Based in Noosa, Stuart and Ryan Campbell are the father-son surfboard designers behind Campbell Designed but surfing runs deeper in their family. In the 1970s, Stuart was one of the few professional surfers that competed on his own shapes. Later, Ryan grew up surfing Noosa’s famed points, before cementing his status on the world surfing stage and eventually becoming a third-generation board builder.

Launching Campbell Designed together in 2020, Stuart and Ryan are passionate about their craft and the local surf community. The pair are known for developing their patented EXO FLEX technology, a lightweight surfboard production method that results in enhanced speed and performance.

“It’s exciting to be based on a technology with such wide-ranging application and scope for future developments,” says Stuart.

The high-performance aspects of the boards are integral to their success, but it must be noted that an intermediate surfer will also reap the benefits of EXO FLEX technology. In layman’s terms, surfers can come out of turns up to 30 per cent faster when riding a craft fitted with their technology.

Ryan himself doesn’t hesitate to admit that upon riding the very first prototypes, his surfing immediately improved; a change that didn’t go unnoticed among the tight-knit Noosa surf community.

“With the additional speed generated through turns, I feel like I’m surfing the best I’ve ever surfed in my life,” says Ryan.

The father-son duo have also had their praises sung by world champion surfers and board test guides to everyday surfers, who claim to have upped their game since taking their first rides on a Campbell Designed board fitted with EXO FLEX.

Revolutionary technology takes surfing to a new level

EXO FLEX technology utilises a surfer’s kinetic energy to enhance their performance in the water. This increases the board’s speed by flexing and releasing as the surfer applies pressure through turns. The power is generated between your feet and you’re essentially springing from turn to turn. This cutting-edge technology, fused with advanced epoxy composite construction, is the winning formula that the Campbells have painstakingly perfected.

“Surfboards built using EXO FLEX have a liveliness and speed unavailable in boards built using traditional construction methods and materials,” says Stuart.

Aside from conducting extensive research and development across the globe, Stuart and Ryan are meticulously refining their boards through rigorous mechanical testing, taking it to another level with the design and construction of stress-measuring equipment to gauge flex, strength and durability in a quantifiable manner. While the majority of manufacturers rely on anecdotal evidence, Campbell Designed is putting numbers behind its performance claims.

Ryan and Stuart are also genuinely interested in getting surfers back into the habit of developing a relationship with their shaper. Their customers can either select from a wide range of models in stock sizes, order a custom board directly through the factory or discuss their needs via video call to find a surfboard that best suits their style, ability and the kind of waves they surf.

“We’ve always considered the surfer-shaper interaction important. In person or online, whether ordering a custom or selecting from our wide range of stock boards, this bond helps form a special familiarity between rider and equipment,” says Stuart.

Looking to the future

Both Stuart and Ryan have their eyes set on the future of surfboard design and together keep finessing, developing and expanding their range. In 2023, the addition of several new designs will bring the range up to 12 models, including one specifically aimed at mechanically generated surf, given that the number of wave pools around the country continues to grow.

“This year will see a new look for our boards with the introduction of a sleek new high gloss finish to accentuate our state-of-the-art technology,” says Ryan.

In the meantime, Ryan and Stuart will continue testing, modifying and improving Campbell Designed products while nurturing the growing interest of the family’s fourth-generation board builders as they start to play around at the factory and brainstorm names for each new design.

Click here to learn more about Campbell Designed.

By Roxanne Williams