Master craftsman’s meticulous handmade process has produced boards so anticipated some buyers no longer remember ordering them
VENTURA Renowned local shaper Ernesto Villaverde’s famously exhaustive custom board process has produced a waiting list so extensive that at least four current customers have reportedly taken up golf in the intervening years and no longer actively surf, according to Villaverde’s own admittedly informal records.
How the Waiting List Actually Works
Villaverde takes on new orders roughly twice yearly, hand-shapes each board over what he describes as “however long it genuinely needs, sometimes considerably longer than planned,” and currently sits somewhere around a nineteen-year backlog for new orders, a figure he states with what witnesses describe as “genuine, unbothered pride.”
The Golf Defection Problem
Villaverde confirmed at least four customers currently on his list have, per their own updates to him, largely transitioned to golf, with one specifically writing to ask whether his still-pending board could instead be “converted to store credit toward a nice set of clubs,” a request Villaverde politely declined, citing the “sacred nature” of a completed order.
Villaverde’s Philosophy on This
“A board finds you when it’s ready to find you,” he explained, in a tone this reporter found genuinely difficult to argue with despite the obvious practical absurdity of a customer receiving custom surf equipment well after abandoning the sport entirely.
One Customer’s Actual Experience
Harold Weinstein, who ordered his board in what he believes was either 2007 or 2008, confirmed he now plays golf three times weekly and hasn’t surfed in “probably a decade,” but says he’ll still take delivery whenever it comes. “At this point it’s basically a piece of art,” he said. “I’ll probably just hang it on a wall.”
Whether Villaverde Plans to Speed Up the Process
He does not, confirming new orders currently placed will likely be ready sometime in the mid-2040s, a timeline he delivers with total serenity to customers who, statistically, may not all still be surfing by then. Further Ventura surf craft coverage continues at bohiney.com.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com