Biography
of Mike Casey Date
of Birth: 04 Feb 1949
Place of Birth: Ocean Beach, Southern California
High
School: Kearny High School, 1967
Home: Sunset Beach, O'ahu
Family:
Wife and two children
Hobbies: Writing
Special Interest: Developing
innovative surf designs
Motto: Persistence is the key to success!
Chronology:
- 1967
- Hired by Channin/Diffenderfer Surfboards.My
first job!
- 1977
- Moved to the North shore of Oahu.
- 1977
- "Made in it's entirety by Mike Casey" Surfboard design, shaping and
glassing…..an Army of one!
- 1993
- Independent contractor making some of T & C's best surfboards.
- 2001
- Working on the most rare of collectables, one-piece Redwood and Koa surfboards.
Mike Casey's Story:
I was born February 4, 1949 in Ocean Beach, California.
My house was one-half block from the beach on Bacon Street. This is the beginning
of the Sunset Cliffs, a well-known surfing area. As a child, I enjoyed staring
at the undisturbed inlets, small coves, and points, hoping to see a dinosaur or
sea monster immerge. These were the fertile grounds for a Southern Californian
"beach rat"!
Graduating
in 1967 from Kearny High in the "barely make-um" crowd, I was a surfer
dressed in Huarache sandals, madras shirt (tails out) and Levi cords. I was a
member of the Blacks Surfing Association surf club. The club had sponsors, one
of which was Bill Bahne of Bahne Surfboards. It was through knowing Bill Bahne
that I met Tony Channin. Tony had been a glasser for Bill. In 1965, Tony Channin
partnered with world-renowned shaper Mike Diffenderfer. Channin/Diffenderfer Surfboards
was a premier surfboard company with a global reputation. Their factory employed
many incredible craftsmen. In the fall of '67 I was hired full-time. I consider
myself very fortunate to have learned all phases of surfboard construction from
some of the greats. Although I had worked my way up to head shaper, it was the
call of Hawaii's North Shore that uprooted me after tens years at Channin/Diffenderfer. In
the fall of 1977, I arrived on Oahu. I've had the good fortune of living at Sunset
Point for the last 24 years where I've work, surf, sail, dive, and fish. Also,
I've worked for almost every surfboard manufacturer on Oahu. Since 1993, I've
been an independent shaper for Town & Country Surfboards. My shaping room
is at Alan Wilkinson's Koa Furniture Shop in Pearl City. Alan is one of Hawaii's
premier wood workers who makes one of a kind Koa furniture. At my disposal is
a shop full of every woodworking tool available along with Alan's sage advise.
I have access to many kinds of wood ranging from locally grown trees of Moho,
Wiliwili, and Balsa. I also have a limited supply of old growth, vertical grain,
and clear Redwood! Some of these Redwood slabs are as big as a small truck. It
is from these rare woods that I make collectable surfboards of any era, solid
or chambered. I've
been shaping on a daily basis since 1967. You could say I've built surfboards
my entire adult life. My job description is a "production shaper", however,
my attitude towards my work is that every board I make is the most important of
my career, regardless of where it goes. I don't have ghost shapers, nor do I rely
on the new computer shapes. If your surfboard is one of the most important things
in your life, then you can relate to my attitude. If you want something different
in a board, I won't try and talk you out of it. I've been surfing since the mid-fifty's
so; I've surfed and shaped everything that has been paddled out for a surf. My
long boards range from the fifty's style to today's modern performance with every
rail line. I also specialize in North Shore guns, high performance short boards,
sailboards, tow-in boards, and the new kite boards. My shaping assignments have
taken me to the mainland coasts: East, West, and the Gulf. Also, I've sojourned
in Japan annually the last 10 years.
I feel very fortunate to have lived the surfing life style. It's an incredible
sport and way of life. It enables us to have a handle on the fountain of youth
in our life's journey. Enjoy the ride, it goes by too fast… Aloha, Mike
Casey
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