Elephant Boards

Everybody, meet Chris Valentin and his mini-quiver.

Chris is the sole shaper of Elephant Boards based out of Eugene, OR. His brother, Joe Valentin, makes up the second half of this two-man operation. Chris shapes. Joe paints. Simple as that.

The Valentin's have a rich history with the ocean. Spending their younger years in the rat race of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, the brothers learned to surf and bodysurf in one of surfing's most historical arenas. Chris later joined the Marines and was lucky enough to be stationed in Indonesia, Japan and Panama. Needless to say, he surfed the waves of each region whenever time allowed. And, as any good brother would, Joe visited.

Now, as full fledged Oregonians, the Valentin's do it in the cold stuff.

I was lucky enough to meet Chris and Joe's Dad when I worked at Tactics in Eugene, OR. He brought in a 6'10" Elephant gun hoping that we would take it in on consignment. One look at the board was all it took. I hadn't ever taken a board in on consignment before due to the fact that I forgot the "taking a board in on consignment" procedure (sorry BC/MP). However, I knew I had to "nut up" and bring this board in, which I did.

Since then, I have had Chris shape me a 6'0 fish, a 6'5" thumb tail, a 6'4" quad (#2) and a 6'4" squash tail (#5). I can tell you right now, that I am an Elephant Board surfer for life. The hands on, one on one type of relationship you get when you know your shaper is one of the most gratifying feelings outside of the water. At this point, it baffles me that pop-out boards are as successful as they are. I would encourage anybody to get ahold of Chris to talk about your next surfboard. Wether it be a 10' nose-rider, a 7' egg, or your go-to shortboard, Chris and Joe can crank out what you need.

In other words SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHAPERS!

Drop 'em a line at elephantboards@yahoo.com or just click HERE.

You can also find Elephant Boards online at Ossie's Surf shop HERE

1. 5'11" quad fish

2. 6'4" quad

3. 6'3" squash*

4. 6'9" gun

5. 6'4" squash**

6. 6'4" squash

7. 5'8" quad fish

* Chris was nice enough to loan me this board after I snapped #5.

** Snapped this guy during a juicy day in San Diego. Chris fixed it for free along with some new artwork from Joe to hide the break. Thanks guys!