Master Shaper Dan "Bagel" Capuano

At the age of 13, while fixing a broken fin on an old classic board, Bagel knew he would be building surfboards. He was fascinated with the way the resin worked, and a couple years later he was chasing his dream in Cocoa Beach, Florida. At the age of 17, The Leisure brothers led him through their doors at the Quiet Flight factory. Bagel was mentored by some of the best shapers and glassers in the business: Barry Dix, Bruce Regan, Bob, Freddy & Mike Cody, Richie Rudolph, Sean Slater, and Gina, the great artist. It really was something very special to have worked and learned from all of these people. After a few years of working with several more labels in the area, Bagel learned another science when he entered the world of epoxy. He learned to work with every aspect of this material, from the eps foam to glassing and sanding. Stu Sharpe had a good deal of influence over Bagel. He is a great soul in this world that would give his left arm to help anyone. Bagel became family with the crew at Ocean Sports World and continues doing piece work for Roy and Pam. After working in the industry for 15 years, Pelican Surfboards was born. While spending many late nights fishing with his long time buddies, Sean and Skippy Slater, they were all fascinated by the grace and skill of the pelicans that seemed to “own” the fishing spots. The three of them rambled on about how the pelicans would cruise the glassy lines, get a little barrel, and ultimately be spit out as if it was a surf video. That was it, the label was born! Building Pelican Surfboards has been a pleasure since the first day. From selecting the blanks, hand shaping each one, putting on the resin, pin-lines and gloss, to finally polishing each one. Building them one at a time to allow the beauty and art of Cocoa Beach to be a part of each and every board cannot be described in words. The satisfaction of watching someone flying the waves on a Pelican is the best feeling in the world!

Todd Holland

I am Todd Holland, the shapes and designs are a direct compilation to the years of experience in surfing. I have been surfing for 33 years, 32 of them have been dedicated to competition and travels. At age 9, my first board was a Steve Walden diamond tail found in a junkyard that was fixed up for me at the whopping price of $35! Since then, my competitive surfing has taken through the amateur ranks of the NSSA to win national titles and a 3rd in juniors at the World Amateur Championships. During my years on the NSSA National Team, I was coached by Ian Cairns and Peter Townend who taught me the importance of board design and equipment. After turning professional in 1987 and winning rookie of the year on the ASP world tour, I spent the next 8 years on the ASP world tour with 5 of those in the top 16 and 1 year in the top ten. Within those years competing on the ASP, I claimed winning titles for the OP Pro in 1990 as well as the Coke Classic and Pepsi Surf the Edge in 1993. After retiring in 1997, I still to this day compete in local pro events. My latest win being the 2010 Slater Brothers Invitational.

     My travels have given me the opportunity to try many different board designs from shapers such as Gary Linden, Al Merrick, Jeff Bushman, Glenn Minami, Greg Loehr and many others. Cooperation from these shapers about intricate designs lead me to a direct understanding of all the little detailed aspects of a shape that make a board work for each wave, rider, and condition.  For the last three years, I have been working on my own designs for the everyday surfer. Many of the boards I shape now are combinations of the magic boards I had throughout my competitive career on the ASP. 

    As a shaper, I take the positive aspects of boards, old and new, to produce a magic board for the everyday surfer that wants a board to paddle good, but also allow turns to make critical sections. I have enjoyed riding and experimenting with designs to find boards that can be ridden in a variety of wave conditions. I do not use machines, since as an up and coming shaper I believe it is important to learn how to shape the board from scratch and not rely on computer scans. I also believe that if  a board is from me, it deserves my personal attention to make the best board I possibly can each and every time.