Rusty Preisendorfer and Jacob “Zeke” Szekely may come from different generations, but years of boards, trips and honest feedback have created a friendship that goes well beyond the usual shaper-and-rider relationship.
The idea behind “Thirteen Questions” is suitably simple: Preisendorfer contains thirteen letters, so thirteen became the number. The conversation keeps the same uncomplicated spirit—no elaborate production, distant location or carefully rehearsed answers.
Instead, Rusty and Zeke trade questions as two people who know each other well enough to be direct. Their discussion reveals how rider feedback reaches the shaping bay, how contrasting personalities can sharpen ideas and why trust matters when performance equipment is continually evolving.
The result is an informal look inside the relationship that helps turn testing sessions into better surfboards.
Adapted with permission from Rusty Surfboards USA.
