Leechy Surfboards

In Santa Cruz, we are lucky to have some truly big names in the surfboard shaping business. Guys like Pearson Arrow and Stretch have been celebrated for years for their efforts, but what about the lesser known? The truth is that we’ve got a number of talented, underground board builders who’ve been toiling in the shadows for decades, going largely unrecognized despite their efforts. Shapers like Bobby Ledesma, Troy Freeman, Ashley Lloyd, and Vince Broglio come to mind as local artisans who’ve been cranking out quality blades for years from the periphery without much pomp and circumstance. 

Although they lack the hype and visibility of brands such as Al Merrick or Sharp Eye, all of these shapers have the skill to shape you the board of your dreams. They also live and work here in our local community, so supporting them means supporting your community.

One new shaper who you should seriously consider supporting, is the West Side’s own, Stefan Woliczko, of Leechy Surfboards. Over the past few years Woliczko has slowly been making a name for himself with slick designs for his clientele of friends and family, but word is finally getting out. He recently shaped a beautiful longboard that was displayed, and later auctioned off for the SCLU’s Memorial Day event at Steamer Lane that drew much admiration and drools over the course of the holiday weekend. 

Despite his growing skill and reputation, Woliczko is the first to admit that he’s no master of his craft, yet he’s got the passion and positive attitude required to make him a great choice for anyone wanting to stray from the herd and try something new.

Last week, I linked up with the man behind Leechy Surfboards to find out more about his journey into the hallowed world of surfboard shaping.

Beginnings

I got interested in shaping surfboards first by watching guys that were building my boards when I was younger. Doug Banks would let me watch him shape my boards as a kid. Later I started getting boards shaped by Mark Goin and glassed by Vince Broglio and was interested in what they were doing. I was lucky enough to get a job installing FCS fins for Broglio up at the ranch, so I was around all those great surfboard builders. Mark Goin and Joey Thomas had shaping bays side by side and Vince Broglio with his glass shop.

First Shape

The first surfboard I ever shaped was way back in 2005. Joey Thomas let me use his shaping bay, but I don’t think I knew how special that was at the time. I had made a template off of one of my favorite Mark Goin shapes that I obtained by tracing the board on masonite, then cutting it out. It was easier to get materials then because Monterey Bay Fiberglass was around at the time so you could just go in there and pick out a Clark Foam blank. I ended up spending hours and hours shaping that blank—or should I say over-shaping it (laughs). The nose ended up really thin and curvy.

I remember letting Goin see it, and he was nice enough to help out by up giving the tail a couple wipes for me. At the time, Hawaiian shaper John Carper had a video out that I had watched and took notes on. It’s funny, I still have those notes I took in my toolbox. Vince Broglio then ended up glassing it for me. I remember getting it back, just so excited to ride it. I thought it worked really good, or at least I told myself it did. Crazy what you can convince yourself (laughs).

Because I had spent so much time and energy on it, I guess it had to work. The part that made it easy was having the support of all those older board builders around me. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to use a planer on the curves. I’m still trying to figure that out to this day.

Glassing

Lately, I have been glassing my own surfboards, mostly using epoxy—which is a change in itself. So many things can, and do go wrong with epoxy. I have had a lot of help in that department from David Vernor. He’s been getting me materials and answering any questions that I have about surfboard building. I have really been enjoying laminating my boards. I get to have my hand on the boards start to finish, touching it throughout the whole process. Also, thanks to Jon Henderson at Strive surfboards. I have had a lot of questions for him and he’s always willing to answer them for me.

Getting Serious

That first board was back in the early 2000’s. After that, I just did it off and on over the years. Recently, I have gotten a lot more serious about shaping surfboards. Now, I’m doing about one or two boards a month, bringing my current count up to seventy-three. Getting back into shaping has been a helpful tool to cope with my anxiety. It gives me a place to just zone out and get lost in my shaping. Hours and hours can go by, just jamming to music and rubbing my hands through the foam, putting all my focus into that board. It’s a type of meditation or medication for me, that ability to get out of my own mind for a little while, and just get lost in the moment. Surfboard shaping is still just a hobby for me, to be honest. Still, I’ve been having a blast making surfboards for neighbors and friends from my area.

Design

My favorite shape to design is also probably my least favorite at the same time—a high-performance short board. You really get a great reward seeing someone ripping on a performance board you made. However, they are also the most sensitive to shape. If something is a bit off, the rider will know and tell you. I probably take it too personal when someone says a board doesn’t work for them. It can be very frustrating, but on the other hand very rewarding when it comes out magic.

Helping Hands

I have had lots of different shapers and glassers help me with tips and tricks. I have been surprised at how willing people have been to help. It feels so good to have some of the local board builders support. We have a really special community here in Santa Cruz. Thanks to everyone that has been willing to answer my questions, which there’ve been a lot of. The biggest take away I’ve gotten from their help is that it’s important to be able to build the board start to finish. You can’t skip any of the steps involved.

Looking Ahead

I would love to be able to eventually build surfboards full-time or work under someone full-time. However, nowadays, I don’t really think that can work financially here in Santa Cruz. We will see, you never know. I wish I would have gotten more serious about board building 20 years ago. Still, I am really enjoying it now as just a hobby. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do more and more as time permits to progress my shaping further.

Biggest Reward

It’s so weird seeing a ripper and friend like Russell Smith come down the cliff at the Lane holding a board that I’ve built from start to finish. All those hours working on it really pay off when I see someone like Russ do a big carve and say how well it works when they come in. That is the most satisfying part. Russ has been one of my biggest supporters both in and out of the water.

Words of Wisdom

To anyone who wants to start shaping their own boards, my biggest advice would be to feel grateful for any advice the older, wiser surfboard builders give you. Pay attention to the small opportunities you get and don’t let them slip away.