Surfboard shaper


A surfboard shaper is someone who builds and designs surfboards by hand. Originally made from wood, most modern surfboards are made from pre-formed polyurethane blanks or styrofoam and then fine shaped by the shaper using an array of tools ranging from surforms, rasps, sanding machines and power planers. When the form is sculpted in the foam core, the shaper may complete the build by layering fiberglass sheets over the deck and bottom and laminating these with a thermosetting resin such as polyester.

History

Most shapers today design surfboards using computer programs to generate data that can be supplied to a computer cutting facility which will mill the raw foam blank within 90% of the finished shape, leaving the shaper to fine-tune the blank to its final state before glassing. This method allows the shaper to have a very exacting and reproducible design which can be easily fine-tuned and adjusted. Wooden surfboards are making a comeback as an eco-friendly alternative, requiring ultra-light boatbuilding skills.
Many professional shapers outsource the highly specialized task of lamination to specialized "glassers", who laminate fiberglass to the foam core of the surfboard using thermosetting resins like polyester or epoxy. Fins and assorted plugs are usually installed after this process and the final product is fine sanded and often glossed with buffing compound and special glossing resin. When shaping, the shaper often takes into account the specifications of the client surfer, and molds his medium to best accommodate the user's personal surfing style and wave of choice.
Shapers play a design role in some companies that mass-produce surfboards.

Ancient Hawaiian surfboards

In modern-day surfing, we see tiny, lightweight, fiberglass boards that range from, hardly taller than the surfers themselves. Considering that surfboards are relatively simple things, being made out of fiberglass and foam, it may be difficult to imagine just how far surfboard technology has come since the first recorded surfboards seen in Hawaii. In 1778, Captain James Cook of had just begun his third discovery voyage and came across the Sandwich Islands, now known as the Hawaiian Islands. It was there he saw the natives riding large pieces of wood on the faces of waves. In the early days of Hawaiian surfing, surfing was a highly religious and spiritual affair for the natives. The art of surfing itself, praying for good surf, and the process of making a surfboard were all much more than recreation for the early Hawaiians. Surfboards were valued so highly that the type of surfboard someone rode was an indication of their social standing. The chiefs and noblemen would be seen riding boards called “Olo”, while the commoners would ride boards known as “Alii”. The main distinction between the two boards was the length. “Olo” would range from about, while the “Alii” paled in comparison measuring only about. The boards were constructed of either the Wili Wili, the Ula or the Koa tree and weighed anywhere from depending on the size.

The Hollow Board

The largest technological change to date came in 1926 when Tom Blake, one of the pioneers of surfboard innovation decided to drill hundreds of small holes in the board and sandwich it in between two very thin pieces of wood in the pursuit of weight savings. The first hollow board was long, wide, and thick, and weighed roughly. This was a huge step for surfboard innovation as it decreased the weight of most surfboards by. The boards design was originally ridiculed by surfers, but when they saw how much faster the board traveled through the water. In 1930, the hollow board became the first mass-produced surfboard the world had ever seen and were hugely successful. In 1936 the board saw the addition of the fixed fin. This gave surfers increased stability, speed, and maneuverability in the water and opened the doors to coming innovation.

The Hot Curl Board

As surfers began realizing the potential for maneuverability with the addition of the new lightweight construction and the fin, they realized that shaping the tail of the surfboard allowed for even more agility. By shaving off parts of the tail and shaping the rails of the board, it allowed surfers to not only pull more extreme maneuvers but also pull into the “curl”, or the most powerful section of the wave that just begins to curl over the face, and ride inside the barrel.

New Construction

Seeing as weight savings led to increased agility, speed, and overall ease of use, people began building their surfboards out of balsa wood as opposed to the original redwood. The trend began in South America in the 1930s when surfers began making boards of balsa and saw significant weight savings of up to 50% dropping the boards to roughly. However, at that time it was difficult to acquire large amounts of balsa. So they began using balsa and redwood to form boards. Balsa was lightweight but redwood was much stronger and more durable, so they used balsa to make the center of the board and formed the rails of the board out of redwood to increase rigidity.
Taking it another step further, Pete Peterson decided to utilize fibreglass in the construction of surfboards. The second World War prompted this decision as materials such as plastics, styrofoams, and most notably fibreglass. The addition of these new materials led to boards being smaller, lighter, and gave manufacturers the ability to shape the boards. Once surfboards began being shaped from foam and fibreglass, the public saw the direction of rocker, new fin orientation, and leashes.
The addition of rocker has been among the most innovative designs added to the surfboard and has forever changed how surfers could maneuver through the water. Rocker is the bend in the board from the nose to the tail; it creates a slight bend which allows for much better water flow under the board and ultimately lets surfers move faster and with more agility.
As board became easier to build and shape, fins also became much easier to implement. Adding more fins and being able to attach and remove fins has allowed surfers to customize their boards and greatly decreased the cost of repairs. Boards can now be seen with up to 4 fins. The addition of more fins on short boards allows for more stability when making sharp carves on the face of waves. The 3 and 4 fin set-up seem to be the most popular on short boards as it offers unparalleled speed and maneuverability, while beginner boards tend to have a single fin set up as it's very stable and there is no need for the added fins.
The addition of leashes came along in 1971. Designed by Pat O’Neil, leashes had a much more significant impact on surfing than many would assume. Initially, leashes were created in order for surfers to keep track of their boards after falling. Lost boards were also a large danger to other surfers. Many surfers were frustrated by having to swim after their boards after being knocked off and the implementation of the leash easily remedied their frustration. However, big wave surfers soon realized that the leash can act as a life preserver. Being caught in big surf is very dangerous for even very good swimmers, as large waves have been known to hold people underwater for up to several minutes. However, the leash acts as a flotation device and keeps the surfers aware of the direction of the surface when being tossed around by the current.

How Surfboards Are Shaped

Surfboard shaping is not done so easily; it takes patience and determination to properly craft a surfboard. Starting from the room where it's crafted and finishing with its glassing process. Surfboard shapers use a shaping room to begin their craft. Usually the rooms are at least and consist of fluorescent lights. The standings where the blanks are shaped are nailed to the floor with lighting aligned near them. Lighting is a crucial part of the crafting process to make sure the board is perfectly constructed with the right dimensions. There are four key steps in building and shaping a surfboard: Shaping the template, preparing the fin setup and rails, rounding rails, and smoothing the outline.

Shaping the Template

Start by adjusting the template paper over the blank, then cut the blank with a handsaw on both sides. Sand the rails until the edges are square. Then measure the size and thickness of the blank this will give you the measurements of foam needed. Remove the extra foam by passing it perpendicular to the stringer from tail to nose. Then repeat the process on the opposite side. Shape the tail and rocker by passing the planer over the areas.

Preparing the Fin Setup and Rails

Mark the front fins positions on both sides then mark the back fins. Carefully remove all mistakes on the blank with sandpaper. Finally, cut the rail bevel from nose to fins to give a rounded-edge shape to the board.

Rounding Rails

Start by turning the rails with the planer, then create a 45-degree angle from turning point on the deck to the top. Make sure the symmetry is correct on the other rail. Then with a sanding block round the rails to reduce sharp edges.

Smoothing the Outline

Sand the deck until it blends with the rails. Then round and smooth the rails on both side. Then confirm the overall symmetry of the board. Measure and take note of the dimensions of the board. Finally, sign the surfboard and send it off to glassing.

Notable shapers