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Black Square Surfboards’ shaper Ryan Chelman was raised in the surf shop his parents Patti and Jeff owned in Port Macquarie in the ’70s. His dad was among the original core crew of surfers in the Port area, and Ryan’s first memories are from the inside of “Jeff’s Surf Shop” . . . the vivid green Hang Ten surf mat hanging on the wall, the smells of the Indian essential oils on the counter, and of coconut wax, and resin . . . and of waiting on the sand for his dad to come out of the water and take him out into the waves.

Ryan grew up riding all sorts of boards on the breaks around Port and Lake Cathie and the Hastings stretch, and these days he makes everything – longboards, shortboards, fish – and no surprise he’s inspired by the designs of the late ’60s and ’70s, and admits to a “slight single-fin obsession”.

Although he’s not a competition animal he has made finals on longboards at the Australian Titles, the NSW States, and the Noosa Fest, but says, “Usually you’ll find me surfing solo down the beach and away from crowds if possible”.

Ryan says he’s pretty much a self-taught shaper, learning through trial and error, and these days he builds his boards start-to-finish by himself, handshaping, glassing, tints and sprays, and sanding, while running the factory and business with wife Kristy at Tweed Heads.

The Noserider has been refined over the years to suit smaller conditions, with a wider nose and tail for a more parallel outline. With 60/40 rails, a subtle concave under the nose through to a flipped tail, and in the classic specs 9’2” x 23” x 3”, it’s just perfect for knee to waist-high and long running waves.

More on the Noserider at blacksquaresurfboards.com.au

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