What does a surfer do with surfboards he no longer surfs with? If he’s Maui surfer Donald “DJ” Dettloff, he collects them and creates a striking piece of art: a surfboard fence.

OK, it’s true that not all the boards in his fence are technically “surfboards”. The fence – along with the traditional surfing longboards and shortboards – also utilizes boards from various surfing-related activities such as windsurfing, body boarding and kite boarding. But to the general public, his fence is widely known as the surfboard fence (with appropriate reverence for all the amazing stories represented by each of the 400 surfing boards.)

How did it start? Believe it or not, with the forecast of a hurricane, back in 1990! He wired his boards to his fence to keep them from blowing away, and surprise: artistic inspiration was the result! He’s still collecting and wiring up surfing boards of all sizes, colors, logos, and descriptions. “I am an artist, and this is my art,” says Donald. “This wasn’t easy, but I love it.” Countless Maui residents and tourists alike love it as well.

Many, but not all of the boards have been used personally by Donald over his long surfing career. Many of the boards in his collection were donated by his friends and neighbors. Other boards simply appeared mysteriously on his driveway, and some were even scavenged from the old Makawao dump, back in the day.

The original fence was nearly ruined in a powerful windstorm in 2002, which caused Dettloff to rethink his design and technique. Now it’s actually 2 fences: a row of longer boards facing the road and shorter boards facing the yard, allowing the wind to blow through while providing both privacy and a unique visual treat for his family and friends, as well as visitors.

As of now, the fence goes around approximately half of the Dettloffs’ property, aka Ka’ohu Farms, Pe'ahi. It is possible the fence will someday completely surround this semi-self-sufficient farm, which is a haven for animals, crops, and fun-loving, energetic people.