Clint Preisendorfer is a respected surfboard and wakeboard shaper with over three decades of experience in the industry. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Clint's passion for surfing was inherited from his father, Rusty. "I think my dad turned me loose for the very first time when I was about 15. He let me into Rick Hamon’s shaping bay and I started hacking a board apart." - Clint
Clint's signature design style is characterized by clean lines and subtle curves, emphasizing speed and maneuverability. Clint designed and refined board models including the Blackbird, SD, Barking Spider and Chupacabra. He has a talent for customizing boards to suit each rider's unique needs, taking into account their size, skill level, and preferred riding style.
"I always kind of laugh when someone asks me what my favorite board to shape is because, to be honest, it’s a pintail that I’m shaping for myself because I’m trying to get barreled on a big day. That said, we have a model called The Blackbird that we basically made for big days at Blacks and Ocean Beach. Another board I really enjoyed making was The Barking Spider. It’s a swallowtail performance shortboard with a little more width. It has kind of a flat deck, which I’m really into and it’s reminiscent of the Occy ’84 model. It has kind of a flatter deck, but with more traditional dome deck rails, so it’s a blend of the two with a hip going into a swallowtail with plenty of width underneath the back foot. It’s a great everyday California shortboard." - Clint
Clint has also played Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees and worked as a boatman in Tavarua, Fiji for multiple years.
Today, Clint and his family reside in Portland, Oregon, where he continues to snowboard, surf and shape boards at his workshop. He combines traditional hand-shaping techniques with the latest computer-aided design methods to create innovative new shapes and explore cutting-edge materials. Clint remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of surfing and wakeboarding.
"I definitely feel a lot of pressure. My dad has been shaping boards longer than I’ve been alive and shaped boards for world champions before I was even born. So I feel like there are some pretty big shoes to fill shaping under his label with all these other guys like Hoy Runnels, Mike Russo, Rick Hamon and Pedro Battaglin. All of these guys have 30 - 40+ years of shaping under their belts, so I’ve been knocking on their doors, asking for help every step of the way and they’ve been happy to give it. I feel some pressure, but as long as you focus on making the best board you can, that’s really all you can do. And I can’t see myself doing anything else. I think it’s way more rewarding than baseball. To see someone paddle out with a huge smile on their face and have them tell you that their board works great — I think that’s about all I want in life." - Clint
