Meet the Hippy Trippy

I have always loved the ocean. Growing up in Queensland, surfing was a way of life. My dad, a keen bodysurfer from his years in Papua New Guinea, first taught me to bodysurf when I was about four years old. I learned to surf at seven, and the board quickly took over. Still, whenever the waves were not right for surfing, I would leave my board in the dunes and hit the shorebreak. For forty years, I bodysurfed without flippers or a handplane because I did not know any different.

One day at Surfers Paradise, the tide was too full for the outer banks, but the shorebreak was pumping. I left my board in the car and pulled into a few barrels, not making them. For the first time, I thought that if I had a handplane, I might make them. Just before Christmas, I asked my wife for one. When I finally tried it, I was disappointed as it did not feel right. At the time, I was repairing a surfboard and had leftover resin, so I decided to try making my own handplane.

That was in 2020. My first one took nearly three months and I had no idea what I was doing. Shaping foam felt familiar from childhood, but glassing was a struggle as I kept sanding through to the foam. I learned quickly that sanding is an art.

When I finally finished, I tested it at Narrowneck. The waves were fun and it felt right from the start. Then I noticed a group of bodysurfers, more than I had ever seen together. That was my first meeting with the Goldie Sliders. One asked what handplane I was using. When I said I had made it, he replied, “Good on ya!” Another asked if I used flippers, something I had never considered before. That moment opened my eyes to the full bodysurfing setup.

After tagging them on Instagram, interest in HANDY Bodysurfing handplanes began. From then on, I surfed with the Goldie Sliders, sharing waves, stories and laughs.

For the next four years, I shaped and tested constantly, trying new ideas and refining what worked. My garage became a workshop and social media spread the word. Orders started coming in from around the world until July 2024, when the council shut me down. It was devastating, but I decided it would not be the end.

Over the past year, I have been designing a production model. I chose to launch with The Hippy Trippy and, if successful, follow with other shapes like the Model H. Countless hours went into fine-tuning with the manufacturer to make sure it was exactly right.