Hot Stuff’s star shaper is a fella by the name of Dale Wilson, 11 years with Hot Stuff and 11 years out of Christchurch where he made surfboards under the ‘Insane’ label. His brother mate made clothing under the label and let him use the label for surfboards. Always a keen dedicated surfer - clearly when there is snow and the water 2 degrees on the shore that’s keen! The day he arrived on the Gold Coast he found a flat, bought a car, and wandered into a surfboard factory looking for work… and low and behold who should wonder into the Hot Stuff factory the very same day the sander had left town and Dale started immediately.

Ready and waiting for a student was the surfing legend and master shaper Alan Byrne were his dream came true the perfect student he got. AB quote “If I could never shape a board again I would ride a Dale Wilson”. The master has spoken!

Soon after Dale landed the job he moved into glassing, sanding and all other manufacturing facets which led him to shaping. Dale has now been shaping for the past 10 years for Hot Stuff but secretly shaping since he was 16. (Now that’s the man)

Hot Stuff is not into mass production, we don’t want anything to do with it. We’re still making hand-crafted surfboards and finish coated fiberglass fine quality boards that are what we are famous for, and that are what we are really proud of and that’s the only quality we will put our names to, all of us. The guys that buy our boards recognize that, know what quality means and come back time after time.

Dale has inherited the Rabbit Batholomew shapers task, and in good Hot Stuff heritage delivers the goods. The 1978 world champ, was overwhelmed to win his second world title 21 years later. It was great to see Rabbit absolutely raving about the boards he was riding throughout the contest, which were shaped by Dale. Hot Stuff has been there since 1977 supporting Rabbit with great shapers such as Gill Glover and Al Byrne, and it’s clear we have another great winner to follow in their footsteps!