Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

City Surfers: Q&A with Brooklyn’s Union Surfboards

By

surfing in NY
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Tavarua Island, Fiji. Honolua Bay, Hawaii. Byron Bay, Australia.

Brooklyn, New York?

Recommended Videos

When you think of the world’s surf meccas, Brooklyn probably doesn’t come to mind. Well, that’s exactly where the gentlemen surfers of Union Surfboards have set up shop.

As it turns out, there’s actually a decent surf community in and around Brooklyn. And since NYC is such a huge market, you can open any kind of store in the city and still find a client base. Out of the 20 million people living in the greater metro area, you can bet there’s at least a hearty handful of surfers.

Still, surfing is hard. If you don’t have the right board, you’ll have a helluva time finding your groove. That’s why Union founders Chris Williams and Jeff Schroeder are bringing surfboard customization — a trade usually reserved for pros — to the general surfing public.

The Union surf shop opened its doors in Greenpoint last month, and they’re urging anyone who’s even remotely interested in surfing to come by and chat. We reached out to the founders of Union, and they were kind enough to answer a few questions about surfing in the Northeast, the Brooklyn surf community, and surfboard customization.

NY surfing
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Most folks probably don’t associate Brooklyn with surfing. Where do your customers surf? What’s the NY surf community like?

There are plenty of spots — Montauk, Gilgo, Rockaway, a couple dozens spots in New Jersey, and a few spots we’re not at liberty to discuss (laughs). There’s definitely surf out there, you just need a little patience, the right gear, and you need to know where to look. The NY Surf community is rad, scrappy, and above all a dedicated bunch of surfers. If you want any evidence of this, try putting on a 5 mill suit and paddling out in 30 degree water with fickle surf conditions.

Related: Micro Guide: Montauk

In your opinion, why is it important to customize a surfboard to the individual surfer?

Every person is unique and so is the way they surf. Because there are so many variables in surfing, a fully customized surfboard specifically tailored to each surfer is extremely beneficial. We also offer stock models that are extremely versatile, which is absolutely necessary with inconsistent East Coast surf conditions.

What specific aspects of board design benefit the most from customization?

On the surface we have the capability to make aesthetically pleasing boards. From a design standpoint, customization of volume distribution, outline, and rocker are really beneficial when considering a surfer’s ability and how they want to board to perform.

custom surfboard
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What can a customer expect during a one-on-one collaboration?

We’re really passionate about one-on-one collaborations. This sort of collaboration is normally reserved for pro surfers that have an established relationship with their shaper. We pride ourselves in providing the same sort of relationship with the average surfer. We welcome anyone to work with us and bring his or her ideas to life, whether it be a custom resin job or a non-traditional outline. With this level of collaboration, the physical board can be a reflection of the person riding it. It’s rad to empower surfers at all levels.

Can you give us a rundown of the tailoring process?

If the customer isn’t totally sure want they want we start of by gathering basic information about the surfer, their ability, height, weight, and the type of surfing they’d like to do. Then we discuss where they’re going to be using the board. From that information, we can normally agree on a shape. If they want to do a custom art job we mock up the design and get it to a place we all agree on. At times a customer will come to us and know the exact shape and art job they want and we crank it out without much fuss at all. Either way, we pride ourselves on bringing whatever vision they have to life.

Union’s surf shop is located at 117 Dobin Street Studio 10 in Brooklyn. Visit their website to learn more, or better yet, stop by their shop.

Photos by Jameson Posey and Dana Jensen

Amanda DePerro
Amanda DePerro
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Amanda DePerro is a Midwest-based freelance writer and journalist who loves video games, gardening, and true crime. She is a…
The best movies on Max you can stream in May
New to Max? Here are the top movies to start with
Scene from The Hobbit

Now that HBO Max has rebranded as Max, it's the right time to get acquainted with all of the great movies to watch on the streaming service. In addition to large portions of the Warner Bros. catalog, it also has tons of seminal, classic films, as well as plenty of foreign releases. Because the catalog is so big and rich, there are about 250 titles that could go on this list. There's a wealth of options to choose from whether you're into action movies or comedies, and you shouldn't feel limited by the selection below.
Instead, you should treat it as a jumping-off point of HBO Max movies, one that will hopefully allow you to explore many of the titles that didn't quite make the cut. Max has great movies in every genre and from every period of film history. This is just a sampling of the best movies on Max. And if you're looking for more Max content, we've rounded up the best shows on Max to watch right now.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Read more
Where do cigars come from? A guide to the premium tobacco growing regions
man smoking small cigar by engin-akyurt unsplash

Cigars are composed of various tobacco leaves, including fillers, a binder, and a wrapper on the outside. The tobacco that makes up those leaves is grown in a variety of regions worldwide and undergoes several processes to create the flavor and blend that is eventually rolled into a premium cigar. While many factors influence the result, mainly how the tobacco tastes when it's smoked, none are more important than its cultivation, growth, and harvest. Tobacco grown in Nicaragua will taste very different from tobacco grown in Cuba or even Indonesia. It has to do with the local climate, the soil and its contents, average sun exposure, and much more. But most cigars include a blend or mixture of tobacco leaves, sometimes from entirely different regions, like Nicaraguan fillers and an African Cameroon wrapper. So, when posing the question, "Where do cigars come from," it makes more sense to look at the regions where tobacco is grown.
The Big Five

Not all tobacco comes from the Big Five regions; however, a large majority of the tobacco leaves produced and sold, even to partners in the business, come from fairly localized tobacco growers in the following locations:
Cuba
Everyone has heard of Cuban cigars, Cuban tobacco, and the forbidden fruit, at least in the United States. Ever since the U.S. government activated an embargo against Cuban goods back in 1962, Cuban tobacco cannot be imported or sold in the country. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that Cuba is the birthplace of modern cigars and has inspired many of today's biggest tobacco producers in the world.

Read more
The best shows on Netflix to stream in May
Binge-worthy Netflix series you don't want to miss
Bojack Horseman and Princess Caroline

TV may not be peaking quite the way it was a few years back, but there are still more than enough shows out there to keep you busy. After Netflix emerged on the scene and revolutionized how we all watched TV, it was joined by a huge swath of competitors determined to take advantage of the streaming boom. All of those competitors have great stuff to watch, but Netflix is still many people's hub for all things TV. Even within the streamer, though, it can be difficult to figure out what the best shows on Netflix are.

Thankfully, that's where this list comes in. We've compiled a rundown of what to watch on Netflix, and these Netflix shows should add up to days and days of endless binging. You can also check out our list of the best Hulu series, best Amazon Prime series, best Disney Plus series, and best Netflix movies after you've made it through the series listed below.

Read more