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Subscribe & WIN a Donald Takayama DT 60s Model*

It’s our board giveaway number 101 - and just check this out!

If you’ve ever wondered why Donald Takayama is considered the guru of longboard shapers, how about this rollcall of surfers from back in the day who rode his boards and sung his praises: Rabbit Kekai, David Nuuhiwa, Miki Dora, Lance Carson, Nat Young, LJ Richards, Jeff Hakman, Reno Abellira, Linda Benson, Ben Aipa, Rell Sunn, Rusty Miller, Mike Doyle, Bertlemann, Buttons, and Dane Kealoha, just for starters.

His close working relationship with Joel Tudor and Kassia Meador over many years during the rebirth are well documented and they still name-check him often on social media, but Bonga Perkins, Jimmy Gamboa, Stephen Slater, Kai Sallas, Tyler Warren, Christian Wach and Tommy Witt were also on his shapes through the ’90s and beyond – and for sure we’ve missed a bunch.

Born in 1944, Donald grew up surfing around Honolulu and has often been cited as the original child phenomenon, and he went on to become a fearsome competitor throughout the ’60s. The DT 60s was originally his signature model at Jacobs Surfboards, which he first designed and shaped when he was just 22 after moving to California. Donald jumped to Bing Surfboards in 1966 where he designed the era defining David Nuuhiwa Noserider, and later to Weber with the super popular Weber Performer.

He started his own Hawaiian Pro label in the ’70s and shaped every type of board under the sun, and with the return of the longboard in the ’80s his DT 60s Model became the benchmark. In the late ’90s it was described in US Longboard magazine as “one of the most functional and appealing boards ever made”.

And that brings us to our 101st board giveaway!

Manufacturing to Donald’s specs, North Coast Surfboards in Byron Bay have been the Australian licensee for Hawaiian Pro Designs since the ’90s. “Donald would always tell me that the DT 60s was his favourite design out of anything he ever did over his career,” says Evan Squirrel from North Coast. “And there’s some stat somewhere that puts it as the best selling signature model longboard of all time, that’s how many they made.”

Check it out! Glassed in 6oz volan with three stringers (two x ½” and one x 1/8”) with a glassed-on red DTRP fin, all 9’6” of it drips pedigree and some Australian PLB magazine subscriber will own it by next issue!

Online: northcoastsurfboards.com.au

*Australian residents only.