dont you worry about custom surfboard shapers. they make enough money.
reply to eric- your points are well received and i admire your honesty- keep in mind that some of those big labels out there dont use the shaping machine specifically for the bulk of their production- every shaper that can say ‘i make a living mowing out surfboards’ had to begin somewhere- there is a learning curve involved and as i’ve said- some companies choose to throw a green shaper into the mix- the variables are many- a top production shaper comes down with cancer and can no longer ‘produce’- the next guy in line just might be the shop rat who quietly watches the more experienced guy(s) and when he notices there might be an opportunity, what do you think he’s gonna do? ok, the rat has only shaped boards for himself and maybe he is on #35… the only real way to refine your technique(s) is to get in there and DO IT. yeah,some boards may look a little funky to a person who has a ‘trained’ eye. as far as the term ‘seconds’ goes- well, i have personally witnessed good shapers spend up to 4 hrs on a board, thinking they have done their best job possible and in walks a shaper that maybe has 15 years on this guy- and he takes one look at the board and writes it off- all because the shaper with more years behind the planer may not take into account what i have stated above. you must also consider that the owner of a particular label has a profit margin to keep up with- and as narrow a margins are today, you might understand why those boards make it to the shelves of retail markets. also- yeah, shapers do make plenty to keep themselves alive and kicking, but i know of NO place that has a summer season year-round. ok maybe hawaii, but you know what i’m getting at… good waves to all -shaper- out-
Is it safe to say Wayne doesn’t shape any of the boards here in the USA? Is it also safe to say that Evolution isn’t Wayne Lynch? Or that Wayne Lynch is but a part of Evolution. I think that the name has been bought out. Not that I’m saying his name isn’t worth the money. Know guy in a tipi is going that big without some corporate sponsorship. Bottom line- good products make good money. All the power to them