Watch: Downsizing with Mitchell Rae
He twigged to concave long before other shapers and pushed flex experimentation beyond Greenough's orbit. For a softly spoken fella, there's been a lot of lightbulbs flashing inside Mitchell Rae's head. The one that burned brightest, however, was that which beckoned him to slow down, pull back from a big operation, make fewer surfboards but invest more of himself into each one of them.
It's only a short vid, a simple message, but a good reminder about priorities.
A reminder also that Mitchell is still there in his Urunga factory assembling his immaculate Outer Island boards.
Comments
That was wonderful.
He has obviously made lots of good decisions, and has ended up happy and content, as opposed to jaded and bitter. Bravo!
he makes some REALLY good surfboards , and is a top bloke to boot a real Aussie legend .
He's a legend! Been working with him with some of our alternative materials and also some new carbons so he could "keep up with the young kids" ( his words). The new boards coming out from him are looking Epic!
That’s pretty much a template for happiness right there.
As a long time Outer man, it's true there's a part of Mitchell 'soul' in his boards, each one is something special and rides beautifully - that's it for me; it doesn't get any better than that.
refreshing.
I really like the look of his boards and the different ideas V stringer, flex tails etc and they are like works of arts, but I've always been disappointed and find it even strange that he hasn't experimented more with materials (or at least offer different builds)
Back in 2011 he brought a quiver of balsa boards to the Currumbin wooden surfboard day.
https://woodensurfboards.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/wooden-board-day-2011.h…
Flextail Balsa thats a interesting build.
Great little video. Mitchell has made me a couple of boards and it's always such an enjoyable process; very personal, a keen listener, an intuitive understanding of what I need based on the feelings and wave I describe to him. A funny bloke too!
The moments I get to ride his boards in good waves do, to use his words, resonate. On those days I feel I'm surfing in a different space - faster, more powerful, more connected to the wave. Just somehow different. Still haven't put the 8'0 I just got in the water, but it'll undoubtedly be a special moment paddling it into the first big one in Indo this year.
Mitchell is a top craftsman, had a blizzard night in Japan with him. He made me this magic board that had speed fins in it. Had some epic sessions on it, took off back side near launching pads late, tail slid but the ship steadied, me or Mitch? When the fins fell out in Hawaii, Mitch organised a re fit from Gerry cousin. Shoots Buddha is well hooked up.
Aloha Nui Loa,
Goggo
This is fantastic. I recently had a nag and a beer with Sam Egan. Another legend of our community/lifestyle. Not as out there as Mitchell's designs but a deep thinker. Handshaping everything. doing a fair amount of boards for large surf. Would be another great article subject i'm sure Stu.
Sure would be. I gotta put aside a few days and head north with my tape recorder.
If you are coming north you should drop in on the way Stu!
Totally.
No that's refreshing. What a great little vignette and a great story. Much enjoyed.
Nice guy , great surfboards.
Fucking Hell Albertinelli are you in a Coma Mate ?
Who’s Albertinelli?
A racehorse -
owned by Kerry1....a great Fan of Mitchells but dont post much anymore
come back Kezza/ Albertinelli we love your work..
Russell Crowe has to play Mitchell in the movie
Chambered blank and stringer.
Would love to order one in person.
What a great body of work in that clip. Something to be very proud of. Not bad blowing on the harp to boot.
one of my very big regrets in surfing is that I sold the only Outer Island board I ever had.
a 6'5" flex tail that went insane at G-Land but that I couldn't get to go on my backhand at home.
I remeber seeing pics of that beauty .
I have a 7'6" gloss-coated, blood red, flex tail Zen Blade that has never been surfed...and sometimes I wonder if it ever will be.
Occasionally I go out to the shed, pull it out of its board bag and rub my hands over it, admire the construction, the curves, and the aesthetics...and then I wonder how I'd feel if, say, my leggy snapped and I lost it on the rocks at the point. Shudder to think.
It's as good as a Lopez Bolt in my eyes. An heirloom board.
Don't know how that'll work with one board and three sons, but that's for them to figure out.
Where did it end up Freeride ?
https://www.swellnet.com/forums/wax/12226