Pat Mulhern
Patrick Mulhern is a second-generation surfer and board builder, son to the legendary shaper Donnie Mulhern. The younger Mulhern grew up in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, using the fierce waves of the world-famous Sebastian Inlet as his competition training ground. Mulhern is widely considered one of the best — if not the best — competitor from the Inlet in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Mulhern was known for his tendency to duck into small tubes passed up by other surfers. By his early twenties, he was a seasoned East Coast and international competitor, wintering in Huntington Beach, California, in an effort to beef up in bigger surf. His greatest claim to fame is winning the American Professional Surfing (APS) Tour a record four consecutive years, taking the title from 1978 through 1981. He also won the 1984 APS team event in Sunset Beach, Hawaii for the East Coast — one of three APS international events where Mulhern came out on top.
After retiring from the pro circuit, Mulhern set out to follow in his father’s footsteps. The elder Mulhern had laminated boards for Dewey Weber back in the 1950s, and Pat decided to start with what he knew. He laminated boards throughout the late 80s and didn’t pick up shaping until the 90s.
Mulhern went on to become a force in board building, starting his own surfboard line called Back Yard Boards in Encinitas, California. His visionary shapes are credited with helping propel Hawaiian Sunny Garcia to a world championship in 2001. He’s known in the industry for creating high-performance models and is dedicated to the shaping craft. According to Mulhern, “Hand shapes are alive and well. I’m doing them every day.”
Mulhern is still ripping, taking on West Coast waves from his home in Encinitas. He was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 2006.
