Wayo Whilar's Story
By Thomas Takao
Peru’s surfing history goes back a couple thousand years to the Pre-Colombia Civilization. Their hieroglyphics at some of their major ruins have corduroy lines symbolizing the surf and those cities were located in front of Points and Bays. Besides the writing on the wall the real life villages where reed boats are being used by fishermen today gives us a look back on how one form surfing continued through centuries in Peru.
But it wasn’t until 1930’s when Carlos Dogny visited Hawaii and was inspired by the sport of kings. Being on the beach of Waikiki and watching locals and tourist alike riding the waves at Canoes and Queens. Wanting to learn he would have sought out a Beach Boy who were making a living of renting their finless surfboards out for 10 cents a day and then give lessons for another 10 cents. Paddling out with a Beach Boy next to him to supervise the when to start paddling for a wave and when to stand up. After a few attempts and finally riding a wave to shore, Carlos Dogny would soon develop a relationship with the sport of surfing
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His vacation was over but not the new found experience of surfing. He would take a few surfboards back to Peru with him and to start his own surf club called Club Waikiki and share the intangible stoke that surfing had to offer. In the following decades surfing would continue to grow among the affluent and then among the younger generations of the general populace. Most of the surfboards during the late 1930’s and 40’s were usually imported or made by a local builder. During the 1950’s Peruvian surfboard building would expand and craftsmen such as Ramon Raguz and Fortunato Quesada to name a few became the early pioneers during the balsa and foam transition. Slowly others would learn the trade by being taught or learning on their own.
One such surfboard builder who began in the 1960’s and still shapes today is Wayo Whilar. Wayo was born on the 8th of November, 1948 in Lima, Peru. His early years were spent in San Bartolo, a small town south of Lima. With the waves breaking in front of his cousin’s house young Wayo and his brothers would visit often and enjoy those days of mat and body surfing. One day his cousin Alberto Figari stopped by and he had two balsa surfboards with him. Alberto was one of the first surfers in the San Bartolo area and wanted to share the experience of surfing with his 12 year old cousin. He says to Wayo “let’s go surfing tomorrow!” With a curious wonder Wayo agreed on going. Alberto took the surfboards off the car and placed it on the ground . Wayo tried lifting the other one and recalled it was heavy and awkward to handle. After handling the surfboard he wasn’t quite sure about what he was getting into, but the curiosity of riding waves got the best of him.
The next day Alberto took Wayo to Kon Tiki in Punta Hermosa. They pull up to the parking lot and watch two surfers turning and maneuvering across the face of the wave. Alberto knowing what was involved would give a general explanation of what was happening to Wayo. After seeing those two guys standing and going faster than he could with a mat or body surfing, Wayo was totally hooked on the sport after that. Like many places around the world surfing was becoming more popular and Peruvian surfers were on this same wavelength. Foam surfboards were arriving in Peru, but were expensive.
Wayo couldn’t afford to buy a new surfboard so he kept using and learning on Alberto’s or others that he knew who had surfboards. The year was 1962 when Wayo was at Cerro Azul and was just about to return to Lima when he happened to notice a broken surfboard with the nose damage from hitting the pier.It was abandon on the beach and without hesitation Wayo quickly picked it up and took it home with him. Having done resin and fiberglass work on his cousin’s board Wayo knew something about surfboard repairs. He peeled the existing fiberglass off and made the repairs and had his first surfboard. The 1960's were considered the Golden Years of Peruvian Surfing with its international surfing contests.
In 1965 Peru was the host country for the 2nd World Surfing Championships which were held at Punta Rocas. George Downing of the Hawaiian Surf Team had brought over a longboard with a modified pulled in nose, a design that he had shaped. It was a little different than the boards being ridden in Peru. Besides George on the team, there were Richard “Buffalo” Keaulana, Fred Hemmings, Reno Abellira, and Paul Strauch.
Some of the boards they were riding were made by Inter Island Surfboard whose shaper was Mike Diffenderfer and Greg Noll Surfboards shaped by Charlie Galanto. Wayo noticed the change of the outline of some of those board and how the Hawaiians were riding them. After the contest was over he began to peel the fiberglass of another old longboard. Wayo would reshape it into a board that looked like the Hawaiian’s designs.
In early 1968 Dennis Choate and Leo Hetzel arrived in Lima to make some boards for Aldo Fosca. Aldo also had a shipping company and would import materials for his surfboard factory. During this time period Charlie Galanto and Ben Aipa arrived for a contest and both would shape a few boards at Aldo’s. Wayo was the shaper and the glasser at Aldo’s before the arrival of Dennis and Leo and he would learn from them. Watching Charlie and Ben shape a few would give Wayo more techniques to improve his shaping skills.
Around the horn left to right: Rafael Miro Quesada, Barry Kanaiaupuni, Luchio Miro Quesada, Michael Holmes, Dennis Gonzales, Hector Velarde, Ruben Miro, Clyde Aikau (won the Junior Men's Title), Jose A. Schinaffino, Jorge Vega (standing), Eddie Aikau, Ben Aipa, and Butch Van Artsdalen were competitors of the 1969 Peruvian International Surfing Championship.
From 1967 until the early 70’s Wayo was going to school at the local University majoring in Architecture. Instead of leaving it on top of his car, he would take his surfboard to class and place it behind the door. When his last class was done he would grab his board and go surf. Wayo paid his way through school by building surfboards and after graduating he continued to work for Aldo the next 3 years on a part time basis. During this time Aldo lost interest in surfboard building and offered the shop to Wayo. Wayo accepted the offer and would begin his first surf factory and would do the shaping, glassing, sand and polish his boards. Wayo began making surfboards with the W logo and Allan Sitt would work with Wayo during the 1970’s. .
Alan started out by glassing a few of his own surfboards at his father’s plastic shop. One day he and Wayo met at the beach and got to know each other through surfing. They became friend’s and Alan would stop by the shop and destiny would have it he and Wayo were working together. Wayo's younger brother Milton would glass at the shop for about 20 years before shaping and starting his own surfboards business in the 1990's. Wayo and other shapers of the 1970's contributed to Peru's surfing future. Providing surfboards when times were difficult and keeping a steady flow of new designs.
Along with the surfboard changes Wayo moved his shop to Barranco a suburb of Lima, where his shop is still there today. When the 1980's and the Tri-fin movement arrived, materials were more available and the economy was better. Some of the notable surfer that surfed for Wayo were: Titi de Col in 1988 a National Champion, Magoo de La Rosa in 1990’s a three time National Champion, Roberto Meza who placed 9th in a ASP contest at Punta Rocas in 1994. There was also a young Sofia Mulanovich, whose surfing progressed through Wayo’s shapes. She would go on to become a woman’s world surfing champion.
In the 1990’s a new horizon appeared for Wayo. CAD-CAM which stands for computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing. Wayo was very much interested in taking his surfboards to the next level. Having made a jig to place a certain bottom and deck rocker on certain boards exactly the same each time was in essence what the computer and machine could do and more without being restricted to a few blank sizes. This opened up a whole new world in surfboard shaping.
Wayo used the services of a California computerized shaping machine shop and started receiving pre-finished shapes of his designs in the beginning. After a while talking to a few friends and keeping an eye out for newer ways, Wayo came across the Dat Designer a software and hardware tool that gave Wayo another option in designing and shaping. He would take a trip to Australia and meet John Gillis, the man to see concerning the Dat Designer. After learning his new tool Wayo’s ability to machine and hand shape a board gave him an edge that he would further develop into the 2000’s.
Wayo Whilar has seen the changes that Peruvian surfing and board building has gone through since the 1960’s. Still shaping today his understanding of surfboard hydrodynamics places him with the elite group of master shapers and is considered the No.# 1 shaper in Peru. The most gratifying feeling for Wayo regarding shaping is when a friend, a customer or team rider stops by his shop and tells him about the performance of his boards. With a smile on their face they would express how their life is back together because their new board has taken them to their next level of surfing
From 1967 until the early 70’s Wayo was going to school at the local University majoring in Architecture. Instead of leaving it on top of his car, he would take his surfboard to class and place it behind the door. When his last class was done he would grab his board and go surf. Wayo paid his way through school by building surfboards and after graduating he continued to work for Aldo the next 3 years on a part time basis. During this time Aldo lost interest in surfboard building and offered the shop to Wayo. Wayo accepted the offer and would begin his first surf factory and would do the shaping, glassing, sand and polish his boards. Wayo began making surfboards with the W logo and Allan Sitt would work with Wayo during the 1970’s. .
Alan started out by glassing a few of his own surfboards at his father’s plastic shop. One day he and Wayo met at the beach and got to know each other through surfing. They became friend’s and Alan would stop by the shop and destiny would have it he and Wayo were working together. Wayo's younger brother Milton would glass at the shop for about 20 years before shaping and starting his own surfboards business in the 1990's. Wayo and other shapers of the 1970's contributed to Peru's surfing future. Providing surfboards when times were difficult and keeping a steady flow of new designs.
Along with the surfboard changes Wayo moved his shop to Barranco a suburb of Lima, where his shop is still there today. When the 1980's and the Tri-fin movement arrived, materials were more available and the economy was better. Some of the notable surfer that surfed for Wayo were: Titi de Col in 1988 a National Champion, Magoo de La Rosa in 1990’s a three time National Champion, Roberto Meza who placed 9th in a ASP contest at Punta Rocas in 1994. There was also a young Sofia Mulanovich, whose surfing progressed through Wayo’s shapes. She would go on to become a woman’s world surfing champion.
In the 1990’s a new horizon appeared for Wayo. CAD-CAM which stands for computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing. Wayo was very much interested in taking his surfboards to the next level. Having made a jig to place a certain bottom and deck rocker on certain boards exactly the same each time was in essence what the computer and machine could do and more without being restricted to a few blank sizes. This opened up a whole new world in surfboard shaping.
Wayo used the services of a California computerized shaping machine shop and started receiving pre-finished shapes of his designs in the beginning. After a while talking to a few friends and keeping an eye out for newer ways, Wayo came across the Dat Designer a software and hardware tool that gave Wayo another option in designing and shaping. He would take a trip to Australia and meet John Gillis, the man to see concerning the Dat Designer. After learning his new tool Wayo’s ability to machine and hand shape a board gave him an edge that he would further develop into the 2000’s.
Wayo Whilar has seen the changes that Peruvian surfing and board building has gone through since the 1960’s. Still shaping today his understanding of surfboard hydrodynamics places him with the elite group of master shapers and is considered the No.# 1 shaper in Peru. The most gratifying feeling for Wayo regarding shaping is when a friend, a customer or team rider stops by his shop and tells him about the performance of his boards. With a smile on their face they would express how their life is back together because their new board has taken them to their next level of surfing
The Cutting Edge
By Thomas Takao
The daily events in which we are surrounded by can occupy our thinking be it work, school, or errands and if you are a surfer the thought of a new surfboard can float to the surface now and then. Many of my friends have owned a few name brand surfboards and some backyard boards without a decal, me included. They were all hand shaped until the turn of the 21st century when machined shaped blanks took on a different meaning.
Now days you can still have it shaped that way by hand or have it shaped by a CNC shaping machine. The skill of the shaper is what makes the difference from a so so board to something magical. The machine shape has taken surfboard design to a new dimension but it also can produce a so so board that is symmetrical, it is the skill of the designer/shaper/operator and the fine shaper to finish it off to make it special. So that is something to keep in mind.
I recall long ago when George Draper standing across the counter in his surf shop in Huntington Beach saying “Variety is the spice of life”. During the years that have come and gone we have seen changes in the design process. This is where we begin the story of owning a shape from a friend thousands of miles away. Through the conversation of an email the idea of having a Wayo Whilar Surfboard from Peru developed. Wayo Whilar is the best shaper in Peru and began his career in making surfboards during the Golden Age of Peruvian Surfing in the 1960’s and has seen the evolution in surfboard designs since then. He is a shaper who takes into account everything that goes into his shape from dimensions and what blank to use and listens to what the surfer wants out his or her surfboard.
So, we began the design process and went back and forth in what I wanted to ride. The final outline turned out to be a 8’0” winged swallow, 22” wide with a slight vee by the 10” fin box. The tri fin configuration has the forward fins in front of the wings. After completing the design a PDF of the outline and the SRF file of the shape were sent over along with a list of CNC / shaper located on Oahu. After going over the list of operators Richard Peralta returned the email that was sent to him. It took a couple of days but I found out that he had been surfing at Tennis Courts and fell and landed on a coral reef. He was recovering and it was understandable for the delay in responding back. The arrangement was made to have the board machined shaped a few days later on a Wednesday.
The blank was picked up at Poi Dog Distribution, while there I got to meet Derek Young the owner and Drew Sparrow of Sparrow Surfboards who also has a shaping machine at his Sugar Mill shop. Both were friendly and were very helpful. At first an 8’4” looked like it would be ok, but after further review looking at the PDF that was sent an 8’10 with the fuller nose was chosen as Drew suggested. After arriving to his shop, Richard took the blank and placed it on his blank measuring shelf, taking the thickness measurement of the blank and in putting the dimension into the AKU software and comparing the design within the blank. If the design fit within the blank a green line would surround the profile of the shape. If the design didn’t fit then the profile line would turn red. After checking and making an adjustment for the profile to fit, it was a go. A tight go at that.
One thing that became clear after the shaping was done is that the thickness of the nose was different, on one half of the blank. The left side was 1/8” thicker than the right where the left side was machined; the right side had the skin of the blank in tack. The software determined not to cut the area to match the opposite side and to maintain the rocker of the design. Returning back to the AKU shaping machine, the one that Richard was using is the latest one available with an added feature, that feature was an actuator. Which is a plastic cover rod that floats up until it touches the nose and tail of the blank to eliminate the flex the nose and tail goes through when the saw spindle places pressure on the those two areas.
The saw spindle is located in the middle as the blank travels along a two rail system, moving up, down and sideways, cutting the foam with precision. After about 25 minutes both side were machined and the process completed. Richard has surfed most of his life, though only having been in the surfboard building scene for over a year. But he has an edge compared to others who have been shaping for much longer. His occupation prior to the career change was in IT at a large medical facility. Knowing software compared to others who must learn it from the beginning has its advantages. After taking the shaped blank outside I covered it with a bed sheet and placed into a board bag.
Alan Sitt would be doing the fine shaping of the machined blank and after meeting with Alan he takes the blank into his shaping room and removes the bed sheet from its protective cocoon. Placing the blank on the shaping rack Alan notices the skin on the bottom of the nose. He looks at it for a moment and gets a block plane and goes over the area very lightly and the thin outer layer peels right off. The nose area had excess foam along the rail line to be finished by hand shaping. Alan removes the excess and blends the nose with the rail contour of the board. He then proceeds to the tail section and draws a 2 inch deep swallow tail. He would return later to finish the fine sanding and take it over to Jack Reeves to have it glassed. Long story short Jack would call to says the board is done and to stop by and pick it up, which I gladly did .
By Thomas Takao
The daily events in which we are surrounded by can occupy our thinking be it work, school, or errands and if you are a surfer the thought of a new surfboard can float to the surface now and then. Many of my friends have owned a few name brand surfboards and some backyard boards without a decal, me included. They were all hand shaped until the turn of the 21st century when machined shaped blanks took on a different meaning.
Now days you can still have it shaped that way by hand or have it shaped by a CNC shaping machine. The skill of the shaper is what makes the difference from a so so board to something magical. The machine shape has taken surfboard design to a new dimension but it also can produce a so so board that is symmetrical, it is the skill of the designer/shaper/operator and the fine shaper to finish it off to make it special. So that is something to keep in mind.
I recall long ago when George Draper standing across the counter in his surf shop in Huntington Beach saying “Variety is the spice of life”. During the years that have come and gone we have seen changes in the design process. This is where we begin the story of owning a shape from a friend thousands of miles away. Through the conversation of an email the idea of having a Wayo Whilar Surfboard from Peru developed. Wayo Whilar is the best shaper in Peru and began his career in making surfboards during the Golden Age of Peruvian Surfing in the 1960’s and has seen the evolution in surfboard designs since then. He is a shaper who takes into account everything that goes into his shape from dimensions and what blank to use and listens to what the surfer wants out his or her surfboard.
So, we began the design process and went back and forth in what I wanted to ride. The final outline turned out to be a 8’0” winged swallow, 22” wide with a slight vee by the 10” fin box. The tri fin configuration has the forward fins in front of the wings. After completing the design a PDF of the outline and the SRF file of the shape were sent over along with a list of CNC / shaper located on Oahu. After going over the list of operators Richard Peralta returned the email that was sent to him. It took a couple of days but I found out that he had been surfing at Tennis Courts and fell and landed on a coral reef. He was recovering and it was understandable for the delay in responding back. The arrangement was made to have the board machined shaped a few days later on a Wednesday.
The blank was picked up at Poi Dog Distribution, while there I got to meet Derek Young the owner and Drew Sparrow of Sparrow Surfboards who also has a shaping machine at his Sugar Mill shop. Both were friendly and were very helpful. At first an 8’4” looked like it would be ok, but after further review looking at the PDF that was sent an 8’10 with the fuller nose was chosen as Drew suggested. After arriving to his shop, Richard took the blank and placed it on his blank measuring shelf, taking the thickness measurement of the blank and in putting the dimension into the AKU software and comparing the design within the blank. If the design fit within the blank a green line would surround the profile of the shape. If the design didn’t fit then the profile line would turn red. After checking and making an adjustment for the profile to fit, it was a go. A tight go at that.
One thing that became clear after the shaping was done is that the thickness of the nose was different, on one half of the blank. The left side was 1/8” thicker than the right where the left side was machined; the right side had the skin of the blank in tack. The software determined not to cut the area to match the opposite side and to maintain the rocker of the design. Returning back to the AKU shaping machine, the one that Richard was using is the latest one available with an added feature, that feature was an actuator. Which is a plastic cover rod that floats up until it touches the nose and tail of the blank to eliminate the flex the nose and tail goes through when the saw spindle places pressure on the those two areas.
The saw spindle is located in the middle as the blank travels along a two rail system, moving up, down and sideways, cutting the foam with precision. After about 25 minutes both side were machined and the process completed. Richard has surfed most of his life, though only having been in the surfboard building scene for over a year. But he has an edge compared to others who have been shaping for much longer. His occupation prior to the career change was in IT at a large medical facility. Knowing software compared to others who must learn it from the beginning has its advantages. After taking the shaped blank outside I covered it with a bed sheet and placed into a board bag.
Alan Sitt would be doing the fine shaping of the machined blank and after meeting with Alan he takes the blank into his shaping room and removes the bed sheet from its protective cocoon. Placing the blank on the shaping rack Alan notices the skin on the bottom of the nose. He looks at it for a moment and gets a block plane and goes over the area very lightly and the thin outer layer peels right off. The nose area had excess foam along the rail line to be finished by hand shaping. Alan removes the excess and blends the nose with the rail contour of the board. He then proceeds to the tail section and draws a 2 inch deep swallow tail. He would return later to finish the fine sanding and take it over to Jack Reeves to have it glassed. Long story short Jack would call to says the board is done and to stop by and pick it up, which I gladly did .
