My name is Kyle Tivnan, and I founded Dish Surfboards in a camping tent in my parent’s backyard.
During the summer of 2024, I was (and remain) a broke college student with an abundance of time, and a desire for a new surfboard. While working as a dishwasher at a vineyard, I used to spend my entire time at work looking at thousands of used wine corks just sitting in storage. I asked my boss for more than a thousand corks, to which she happily obliged (thanks Kate!!). That summer, I transformed these wine corks, alongside recycled plywood scraps, into the first Dish Surfboard: The Vino. After more than 100 hours, I had an unbelievably heavy and horrendously performing surfboard. However, this board did prove that the mission of building sustainable surfboards was possible. If I can build this in a tent, entirely by hand, with zero funding, how far can Dish Surfboards truly go?
Let us be clear: we do not have a “perfect surfboard” yet. Our boards are not 100% recyclable nor 100% bio-based. However, unlike most surfboard companies, we are not accepting the current offering as good enough. F@#% that. We will continue to fight for a climate conscious alternative in a duplicitous surf industry that degrades the environment upon which it is so reliant.
it’s more than surfing.
Questions? We want to hear 'em!!
Thank you!