An overview of great surfboard shapers and brands of our time would be incomplete without the mention of Robert August Surfboards.

With a rich history in the sport, Robert August started his line of surfboards and longboards in Huntington Beach, California in the 1970s and it has now grown to become one of the most trusted surfboard manufacturers to date. The founder of Robert August Surfboards, Robert August, was born in 1944. His interest in the sport began in his early years first riding waves as young as 6 years old.

The strong attraction that the sport had on him can be attributed to his father, Orall "Blackie" August, who was involved in surfing from early in his life. This was due to his introduction to surfing by the famous Duke Kahanamoku.

Orall August was so well known in California’s surfing community in the 1950’s that Robert’s childhood home in Seal Beach, California became the de facto headquarters for surfers in the area.

Thus, Robert August simply followed in his father’s footsteps and then took it a step further from participating in surfing to founding and managing one of the leading surfboard shaping firms in the world today.

However Robert August’s place in surfing and the surfboard shaping world was immortalized in the 1960s making of the surf documentary Endless Summer.

In this documentary Robert and surf buddy Mike Hynson travel around the world with film maker Bruce Brown in 1963.

The purpose of this endeavor was to create a surf movie that would remove the stigma that lingered over the way people viewed Californian surfers at the time. The film introduced the public to true meaning of surf culture and every surfers’ desire to find the perfect wave.

This ultimately resulted in the production of what would become one of the most influential and popular surf documentaries in the history of surfing.

The Endless Summer was later followed by the making of Endless Summer II where professional surfer Pat O’Connell and longboarder Robert “Wingnut” Weaver attempt to repeat Robert and Mike’s epic surf trip around the world.

In this second documentary the two get a chance to meet up with Robert August along the way. 

Robert first started shaping surfboards for a surf company in Hermosa Beach, California called Jacob Surfboards. He later left and shaped for a variety of companies on demand until deciding to open up his own surf shop selling his own designs.