I been noticing lately how stoked I get when shaping boards for other people. Before I shaped only for myself and I used to get all excited thinking I can’t wait to try it… Now I’m making boards for others and I’m getting all stoked out for them… Tonight as I was finishing up a board for a friend in Kekaha, Kauai, I was getting all excited thinking, “Oh man is he gonna rip on this!” Thinking more about it, I feel the same way when making all my production boards… Its just a really cool feeling getting the call from a super stoked out customers… Just got a call from a guy who took his board back to CA after surfing it here for a few weeks and he wants another exactly the same to leave here in Hawaii… He’s been ripping on it and stoked to the max! Very satisfying… Very fun…
Been getting tons of great advice from shapers that have been successful in the business here in Hawaii… For all the negative stuff you hear about the industry there is still plenty positive things and opportunity… Its really fun compared to all the other jobs I’ve held! Hahaha!! The icing on the cake is the fact that surfing every morning its good is mandatory… I can live with that!!! Ahwooooooooooooo!!! I’d like to thank Swaylocks for all the great tips and informative posts by its members… No shaper at any level should ever be above coming here to learn or share things… The absolute finest site for those in the surfboard building industry…
Another one of our stoked out customers, Garrett McNamara
No shaper at any level should ever be above coming here to learn or share things… The absolute finest site for those in the surfboard building industry…
here here mate, good luck to you in your new found business.
…Im wondering if you shape by hand these boards or are machine shaped…and then finished by hand…
and you glass airbrush and finish all the boards?
I do all my boards now with the APS3000 machine. It cuts rocker, top rails and general outline. All I have to do is finish bottom rails, nose / tail outlines, scrub down the ridges and layout fins and depends who glasses, spackle. I take them to glassers now for color and glass… Dave Parmenter who shapes under our label does everything hand shape only. He’s a master shaper/craftsman!!! Soon I will post some of his awesome SUP shapes… Stingers, Fishes, Channel Bottoms… Just beautiful things I can only dream of shaping myself… He gives me soooo much great shaping advice… I’ve been fortunate to have some really great shapers like Terry Chung, Dave Parmenter etc, etc share helpful things to keep me headed in the right direction… Swaylocks too!!! Swaylocks no doubt has taught me the most!
When Agassi first said that, I think he meant it kind of funny. Marketing-like.
By the end of his career, he had won over just about everyone. CN, your stoke is reminiscent of his to me. As different a sport as can be…but the reason you’re involved with so many surfing lumanaries is because you clearly pay your dues. You’ve earned this - enjoy the ride
i just got done shaping and glassing my first board and thanks to swaylock and kokua it turned out alright but im so stoked everytime i ride it. i can only imagine the joy uyou must feel to see someone else ride your board and ride it good.
It may have been “Marketing” at the time but, Andre backed it up by performance as Carve Nalu is doing now with both his shaping AND his surfing - Andre’s final U.S. Open was inspirational (for my 56 yr. old lard ass)…and I agree with your sentiment 110 % for Carve Nalu.
So great to see a Swayloholic with such a class following - for a class guy.
Best of wishes Carve Nalu! An inspiration for the rest of us hacks…
Thanks everybody for the encouragement and kind words… Just got a call from another guy on Kauai that I sent a board to… He was SUP surfing a 11’ Munoz… He rode his new board for the first time and I got the call… He’s so stoked it made me all stoked! The lucky guy got to surf quality lefts and had a blast… I have a new Bump Pin 10 footer getting glassed and can’t wait to ride it… Things are moving along nicely! Ahwooooooooooooooo!!!
Man, I’ve gone through so many threads with your cool stories and awesome shots, I think you could change your signature, you know your sh*t and your fun and success in the business prove it!
Thanks guys! Waves have been really fun lately… Got some pretty perfect lefts all morning long at an out of the way spot… Super glassy peelers I had alone for an hour then a couple guys came out… Boards are working soooo good! I still feel we can make them better though…
Stoked to have Brian Keaulana on board with us now… Dave Parmenters been shaping his boards for a long time and it was just a matter of time till Brian came on board with us… The guy is a class act all the way… A true ambassador of surfing and Hawaii… I’m very stoked and proud to have him surfing with us… He’ll be riding Dave’s shapes in all conditions… Also will be working on Darrick Doerners 2nd gun soon along with Garrett McNamaras gun… Shaping an all arounder for big wave charger Jamie Sterling… With cool customers like this giving great R&D information, we can only progress faster to even better boards… Hope everyone out there is getting good waves… Aloha…
Thanks Doug! Here’s another great surfer who’s with us… Kealii Malama who’s from the Big Island. He’s also Garrett McNamara’s tow partner. He’s 190 lbs and surfing on my 9’-4" I can’t begin to tell you how much talent that takes!! He’s only been doing it for a few months off and on… He’s a natural… I’m excited to design the boards he’s buying… I’m making him a small wave board and a gun… He already rode this board at 10’ Sunset!
Kealii at Pupukea from last week… Photo’s by Jim Russi
Reading about him and Garrett at Shark Park was just awesome!