True Ames Surf Fins

In 1979, Chuck Ames returned to his car in the beach parking lot after going for a surf and found a flyer advertising a surfboard fin business for sale. Without understanding the way in which this flyer would transform the rest of his life, he made the decision to purchase the small operation. Through coupling his passion for surfing with the pursuit of growing into an expert craftsman, True Ames was born.

In his early twenties at the time, Chuck had already become a well-travelled and seasoned surfer (and windsurfer), and had a growing ability for building and modifying surf equipment. Once at the helm of True Ames, Chuck immersed himself in the workshop in order to further his mechanical and handwork skills. Early on, he gained the guidance and knowledge of a few established and well-respected surfboard craftsmen which quickly hastened his progress and mastery of the craft. 

True Ames grew into a business that relied on the symbiotic partnerships formed within the industry, and in turn the collaborative products which resulted from those relationships became our collection. Chuck focused on providing his customers with the highest quality fins available through attention to detail, top-notch craftsmanship, first-rate customer service, and design ingenuity.

Now, almost four decades later, we at True Ames are still dedicated to these same principles which have consistently guided the company since the beginning. The lasting impact that True Ames has been able to provide can be witnessed through the extensive library of fin templates which we still produce to this day. We are proud to be purveyors of surfing’s rich history through sharing, and paying homage to designs of the past that have deep roots within our culture. We are extremely humbled and grateful to the long list of celebrated craftsman and surfers who we have had the opportunity to collaborate with throughout the years.

True Ames is eagerly looking forward to what the future has to store through our continued commitment to the partnerships we have, adding to our collection via new carefully selected collaborations, and pushing the limits of design capabilities.