Ben's Iconic designs are still being shaped by Duke Aipa (Ben's middle son) who owns and operates Aipa Surf Co. in California. Recently, Akila’s boards have been seen under Kelly Slater’s feet, including in impressive performances at Keramas in 2019. Find the best deals on the AKILA AIPA TWIN FIN SET by FUTURES at BOARDCAVE - The world’s leading surf marketplace. Ben Aipa’s son, Akila Aipa, continued in his father’s footsteps, placing second in the 1989 US world championships and becoming a renowned shaper in the 1990s. At the same time, Aipa continued his own competitive dominance, winning the grandmasters division at the US Surfing Championships in 1989 and the legends division in 2000. Aipa also served as a coach to these 1970s surf stars, and then continued to coach contemporary pros such as Brad Gerlach, Sunny Garcia, Kalani Robb, and Bruce and Andy Irons. His boards were tested and proven by surfing luminaries such as Larry Bertlemann, Michael Ho, Mark Liddell, and Buttons, and helped usher in the hi-fi shredding of the mid-1970s. Aipa Surfboards was started in 1970, and quickly developed a reputation for innovation, particularly after Aipa developed the double-ended swallowtail in 1972 and then the split-rail stinger in 1974. He also shaped boards that matched that style, shaping his first board virtually the same time that he started riding waves, and shaping the board that Fred Hemmings won the world championships on in 1968. A big surfer at 250 pounds, Aipa blended power with a surprising amount of finesse, and developed his own style of surfing. He was also a finalist at the Duke Kahanamoku Classic at Sunset Beach, finished fourth at both the 1967 Makaha International and 1975 Lightning Bolt Pro, and competed in the 19 world championships. He didn’t miss a single day of surfing in 1965, and won the Hawaiian Inter-Island Championships the next year. A native of Honolulu, he was a competitive powerhouse in the 1960s and 1970s, even though he didn’t start surfing until he was in his 20s and an ankle injury ended his semi-pro football career. Aipa is a legend of the sport, and has been for the past 50 years. Here is a clean Surfing’s New Image / Aipa twin fin, and while it was likely not shaped by Ben himself, you can clearly see the same double concave design in the tail.Aipa Surfboards Shaper: Duke Aipa Location: Huntington Beach, CA About: If you are a surfer from Honolulu and haven't heard of Ben Aipa, you are missing out on a key part of our cultural surfing heritage. I don’t know how long he made it, or why the design seemed to fall out of favor, but you’ll occasionally see some other examples. I can’t speak to the functionality of the shape, and I’d love to hear some feedback on how this thing rides.Īipa produced this twin fin for some period of time. There is a hypnotizing quality to the sharpness of the tail and then the otherwise seamless curves throughout. This Aipa twin fin is one of those rare boards where I could literally lose track of time simply studying its lines and curves. The closest thing I can think of is the Bing Bonzer, which has a similar double concave in the tail, but a way less dramatic ridge along the stringer. (I’m almost certainly butchering the terminology here but hopefully you get my drift.) The Aipa twin fin is a crazy looking shape. As you can see, the tail sports super deep double concaves, which culminate in a ridge / pintail. I am a huge fan of Aipa’s shapes in general, and I am blown away by the dramatic lines of this twin fin. The Contemporary Fish is built to perform in 1- to 6-foot surf. The only other thing I can think of is the fact Egan’s father is Sam Egan, a well regarded Australian shaper, and perhaps there was some connection between the elder Egan and Ben Aipa. CONTEMPORARY FISH Akila Aipa Surfboards CONTEMPORARY FISH Suggested Dimensions 5’5 x 19 1/2 x 2 3/8 This design is the evolution of the fish. Egan and Ben’s son Akila are roughly the same age, too.
AKILA AIPA SURFBOARDS PRO
How did Egan and Aipa link up? I don’t know, although Egan was probably making regular trips to the North Shore of Oahu, like any other up and coming pro surfer. Even if the board was shaped in the late Eighties, Egan would have only been in his late teens when it was made. I tend to think the Aipa twin fin was made in the early- to mid-Eighties - for example, see this Ben Aipa quad fin with a similar design, which is dated to 1978.
According to Wikipedia, Egan was born in 1970 ( Encyclopedia of Surfing claims 1969). I’m guessing the Aipa twin fin was shaped early on in Egan’s career. I can’t find a photo of him surfing anything else. I associate Egan’s entire career with high performance thrusters. I am still surprised to see that Ben Aipa ever shaped boards for Luke Egan.
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