About us
SIC was born of shaper/waterman Mark Raaphorst. Hailing originally from the Netherlands, he left at the age of 16 to fulfill his windsurfing dreams, which, like so many windsurfers, landed him on the north shores of Maui, Hawaii. here he fulfilled his dream of becoming a waterman, making a living doing board repairs, and learning the craft of shaping from the masters. Soon after, Raaphorst established Ding King Fiberglass Works repair shop. Tearing apart boards gave him a unique insight into board construction, quality, and materials. It was not long before Raaphorst was shaping boards and building outrigger canoes out of his facility.
During the pioneering days of SUP, many legendary waterman came to Mark and asked him to shape a board to paddle in waves and paddle down the coast. Mark took their input and began to shape some of the earliest SUP boards, which would help the sport get off the ground and drive the early days of innovation.
In 2006 Mark created his brand, "Sandwich Islands Composites." The Sandwich Islands being the name that Captain James Cook, British Explorer, Navigator, Cartographer, gave the Hawaiian islands in honor of Lord Sandwich who had sponsored the voyages.
In 2011 the acronym and logo "SIC" was created and how the brand is known today. Over the years, SIC has evolved, defined, and dominated the open ocean paddling scene and has won overwhelmingly, most of the prestigious channel crossing events globally, and thus the legend was born.
Shaper's note
by Mark Raaphorst
“For all of us at SIC, hitting the water is about fun and part of our job. We have the privilege to dream, create and test boards, foils, wings, and surfboards. We learn something new every time we are on the water and from each other’s experience riding and trying new gear, and then we get to put them into production for your pleasure. Looking forward to 2021, we focused on pushing the limits of performance in all disciplines. The new Atlantis dugout, the Raptor wing, and the Raptor wing foil board are just a few new models that we are very excited about. We also wanted to develop gear that performs nicely for the entry-level and recreational all-around performance because we believe that the waterman / waterwomen lifestyle should be aspirational and accessible to all. With this in mind, we designed the new Mangrove SUP and added sizes to the Drifter surf collection, to name a few new models that you will see in the lineup.”
Meet the
SIC Design Team
Mark Raaphorst
SIC, “Sandwich Islands Composites,” is the vision of SIC founder and shaper Mark Raaphorst. Mark has more than thirty years of experience building surfboards, windsurfers, and outrigger canoes. He is credited as one of the pioneers of SUP and is creating the world’s most winning race boards.
SIC boards are designed for speed, agility, and stability. Their sleek styling, piercing waterlines, quality craftsmanship, and attention to detail has earned SIC the reputation of being the best.
Mark continues to lead the design and shaping vision for SIC and has been recognized as one of the leading shapers of the rapidly evolving and divergent foiling market. His creativity and shaping mastery is the signature of the SIC brand.
Jon Henderson
Jon Henderson is a shaping veteran. Known for his shapes under his label, Strive Surf-boards. Jon has shaped boards for top surf pros and many other brands within the SUP and surf markets.
Jon brings a rich history of shaping knowledge, performance shapes, and credibility to SIC’s surfing category. The core of the market demands only the best in design, construction, and, ultimately, performance.
Jon has shaped SIC’s Darkhorse, Drifter, and the entire range of performance epoxy surfboard models within the surf range. Within the SUP range, Jon has shaped the Slice Pro, Slice, and Saber models. We are confident you will love these shapes and have a blast ripping waves on them.
Gérard Dabbadie
Gérard Dabbadie shaped his first board in 1972. As an experienced surfer, he put his riding know-how to work and started shaping himself. Based in Hossegor, France, the surf capital of Europe, he created his signature board brand, “Superfrog,” and his shapes quickly gained popularity.
Gérard’s design philosophy centers around “shaping easy, fun-to-ride boards, for all conditions,” and he has been highly successful in doing so. Gerard has shaped many of the Ace-Tec and Tough-Tec boards in the SIC surf range, which surfers worldwide enjoy.
Pan Panagiotis
At 70 years old, Peter “Pan” Panagiotis is a living legend. Inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 1996 and with countless surfing titles to his name, Pete continues to spend more days surfing than anyone we know!
The Peter Pan Surf Academy has been operating since 1978, out of his hometown of Narragansett, Rhode Island, and has introduced thousands of people to surfing.
Pete has been designing surfboards for decades, creating many board designs, high performance, and some of the most user-friendly boards like SIC’s 9’6” Big Boy model. Pete’s experience, passion, and perspective are invaluable to the SIC Maui surf program.