Rubens Canfield started shaping in the 80s. The first label was called Ilha do Mel, then Hatha. In 1993 he put his own surname on the board — and it stuck.
One of the first in Paraná
Rubens is one of the people who got surfing going in Paraná. He taught himself to shape by taking his own board apart to see what was inside. He has since traded the handsaw for a CNC — and still finishes every board with sandpaper.
Proven by people who live on them
The partnership with Peterson Rosa put the shapes to the test at the highest level. Three Brazilian titles — 1994, 1999 and 2000 — and more than ten years on the world tour, one of the longest runs any Brazilian has had among the elite.
The process
Four rooms, one board
Shaping
Outline, rocker and volume defined with the surfer.
Milling
The blank is cut to the millimeter.
Glassing
Lamination and resin — structure and flex, dialed in.
Paint
Art, color and the final finish, by hand.
Archive
From the Brazilian circuit to the WCT
Then came Jihad Khodr, from just down the beach in Matinhos. Brazilian champion at the 2006 SuperSurf, champion again in 2007, and seasons raced on the world tour.
Timeline
Forty years, in order
From the first sketch to the boards that won Brazil.
-
1963
Canoinhas
Rubens Canfield is born on the Santa Catarina plateau, a long way from the sea that would become his trade.
-
1980
Seventeen, and a board taken apart
He starts surfing. The curiosity about shaping comes with it: to find out what is inside a board, he takes his own apart.
-
The 80s
Ilha do Mel, the first label
Surfing in Paraná was taking off and Rubens was competing from the start. His first board label is named after the island.
-
Hatha
The project grows and takes another name before it finds the one that sticks.
-
1993
His surname on the board
The label takes his own surname and settles in as Canfield Surfboards.
-
1994
Peterson Rosa, Brazilian champion
The partnership that puts the shop on the map begins. Peterson takes his first national title on Canfield boards.
-
1999 · 2000
Two more titles
Peterson Rosa closes out three Brazilian titles and strings together more than a decade on the world tour — one of the longest runs any Brazilian has had among the elite.
-
2001
Seventh in the world
Peterson finishes the year ranked 7th on the ASP world tour, after a third place at Sunset where he beats Luke Egan and knocks out Mick Fanning.
-
2005
Last heats on the WCT
Peterson Rosa surfs his final heats among the world elite, at the Pipe Masters.
-
2007
National champion again
Jihad repeats the Brazilian title and stays on the world tour.
-
2008
Into the elite
Jihad Khodr races the season on the WCT, the top division of world surfing.
-
Today
Four rooms, fifty boards a month
The Matinhos workshop turns out about fifty boards a month with a team of five: Rubens on the shape, two on lamination and finishing, one on paint.
The wall
Magazine pages, covers and photos kept since the 1980s.
See all 51 clippings
