Skip to main content

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

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
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Amanda DePerro is a Midwest-based freelance writer and journalist who loves video games, gardening, and true crime. She is a…
Learn how to smoke a pipe the proper way with our guide for beginners
Let us show you the classy way to smoke a pipe
Packing a pipe

Pipe smoking is the most aesthetically distinguished way to enjoy tobacco, but you lose the classy effect if you don’t know how to smoke a pipe properly. Smoking a pipe has become a lost art, and these days, most people who engage in pipe smoking do so to achieve a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps your grandfather enjoyed a puff now and again paired with a good stiff whiskey, or maybe your goal is to emulate a pipe-smoking artist.

I know that I enjoy a good puff on a pipe now and then, and knowing the right way to enjoy a pipe has made the experience much more pleasurable for for me. Whatever the case, if you intend to take up the time-honored tradition of unwinding with a pipe like me, you should learn how to smoke a pipe the right way. And smoking a pipe is very different than smoking a cigar (except you shouldn't be inhaling either).

Read more
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench

Read more