andat theendof theday, speed iswhatallowsyou tosurvive
when thewavesarebig.”
CollectorsshareHamilton’senthusiasm, lustingafter
Brewerguns thewayguitaraficionadoscovet1950s-eraFend-
erStrats.And they’llponyupsomeseriouscoin: 1960sand
’70sboardsroutinely fetch four-andfive-figureprices.Andat
aSotheby’sauctionseveralyearsago, aBrewer-designedboard
withanickel-platedbottomsold forawhopping$220,000.
“Atsomepoint, itdoesn’tevenseemreal,” theMinnesota-
bornBrewersays fromhishome inHanalei,Hawaii,on the
northernshoreofKauai. “SomeoldBrewersget$30,000.Like
oldFerraris, theyappreciate invalue—as longasyoudon’t
ding ’emup.”
ENDLESSSUMMERBECKONS
WhilegrowingupinLongBeach,California,Brewer,thesonofa
tool-and-diemaker,wasmoreflyboythansurfinghound.Ableto
operateeverymachineinhisfather’sshopbyage16,Brewer loved
designingandflyingexoticmodelairplanes.Thenhecaughthis
firstwave,and likethemomentwhenBrianWilsonmarried
ChuckBerryguitar lickswithFourFreshmanharmonies, life
wasneverquitethesameafterthat.
“Younever forget it,”hesaysofhisepiphanyoSealBeach.
“It justhooksyou. It’salmostareligiousthing, torideasurf-
boardwith freeabandon.”
Later,BrewerstudiedmechanicalengineeringatCalifor-
niaStateUniversity,LongBeach, intentonbecominganair-
planedesigner.Butat thesame time,healsowaskeenly
observingboard-designpioneers like the lateGordieDuane,
Dale“Hawk”Velzy, andDickBarrymore, aswellasBob“Ole”
Olson (who’sstill shapingonMaui).
Inhisearly20swhenBrewer,anaccomplishedsurferhim-
self,movedtoHawaii topursueridinggiants,passionfinally
trumpedprofession.Hedecidedthatwhathereallywantedto
dowhenhegrewupwasdropoutofcollegeandredesignthe
modernsur¢oard.
➤
PROFILE
The BigKahuna
SUMMER2013
celebratedliving.com
80
“
”
Dick isagenius—
theThomasEdison
ofsur oards
....
Dickmakessomeofthe
world’
s
fastestboards
,
andattheendoftheday,
speed
iswhatallows
youtosurvivewhenthe
wavesarebig
.
—LAIRDHAMILTON
