Local legend Mike Thomson’s path to custom shapes

In Whaingaroa Raglan, Waikato, where endless queues of surfers flock to the world-class waves, lives a surfboard shaper who has become a legend in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Raglan Longboards owner, Mike Thomson, has over five decades of experience and has  spent his life mastering the art of crafting custom surfboards. 

“I got my first surfboard [at 15] in 1971. Raglan was just a village then, very quite-  about 1000 people so I had to get it from my mate’s mother’s surf shop in Hamilton,” Thomson said.

Thomson’s second surfboard came from Don Wilson on the corner of Bridge and Grey Street.

“I remember when I went to buy it, I had to give him my address and Don said, “What- Raglan?!?.” At that time there weren’t very many surfers living in Raglan.”

Thomson could almost count the number of local surfers on one hand however, the renown of the Raglan Points brought many long-term tourists from California and Australia. It was these interactions and better opportunities overseas that inspired Thomson to leave Aotearoa New Zealand and work with some of the world’s best shapers.

“Before I left I worked at the only blank factory in New Zealand,” Thomson said. 

A blank is a polyurethane foam core that the sharper has to masterfully carve into the desired hydro-dynamic shape. It is then wrapped in fibreglass, and resin is applied to create a surfboard.

Thomson was taught how to blow blanks. Two weeks later his teacher was drafted to a more lucrative role in the business and Thomsom was left in charge of the operation. These days WorkSafe might turn their nose up at a young man managing such a process after two weeks of instruction but Thomson took it in his stride blowing 5000 blanks and inevitably passing on the knowledge to others.    

Thomson left Raglan and headed to Australia for three years mainly surfing and working in the Goldcoast. After briefly returning to Aotearoa at 28 where he and his friend KT shaped a few boards under the name Rocket Surfboards it was time to commit to a life of shaping and glassing.

“In 1986 KT went to Hawaii, and I followed. KT was the artist, and he got to shape the boards. By default, I was the glasser. We were living in a small cane house on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.”

“Me and KT slept in one room and Mikey the sander slept next to the work bay with all the fumes coming through”

“I spent five years as a production glasser for well-known shapers during the ‘thruster era,” Thomson said. 

Thomson was brushing shoulders with all the right people. Shapers like Mcllroy and Timmy Patterson would be on call if he wanted one of their shapes for himself. However, the desire to start shaping himself was elusive. There was high demand for glassers.

“Everyone wanted to be a shaper and have a name but no one wanted to be a glasser.”

It’s a classic Kiwi ‘hard yards’ story that makes Thomson the well-rounded, start-to-finish, no-nonsense shaper he has become. 

Thomson developed a love for longer boards both in surfing and shaping. In 1991 he returned to Aotearoa a seasoned surfer with a mind for capturing the customers wishing to take part in the longboard revival.

“I came back and got licensed to shape Bear boards and started producing longboards and midlegnths out of Exit Surf in Christchurch,” Thomson said.

Thomson began competing in the New Zealand longboard masters circuit winning the over 40’s and over 50’s and the legends over 55’s throughout the years respectively. 

Thomson’s perspective is clear: custom surfboards are not just mere acquisitions; they are investments in a craft meticulously tailored to the individual, ensuring an unparalleled connection between rider and ocean.

“We set up shop as Raglan Longboards in 2002 and have been based here at 257 Wainui Road since.”

The shop is a homage to Whaingaroa surf life with rustic timber cladding and open space. Beyond the shopfront is where Thomson finesses his custom craft. A clean shaping bay painted a turquoise blue allowing him to sight his shapes, a small storage warehouse and a shipping container glassing-bay housing the tints, resins and other nasties.

While Thomson still shapes the occasional Bear board it’s his own proven designs that keep people coming back.

“You’re marrying the surfer to the board to create that little bit of magic, just that little bit extra, to make them go ‘wow, this is it’”.

Despite this changing landscape, Thomson’s belief in the intrinsic value of custom surfboards remains unwavering. He reminds us that no matter how many mass-produced surfboards are churned out, the craft of creating truly custom boards, tailored to the individual surfer, will always have its place.