Nomad Surfboards

In the early to mid ‘80s, Ron and his wife Beth expanded into the bar next door, Dante’s Den. Old-timers still come looking for the bar “with a twinkle in their eye” to this day, Ryan said.

Ryan grew up making and riding custom boards with his dad. “Making the boards together was always a big thing,” Ryan said. “It was always kind of something that meant more than just riding, say another brand or something. I mean even till this day, when I shape the board myself and then ride it, it’s kind of got this personal, just special, part about it.”

Ron and Ryan made Ryan’s first board at 5 years old. Later they made boards that Ryan rode during his time on the U.S. Surf Team. Full circle stuff. Ryan still has a lot of these boards throughout the shop. Their presence is another ode to the business that Ron catalyzed all those decades ago. That first board is at home, however, in Ryan’s living room, complete with a painted calling card that reads “Shaped by dad, colored by Ronnie, for Ryan.”

Ryan is the primary shaper at Nomad in his father’s stead and loves the process of a board imagined becoming a board ridden. “One of the best feelings is when you have this whole idea, this photograph, of what it looks like in your mind. And then that board is finished and in front of the customer and it’s a one-of-one product — exactly what you envisioned,” he said.

Everything real, was first imagined, and Ryan can make real anything you imagine, whether you’re looking for a longboard, a short board, fish, fun shape; even art that is also a functional board. Nomad boards are often known for their attention to design and artwork as well — just like Ron used to make them — with resin pin-line work, acid splashes, vibrant colors and airbrushed art. Nomad Surf Shop still has an on-site shaping bay and does their own glassing.