START-UP SUCCESS: OTTER SURFBOARDS

James Otter combines his love of carpentry with his passion for watersports by carving bespoke wooden surfboards that are planet-friendly and fit for a prince

James Otter combines his love of carpentry and the sea to make bespoke, planet-friendly wooden surfboards

couple of years ago, James Otter gave one of his bellyboards to Prince Charles. The Prince, who once tried surfing and is a keen environmentalist, was delighted. “Oh, the things that go on behind one’s back!” he said, when he learnt that the board was made using cedar and oak from his gardens at Highgrove. The event was organised by Surfers Against Sewage, who tackle plastic pollution and waste and want us all to look after the oceans, and they chose Otter Surfboards for its eco-credentials. Most boards are made from polyester foam, using petrochemicals in the process, and need replacing after two to three years. These are different – they use natural, sustainable materials and, with care, will last for ever.

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Today, James and his two makers are measuring strips of wood in a rammed-earth building powered by solar and wind energy, in Porthtowan, north Cornwall. To make their boards, they will saw cedar planks, sustainably sourced from Wiltshire and Somerset, into six strips to form the top and bottom ‘skin’, before building up the ‘rails’ (or sides) with further strips. “This uses less wood than hollowing out a solid piece,” James says. “It also means we can create symmetry using the wood’s grain and patina.” Each board takes between 70 and 80 hours to make, with little going to waste. Offcuts are used for bellyboards (for bodysurfing) and handplanes (which you strap to your palms when bodysurfing for extra lift). Even sawdust is made into blocks for woodburners. James has designed 15 basic board shapes, which he then alters

“Each board takes between 70 and 80 hours to make, with little going to waste”

for individual customers, depending on their ‘surfing style’. He owns two – a ‘Coaster’ and a ‘Wicker’ – and tries to surf every day. “I wouldn’t ride anything other than a wooden board now,” he says. “Ours tend to be about 30 per cent heavier than foam ones, so you get a different momentum in the water – more glide and flow.”

LIVING THE DREAM

As a carpenter and surfer, there must be few people more suited to founding a wooden surfboard business – and it’s been a long-held ambition. James grew up in Buckinghamshire, learning to surf on family holidays to Cornwall. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a carpenter, he then studied furniture design at the University of Plymouth, where he met Liz, now his wife. Most weekends, they would drive to a beach in Cornwall – Sennen, Gwithian or Harlyn Bay – looking for the best waves. “We’d sleep in the car with the surfboard strapped to the roof,” says Liz, who comes from West Sussex. “I’m not a surfer, but I find the sea really calming. We knew we wanted to live there one day.” For his final-year project, James worked on ideas for a wooden surfboard.

After graduating, James took various woodworking jobs, helping with timber framing and sharpening blades at sawmills. But in his spare time, he worked on making prototypes for a surfboard he could sell. A year later, he found himself out of a job. “It was scary at first, but it also made me think I could give a business a go. We didn’t have a mortgage or children. It felt like the right time.”

FROM TRADESMAN TO TEACHER

In 2010, James founded Otter Surfboards. Liz worked in graphic design, but then joined the business and now looks after the admin. Orders soon came flooding in. A few months later, someone asked if James could teach him to make his own board. James was initially cautious. “I thought, ‘Do I tell this person everything I’ve

spent the past few years working out or do I keep the information to myself ?’ I took the risk and decided to share my knowledge.”

It was a risk worth taking. James’s Make Your Own courses for surfboards, bellyboards and paddleboards quickly became even more popular than commissions for boards themselves. He now runs up to 20 courses a year, with a maximum of just three people on the surfboard sessions to make sure everyone gets enough attention. The rewards, James says, are not just financial. “As a designer and craftsman, it surprised me how much I get from watching others go through the same process,” he admits. “All the emotions I felt when I made my first one are reflected back at me.”

Liz also believes that people come away with more than just a board. “It’s amazing to see the transformation in others when you give them the time and space to create,” she says. “They grow in confidence. I like to think of it as craft therapy.” It’s this that has led the couple to an idea for the next stage of their business: they’re looking into setting up craft retreats, where people can come to a workshop and camp nearby. Everyone will be encouraged to enjoy the outdoors. “We’re here because we enjoy being by the ocean,” James says, “so that needs to be a part of the daily routine for us all.”