Hansen, Don (1937 – )

Surfboard shaper and manufacturer from San Diego County, California; founder of Hansen Surfboards, and a leader of the signature model era in the mid-1960s. Hansen was born (1937) and raised in South Dakota, lettered in boxing, track, and football, and earned up to $600 a week as a mink trapper. He began surfing at age 18, after graduating high school and hitchhiking to San Diego.

In 1958, while stationed at Fort Ord army base, Hansen began shaping boards in nearby Santa Cruz, at Jack O'Neil...