Jax’s first surfboard fell out of a tree.

It was one of those big, woody seed pods you find on the ground around the Gold Coast. Split in half, it looked enough like a surfboard for Jax to give it a go.

Jax loves surfing. He’s into finger skateboards and finger mountain bikes too, so a little surfboard for his fingers made perfect sense. Soon he was asking if we could buy one.

We both love making things. Making our own sounded like more fun.

So we roped in Jax’s brother Flynn and our friend Jason, who knows his way around timber and loves a fun idea. Together, we started bringing our little boards to life.

That’s how Wagtails began. Jax, his dad, his brother Flynn and a mate, turning a seed-pod idea into little timber surfboards.

The name turned up on a bike ride.

We had a few goes at naming it. Low-Tide Shapes. Stumpies. Butterbox. Nothing quite clicked.

Then, on a bike ride from our home in Tugun to Snapper, we spotted a willie wagtail.

“What about Wagtails?” Jax said.

We loved it straight away. A local little bird with plenty of character, doing its thing in the air. It felt right for our little boards that surf the wind.

And you’ve got to love that tail.

That little character? Jax drew it.

The Wagtails character and lettering began with Jax’s drawing.

Here’s how a Wagtails board takes shape.

Start with the timber.

We cut the veneer and choose the layers, with grain running lengthways and across the board. We’ve tried all sorts of combinations. Experimenting is part of the fun.

Into the mould.

The layers are glued, stacked and pressed into a mould for 24 hours. That’s where the board gets its curve.

Find the little surfboard inside.

Once it’s out of the mould, we cut the outline and sand it by hand, working around the nose, tail and rails.

Oil. Wait. Repeat.

We apply oil on four consecutive days to finish the timber. This bit takes patience.

From the first layers to the finished board, each Wagtails takes five days to make. All by hand.

Five days is our making process. For made-to-order purchases, please allow 10–14 calendar days before dispatch, including time in the order queue. Delivery time is additional.