RD Surfboards

Got my first custom shaped board done by Rhett and I am super happy with how it turned out! Rhett has been great throughout the entire process — from advising me on what types of boards work best for where I surf and my skill level, to explaining the difference between epoxy and poly, which fin setup to get, etc. He put up with my constant texting (I was just so excited about my first custom board!) and remained professional and on top of things. I enjoyed being shown around his workshop as he took the time to show me boards in various stages and answered all my newbie questions.
I took my board out for the first time yesterday and so far, it rides like a dream, paddles well, and everything about surfing it is just effortless. This is going to improve my surfing so much! Plus I get happy every time I look at it, because he did such a great job with the color. I highly recommend RD Surfboards.
Thanks so much Rhett!

RD Surfboards has been my go-​to for ding repair for the last year. My surfboards are precious so I really wanted someone who was going to do a GOOD and TIMELY job on the dings. RD takes care of me every time and I’m proud to support a local shaper/​business.

Rhett did a fantastic job on our board! My son wiped out and put two dings in our board during our brief stay in Santa Monica. 3 other local shops were either unwilling on unable to help in such a short time frame. Rhett not only repaired the dings by the end of the day, but did an excellent job at a reasonable price.

I took my 12 year old daughter to look at board options at RD Surfboards. After we talked to Rhett (owner, master shaper) she and Rhett spent the next several weeks creating a masterpiece. Rhett is incredibly knowledgable about people and their surfboards. He was able to consider my daughter’s ability, age, size, personal style and potential to create an amazing board. He showed her literally how to make her board which has inspired her beyond what I could have imagined. These kinds of finds are priceless which is why I feel compelled to Unilocal and tell every surfer I know that this is a must. Whether looking to simply have your board repaired, create a whole new board, pick up a surf board bag (made out of recycled billboard material, outstanding…) or just to see the process of making a surf board, this is the place. Rhett and his wife Shannon are very knowledgable and super cool folks. I can not recommend their shop enough. Thanks RD Surfboards!

I was referred to Rhett @ RD Surfboards by a good friend. I had just bought my boyfriend a used longboard that needed repair work. I needed the job done quickly so I could give it to him for Christmas!
Upon arriving, Rhett showed me the shop and all the new boards he was shaping. He was so nice! It was very impressive. He got the job done quickly and did a fabulous job. The price was great too.
Rhett was very professional and I will refer all my surfing friends to his shop.
Job well done Rhett!!!

My husband owns a board shaped by Rhett and he swears by it! We were invited to the opening party for Rhett’s new studio and had such a great time!
The studio itself is super professional, with all of the necessary tools and equipment for Rhett to custom make your perfect board, or repair your current ride.

My Fiancé went to Rhett for a custom surfboard. She told him that I am 6’01″, 240lbs and need something that a intermediate surfer can have fun with.
Rhett built me a 6’5×22×3 fish that is absolutely b-​e-​a-​utiful.
Completely custom, with my family seal on the front and my clan (Scottish/​MacGregor) Tartan wrapped around it. Perfect!!!
The surfboard rides like a dream. I am catching waves I would have never even tried for before with my 6’7 Al Merrick Channel Islands.
Need a custom board? Got to RD Surfboards. I am extremely happy with mine.

Totally impressed!
Brought my 7’9″ board in after I parked it on a sandbar and totally blew out my finbox. RD took care of all the damage, even fixed up some of the glass on my tail that needed some attention, and hooked me up with some new fins on the cheap!
Talked me through the repair about what needed to be fixed and why. All around awesome customer service. Planning on having them help me create a custom after this. Super cool.

Gave Rhett my favorite Retro Fish with tons of color work and he repaired the glass on the rail. Color matched the resin work and it looks flawless. Sick job!
DT

Rhett has been my go to guy for ding repairs ever since I discovered him 3 or 4 years ago when he was still a grad student at UCLA. Since then Rhett has moved on to fixing and shaping boards full time. He shaped me a beautiful 5’11 board this year that I absolutely love. I am not very knowledgeable about boards but Rhett was very patient discussing what I was looking for and lent me a board to try out. I couldn’t be happier with the end result. I love the way my board surfs, it looks gorgeous (I had Rhett put a Mondrian design on it and he did a great job), and it was all done for a fraction of what it would have cost elsewhere. My only complaint is that Rhett has occasionally gotten swamped with orders and the work took longer than expected. However, he was always very apologetic and gave me a discount or free ding repair for my troubles. He took on a lot of customers very quickly but I believe he has picked up some help so I don’t expect it to be an issue in the future.

RD is my one stop shop for dings and custom shaping!!! RDs work is superior to anywhere else I’ve been in la for ding work and RD shapes are as good as any name brand at a FRACTION of the cost. trustworthy, fast and experienced. I’ve been surfing for 15 years and wouldn’t go anywhere else in town.

Rhett is very knowledgable, welcoming, and collaborative — traits that came together to make the best board I’ve ever ridden.
I really appreciated his humble attitude and willingness to listen to my ideas and research of what I wanted to craft, which then evolved with his feedback. We worked together on the design and he was very committed to making the right board for me — and it shows in how well it performs in both point breaks and beach breaks and has let me step down from longboards and long funboards to a hybrid modern egg made specifically for me and where I want to take my surfing.
One of the best parts was being able to work on the board together and really get myself involved in making something special — check out the photos from the project:
Considering that a lot of us aren’t made of money, RD is a godsend with great value for the quality and craftsmanship, which also enabled me to upgrade to EPS foam for my board because of the overall savings on the project.
Don’t hesitate to give Rhett a call and talk about what you’d like to achieve. Working with him will get you on the right board and take your surfing to another level.

Rhett repaired two of my boards — one epoxy, one fiberglass — in good time for a good price. Both were very beat up when I brought them in and both rode great when I got them back in the water. Very glad I followed a friend’s recommendation and went to here.

I got in touch with Rhett after a friend recommended him. I was frustrated because my local shaper was only really focused on selling me boards and did a crappy job repairing the dings on my existing boards. Rhett was incredible — I needed a new fin box after my board hit a rock and he did an amazing job fixing it up. It honestly looked brand new and his pricing was better than my local shaper’s. I even brought my busted fin in and he fixed it up perfectly for free — saved me $ 100+ for new fins! Rhett is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and takes the time to talk to you about your options. I plan on using him for my next custom board!

Rhett designed and built two customized surfboards and one SUP board for me. They came out beautifully! Rhett was very helpful through the process asking all the right questions and helping me understand various options. Honest and a pleasure to work with. I look forward to enjoying the boards!

Rhett is an up and coming LA based surfboard designer and shaper and easily the surfing communities best kept secret. The simple truth is RD Surfboards is the best value in LA, period. Anywhere else you would have to come deep out of your pockets to get the same quality board by paying high markups for trendy brand names. Not only are you getting a better value with RD Surfboards but you will have a stick that you know is unique and that no one else in the world has the exact same shape and design.
Rhett initially repaired several dings on my boards and did an excellent job. I was very impressed with the quality of his repairs and decided to have Rhett shape me a new board. I can say I am completely in love with the board he custom designed and shaped for me. Rhett worked with me to get a feel for my surfing style and ability (Great Lakes kook) and built a board that I really feel is me. Rhett also worked with the color scheme and design I wanted and the finished product was exactly as I imagined.
I had several surfers ask me about my board and who shaped it the first weekend I took it out. I will be going back to RD Surfboards for my next board.

Need a custom board? Call Rhett at RD Surfboards. I called Rhett after seeing his ad on Craigslist, and he was great. I was looking for my first custom board, but had no clue of how to match the different shapes available to my style of surfing. Rhett was great at asking questions, and explaining how different design features would help or hold back my surfing. After learning about all my of options, and conveying my ideas to Rhett, he came up with an awesome board shape, and killer resin blend design. I was able to be there at the shop to see the board at different stages until the board was complete. Rhett did a great job! I’ll be calling Rhett at RD Surfboards again when I’m ready for my next board.

This is the best kept surf secret in the Westside of LA. Rhett at RD surf designs can custom shape any board you want, much cheaper than the competition, with custom graphics, top quality construction, and epic performance. Very friendly service, honest, and super professional. Rhett also does ding repair service, waaaaay cheaper, and faster than any other local shop or repair guy, and even better professional quality repair. The secret is out! RD is the best of the best in local surfboard custom orders and board repair surgery. Support local awesomeness!

Contacted Rhett after seeing his ad on Craigslist for ding repair. He replied immediately. I live in Culver City, he was going to be right in the area, and he saved me a trip by offering to pickup my board. I had a pretty major ding to the tail of my board. The board had a green tint spray on it, very hard to color match. He did a fantastic job. Great price, great service, and excellent work… couldn’t be happier. I will definitely repeat. Also, getting my board back, I had a real busy week and couldn’t get away from work,…so I floated him an extra $ 20 and he delivered my board back to me. Super cool. I’m also looking forward to checking out some his custom boards in person soon.

I bought a custom fun board from Rhett and couldn’t be happier. We modeled the shape of my board on popular, more expensive models from bigger manufacturers. I found Rhett to be very knowledgeable about boards in general, and communicated well the steps and challenges involved with shaping the board I had in mind.
In the end I received a fantastic board with a made-​to-​order paint scheme that is totally unique and always gets positive reactions from other surfers. Rhett has also been available to repair the dings in my board quickly, professionally, and at a fair price. It’s fair to say I’m stoked on my experience with RD.