Hunter Sato was born and raised in Wahiawa, and coincidently grew up right across from Glenn Pang. At age 10 Hunter started surfing the North Shore with his dad at their favorite spots Laniakea, Haleiwa, Chuns, and Velzyland. He shaped his first surfboard at the age of 19 alongside his dad at home. With a few tips from Glenn Pang, Hunter instantly fell in love with the craft of board building/shaping.

Since then he’s been very fortunate to learn from some of the best shapers in Hawai’i. Patt Rawson, Carl Schaper, Jeff Johnston, and Matt Ferg have generously shared their knowledge with Hunter. They recognized the talent and are motivated to pass on their knowledge to keep the craft going for the next generation.

Hunter is driven by a constant urge to push and improve his boards and building his connection to the surf community. Hunter wasn’t the best at classwork however the hands on nature of crafting surfboards allows him to have the confidence and patience to dive deep into the technical aspects of board building. There’s a lot of technical knowledge needed but in the end the artistic nature of board building allows him to combine numbers and feedback from surfers into his final products. He gets into the flow state and can shape for hours on end. The biggest part for Hunter is building relationships with the surfers and being a part of something bigger outside of shaping. 

He loves seeing his boards being ridden across the island, from the Country to Town. He especially enjoys seeing his boards ridden in contests. It’s extra special seeing those boards help surfers win heats. 

He specialize in high-performance shortboards and twin fins but enjoys shaping all kinds of boards. His goal is to create surfboards that feel natural and intuitive, where you don’t have to think, just surf with confidence and comfort. At just 21 he’s had the honor of shaping for legends and rising stars like Tom Carroll, Joel Centeio, Shion Crawford, Skai Suitt, Mason Ho, and Jack Ho. He’s young, hungry, and always learning. Hunter says “at the end of the day, shaping is about the connection with the rider, ocean, and the joy of riding something that is made with purpose.”