Neal Purchase Designs · Let's Get Barrelled!

 

 

· SEARCHING FOR "THE FEELING" ·

There is only one way to get to know Neal Purchase Designs and the man behind it and that goes through not only knowing the man but also getting to experience his work.

A Heritage Passed By Family. A Refined Art That Conquers the Sea

Born into the culture of surfing and shaping, Neal Purchase Jar (NPJ) grew up competing, free surfing and shaping. Now, he one of the most talented, refined and well-rounded surfer-shapers of this era.

“Being a surfer is a constant interest in creating vehicles to ride a bit of a sculptural art form” - NPJ

Neal Purchase Jnr at the short film 'Surfing Legend Neal Purchase Jnr On The Art Of Shaping', A Type 7 Film

There is a feeling and even a piece of poetry linked into every single NPJ’s design; the shaping may have dropped into his lap, but it became NPJ’s second nature and you can really tell, not only by the looks, but by the experience of surfing one of his surfboards.

 

· APEX TWIN ·

This design is the result of NPJ wanting to get away from the skaey/fishy feel some Twins have, but maintaining the same get up and go.

In order to capture this feeling on the board, he pulled the tail in drastically with a wing path the same point as the front edge of the fins. In order to allow water out through the rails easier, this design combines a soft panel curved channel to act like a vee.

 

 

The feeling from rail to rail is much smoother thanks to a pulled in tail and fins closer together at around 9 inches apart. Maintaining quite a bit of planning area still in the mid section of the board, it offers a get up and go quickly feeling. This complimented by a subtle single running into a bonzer double concave out the back.

The nose, pulled in around 13”, and the low entry create a dynamic yet smooth performance twin, “that loves a good hack in the pocket with zing.”

· Pro Tip | Best surfed a little longer than your height and width threshold around 20 inches wide.

 

 

· NEAL PURCHASE JNR · 

Neal Purchase Jnr (NPJ) is the owner and founder of Neal Purchase Designs and was born in a family where shaping boards is in their DNA. Son of the legend shaper Neal Purchase, you can see how this heritage, that old school background, mix with modern multiplicities is all over his timeless stunning designs.

Speed, Maneuverability & Drive

The so-called shortboard revolution back in the 60s? Well, his father has been quoted to have helped kick start this movement back in the day and it was his 8’4” ‘The Virgin’ design that put Neal Purchase in the radar at the time.

Early 70’s with NPJ's Dad and his sister at Burford Blanks in Currumbin, AUS.

 

“My influence in shaping is probably a more modern and refined take on the 70s and the 80s. (…) Making your own equipment, surfing the way you want to surf, become a pure art form because you’re working on it from the ground up”-NPJ

NPJ is also well known as one of the great barrel surfers in Queensland, specially on his back side. As he says, being a shaper you need to be able to surf your own boards. That is the only way to capture a signature feeling that can be shared with the people and be remembered. This is a guy who knows what he wants, how he wants it and is able to build a shape by it. He knows his craft inside and out.

“I wanted to bring back a bit of the rock and roll, a bit of the feeling, a bit of the romanticism and the art form. (…) I get motivated to shape through surfing and wanting different feelings.” - NPJ

Cool, right? Well, here’s something you may also not know… He is he co-founder of the brand Rhythm that you can also find in Pukas Surf Shop.