Single Fin Spark2 9" - Turquoise

Speed, Power, Flow.  

Before George Greenough, a number of unsung heroes in Hawaii who were often left out of mainstream surf media were making the first speed fins. Head Inter-Island surfboard and fin shaper Robert “Sparky” Scheufele was one of them, better known as just Sparky. Sparky posted many breakthroughs in the 1960s including the first full fiberglass fin, speed fins, and concave longboard nose shapes. 

From the Inter-Island collection of three Sparky speed fins, the Spark 2 was chosen for the debut collab with Makai Fins. All three fins feature a swept back extended tip for handling speed through hard turns and faster waves. This particular fin is the middle length version of the fin trio and tends to favor a narrower tail block. Pintails also suit this fin enjoyed by surfers who are heavy footed or cutting lines on hollower waves.  

Experimenting on wider tails is not out of the question and some may find the stiffer flex and longer tip feel great. Mid lengths, mini mals and longboards around the 8’6” to 9’2” mark fit this fin nicely. Early descriptions of this fin heralded it as “carving in butter on the wave face.”  

Sparky was active in drag racing in the quarter mile, his cousin held the record for that race for some time. He loved the speed and incorporated theories he learned from racing into his shaping. Of course on surfboards he was working with aquatic equipment with no moving parts, but that was his real passion. This emphasis on speed and how it worked greatly influenced his shapes and style of design.  

The Spark 2 fin template and its siblings date back to the 1960s during a time when longboarding ruled supreme. Sparky front lined the Inter-Island Surf Shop shaping bay with other notable all-star shapers and his boards became island classics. He also shaped for legends Greg Noll, Lightning Bolt and Surfline Hawaii but from the 1960s to 1990s headlined Inter-Island.  

In his later years Sparky shaped less overall but always for a few including Inter-Island. Slicing off parts of two fingers in a shaping accident did not impede his work after healing. It can happen – beware new shapers! Sparky boards are still very sought after to this day by collectors and surfers who relish his designs. Several original longboards and big wave guns dating back to the 1960s are still on the rack at Inter-Island. It is an honor to have one of these classic fin templates to share with you and perpetuate the legacy.  

For more info check the Inter-Island page.