Listen or subscribe on iTunes.
I was excited to interview Eric Arakawa. I grew up watching Andy Irons shred on Eric’s boards and I knew that he was regarded as one of Hawaii’s finest shapers. I was surprised to learn that shaping surfboards has only been one facet of Eric’s career. He’s an astute entrepreneur who has woven a fine balance of continually shaping boards and growing several successful businesses. I spent a couple of days with Eric in March of 2013. He was recovering from a broken leg he suffered while surfing Laniakea. In December 2012 an unidentified surfer ran over Eric and the blunt force of his longboard broke Eric’s femur. When we met he was walking, regularly attending physical therapy, and expected to make a full recovery. This episode was recorded over the course of 2 hours in his shaping room at the Sugar Mill. I wasn’t mic’d so my audio isn’t ideal. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the show. Thanks for listening.

Learn more about Eric at EricArakawaSurfboards.com