About the Author
Gregg Lancer
Natural Design Surf
I’ve been riding Natural Design surfboards for over 30 years! But how?
The primary reason for me, started in July of 1992 when I happened to marry a girl whose father was, and is, the founder of Natural Design Surfboards & Surf Shop in San Clemente, CA. He is Wes Price, and I married his youngest daughter, Kristi.
Quite often when I go surfing and someone sees the Natural Design logo on my shirt, hoodie, surfboard, or maybe the decal on my truck, I get comments about the Natural Design brand and I often get to hear a special bit of ND history that I didn’t know. In fact, it happened so often that I got the idea AND felt the necessity and the responsibility to carry on the name, the brand, and the legacy for what my father-in-law created back in 1970. I’ve even met surfers whose first board was a Natural Design. And others who still have a ND board. Including us!
After learning Wes’s history as one of the surfboard builders and surf shop pioneers back in the early 70’s of the San Clemente surf culture, I decided it was time to respect and honor his name and legacy with this website. He’s been kind enough to allow me to continue to put his Natural Design brand logo on the many boards I’ve had shaped over the years, by many of San Clemente’s top shapers. I’m also stoked to report that I’m still riding shortboards (6’2”) and yes, I’m loving my NDS 8’ too. Pictured below.
(Shaping & glassing courtesy Terry Senate & Damian Brawner)
Costa Rica
Guanacaste Region
As for me, I started surfing in 1970 and sometime in the mid-70’s, I walked into the Natural Design shop for the first time with my brand-new California driver’s license in hand, picking up some wax for $.20 - $.25 cents! Little did I know that 15 years or so later, I’d be married to the youngest of Wes’s two daughters, Kristi, who would’ve been a little girl playing with dolls on the shop floor when I first walked through the door. There are pictures in our photo gallery of her on this website!
Today, my two sons, now grown men and surfers themselves, are proud of their grandpa’s legacy. As well as his other grandkids (all adults), from his other daughter’s family (Shari). Wes continues to live an active life in San Clemente, enjoying deep-sea fishing and boating on his prized vessel, the “Reel Adventure.” He remains a key figure in our family, and we all carry immense pride and gratitude for his contributions to the surf culture.
The “Reel Adventure”
Shane & Ryan on Grandpa Wes’s boat
Dorado fish is some mighty good eatin’
Here she is . . .
Schel, Gregg, Chilley & Wes ~ We scored a “Dorado frenzy”!
Lake Powell adventures
w/ the family
To this day, I continue to honor Wes by placing the Natural Design logo on my personal boards, shaped by local legends like Terry Senate and Damian Brawner. If you ever spot me around town in San Clemente, feel free to say hi and share your Natural Design story. Who knows? Maybe we’ll post it!
If you have a board, a picture, or a story about your experience with Wes or Natural Design, we’d love to hear from you.
Check out the gallery on this site, and help us keep the Natural Design surf stoke alive!
Be sure to check out our MERCH page!
My Retirement Lifeguard
As a life-long waterman, a former lifeguard & San Clemente resident, I am a Certified Estate Planner, known as the “Retirement Lifeguard,” who specializes in protecting and preserving people’s hard-earned assets and making sure they never outlive them. I facilitate “Income for life!” And I am fortunate enough to also proudly ride our beloved Natural Design surfboards!
So if you see me around town, please say hello. You can’t miss my truck!
Thanks for stopping by and checking out our site.
I hope your visit here blesses you with fond memories and the desire to grab some cool brand merchandise.
Written by Gregg Lancer (with other contributors!)
