What is it about shaping surfboards that you can’t see but want to?

The job is done behind closed doors. When someone asks if they could watch a guy shape a board why is the answer typically “no”? Is it because us shaper types don’t want people to see our secrets? “No”.  Couldn’t say there are any secrets to shaping a surfboard. After all you can be taught. There are private classes available. Not many but some.

Shaping is hard work physically and takes real concentration. Getting distracted is not what you want. Someone watching can be distracting….. so there it is.

There have been a few times when I said, “OK you can watch”. And then there is this….I Shaped a board at the Sacred Craft Show, now called The Board Room Show. My son used his phone to record a little of the process and posted it on You Tube. I guess you could say from the video hundreds of people have watched me shape at least for a couple minutes, aside from the folks at the event that could watch from start to finish. Possibly a fatiguing exercise.

Before shaping a surfboard it’s best to know the design aspects of the surfboard. Like deck, bottom, outline or plan shape, bottom rocker, deck curve, rail and rail profile, rail apex. board profile or foam distribution.

The finished surfboard you’d like to shape must be cut from a surfboard blank that is basically an oversized surfboard. And you’ve got to be able to get the board you want to shape cut from that blank…. Or you could say the board you want to shape must fit inside that oversized surfboard blank.

The above graphic is the cut view of a blank. The lower graphics are cut views of a few surfboard profiles.  A shaper needs to know if the surfboard profile they want to shape will fit inside the area of the blank.

Question… which board profile might fit inside the blank profile? Best to know before you get started otherwise you will have to modify design aspects of the board being shaped. And, will end up with something you didn’t intend…. Which of course sucks.

It doesn’t matter what size or kind of board you want to shape. Short, long, fish, mid length, alternative. The process and procedures are the same.

The saying “Know before you go” that applies to surfing applies to this as well I’d say.

Knowing where to start in the shaping process is not known to the beginner. Should you start milling the blank? Or maybe you should draw the outline and cut it first. Maybe mill the bottom and then draw the outline…. Does it matter?

Over time you can settle into a process routine and become comfortable with the craft. If shaping is something you’d like to do best to know that it will take plenty of time sweating through several boards.

Then again, if you can have a board cut by one of the cnc machine shops it would make your life in shaping a lot easier. Honestly, I don’t think going that route is anywhere near as fulfilling.

D.R.