Only the Best

Only the best QUALITY

WILL DO

RHINO LAMINATING FOUNDING ETHOS: “THE LOVE OF A BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED AND DESIGNED SURFBOARD”

THIS INSPIRATION LED JUAN TWYCROSS TO CREATE A FIRST CLASS GLASSING FACILITY FOR SHAPERS OF ALL TYPES OF DESIGNS AND FINISHES. FROM THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE SHORT BOARDS WITH LIGHT WEIGHT GLASSING AND CRISP SANDING, TO THE STUNNING TINTS AND PIGMENTS WITH CUT LAPS AND POLISHES TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR NATURAL BEAUTY.

RHINO HAS SET ABOUT GIVING EVERY BOARD THE BEST GLASSING POSSIBLE BY USING ONLY THE HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIALS AND CRAFTSMANSHIP AVAILABLE IN THE SURFBOARD INDUSTRY TODAY.

THIS IS WHAT ALL GREAT SHAPES DESERVE AND WHAT EVERY CUSTOMER WANTS. Beaches COVERED. caught up with Juan to fi nd out how Brookvale has the best glass-house in the country right in our backyard.

Q. From the early days, how has surfi ng nurtured your life? I was born at Southport on the Gold Coast and enjoyed early years with Dad taking us to the beach every day after he fi nished work. Dad was a keen West Australian surfer who moved to Gold Coast when he married Mum. We moved to Brisbane for all of my school years but I still remember having car trips back to the Gold Coast, to surf Greenmount and Rainbow Bay on most weekends.

My fi rst wave was around 7 or 8 years old on an old cordingley single fi n of Dad’s at Rainbow Bay.

Q. When did glassing surfboards become your career? The family moved to Lennox Heads when I was about 17, around 1995. I started some basic board making and general fi breglass work in a factory with Dad, mainly making airplane struts for planes. The factory was in Ballina just over the road from Bob McTavish surfboards.The polisher at Northcoast surfboards had broken his arm and back then, most boards they made had to be polished. They needed another polisher urgently and Bob put my name forth to give me a go and from that moment on, I was making surfboards full time.

I moved to Sydney in 1996 and found work making boards with Rod Dalgleish

JOHN VICKERY &

Words: JUAN TWYCROSS

Steve Baccon PHOTOS:

surfboards. He’s an amazing tradesman and taught me many great skills to add to the fi nishing work I learnt from Tony Squirell at North Coast Surfboards.

Natural progression was to get my own surfboard business so in May 2001, I started Rhino Laminating. It’s almost 20 years to the day.

Q. What’s Rhino Laminating best at? The number one thing I was taught is quality. It’s our number one goal and what we strive for everyday. You have to set a very high standard for yourself and then lead the way for everyone else to follow. We pride ourselves on Rhino Laminating delivering a very high standard glassing job, always.

It’s the standard we live by.

I’ve spent many hours to become a skilled board maker. On average, it’s been 10-12 hours per day for 20-plus years. It’s what I’ve put in and I only surround myself with like minded talented people that deliver these results on a daily basis. That’s what we’ve done from the start and what makes Rhino Laminating stand out as the best.

When you look at the quality labels and shapers we work with, it proves that we are doing something right. Campbell Bros, Simon Anderson Surfboards, Mike Psillakis, Keyo, Channel Islands, Christenson, Jim Banks, Greg Webber, Steve O’Donnell, Panda, Oceanside, Surf Empire, Joshua Keogh, Vontak, Wizstix.

Just look for the Rhino logo and you will know you will have the fi nest quality glass job on your surfboard. Q. Why is Brookvale a great place for your business? I feel very proud and happy to be making surfboards in Brookvale. I started Rhino at 18 Carter Road in Brookie. Our current location is now at 42 Orchard Rd, where we have a factory and retail surf shop, Rhinostore, to showcase the fi ne surfboards we make.

We feel that we are continuing the tradition of fi ne surfboard makers in Brookvale and look forward to doing so for many years to come.

Q. Lastly, what do you love about Brookie? From industrial supplies of any type to amazing cafés, food shops and breweries, it has changed so much over the last 20 years, but is developing into something special. Brookvale has such diversity of different companies that work out of postcode 2100. You can fi nd everything you need right here. •

RHINO LAMINATING 42 ORCHARD RD, BROOKVALE 0422 523 762

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www.rhinolaminating.com