The Feist-Y Family

by Mr Christian on November 11, 2005

By Ethan Stewart

With temps dropping and summer crowds long gone back to wherever the hell they come from I thought you might dig on a bit of press Cape Cod native Jason Feist has been receiving out here on the left coast. Straight out of the turnip lined streets of Eastham, Feisty has been recruiting a fast growing army of surfers young and old to ride his hand made J7 surfboards. His success stretches far beyond his current home of Santa Barbara as  his shapes have been spotted pulling deep up and down both coasts. Staying true to his cold water roots, his team of riders includes neoprene neophytes such as Cape Cod’s own Josh Clements and Rachael Finn as well as Jersey goofy foot Chris Lisanti. Never mind Merrick and that guy named Rusty, Feist credits Cape Cod legend and Hawaiian Moon shaper Mike Lasorda with Turing him on to the powers of a planer and claims his favorite wave is still a "sick little a-frame somewhere on the Cape…and I’m definitely not going to tell you where." You can check his boards out at Little Overhead surf in Eastham, out on Nantucket at Indian Summer or down in Jersey at 3rd Ave surf…Until then here is as feast of stoke to warm you up for the hollowdays!

Jason Feist’s J7 Surfboards
(From The Santa Barbara Independent)

In a backyard workshop, just a few blocks west of State Street, surrounded by the creative energies of woodworkers, painters, and sculptors, Jason Feist is helping shape the future of Santa Barbara surfing. With encouragement and praise from his extended family of friends and self-described “roommate networking system,” the good-natured goofy-foot has begun to make a name for himselfand his handmade custom J7 surfboards. Bucking industry trends and traditional business techniques, Feist has shied away from self-promotion, allowing his boards to develop a grass-roots word of mouth following by surfers on both coasts.

The Cape’s Josh Clements foto:Shaye Cavanaugh

The J7 logo—derived from his first initial and July 7 birthday—didn’t even become a reality until, after several years of making blank boards for a few close friends, Jason realized more and more people, some of whom he had never met before, were lining up to place orders with him. Without pushing his product or really even knowing he had one, the 31-year-old East Coast native found a new profession. Of course, it didn’t hurt that his family of friends included surf standouts such as Scott Turner, Aaron Ernst, Keoni Cuccia, Tarik Khashoggi, Liz Clark, Bart Templeman, and Sean and Josh Decker. Six years since his first creation, Feist, with the help ofhis glasser and fellow shaper John Roddenberry, is carving out seven to 10 boards a week for surfers of all ages and abilities. And the orders keep coming.

Cape Cod’s Rachel Finn…somewhere warm foto:

A career in the surfboard industry is hard to come by and even harder to sustain. The hours are long, dirty, unhealthy, and financial rewards are few and far between. Further, in a town steeped in surfboard shaping history and chock-full of talent, respect is hard to come by. Feist, who has called Santa Barbara home for more than 11 years, is the first person to acknowledge this: “I am just so inspired by everybody in our local surfing community. Artists/craftsmen like Allan Gibbons, Matt Moore, Wayne Rich, the Yater family, and Channel Island’s Al Merrick are all legends and it’s a real honor to try and carry on in that tradition.”

Tarik Khashoggi bustin’ out foto:

Humbleness aside, it is Jason’s “friend first, shaper second” attitude that’s helped him transition from a carpenter and cell phone tower designer to full-time shaper. The people who ride his boards aren’t just customers, they’re family. In a world where surfboards are sold at Costco and made by mystery men in whereabouts unknown, J7’s commitment to the roots of surfing tradition is a beautiful thing, “In a lot of ways I get more satisfaction from making a board for someone and having them come back to me all stoked than I do from actually surfing myself,” Feist explained. “Having these people in my life is the most rewarding thing and making surfboards is the catalyst for it. I love it.”

Keoni blowin’ up foto:

To join the J7 family, check out j7surfdesigns.com or call 805-899-3864.

Jersey’s Chris Lisanti throwin’ foto:

Scott Turner foto:

Mega mahalos to Cape surfer turned Santa Barbara newspaper writer Ethan Stewart for writing everything and putting together the story and photos. You can see more photos of Nantucket’s Pete Osley on a J7 in the Nantucket Galleries.