Like many of his peers, Steve Coletta started making surfboards because he had to. In 1967, the Shortboard Revolution was happening, but not necessarily accessible for every surfer. Steve didn’t want to make longboards, so he picked up a planer and started cutting away foam, and never looked back.
Steve moved to Santa Cruz, California, in 1972 and over the following decades became one of the area’s most tenured and respected shapers. He added rocker and concaves for tight, fast turns. He worked and he surfed, year after year. It’s estimated he built more than 30,000 surfboards throughout his career.
“I don’t know how, some people may quit surfing for whatever reason and some may quit shaping,” Steve said. “But basically, if you’re passionate enough about them, you’re probably going to do it as long as you’re going to live. Couldn’t think of anything I would rather have done in the last 50-60 years.”
Santa Cruz surfer and filmmaker Kyle Buthman first published this clip about Steve back in 2021. But he’s recently uploaded some of his work about his hometown’s most interesting personalities here on his channel, and this short profile is well worth revisiting.
Kyle Buthman/YouTube
While building thousands of surfboards, Steve survived two different cancers. First was his prostate, then came pancreatic cancer in his 60s. Now at age 78, he and his wife have happily retreated to a quiet life of sunshine and right points in southern Mexico. “I lived to surf and shape again,” Steve said. “And all that goes with still being here on the planet. Having my wife and kids and enough health to go surfing.”
The family business is still going strong. Steve’s son, Kalu, now runs the company under Natural Curves Surfboards. Before he retired from full-time shaping, however, Steve proved astute at making boards across the ability spectrum. Local standout Kieran Horn won the 2003 O’Neill Coldwater Classic riding his blessed. “As soon as the waves got curvy, I was able to wrap these boards in such tight pockets,” said former CT surfer Adam Replogle. “I had a couple boards I think I surfed as well or if not better than I ever surfed before.”
Related: The Rise of the Shortboard
Former SURFER writer Justin Housman cherished his Colettas and his relationship with the old shaper, noting, “I have a Steve Coletta board that I cherish more than even the boards I’ve made myself. Years and years ago I called his Santa Cruz phone number and his soft, kind voice answered. Steve and I talked for almost an hour about surfboards, waves, where I surfed, where I wanted to surf, what I wanted out of surfing and life in general. That last bit by the way, is crucial for a good shaper to really understand what sort of board you need. Steve didn’t have to spend that kind of time with me on the phone, he didn’t know me from Adam, but he clearly enjoyed his work, was proud of his craft, and wanted the best for his customer.”
Related: Haut and About: Santa Cruz Shaping Legend Doug Haut