After 50 years it's still a challenge to shape a surfboard. Or maybe I should say after shaping thousands of surfboards the next one I shape will still be a challenge.

Shaping one surfboard after another after another.... the challenge for the production shaper used to be making all the same cuts over and over again to maintain consistency. Now that consistency is done by a CNC cut.

The low numbers guy that doesn't use CNC... consistency can be a challenge. Now that I'm a low numbers kind of guy the challenge for me is getting those fine details of my shapes to look just the way I'd like them to look.

No 'oops', can't have any 'oops'. Like darn it I just pulled a little to much foam off that rail band. Or, thinking you've pulled enough foam off and after the board is glassed you look and think darn it, I should have pulled a little more foam of the tail.  You know the saying... "the devil is in the details". Well, the details can drive a guy nuts.

I like the challenge. I was talking with one of the local shapers this past week. He was telling me having a board CNC cut is great. You can make a board for a guy save the file and a year later make the same "exact" board again when the guy comes back for another board. That's great for him, he does a lot of boards. Me... I don't make a lot of boards and find no real challenge fine shaping a CNC cut.  They're nice but, cleaning them up can be a bit boring. And besides I know how to replicate.

It is hard work getting a surfboard file just right for a CNC cut though. And, to get the details just right it's possible to go through 3 or 4  cut blanks to reach just the right shape so all the details are what you like. And that's the challenge... even with CNC cuts, getting the details of your shape just right.

One way or another, getting your shape to look just the way you'd like can be a real challenge. And when you're finished with the shape and all the details are just right... the challenge met becomes satisfaction.

D.R.