The Shaper

Mark Rabbidge

Mark is the owner, shaper and driving force behind Retro Longboards, Rabbidge Surf Design and Feisty Girl Surfboards. Born in 1949 in Sydney and began surfing in 1960 at Dee Why beach.

He started his shaping career during the 60’s out of necessity when, as a young hot surfer he requested a specific design from his shaper and was told to f... off. So he did, off into the backyard with a variety of fathers best tools and hacked out a surfboard. Despite this inauspicious start , Mark duly produced boards for the likes of Ron Wade and McCoy in the hotbed of surfboard evolution which was Brookvale in the late 60’s early 70’s.

As a surfer Mark called North Narrabeen home but in the early days belonged to Mid Steyne were he did some competition surfing and found some like minded souls. Lots of surf trips up and down the coast in mostly borrowed cars, usually mum or dads. Lucky if the car and all the passengers made it back from any given foray. It was the 60’s and some casualties didn’t make it. Mark had his share of debauchery and reluctantly cleaned up his act in 1976 and most probably saved his life.

By the 80’s and after various other “proper” jobs Rabbidge was keen to spend more time in the water with his young son Michael. Boards had gotten so short and corky by this stage it was hard to find something to ride on those small days at Northy. Mark again was forced to design a board to make surfing fun when conditions were against him. (Try and tell a ten year old it is too shitty to go surfing). So he sought out the longest blank he could find (only 8 foot in those days) and shaped one of the first longboards that was to precede the modern longboard we see today. Not working full time as a shaper at that stage but Mark was still pestered by friends to shape “one like you are riding”. He was so obviously having a great time and catching, the bastard, a lot of waves.

Other shapers, usually guys who had been around for a while, seemed to be on the same track too. More and more longer boards were turning up in the water and some friendly competitions were starting up. One at Avalon in 1983.

Things got more serious a few years down the track and a professional association of sorts was formed - MALS Masters Association of Longboard Surfing. The main protagonists along with Rabbidge were Nat Young and Frank Latta, A sweet little circuit with sponsorship from a namesake alcoholic beverage and the boys were reliving their youth. Nat was openly heralded as the best on a longboard at that time and went on to win several world titles when the ASP took over the point score. Mark was one of the few surfers to take the victory off Nat with wins at Newcastle, Sydney and the Gold Coast

In 1987-88 Mark was also runner up in the world title race to good friend and now, sadly passed away, Stuart, Twiz, Entwistle.

All these events were surfed in such varied conditions, all around the world, so, it was really important to have boards that worked. They had to survive manoeuvres to make the wave to win heats. Design focussed on not just radical surfing but making those moves and doing another one. Anyone can do one killer move but stringing them together is key.

All this practical experience is what separates Mark from lots of the other longboard shapers of today. Many have only jumped on the bandwagon to offer a product without any real in depth feedback or refinement. They may look OK but in the water is the test (see stoked customer for our feedback)

Mass produced imports are filling the surf shop rack making life tough for Australian surfboard shapers - don’t be fooled by the pretty packaging. A Rabbidge shape is the real deal because you can talk to the guy who will shape it. You can trade it back when ready to change designs and the board will keep it’s value. Try trading a Chinese board and see how many bars of wax that will get you.

For nearly ten years Mark has been a resident of the New South Wales south coast town of Bendalong. Mark shapes the boards at his bay down south and makes a trip to Sydney every other week to the glassing company where the boards are finished and sent off to shops or customers can pick up their boards from there directly (Mona Vale). The theory is that there will be plenty of time to surf when.....just gotta get these few orders done and then I’m out there.