My love for the ocean started when my family moved to Satellite Beach, FL in 1968. I started surfing in the summer of 1970 at the age of eleven.  I competed in the ESA through my teen years and into my early 20’s. 

 

I began building surfboards in 1978 while employed at Natural Art Surfboards in Cocoa Beach, FL. Over the next decade I learned every aspect of board building. Starting as polisher, to pin liner and glosser, next was airbrushing and finally to shaping full-time by the late 1980’s.  

 

Major influences in my shaping career were from legends such as Greg Loehr, Richard Price, Tommy Maus and Ricky Carroll.  In 1995 I started my first surfboard label “'Split Lip”' while still working at Natural Art. In 1998 I teamed up with R&D Surf in Rockledge, FL shaping various other labels to supplement my income.  In 2004 I launched my '“Surfboards by Chris Birch'” label and in November of 2013 I opened my own factory in Indian Harbour Beach, FL. January 2016 marked my 38th year in the surfboard industry.

 

Without regrets,   Chris

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