west of west builds an experimental surfcraft for california culture

west of west creates an experimental surfcraft
photo © hara kumaran
all images courtesy of west of west

for the architecture and design museum of los angeles, local studio west of west has designed and crafted ‘aero’, a radical board that represents the history of experimental surf culture in southern california. the product is built around a streamlined image of speed. its profile blends the classic outlines of a planning hull with an asymmetrical split tail. while the top surface remains minimal, the bottom is extensively contoured along its length. as a result, ridges and valleys emerge from the massing, forming a new topography that reacts to agility and flow in unique ways.

(left) top of the board
(right) bottom of the board
photo © hara kumaran

detail of the leash cup
photo © hara kumaran

view of the tail
photo © hara kumaran

early board shapers in the sunshine state during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s were equal parts artist, craftsman, and engineer. the rugged coastline served not only as motivation, but also as a laboratory and playground. influenced by aerodynamic and hydrodynamic theories, including lindsay lord’s ‘the naval architecture of planing hulls’, iconic surfers such as bob simmons would fabricate their boards and test them the next day. their process of continual trial-and-error dramatically progressed the culture in so many ways that it remains relevant to this day. a similar lineage of experimentation forms the basis of west by west’s creation and is fundamental to their practice.

the board in the sand
photo © hara kumaran

on the beach
photo © hara kumaran

while the early drawings of the design were completed digitally, the physical production was executed by hand using traditional techniques: the profile was sketched on the block of polyurethane foam with a pencil, the overall shape sculpted with a hand planer, and the final contours blended and sharpened with a sanding block. afterwards, it was finished in fiberglass resin with a coat of battleship grey in homage to the naval history that fueled the creativity of surfing pioneers.

sanding down the massing
photo © hara kumaran

taking dimensions
photo © hara kumaran

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.