The physically larger surfers just might be the most under-served group when it comes to available shapes in most surf shops. The redesigned Strive Bully model is a modern high-performance board for “big guys” looking to have serious fun in everyday conditions. We started with a performance rocker and bottom shape, and then gave it a more generous outline and more volume under the chest. The big brothers and uncles will easily catch tons of waves and throw serious spray.

MID-LENGTH

Mid-Length’s have shaken off the “fun board” tag and are being adopted by more performance surfers looking for fun in conditions which do not always warrant a regular shortboard. The Strive Solution is a versatile and reliable performance mid-length. We set out to design a board that combines smooth flow in weaker waves, with speed, flow, drive, and turning performance. Paddles in effortlessly, moves quickly and turns aggressively, travels easily.

PERFORMANCE LONGBOARD

Strive’s Incitor performance longboards are designed to blend progressive modern surfing with the smooth flow of longboarding. These boards are ideally suited for everything from “real world conditions” of messy beach breaks, to ruler-straight point waves. The Strive Incitor Model longboard excels across a staggeringly broad range: expert to beginner; 2′-15′ waves; beach breaks, points, or reefs; young or old; male or female. The Inciter is carefully designed to be a ‘go anywhere’ board; truly for everyone, everywhere!

TRADITIONAL LONGBOARD

Some things never go out of style, like the glide of a great traditional nose rider. The Strive Heirloom model offers smooth flow, flawless trim, and timeless feel. One of our most refined shapes, we have spent decades balancing to foil, determining the ideal bottom and rail contours for smooth turns, effortless drive, and long tip-time.

GUNS

Strike Mission Model – With over a quarter century of designing and building big wave guns for Mavericks, and other big waves around the globe, we are very proud to offer the Strike Mission model gun. Knowledge, preparation, fitness and proper equipment are critical in big wave surfing. The Strike Mission features a proven bottom rocker curve with unique foiling of volume to create fast, responsive, reliable performance balanced with the confidence, predictability, and early entry of a larger board. All Strike Mission guns come standard with a preinstalled full-deck proprietary EVA deck pad. Waves of consequence call for boards of confidence, and serious waves can be serious fun.