Skip Frye

Skip Frye’s illustrious surfing and shaping career began back in the summer of 1958 when he first stepped foot on a surfboard. Skip immediately got the bug and was hooked right away. Shortly thereafter he got his first surfboard shaped by Mike Diffenderfer - a 9’3” single fin balsa board, and then Skip began shaping boards himself in 1963. This soon led him to a job at Gordon & Smith where he first developed his skills, was an innovator of new board designs, and also began using his iconic ‘pair of wings’ logo. Throughout the 60’s Skip successfully competed as a surfer, became one of the original members of the Windansea Surf Club, and traveled the world in search of waves. Along the way, Skip met a lot of influential characters and discovered some new surfboard shapes which inspired him to come back and develop some of the boards he is so well known for such as the Egg. Skip went on to shape at a few different locations in the following decades such as The Green Room, his room known as The Shack, Diamond Glassing, Windansea Surf Shop, and then a shop he opened alongside Hank Warner called Harry’s (Harry is both Skip’s and Hank’s given name) which became an institution of surf craft and community. Once larger surfboard blanks became readily available in the late 80’s via Clark Foam, Skip took full advantage and started shaping a lot of his larger boards and gliders that he has become so well known for such as the Eagle and the Fish Simmons. Skip has given so much to the sport of surfing through his humble and kind approach, the shapes he has pioneered, his smooth and classic surfing style, his environmental activism, and his never ending stoke both in the water and out. Skip can still be found hand shaping all of his boards in San Diego, CA most everyday (except for when the surf is good). Devised in the mid 70's, Skip’s single fins are straightforward, have clean lines, and classic curves. Minimalistic in some ways, Skip's fins are made to perform and excel in a supporting role for mid-lengths, thinner planing type boards, eggs, and gliders. If you want to follow in Skip’s footsteps and find that ultimate trim, minimize drag, increase your speed and let the board do the talking... then these are the fin for you.