DMG Surfboards is a one-maker surfboard workshop in Kilbirnie, at 17 Yule Street on Wellington's South Coast, a short walk from Lyall Bay. Each board is hand-crafted in Wellington by Daniel McGoverin, who builds high-performance shortboards and custom boards tailored to the rider's own approach. The range runs from thrusters with pointed noses to volume-friendly swallowtails for everyday conditions. Each board has an EPS core made in-house, with basalt reinforcement and epoxy resin, which the business says keeps the range consistent and gives a light, strong board. The workshop also does ding repairs, and it sells T-shirts, hoodies and stickers.
Customers describe a strong relationship with the maker. One first bought a board on a friend's recommendation, rather than picking one off a rack, and has since bought three more. Another has had a board for four years that is still going despite hard use. Customers praise the service, the craft and the knowledge of the maker, and one says the repair work was excellent. Of the two other surf shops within one kilometre with ten or more reviews, neither rates higher than this one. Real Surf is 0.7 km away, and Lyall Bay Surf Beach is 1 km away. For a rider who wants a board built to their own specification, it is a good place to start.