Ryan Engle

Ryan Engle | Owner and Shaper of Nation Surfboard Manufacturing.

Ryan Engle began his shaping career in 2002 alongside the Boehne family at Infinity Surfboards in Dana Point.  A longtime team rider, and shop manager at Infinity, Ryan found himself spending tons of time downstairs in the shaping rooms on site, working with the talented crew on his personal boards he was competing on.  “It was a special time back then, having boards built on site at our shop,” said Ryan. “It was very influential to me. Finally grabbing the planner and having a go at one myself felt natural, given the unique work environment Steve Boehne created at Infinity.”  

As a young competitive surfer, Ryan always spent equal time on both short and longboards and found success on both. “From both my surfing and shaping careers, I have always taken pride in being well rounded and capable of handling the entire spectrum of surf craft.”

As a production hand shaper, Ryan has carved out over 5,000 surfboards the old fashioned way, creating a solid foundation to his surfboard designs today.  In 2007, Ryan created Nation Surfboard Manufacturing and purchased his very own AKU shaping machine. Incorporating his roots in hand shaping and craftsmanship, Ryan dove into the world of surfboard CAD design and never looked back.  “Having complete control of my designs, rockers, rail progressions, is addictive. The sky is the limit with what I am able to do with these state-of-the-art tools.”

Today, Ryan is as focused as ever doing what he loves, building surfboards. “All of my boards go through my hands, and are built start to finish under one roof. I have been so fortunate to have worked alongside such amazing people, and even more fortunate to be working with such amazing surfers!

“I am so excited to be a part of the CJ Nelson Designs family.  To build boards for CJ, Corey and his crew is an honor. I can’t wait to see all of the talented people ride these new designs.” – Ryan Engle

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