We’re thrilled to announce that Bill Stewart was recently inducted into the San Clemente Boardbuilders Hall of Fame!

San Clemente’s surf community gathered at Los Molinos Brewery on Friday September 5th as the hot late summer sun blazed and live music by Oso Negro filled the air. With cold beers in hand, we raised our glasses to toast the best surfboard shapers, glassers, and all around craftsmen in our little beach town.

The packed outdoor patio was buzzing with excitement as event organizer Damian Brawner greeted the crowd and kicked off the festivities. The San Clemente surf scene is full of incredibly talented craftsmen, and there’s no doubt that Damian had his work cut out for him choosing the best surfboard builders to honor. This year he assembled an eclectic group of shapers, glassers, and sanders including Greg Martz, Jim Jenks, Vick Goddard, Mike Muir, Tom Sutherland, Chris Slick, and Mike Darakjian, alongside Bill Stewart.

In his introduction of Bill, Master of Ceremonies Jim Kempton remarked, “he is considered by many to be the Father of the Modern Longboard” and then went on to note Bill’s revolutionary 2+1 fin setup on a longboard, the innovative Hydro Hull single to double concaves, and co-invention of the Futures fin box to be some of his most notable accomplishments. Jim credited Bill’s many surfboard innovations with “in the 80’s, revitalizing the longboard market and inspiring a whole new generation.”

Not one to shy away from the mic, Bill tried to keep his acceptance speech short, starting off by thanking Damian and the entire Brawner family. Then letting the crowd know about his history and self-appointed title of “Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Greatest Surfer that Ever Lived” haha! He quickly recounted his pilgrimage out to California in 1971 in search of better waves, which landed him in San Clemente. Bill wanted to thank his mentors, as he said these were the “people who allowed me to become better. And in the decisions of life, I had important people that I was gonna go right and they said ‘go left’ and I went left and it worked out for me.” Most importantly, he wanted to acknowledge the many people who helped him get to where he is today, including everyone who has ever ridden or worked on one of his boards. Most of the crowd fit into one or both of those categories and erupted into applause.

With the ceremony complete, we spent the rest of the evening chatting, taking photos, signing the epic event poster painted by Roy Gonzalez, and admiring the absolutely stunning trophy sculpted from resin by master craftsman Perry Faanes.

As a San Clemente surfer, shaper, and artist since the 70’s, Bill was honored to be recognized for his contributions to the sport after all these years. Thank you again to Damian Brawner and the Brawner family for including him on this illustrious list as one of the best surfboard builders in San Clemente!