Jim Phillips
Jim Phillips story
by Tom Takao
Jim Phillips’s experiences in becoming a shaper span both coasts of the United States. The ups and downs of his trials and errors would have discouraged most individuals into becoming a shaper. Through the years, his understanding of wood and its properties makes him one of the few shapers that can produce a work of art and ride like it.
Jim began surfing on Oahu, Hawaii in 1960. His father was in the military and was stationed there. In the years before Jim’s family moved to Delaware in the latter part of 1964 and the time he started surfing, Jim began shaping a few boards by peeling the glass off a board or two. Then asking around about glassing and what should be used and how to do it.
The move back to the East Coast took a little time to get use to for a teenager coming from the tropics. After being acclimated to his new surroundings Jim did some traveling on his own. He found himself at a Hobie shop in Ocean City, Maryland in the early months of 1965. The guys that owned the shop decided to let Jim shape a few boards for them. That lasted before the Fourth of July of that year. Out of work the decision to return home was on the agenda.
After a couple of months of gathering his thoughts in New England, Jim made a trip to Long Island where he got a job with a local board builder and that lasted until thing slowed down. Back then surfing in New England shuts down when the winter’s cold comes calling.
Moving back to Delaware in the beginning of 1966 where Jim spent most of the year until the fall. Not discouraged, this time he would go to Cocoa Beach, Florida. He lived by the Minuteman Causeway near the police station. Jim would go surf the local breaks and it was there he met Gary Propper, Mike Tabeling, and Bruce Valuzzi. Jim’s surfing would improved by watching and being around these guys. All three are legendary East Coast surfers who were a major influence for the next generation of East Coast surfers.
In 1967 Jim was working for Carl “Tinker” West at Challenger Eastern Surfboards. Carl influenced Jim’s shaping by teaching him the fundamentals and techniques of Tinker’s way of shaping. A lesson Jim would never forgot. This was the foundation on which Jim built his shaping skill upon. When things got slow around Challenger, Jim found work at Surfboards East and at a construction company doing roofing.
In December of 1967 a week before Christmas he was on the West Coast visiting friends, and happened to be at Rincon in Santa Barbara. He was surfing on his 9’10” Challenger Surfboard. Bob McTavish and Steve Bigler had just gotten off the plane from LAX. The two paddle out on their 8’ 7” surfboards that McTavish had shaped. They had a wide full tail section, a thick V on the bottom and a large Greenough fins. Those boards were considered short. Anything under 9 feet during this time period was considered short. They proceeded to influence everyone in the water with their maneuverability on the waves. In Jim’s opinion, that was the day his whole outlook in surfing changed.
A few weeks latter during January of 1968 while at Swami’s in Encinitas Jim was busted for smoking Pot. He was staying in Santa Barbara at the time but had to relocate to accommodate his court appearance.
Through the grapevine Jim found out that Bahne Surfboards needed a shaper. Within a week of finding out he started working for Bahne Surfboards. That lasted until July 20th when Jim ran into an acquaintance from Rhode Island. He told Jim that he had a lot of surfboard orders and needed someone to shape. Jim was on probation during this time period and reported to his probation officer in San Diego every week.
Things weren’t going as well as Jim would have like so he requested to be on probation near his family. After making arrangements with the Department that handles such affairs. The Department agreed and sent him on his way back to the East Coast.
After returning to New Jersey, Jim looked up a friend and was hanging at his apartment. That turned old and not making much income JP got his stuff and hitch hiked home. Meanwhile Jim had been in contact with Tinker since returning from the West Coast. Finding out that Tinker’s shop had burnt down.
Tinker had relocated to a new shop, which was quite a bit bigger than his previous. Besides making surfboards Tinker was managing a band as well. The band he was managing at the time was called Steel Mill. Later they would change the name of Bruce Springstien’s band to East Street Band.
From 1969 until 1973, Jim was in Rhode Island shaping boards.
During this period he would make trips out to California and Florida. In 1971 Jim Phillips got married and had a son in March of 1972. In January of 1973 Jim moved his family to Florida. During that year he worked for his in-laws who had a construction company in the Bahamas. The work took him to the Virgin Islands where he did metal stud and drywall for a short period.
In the summer of 1973 Jim started a surf factory in Fort Lauderdale and had a day job for additional income. A year and a half later Jim’s marriage was on the rocks and he no longer wanted to be in Fort Lauderdale. So in 1974 Jim moved up to Indiatlantic to make surfboards and surf there.
The year was 1975 when Jim rented the shop Claude Codgen had just moved out of in Cocoa Beach. Jim would make surfboards for Gary Propper and others during his time in Cocoa Beach. This lasted until 1979. Gary was a promoter of bands at this time, his company was called Fantasma Productions. Later on Gary Propper would promote Gallager, Carrot Top, and the cartoon characters the Ninja Turtle.
Jim Phillips doing a off the lip cutback on a 1980's twinfin design of his own shape
The 80’s were spent in Florida making boards. JP move to the West Coast in 1993 and started Jim Phillips Surfboards in Encinitas. Currently Jim Phillips is shaping wooden and foam boards, though the wooden board take much longer. The ability in chambering balsa, or to turn an Agave blank into a fine shape is just a glimpse of his skills.
Greg Noll and Jim Phillips
