Soundings Surf Co Rebuild
Donation protected
The afternoon of June 29, a storm surged through southern Rhode Island with heavy thunder, lightning and rain. Unfortunately, the Soundings Surf Co. shaping bay in Charlestown, RI, was hit by a bolt of lightning and within minutes, fully engulfed in flames. Thankfully, and most importantly, everyone is safe but the shop is a total loss.
Soundings Surf Co. is as real as it gets in the surf industry, and is a large part of the Rhode Island surf community. Every board, every rail line, every drop of resin is done by hand and with heart, by the man himself, Kevin Tanner. He began this journey back in 2012 as a backyard passion project and since then it has evolved into what it is today - The go to local shaper in Rhode Island.
This fundraiser, organized by Kevin's friends and family including Cate Brown, Chelsea Mandes, and Kerry Tanner, is an attempt to help get Kevin back to shaping again and replace what has been lost, which is estimated to be around $35,000 (especially after the heavy backlog and delays this spring due to Covid-19). Some of the losses include: 45 blanks, 20 repairs, 3 collectors boards, custom design templates, journals from all the boards he made, and his laptop. Funds will be going towards replacing the materials, supplies, tools and equipment for surfboard shaping and glassing, purchasing new board blanks for open orders, reimbursing customers for lost boards, purchasing a new laptop, and all other material goods that went into the operation of Soundings Surf Co in order to get Kevin's business up and running again. He will have access to these funds directly as a fundraiser beneficiary.
Soundings has given us a lot, and we are lucky to have Kevin as our local shaper but more importantly as our friend, mentor, surf coach, music aficionado and countless other things. Kevin is a true artist, and Soundings is his heart and soul. What can’t be replaced are the unending hours spent in the shop pumping out surfboards. But we can help him get back to it by relieving some of the financial loss, and bringing Soundings Surf Co. back in full force to an even greater enterprise than it was before.
“With surfing, Kevin found his passion... but with Soundings, he found his purpose. His energy, his drive, and his dedication to the surf community have never been stronger and for that I could not be more proud of him.” -Kerry Tanner
“Kevin has been my friend since before I can remember. I saw how proud he was when he finished his first few boards, and I knew this was his calling. Watching him progress throughout the years and build what is now Soundings has been awesome! This is only a setback.” –Justin Bouchard
“The Rhode Island surf community would not be what it is today without Kevin. Handshaping custom boards, start to finish, is an art and a sacred craft that he has mastered. This is just the beginning of a bigger and better Soundings Surf Co.” –Gus Potter
“We need to continue supporting local handshaping surfers and board makers. Kevin is a large part of our community, and he’s going to come back bigger and better than ever.” –Allen Santucci
And with that we say F*ck you 2020, and all your incessant crises and radical upheavals! We're here as a community to support each other through these difficult times, and help Soundings Surf Co. come back even greater than before.
Stay tuned for more updates to support Kevin in his rebuild. Additional fundraising opportunities in the works.
Soundings on Instagram
Soundings x CVRRENT Video 2018
Documentary by Bob Klein 2018
FIN by Pat Fenelon 2015
Images courtesy Kerry Tanner, Cody DeGroff, Sarah Petrarca, Cate Brown. Video courtesy Bob Klein.
Soundings Surf Co. is as real as it gets in the surf industry, and is a large part of the Rhode Island surf community. Every board, every rail line, every drop of resin is done by hand and with heart, by the man himself, Kevin Tanner. He began this journey back in 2012 as a backyard passion project and since then it has evolved into what it is today - The go to local shaper in Rhode Island.
This fundraiser, organized by Kevin's friends and family including Cate Brown, Chelsea Mandes, and Kerry Tanner, is an attempt to help get Kevin back to shaping again and replace what has been lost, which is estimated to be around $35,000 (especially after the heavy backlog and delays this spring due to Covid-19). Some of the losses include: 45 blanks, 20 repairs, 3 collectors boards, custom design templates, journals from all the boards he made, and his laptop. Funds will be going towards replacing the materials, supplies, tools and equipment for surfboard shaping and glassing, purchasing new board blanks for open orders, reimbursing customers for lost boards, purchasing a new laptop, and all other material goods that went into the operation of Soundings Surf Co in order to get Kevin's business up and running again. He will have access to these funds directly as a fundraiser beneficiary.
Soundings has given us a lot, and we are lucky to have Kevin as our local shaper but more importantly as our friend, mentor, surf coach, music aficionado and countless other things. Kevin is a true artist, and Soundings is his heart and soul. What can’t be replaced are the unending hours spent in the shop pumping out surfboards. But we can help him get back to it by relieving some of the financial loss, and bringing Soundings Surf Co. back in full force to an even greater enterprise than it was before.
“With surfing, Kevin found his passion... but with Soundings, he found his purpose. His energy, his drive, and his dedication to the surf community have never been stronger and for that I could not be more proud of him.” -Kerry Tanner“Kevin has been my friend since before I can remember. I saw how proud he was when he finished his first few boards, and I knew this was his calling. Watching him progress throughout the years and build what is now Soundings has been awesome! This is only a setback.” –Justin Bouchard
“The Rhode Island surf community would not be what it is today without Kevin. Handshaping custom boards, start to finish, is an art and a sacred craft that he has mastered. This is just the beginning of a bigger and better Soundings Surf Co.” –Gus Potter
“We need to continue supporting local handshaping surfers and board makers. Kevin is a large part of our community, and he’s going to come back bigger and better than ever.” –Allen Santucci
And with that we say F*ck you 2020, and all your incessant crises and radical upheavals! We're here as a community to support each other through these difficult times, and help Soundings Surf Co. come back even greater than before.
Stay tuned for more updates to support Kevin in his rebuild. Additional fundraising opportunities in the works.
Soundings on Instagram
Soundings x CVRRENT Video 2018
Documentary by Bob Klein 2018
FIN by Pat Fenelon 2015
Images courtesy Kerry Tanner, Cody DeGroff, Sarah Petrarca, Cate Brown. Video courtesy Bob Klein.
Fundraising team: Soundings Fundraising Team (3)
Cate Brown
Organizer
Charlestown, RI
Kevin Tanner
Beneficiary
Kerry Lynn
Team member
Chelsea Mandes
Team member