Ben Kelly: 1993-2020
On May 9th, Ben Kelly was surfing in the waters of Santa Cruz County, when he was fatally attacked by a great white. Ben passed away doing what he loved.
More than making a sale, Ben really cared about each surfer and always wanted to make sure they were riding a board that truly fit them best. He was passionate about creating an experience for surfers, not just a piece of equipment. He wanted you to realize your own talents and abilities to do great things, and he found joy in helping people experience the same stoke he felt out in the water. Ben enjoyed the entire process, from the concept and creativity of design, to the work of shaping a blank. To Ben, it was about finding the board inside the blank, and with that came infinite possibilities for creativity.
As proud as he was of this brand and business, we know Ben wouldn’t care to be remembered as just a great shaper or surfer. Ben loved Jesus. His integrity, actions, and words were always pointing to the love of Christ. At the end of the day, he wanted people to experience the love and grace that God has to offer and know that they too can have an eternal hope and freedom in Christ - just like he had found. Ben knew his worth rested in Jesus and that was the motivation behind everything he did.
We are currently not taking new board orders.
In the meantime, grab yourself a Ben Kelly Surfboards hat, shirt, and stickers, take a look around the site and be inspired by Ben’s favorite board shapes he developed!
Thank you for your support!
Why Handcrafted?
The process of ordering a hand shaped surfboard is part of what makes it so special. Join in that process of designing your next surfboard directly with a local shaper. There is an amazing heritage of hand shapers here in Santa Cruz. All of our boards are 100% hand shaped by Ben and professionally glassed locally by Paradise Fiberglass. Don't just settle for a machine shaped board shipped over from a factory in Thailand, invest locally in a board the works for your specific style of surfing and where you want to surf.
Why Custom?
Each of our handcrafted custom boards is built to order. The value we offer is the ability to work directly with your shaper and learn the finer details of what makes a surfboard work. Having a custom board made specifically for you allows you to take the elements you like about a certain model and then make minor adjustments to really make it work for you. We have team tested models to get you started or you can work with Ben directly from the concept to develop a completely new custom shape from scratch.
Why Ben Kelly Surfboards?
There is no ego here. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived in Santa Cruz since the 60’s and know every surfer and ‘secret spot’ in the county or if you’re brand new in the Santa Cruz community, Ben is happy to work with you! You’ll be able to chat directly with Ben and no questions are off limits… So ask away. It is the learning along the way that makes ordering a custom board fun! We will walk through shape size, outline, thickness, rocker, rails, bottom contours, tail shape, volume, and more and create a board that will perform.
