1993

Mike Becker began producing surfboards as a hobby under the label Natures Shapes.

1994

Started to sell surfboards to friends and some local surf shops.

1995

Production has increased as well as store outlets. Natures Shapes were now available in four shops from Sayville, NY to Montauk, NY. Natures Shapes apparel was produced with the NS logo as well as the Shark Trademark.

1996

Started naturesshapes.com website and began to distribute surfboards all over Long Island as well as New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland.

1997

Surfboard production is increasing by over 50% each year consistently. Boards are now available in six stores in New York. Natures Shapes surfboards were used in an Old Navy TV advertisement.

1998

Production is still on the rise. Boards are becoming more desirable and the trademark more recognized. Surfboards are being noticed at surf spots around the world, such as Fiji.

1999

Washington Mutual Bank uses Natures Shapes Surfboards for billboard advertisement.

2000

Natures Shapes is now the second largest surfboard company in New York. Trademark and logo are recognized as a local surf brand across Long Island.

2001

Natures Shapes company profile is featured in Northeast Surf publication.

2002

Web business has grown to over 30% of total sales. Production continues to grow at a steady pace. Natures Shapes is a sponsor of the New York State surfing championship.

2003

Natures Shapes was featured in Newsday with other local board builders, Bunger and Phoenix Surfboards. Mike Becker made the front page of the newspaper.

2004

Mike handshapes some of the first Stand Up Paddleboards to be seen in our area. Lars Svanberg and Scott Bradley receive their first SUPs to try out on the east end of Long Island.

2005

Clark Foam shuts its doors and Polyurethane foam becomes extremely hard to come by. NS uses its knowledge of EPS Epoxy surfboards and begins their own EPS surfboard blanks, hand shaping every board from a square block of foam. The EPS Epoxy technology years later with take over the surfboard and SUP industry showing its superior qualities.

2006

Mike moves from his home based business to a storefront with small workshop in Sayville. Ceilings were vaulted to accommodate the first Stand Up Paddleboards to see on display. This was a really big move for Natures Shapes and took a lot of risk but the hard work and determination would pay off in the future.

2007

Local Sayville community shows patronage to our little store. Natures Shapes begins to become a destination shop from people all over the island. Early experimentations with stringerless boards, carbon fiber rails, and other high tech materials would show what surfboards might look like in the future.

2008

New high-output printers begin to enter our market allowing for full photo quality graphics to be applied to any surfboard or SUP. NS begins to exclusively use Marko Foam EPS Blanks. These blanks will later prove to be the best in our industry. Nature’s Shapes discovered Marko Foam in its infancy state, later to be used by all of the major manufacturers.

2009

The continued growth of EPS epoxy boards manufacturing now makes up over 50% of NS Production. The first few 2-piece board prototypes are developed from personal boards. These boards are cut into pieces with experimental materials and hardware inserted.

2010

Natures Shapes factory grows out of the back of the store and moves into an 1800 sq. ft. fiberglass facility nearby. The growth of the SUP industry begins to expand at a record rate. NS begins using Green Room epoxy resin. This resin is manufactured right in North Carolina and proves to be stronger and stay clearer longer. Green Room will also grow exponentially over the next few years.

2011

Natures Shapes takes out a loan to purchase the first CNC surfboard shaping machine in the Northeast. This machine allows us to cut all of our custom orders in-house. CNC software allows for the volume of any board to be calculated—anything from a baby board to a 14’ racing SUP can now be done on Long Island. Continued experimentation with carbon fiber, polymers, and fastening systems leads to a Patent Pending design for a 2-piece surfboard system, which had yet to be named.

2012

We expand the store due to heathy growth in the surf industry as well as the SUP market. NS grows from 450 Sq. ft. Showroom to a 900 Sq. ft. showroom with backyard set up for demo boards, parties, and fun.

2013

Mike receives a full U.S. utility patent for The Carbon Compact. The SUP business begins to see its peak with NS producing over two SUPs per day all summer long.

2014

The SUP market begins to get saturated. NS focuses more on custom surfboards, high-end restorations, and experimentations with 2-piece board technologies. Being flexible and able to adapt to market changes is what enables business to grow.

2015

NS feels the economy is strong. The company sees consistent custom orders as well as stock surfboard and SUP sales. EPS epoxy boards are now close to 80% of all boards built.

2016

The Carbon Compact is finally revealed. With years of prototyping and testing, the final boards are now available to the public. Featured at The Boardroom Show in Del Mar California, the new design begins to catch attention. International shipping begins to grow with boards being sent to Japan, Russia, and Spain.

2017

Natures Shapes begins making Foil boards as we see a slight interest in the sport on our island. The Carbon Compact technology continues to grow with boards being shipped worldwide also being featured on Boardporn Instagram as well as others.

2018

Natures Shapes enjoys the growth of The Carbon Compact, with boards now continuing to be shipped around the globe. The company is also featured in a Memorial Day weekend kickoff special on Channel 7 ABC News with Amy Freeze.

HISTORY