The Spoon — A Reimagined Classic

handmade by Nico from Wavegliders in Portugal - Rider: Pedro Carnevali Scnasetti

There are surfboard designs that you just come across every now and then. The Spoon, first crafted by the legendary Californian surfer and innovator George Greenough in the mid-1960s, belongs to that rarified category. Born from Greenough’s desire to merge speed with intuitive control, the original Spoon was a compact, low-volume shape with a dished hull and pronounced curvature — a board designed not to dominate a wave but to inhabit it. Paddlers rode it on their knees, finding an uncanny connection to the wave’s power, and in doing so Greenough laid foundational ideas for modern surfboard dynamics, flexible fin concepts, and riding deeper in the pocket than ever before.

In early 2023 we took inspiration from that lineage and brought it into the present. In Ericeira, Portugal, we met Nico of Wavegliders, a shaper with over 30 years of experience, whose workshop merges artisan craftsmanship with a reverence for surf history. For this mission, Nico built us a reimagined Spoon — a contemporary tribute to Greenough’s original kneeboard ethos, shaped with refined detail, balanced rail work, and a hull that speaks to both performance and poetry. His boards, handcrafted just outside one of Europe’s most dynamic wave regions, trace a lineage from the surf pioneers of California straight through to today’s nuanced interpretations.

The session was brief, a true strike mission: a paddle, a few committed drops, and the rhythm of wind and swell dictating our window. But that brevity was its own gift. Watching the Spoon carve lines that really give you an a new perspective on the experimental spirit — reminded us why these quick, purpose-driven outings matter. Sometimes the best missions aren’t about length or quantity, but about the quality of experience, the attention to design, and the stories that unfold between the first and last wave.

In an age of hyper-performance boards and endless design permutations, the Spoon stands apart not for its complexity, but for its purity of intent — a reminder that surfing at its best is as much about feeling as it is about form, and that even a short session can leave a lasting mark on how we see the sea.