Surf Spotlight: Dano Surfboards

I first saw what Dan Forte was made of about two years ago, when he took wave after wave for two hours straight, no one getting in his way.

The man most surfers refer to as “Dano” took on 80 waves – and raised $12,000 while doing so - all in an effort to help a friend who had suffered a spinal cord injury after a surfing accident.

Sitting in the water next to Dano at Blackies the next few years, I learned it was no surprise he was able to pull off such a feat. The quiet longboarder with the slicked-back hair gets into waves with ease, glides down the line with style, and has earned the respect of the locals on the north side of the Newport pier.

His name and boards are all over the place in Newport Beach, and he’s got some killer riders out in the water. I thought I’d get to know Dano a bit better, so I swung by his Costa Mesa shaping room (inside PureGlass) to do a quick interview:

How did you get into shaping?

It was in 1988, and I bought a blank for a kid across the street to do a school project. He never used it because his parents didn’t want him to make a mess. So I just shaped it one day in my mom’s garage in Laguna Hills.

How did it turn out?

It worked, but it wasn’t pretty. I surf it for a while. It was a shortboard.

We all know you from Newport, but where was your spot growing up?

Salt Creek and Trestles. I moved to Dana Point after high school.

You weren’t always a longboarder?

I was competing as a shortboarder. I never did that great but I enjoyed it, it was fun.

What was it about shaping that kept you doing it?

You see what you did on a board, and think ‘if I change this or tweak that…’ Once you do another one, you see a couple things you can change and it just kind of evolved from there. Friends would see it, and say ‘hey make me one.’ It started off pretty quick, I started doing quite a bit. I surfed for a shop here called Surf Plus and they ordered some right off the bat.

What was it like starting to shape in the 80s?

Everyone rode the same thing. Now, you can shape four boards a day, and each one is different. Back then, it was all the same board. It was just what we did at the time. They all had beak noses, flat decks. Whatever Tom Curran was riding, we were all trying to copy that.

How about the 90s?

Kelly Slater took over and we all went too thin, too narrow. Through the middle of the 90s is when I start doing the longboards and the more retro stuff.

What was it about the old styles that appealed to you:

I was always into old cars and old music, so I thought ‘it would be cool to make an old looking board.’ The first few I thought I did them really traditional looking, but they weren’t. I kept making them, trying to make them how I wanted. There was a pretty good crew of kids around here that surfed traditional longboards. I got them to start riding my boards and it took off pretty quick too. The retro thing really took off, even the shortboard shapers are doing retro styles. It went from little clicks in each surf town to pretty much everyone having a longboard or a fish for when it’s small.

I just really like older, rockabilly blues music, and the old cars that go with it. I’ve had old cars since my 20s. I’ve always had something from the 50s, motorcycles, and stuff like that. It just kind of always appeals to me.

How would you describe your shaping style?

I get pegged as being the retro, longboard guy - but after doing it for 20 plus years, I’m kind of the guy you can get any type of board. I’m pretty versatile.

Which do you prefer: Longboard or Shortboard?

Personally, I like it all. I go through my phases. I’ve been riding longboards the past month. It’s good to ride any kind of board. If it’s big, I’ll take my shorboard out, if it’s small I’ll bring out the longboard. It keeps it fresh all the time.

Tell us a bit about your music:

It’s a one-man rhythm and blues review. I just enjoy it, it’s fun to do. I’ve played in a few bands, I didn’t think I could play all those instruments at once, but I can - so I was like ‘let’s just go for it.’ I do the harmonica, sing, guitar, and drums on a suitcase all at the same time.

Thanks Dano, see ya at Blackies!

More on Dan Forte:

Age: 44

Favorite break: Blackies in Newport Beach

Family: Wife Lisa, son Jack, 10, and daughter Sydney, 22

Shop address: 1779 Placentia Ave, Costa Mesa, CA

More info: danosurfboards.blogspot.com