Copyright © Forward Maui Inc. All rights reserved.
| Hometown. | Paia, Hawaii |
| Home spot. | Ho’okipa |
| Sponsors. | Goya, Quatro & KT |
| How did you get into gear design and starting Goya? | I remember tuning my skateboard when I was 6, back then, my brother will work on the graphics while I would be tuning the tracks and rest of the hardware. Then, my favorite surfboard became my favorite windsurfing board, and with that, I continued my passion for customizing gear. When I turned 18, I moved to Maui to ride all day and live my dream. Here I started riding for different shapers and designers while helping them along their R&D programs. 5 years later, in 1994 I got together with my close friends and we started our own brand and factory, that was and is Quatro today. We didn’t have to convince anybody anymore; we just did the designs we wanted to ride, and we would build them with all new materials that directly influenced our riding and how other people felt about windsurfing. So, it was those passionate windsurfers from all over the world who bought our gear and were stoked with the sport that made it possible to start our brand. |
| And how is it working in Goya? | I work together with a team that been focusing their whole life around windsurfing, our office, showroom, loft and factory are in Haiku, 5 minutes away from one of the most consistent and mixed conditions in the world to ride on. The mixed conditions that Maui has to offer, along with many visitors from all over the world who try our demo gear daily, allow us to test the gear ourselves and receive direct feedback from our customers and partners worldwide. So, every day, we ride and hear feedback that gets put back into the products, business, and sport. We look forward to hearing yours. |
| Do you look towards technology or experience? | In 1992, we started experimenting with the first epoxy/styro/vacuum lamination windsurf boards. The new lightweight gear took our riding to new heights. During the double loop revolution in 1996, we started working with our first CNC shaping machine; with it came all the concave and double concave bottoms that later led to the Twin-fin, Quad development, and with them, completely changed our outlines, bottom shapes, and the way we will ride waves forever. So yes, with the same crew, we continue working today at our factory and loft; now, we are searching into greener materials, so really, it is both the experience that comes from the consistency, teamwork, and technology, the commitment to make it better every time. |
| What does Goya offer that the competition don’t? | By developing boards and sails together, we are able to combine designs and directly communicate our view of the sport. I also see the windsurfing industry as a community project. We are all learning and seeing how we can improve the sport. One thing I’m sure of is that it will take a lot more than one brand and one vision to really take windsurfing to where it deserves to be. |
| How do you see the sport and its future? | Bright! Today, we have a mature sport: people who windsurf run the industry. There is a reason for the existence of every brand and every product out there. We have exact weather forecasts and affordable airlines, especially inside Europe, some even without excess baggage fees for windsurfing gear, clubs, and shops worldwide; you can plan your windsurfing holiday and get the most from a few days. Twenty years ago, the windsurfing business was hot, so many brands showed up, but the level of the gear sold wasn’t the best. The customers weren’t having the best experience as their gear was big, heavy, slippery, and limited range. Today, we might not be selling as much gear as back then, but a lot has to do with the longevity and range of the products we have helped develop along this time, so there are still a lot of good years left in products that people are riding out there, so how much gear we are selling today is not directly related by how many people are actually enjoying the sport, the same way that you couldn’t tell the downfall from the peak back then. The truth is that the more I travel, the more people I see enjoying windsurfing, from all ages, social groups, it is a sport that all you need is water and a little wind, it has the potential to became the most popular water sport in the world. |
| What are you most proud of to date? | I am proud to be part of this great sport and its people, who have become my extended family along with my friends and family. Thank you for your time and attention to our brand. We are as passionate about our sport and products as we are about our partners, colleagues, and environment, and we look forward to bringing our best forward to you. To a windy year.” |
Copyright © Forward Maui Inc. All rights reserved.
