Making dreams come true

Photo caption: Dean Watersports recently upgraded to a bigger manufacturing facility in Charleston, SC.

Hands down, it’s been a challenging two years for a one-man startup manufacturing company. But creating a product for a sport that you are absolutely passionate about has kept the motivation and stoke alive and strong. It’s that resolve that, in just 20 months, Dean Watersports has grown from a dilapidated, 400-square foot vacant (and borrowed) room, followed by a warehouse space with no heat or air, finally to a 3000-square foot proper manufacturing facility.

Flashback two years. After a short stint owning and operating a restaurant, ex pro-cyclist Dean Johnson rekindled his competitive nature and started racing standup paddleboards. It was at the September 2009 national Naish race series in San Diego, CA that Dean realized he needed a faster board. At that time, no one in our hometown of Charleston, SC was selling (or paddling) race boards. So with his background in art and construction, he was determined to build a board that was as good, if not better than anything on the market.

We were very optimistic heading in to 2011. SUP was blowing up on the East Coast and starting to gain momentum in Charleston. It was time for us to get serious. Dean met Tony Blakley, a composites engineer, and the two immediately hit it off and began developing high performance technology. Five months later, Dean Watersports welcomed Shawn West to the team who handles all customer relations and sales. With a good crew pulled together, the next step was obvious...we needed a larger space so manufacturing could get underway.

























The future is bright. Dean Watersports is no longer a one-board-at-a-time manufacturing company. We are on the cutting edge of technology and design, and we do it with a passion for the sport of SUP. We welcome SUP retailers, tour/rental companies, and consumers to visit us at our new factory in Charleston, SC. Call us at (843) 795-8000 to set up an appointment.

The Dean Team:
Dean Johnson, shaper/owner/operator
dean@deanwatersports.com
Misty Johnson, marketing/fitness/tours/rentals
misty@deanwatersports.com
Tony Blakley, engineer
tony@deanwatersports.com
Shawn West, financials /sales/customer relations
shawn@deanwatersports.com

Words by Misty Johnson

Get ocean fit Monday & Wednesdays on beautiful Isle of Palms, SC

Don't forget.. Misty Johnson of Dean Watersports will be leading SUP Fit classes at IOP Marina on Mondays & Wednesdays at 7am. Reserve your spot by contacting Ocean Fitness at (843) 559-6073 or BeOceanFit.com. Classes are designed to teach basic paddle technique while building strength, flexibility and balance.
Who said exercise had to be dull? Get ocean fit!

-Misty
misty@deanwatersports.com

2nd Annual Shem Creek Shootout Weekend- July 8-10

Mark your calendar for the 2nd annual Shem Creek Shootout, hosted by David Clifford from Charleston Watersport. Demo day, registration event, race and post party info include:

• July 8th - SUP Demo with leading SUP manufacturers Starboard, Hobie, Boardworks, Yolo and more. The demo will be held at Station 30 on Sullivan's Island, Sc starting @ 4:30pm and running until 7pm.
• July 8th - Registration Party @ Red's Ice House on Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant, Sc. Starting at 6pm for registration, bib pick up and general information. Food and drinks are on the house for all racers. The general public is welcome for a small donation to The Wounded Warrior Project. Party runs to 9pm.
• July 9th - 8am Paddlers Meeting - It's recommended that all racers attend to review the course, WPA rules and for specific information.
• July 9th - 9am - Race Start Time for Elite Race - Start/Finish line in front of Red's on Shem Creek, 9:15 Start for the Recreational Race, Youth Race 9:25 start.
• July 9th - 11:00am - Awards and Post Race Party - The Cottage, next to Red's (formerly The Big Game Club). We'll have food and drinks are on the house for all racers. The general public is welcome for a small donation to The Wounded Warrior Project. Prizes and Trophies will be awarded around 12 noon. Official Party will run from 11:00am to 2pm, unofficial party will continue at Red's.
• July 10th - Station 30 on Sullivan's Island demos and instruction will be held from 9am to 12pm.

* The Charleston Watersport crew is working working on additional activities including a group paddle, instructional classes and etc. Stay tuned.

Sign up is now available at http://www.active.com/surfing/mt-pleasant-sc/2nd-annual-shem-creek-sup-shootout-2011

Hotel and Lodging info: http://www.shemcreekinn.com/ please call (843) 881-1000 and mention the Shem Creek Shootout 2011 for special rates. A limited block of rooms are available due to the hotel being "in season".

Board Storage - Board storage is available at Charleston Watersport for this event, please contact the store for directions and storage.

For more info or to sponsor this event, contact David Clifford @ info@charlestonwatersport.com