Ben Aipa

Ben Aipa was at the very core of surfboard innovation for over 52 years, revered by the world’s best shapers and surfers as a grandmaster foamsmith. In a bold and powerful statement, Bob Hurley once said, “Ben Aipa is the father of modern performance surfing.”

Born in 1942 on the island of Kaua‘i, Ben began shaping at age 22 the same year he first learned to surf. Just four years later, in 1968, he shaped the board that Fred Hemmings rode to victory at the World Surfing Championship in Puerto Rico. That moment launched his career as a designer and sparked five decades of radical innovation that fueled some of the most pivotal movements in surf history.

In the 1970s, his Swallow Tail (1972) and Sting (1974) designs powered the rise of modern performance surfing ridden by icons like Larry Bertlemann, Buttons Kaluhiokalani, Michael Ho, Mark Liddell, and Dane Kealoha. These innovations led to his performance twin fins in the mid ’70s and experimentation with multi fin systems (quads, thrusters, five fin setups) documented as early as 1978. In the early 1980s, he led the resurgence of longboarding by introducing high performance modern longboards that forever changed how they were ridden.

At the same time, Ben pushed shortboards into the future evolving the Sting into the High Bump in 1983, reintroducing the Sting element in 1985 to complement thruster and quad fin variations, and continuing to refine his shapes with each new era to meet the ever rising performance needs of surfers, decade after decade.

Ben once said, “In order for surfing to change, surfboards need to change… and I want to be that change to take surfers and surfing where they need to go.” He was a master of observation, blending Hawaiian instinct with a designer’s eye. From the invention of the swallowtail and the revolutionary Sting to the Modern Longboard and beyond, his templates and techniques redefined what was possible on a wave.

He shaped from visualization and feeling, not just formula creating boards that were always ahead of their time.

As the founder of AIPA, Ben’s vision lives on in every board that bears his name painstakingly built to perpetuate his life’s work. Each one is an authentic experience of surf history, heritage, and innovation.