BOB MARTIN is now living, shaping, and glassing MARTIN SURFBOARDS in League City, Texas. MARTIN SURFBOARDS are still very much in demand by local Texas surfers. He feels that it is very important to let you know that HE IS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE and producing better boards now more than ever.

The History….

    In 1968 After moving with his family from Beaumont to South Houston, Texas, Bob Martin, having a powerful crush on a high school girl whose little brother wanted a surfboard, made his first surfboard under a carport only 1 block away from South Houston High School. The board turned out “pretty good” and encouraged by his friends to make more, Bob did just that. Shortly after high school Bob went to work for DOUG PRUNS of DOUG SURFBOARDS (see DOUG SURFBOARDS in this TEXAS ONLY website) in Galveston, Texas making surfboards like the pros. Bob wondered if Doug thought he was good enough to make boards and Doug replied “ NO, but we have 100 rent boards to build and after that you WILL be”. Later, at the beginning of the “shortboard revolution”, Bob made a trip to California and upon his return to Galveston, built the first twin fin surfboards seen in Texas.

  In 1974 Bob started MARTIN SURFBOARDS in a garage in Galveston, Texas and made countless MARTIN SURFBOARDS till 1982 when he changed his brand to HURRICANE SURFBOARDS and established many wholesale accounts from Alabama to South Padre Island, Texas. Bob sold The HURRICANE SURFBOARDS brand to Major Surf Corp.(JAMES FULBRIGHT) and intended to work with him but it was not to be.

    Bob revived the MARTIN SURFBOARDS brand in 1994 at the old HURICANE factory location. He began to downsize and returned to a one man operation. Bob sold the location in 2003 and built a 2,400 square foot facility at his home in League City, Texas. Bob says his boards are influenced by surf legends like, DOUG PRUNS, DICK BREWER, DOUG HAUT, AL MERRICK, MATT BIOLAS, STEVE WALDEN, GLEN MINAMI, MICHAEL BARON, PHIL BYRNE AND NEV HYMAN.

  MARTIN SURFBOARDS longboards and shortboards are custom built to order. Bob takes pride in “taking orders and making people happy one board at a time”.

Get in touch: MARTIN SURFBOARDS ph.281-309-1056 or find BOB MARTIN on FACEBOOK.