I Retired from 25 years of San Diego County Service in 2004.

Since then I have been focusing my efforts on the creation of custom fins out of domestic woods and exotic hardwoods as well as custom surfboards and surfboard blanks out of balsawood, cedar, redwood and agave cactus wood. I began shaping boards in 1978. Combining the fluid forms and shapes of the surfboard with the natural beauty of exotic woods in complementary combinations is my passion today.

Since I began John Cherry Woodcraft in 2004, with much help and promotion from Peter, Sally and JP St Pierre of Moonlight Glassing Company, I have had the opportunity to build hundreds of fins for boards by major names in the surfboard industry such as Billabong USA, Channel Islands, Gary Hanel, Harbor, Hobie, Hynson, Mandala, Pavel, Rainbow, Rusty, Slingerland and South Coast as well as for many individual clients.

In 2005 I was honored to collaborate with Hobie’s head shaper, Terry Martin and Moonlight Glassing in the reproduction of the early-50’s, Bob Simmons, balsawood twin fin that is featured in the Billabong-sponsored movie, “Hydrodynamica” by Richard Kenvin. I built the custom blank and fins for that board.

In 2006 I was again honored to collaborate with Terry Martin and Moonlight glassing in the creation of a 9’0” chambered balsawood gun that was one of the live-auction center pieces for the 2006 SIMA Waterman’s Ball ocean environment charity auction.

In 2007 I, Rich Pavel and Moonlight Glassing collaborated in the design and production of an 8’ balsawood, Simmons-inspired, parabolic-template, twin fish as Pavel’s entry in the board build-off competition, sponsored by Reef at the January, ASR convention in San Diego. Our Simmons-inspired creation won overall in that competition.

Today as an artist in a one-man shop, I continue in the creation of art, in many forms, in wood, about surfing.

Welcome to my web gallery.

John Cherry