Don Hansen, a pioneering surfboard shaper who impacted California surf culture and founded one of the nation’s premier surf shops, passed away Saturday. He was 89.
Born in South Dakota in 1936, Hansen’s path to surfing royalty was unconventional. He began his career as a mink trapper before hitchhiking West at age 18, eventually landing in San Diego and immersing himself in the burgeoning surf scene, according to the Surfing Walk of Fame.
Apprenticed with Jack O’Neill
While stationed at Fort Ord in the Army, Hansen apprenticed under surfing legend Jack O’Neill in Santa Cruz, shaping his first board in 1958. By the early 1960s, he had migrated back to Southern California to further refine his craft alongside renowned shapers Hobie Alter and Hap Jacobs, as detailed on the Hansen Surfboards website.
Following an epic winter on the North Shore of Oahu in 1961, Hansen returned to California and established his own label, opening Hansen Surfboards in the small community of Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Demand for his handcrafted boards exploded. He sponsored some of the era’s most progressive talents, including Mike Doyle, John Peck, Rusty Miller, Linda Benson, and Margo Godfrey, and created enduring board models such as the 50-50, Competitor, Classic, and Superlight, according to the Surfing Walk of Fame.
U.S. Tandem Surfing Champion, Early Investor in Ocean Pacific
Hansen was not just a master craftsman but a formidable surfer himself. In 1967, he and Diane Bolton won the tandem event at the United States Surfing Championships. A forward-thinking businessman, he also became one of Ocean Pacific’s early investors in the 1970s.
Identifying the need for a comprehensive, quality retail experience as surfing transitioned into mainstream recreation, Hansen relocated his operation up the street to Encinitas in the early 1970s. Situated directly across from the famous wave at Swami’s, the shop evolved into a community hub. Today, Hansen Surfboards is one of the most high-profile and high-volume surf retailers in the country, with over 20,000 square feet of retail space.
Top left, Hansen family photo: Back (left to right) – Christian Hansen, Jack Garvey, Kevin Garvey, Makena Garvey, Heidi Hansen-Garvey, Shirley Hansen;
Front (left to right) – Don Hansen, Josh Hansen, Saylor Endicott, and Ashli Hansen. Family photo courtesy of Josh Hansen.
Bottom left: The Hansen team at the SIMA Image Awards. SESO file photo.
Right (top and bottom): Inside Hansen Surfboards. SESO file photos.
Hansen Surfboards Remains Family-Owned and Operated
The business remains family-owned and operated by his children: CEO Josh Hansen, Floor Manager Christian Hansen, and Buyer Heidi Hansen.
In a previous interview with Shop Eat Surf Outdoor about family-run, independent stores, Josh Hansen reflected on his father’s guidance and business philosophy.
“He had a lot of experience running businesses and always kept me going in the right direction. I always say he was the guardrail as I started to take on more responsibility. He was always there to make sure I didn’t make any major mistakes,” Josh said.
Josh said that his father managed the family dynamic with transparency and instilled a conservative, sustainable approach to the business. “There’s a good thing going here, so let’s not reinvent the wheel,” Josh recalled of his father’s advice. Above all, Don’s greatest lesson to his children was to “treat people right and do the right thing.”
In his later years, Hansen split his time between Montana and California, where he would still visit the Encinitas shop, remaining a quiet but steadfast presence in the community he helped build.
Here at SESO, we are sending our best wishes to the Hansen family at this difficult time.
