History.
Richie Lovett is a former pro surfer turned surfboard designer and shaper. The Australian native caught his first wave at Manly Beach as a nine-year-old, and carved his way through a successful surfing career that culminated with 10 consecutive years on the elite World Championship Tour.
In 2005 Richie discovered a completely new relationship with his equipment following a cancer diagnosis that would end his pro career. After being forced to undergo radical hip surgery, Richie had to teach himself to surf all over again at the ripe age of 33.
“I went back to riding a longboard, then everything from midlengths and hybrids, stand up paddleboards, to eventually high performance shortboards again. In doing so, I became really familiar with all types of surfboard genre.”
In 2006, Richie learnt how to design surfboards using the AKU software, and shortly after he started finishing his own designs in the shaping bay.
Over the years Richie has created some of the most fun and functional shapes for brands like Aloha, 7S, Modern, Softech and Adventure Paddleboarding.
In 2020 he made the decision to start his own brand… Volume Shapes.
Vision.
Richie’s passion for surfboards and surfing hardware stems back to his days on tour. Working with some of the world’s most talented shapers as a pro was essentially an apprenticeship in surfboard design and performance.
"Surfing and competing at that level, you acquire extensive knowledge on how and why a surfboard works.”
As a former pro surfer with an innate ability to design and test boards at the highest level, Richie is now committed to making surfboards for the everyday surfer.
“Having been in a constant battle with my body to stay fit and healthy, as well as accepting my age, my design philosophy today is based around wave count and making surfing easy, fun and highly satisfying”.
Create.
Richie considers himself equal parts designer, shaper and surfer; which are the key trades needed for creating functional surfboards in a modern world.
Volume Shapes Surfboards are manufactured in both Australia and Indonesia. The Australian production focusses on traditional polyurethane (PU) construction, while the Asian production focuses on key models manufactured in EPS/Epoxy construction using materials sourced from Australia and the USA.
Custom order Volumes Shapes surfboards are available with a 3 - 6 week waiting period. All custom orders are made in Australian factories, with quotes supplied upon request.
Richie uses the AKU and Shape3D shaping software to design all surfboards in the Volume Shapes range, and personally shapes all custom orders himself.
