Roberto Damiani
Story of Roberto Damiani
by Tom Takao
"There is no way to anticipate the warm, humid, flower-scented air of the islands" recalled Roberto on his trip to Hawaii. Roberto Damiani is a well known boardbuilder in Uruguay and South America. While on Kauai he met Bill Hamilton "The Style Master" through a mutual friend. In the short time Bill and Roberto got aquainted, Roberto says "It seemed like we knew each other for a long time."
After the day's surf session at Hanalei Bay and sunset turns to nightfall, Roberto was at the Hamilton's residence that evening sitting on the veranda and having a beer. Gazing out at the tropical night where a sparkling waterfall that was highlighted by the moon’s light flowed. While Roberto and Bill talk about shaping and things in general. The scene slowly fades as we go back some years to when Roberto Damiani started building surfboards.
In the mid 1960’s Roberto’s family lived in Southern California where his father was employed. Previously they had lived in Uruguay. It was at Hermosa Beach where Roberto first rode a wave on a surfboard and was hooked on surfing.
Having watched the other surfers catching waves that day. He borrowed a friend’s board, and paddled out somewhat awkward. Managing to get pass the impact zone where the waves were breaking 2 to 3 feet. Roberto caught his first wave ever and stood up. Balancing himself as the white water rolled toward shore. With a smile on his face, Roberto was one happy beginner.
The family was soon taking a flight to Uruguay. Roberto thought it was for a few weeks. But it turned out to be over forty years. His time in Southern California had lasted a few years and he had just learned to surf. In Uruguay he felt like Robinson Crusoe; nobody had any idea of the word surfing. Then he met Ariel Gonzalez a gym teacher that actually surfed. Ariel was one of a handful of local pioneers that had recently started riding the waves in Uruguay.
The encounter sparked the founding of the first surf club in Uruguay. The name of the club was called Uwaris short for Uruguayan Wave Riders. Since the club was on a budget, the club’s clubhouse was at his parent's house. It had admission rules, hand painted surf posters (surf magazines were a very rare luxury) and live Mauser ammo hanging from their necks. A very eye catching surf gear to represent a tribal token.
The club members did not have a single surfboard. Getting a surfboard in Uruguay was very difficult. No one knew how to shape foam and glass with resin. So they ended up doing a lot of skim boarding and belly boarding on wood planks. This would change when Roberto started shaping and glassing. He made his first board in 1969. Soon afterwards he would start making boards for the rest of his fellow club members.
Roberto had studied to become a graphic artist, and it appeared that was the direction. But after shaping and glassing his first surfboard and then riding it, he sensed that surfboard building was his calling. After doing some art business, his path changed towards the surfing lifestyle. “All I really wanted was to be soaked in salt water all day” recalled Roberto.
In Uruguay and the rest of South Americas normal people were all into soccer. On the other end of the sport spectrum, Roberto's bunch was thought of as weirdo’s. That didn't change their way of thinking, they continued enjoying the ocean. There wasn’t that many surfers in Uruguay. So when Roberto ran out of people to make boards for in his area, he decided to go to Brazil.
The surf industry was booming there, and new factories and surf shops were springing up everywhere. Some brands were turning out hundreds of boards a month. People came from other countries to join in on the "Surfing Rush".
Brazil’s and its tropical surroundings were 1200 miles to the north. Roberto and his good friend Alex in the picture el muelle las foscas hitched hiked more than 3000 miles to Brazil and back to Uruguay. They would stay for 2 months and meet a lot of nice people. On this first trip, they didn't bring their surfboards. So whenever they were at the beach, they would have to borrow a surfboard from one of the locals. The following year they would hitch hike back to Brazil and this time they bring their own boards.
Roberto first few trips to Brazil were a learning experience on where to go and who to know. He would start shaping for Homero Naldinho at his factory in Santos a port city in San Paulo during 1973. While at Homero’s factory, Roberto would meet a young Californian shaper named Gary Linden.
While working at Homero's, Roberto recalls a board that was being repaired at the factory.
Continuing on, having heard that another Californian board builder was looking for help. Roberto left the hectic pace of the city and went to the green hills and clean waves of Guaruja Island. Johnny Rice greeted the young shaper and was surprised when he spoke English to him.
Johnny sold a new Paasche airbrush to Roberto and made him the new airbrusher and sander at his factory. Roberto learned many valuable lessons from Johnny. One of them was: “You can’t do everything perfectly. You have to expect to carve out a fluke every so many boards and be able to admit it.”
Roberto stayed in Brazil for the rest of the 1970s, with several surf and shape trips to other South American countries, like Argentina and Peru. There was this time in Peru during 1977, he arrived just in time to double for Gordo Barreda at the Shaping Shack. Gordo was temporarily out of commission with a broken collar bones after a heavy La Herradura shorebreak beating.
Sergio “Gordo” Barreda was one of Peru’s main shaper during the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and a former Peruvian National Champion. A wonderful guy with a sense of humor, a good friend to those who knew him and he loved his family. Serigo "Gordo" Barreda passed away a few years back.
Sometime later Roberto had his own sampling of La Herradura power when he broke a borrowed gun surfboard. It was during a paddle like crazy for a large outside set that had caught others inside of it. Turning around on a good looking shoulder. With a two paddle takeoff as the lip started to feather. Just when he was standing, there was someone scratching at the bottom, trying to get through. It threw Roberto concentration off a split second. That split second was the difference in making or losing it. Being lip launch onto his board, shoulder first, the impact broke the board in half.
Roberto swam in with one piece, and went back through the infamous shore break and around to the cliffs. Climbed into the caves at the foot of the cliff to recover the other piece, and swam back out again and in through the shorebreak.
Roberto Damiani going left at Saint Lu, Uruguay photo Valentina Damiani
Being of Italian descent, Roberto went searching for his family roots in 1981, he ended up in Pescara, a port city on the eastern shores of Italy. Not a surfboard in sight, just sailboards, sailboarding was happening in a big way. All of Europe was doing it. The board manufacturers of these different countries were taking the sport of windsurfing to higher levels through their pace-setting Research and Development.
“Hookipa in Maui was the testing ground, Robby Naish was king, but it was really the German, the French, the Swiss, the Austrian and the Italian that broke design barriers in the golden days of windsurfing” recalls Roberto.
So he spent a few years surfing completely alone in the eastern shores of Italy. Wishing some other wandering surfer would get lost his way. Eventually he moved to Viareggio on the western side of Italy. To Roberto it felt like going from the Great Lakes to North Florida. From not much happening to a whole surfing scene, complete with factories, shops, contests, and familiar apparel.
Italy photos
Roberto began learning the ropes of custom sailboard making. He shaped hundreds of them, in perhaps a 5 to 1 ratio over surfboards. The amount of input and feedback was awesome says Roberto. Change were going on so fast, it was an exciting time for windsurfing in Europe.
"I did my best to spread surfing in Italy. When I left Pescara, a few kids were shaping and glass. One had even started to make foam". In Viareggio, Roberto helped organize and increase production where he was working. He would lend a hand in local contests, he influenced others through his surfing, and explored new spots along the coast. Roberto could see the potential for the blooming surf business in Europe. However; with a growing family to take care of, Roberto Damiani returned to Uruguay during the late 1980s. After returning, he started building surfboards again for his customers.
His surfboard building business during the 1990’s and 2000’s had grown. Being busy and needing a break, Roberto had an opportunity in 2003 to visit Kauai for the first time. Having traveled some distance to get where he is, we fade back to the veranda and find Roberto thanking the Hamiltons for their hospitality and a good night. With thoughts of tomorrow's waves, Roberto Damiani shapes on.
Uruguay beach break
