We had the pleasure of connecting with Billy of Dingley Surfboards from Cornwall, UK in late 2019, when he put in one of our favourite ever orders - 4 fins as Christmas presents for everyone who surfed in his immediate family. We thought this was rather special, and were stoked when he continued using our fins in his handshaped boards as standard.
Tell us where you’re from and where you’re based.
I’m from the UK and I’m based in a small coastal town called Perranporth, on the north coast of Cornwall.
What inspired your logo/brand name?
The inspiration for my logo/brand name was from my grandfather, who used to have his own fertiliser business back in the day, called ‘Dingley Fertiliser’. I wanted something similar, that was clean and simple.
With the help of my girlfriend, we managed to modernise his old logo and tweak it to the aesthetic we were looking for.
Tell us a bit about how, when and why you got into shaping.
I first got into shaping when I was seventeen years old, I was doing it on and off through my college years. I started shaping because all the surfers I looked up to were building their own boards, and I thought that was the coolest thing on earth. Originally, I was just making boards for myself but it quickly snowballed into more than that.
I have always loved building things by hand and spent a lot of my time surfing, so shaping was a natural progression for me. I am now totally obsessed with it and have built my life around shaping and surfing.
What kind of boards do you mostly shape?
I mostly shape traditional longboards and fishes, although recently I have been doing a lot of eggs and channel bottom twin fins. I enjoy shaping boards that I like to surf, as I can have total confidence in what I am selling.
What’s your preferred fin set up to a) shape and b) surf?
My favourite fin set up is either a twin fin or a single fin, I find twin fins/fishes super fun to build and they work great for the waves we get here in Cornwall.
Best tip for the budding shaper?
The best tip I would give to a budding shaper is don’t overthink it, allow yourself to make mistakes and don’t try to cut corners.
What’s been the most memorable board you’ve ever shaped & why?
The most memorable board I’ve made was probably a 7’0 channel bottom twin fin, which I made during lockdown. It was one of the first boards I shaped out of my new shaping bay, and it has definitely changed my perspective on surfboard design. I recently created a new model based off this board.
What's the bonus of using Macho Fins in your boards?
The bonus of using Macho Fins is that you can be assured you are getting nothing but the highest quality. If you have ever held a Macho Fin you know what a quality hand foiled fin feels like. Working with the team at Macho is a pleasure and their fast response makes everything a lot easier. There isn’t any other fin company I would like to work with other than these guys, I have complete trust in everything they do and am very happy to be sending my customers in their direction.
Thanks Billy! And you can check out Dingley Surfboards on their Instagram and Facebook.
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