Online info may shape future of boardmaking
San Diego Union Tribune – San Diego,CA,USA
St. Pierre works at Moonlight Glassing in Encinitas, a shop his father
started. “We glass a lot of boards for backyard/garage shapers. …

The modern surfboard is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment, refined to the fraction of an inch, every aspect considered, emerging from the hands of a skilled shaper only by degrees.

Master shapers and glassers have spent their lives working behind masks in workplaces covered in foam dust and hazardous chemicals to refine their craft, only to produce an undervalued and over-refined piece of equipment. Though some say it is intrinsically rewarding, surfboard building has long been underappreciated, even in surfing’s own ranks. The modern shortboard – a custom piece of equipment that typically only runs about $500 or less – is notoriously underpriced, and most surfers pay readily.

But despite the accessibility of professionally built boards and the difficulty of the undertaking, a new subset of surfers is trying its hands at fashioning its own surfboards.

As information about board-building becomes more accessible via online forums and Web sites dedicated to surfboard design topics, some undaunted surfers are taking to the craft in their garages and workshops.

For years, boardbuilding information has been passed down only through master-apprentice relationships. But today, information and ideas about surfboard design are discussed in a wide variety of forums, from the traditional print media to an increasing number of Web sites dedicated specifically to board design.

The most popular of these is www.swaylocks.com, a “surfboard design forum” where veteran shapers and the casually interested discuss trends in surfboard ideas and technology, as well as research surfboard information via a “Swaylopedia.” The topics on sites such as Swaylocks range from the esoteric (the hydrodynamic differences between various bottom contours) to the service oriented (ways in which to work with new materials).

Recently, a member of Swaylocks with the handle “ny_surfer” posted photos of the first surfboard he had ever built – a four-fin hybrid decorated by his daughters. Submitting the work for discussion, “ny_surfer” – David Galison of New York – opened himself up to criticism from notoriously ruthless online message-board posters, but instead received encouragement from the Swaylocks community.

“I have wanted to shape a board for years but never had the inclination to attempt it,” said Galison, explaining his motive. “A friend of mine recently shaped a board and after discussing it with him I decided that I could do it as well. It didn’t seem as complicated as I had initially thought.”

Unlike so-called “backyard shapers” – who have historically produced surfboards on the cheap in their home workshops and sold them to surfers in their area at prices that undercut professional shapers – today’s new brand of garage shapers consists largely of hobbyists trying their hand at making their own boards. Professionals see these enthusiasts as little threat, and many encourage them.

“A lot of guys make the whole board (and fins) themselves but most just shape and have the glassing done at a shop like ours,” wrote Jean-Paul St. Pierre in an e-mail. St. Pierre works at Moonlight Glassing in Encinitas, a shop his father started.

“We glass a lot of boards for backyard/garage shapers. My dad prides the shop on the fact that some kid’s first attempt at shaping can be in the rack next to a shaping legend like Al Merrick or Terry Martin. And, starting this month (January), everyone has the same price list from us. So it doesn’t matter if you have 50 boards coming off the machine a week or have only shaped three boards. Same price for a glass job.”

As more information circulates about the craft of shaping, more people are likely to begin trying their hands at it. Some will be so scared by the work that they’ll come running back to the racks of their surf shop, credit card in hand, looking for a professionally made design.

But others will thrive off the results. As St. Pierre wrote: “When you surf your own shape you are totally hyper aware of every nano-second of the wave. It’s great.”