as a well established shaper, what are your takes on sharing kneledge and information. i think almost everyone on here is willing to share knoledge, but what about thos key features that you came up with. Are you ever reluctant to give up information on a certain template or fin? How about bottom contour? If some grom was stoked and ran up to you at the beach and asked you for some advice on his twin fin hes shaping, would give him the killer bttom set-up you’ve been working on for years?
Hey Even if you gave away your most exacting secrets to your best board, the other guy will invariably roll his eyes and change everything you deem important, so he can make it better his way. And you know what…his version might actually be better. No rocket science here, just feel, and preferences.
so I had this dream …I go up to my shop …there standing one atop another looking through the windows are these 40 inch trench coat clad slicker hatted units with spiral note pads maddingly scribbling … I am concerned as I approach to see over their shoulders they are litterally scribbling no words no pictures no graphs just scribbles uninteligable fishing line hopelessly and forever confused…off to one side at a laptop is a midgie printing out new revised templates that are also kinda scribbly but whithin the scribs there emerges a red line made of dollar signs that end at a place on the page marked Visa exp date…the Psychiatrist that I told that I wanted to make surfboards in 1967 is nowhere to be seen…maybe its because when he said why dont you ?..I canceled my next appointment and never saw him again…I did see that pretty girl from my art class, that was hanging out with the light show guys, many years later…I have a feeling she was still going to that psychiatrist…ambrose…the foot prints outside the shop…?
David, When I decided to shape and glass my first board, I called a local small manufacturer and asked if I could watch the process. Before I got the words out of my mouth he was all over me: “No way. If want to learn this stuff, you do it on your own. I’m not a free surfboard making school!” Curiously, he is out of business today, which illustrates an interesting Biblical principle: “The man who is generous always has more than he needs, while the stingy man who holds on, never has enough”. John Carper, in Shaping 101, encourages new shapers to get a template from an existing board, and even says to take one of his. I’m with him. Share it all, explain it all, enjoy it all. Doug
I asked a FRIEND if he would let me watch him shape my board and explain what he was doing for some extra green. He said,“No.” He did tell me is was just a procedure like anything else. I knew I could learn a procedure and that was the impetus to finally learn to shape after so many years of just riding other peoples boards. MIke
of what use is knowledge if you cant pass it on … either 2 things can happen ,people can agree with you and recognize your ability as a progressive knowledgable shaper… or disagree ,thus making you scrutinise your own ideas and basic understanding of board design ,which will then either recomfirm what you knew to be true or make you open to more ideas because youve started to question your own , either way its a win win situation…the ultimate pay off is progression regards BERT
i don´t like people to watching me shaping or glassing , ´cause i need more time to finish these jobs…sanding or airbrushing…no problem.
…also, some people who don´t really understand the process, when see you shaping in the middle of the steps…think that you go with his board for the wrong way…then you take the time to explain…a lot of time…
or when they come in and its half made ,maybe just finished machine sanding or something ,and their freaking coz it looks rough and they think theve blown there dough on a hatchett job…
…and think that you´re a bad one builder…´cause you “damage” your board and by somewhat manner you finish with a good work…but he still think that this is not the method…you screw it up and try it to fix it…man…ah
so the old philipino man had an avocado tree,it was seedless…yep seefless,not big but you could peel an eat it like a bannana…everybody wanted a start he was not receptive at all he was even paranoid about people following him home…year after year same trip…then november 1982 hurricane Iwa took the tree away…the tree was gone…share ideas and methods…is like cultivating stuff ,growing additional specimins in other peoples yard you can lose yours and you may be able replace it from a start from their yard how simple…choose to be one manini bugga …get nuttin an den everytin all gone…poho? as how…how you gonna ack… ambrose…as what you gonna get … he use to be the philipino man with the seedless avocado …now he’s the philipino man that lost the seedless strain… arround here
I’m not an established shaper, just a swaylaholic. I used to be like the old philipino man. I thought I could harness all my thoughts, skills, ideas, and be a better, wiser person for doing so. Then, a few years back some old man somewhere in Croatia told me, “When you die, nothing goes with you, best leave it with someone who will use it.” Now, I openly share everything I can with people. Education is more gratifying than having all that shit stored in my head. my .02.
yeah, i´m not talk about that…also many peoples only want to learn all of you could teach, but not share other information they ´ve got it…also, to learn well you try differents approaches…years of mistakes…
We are all built upon what came before… pass it on…
I agree. The more we give out, the more we get back. The more we learn, the more we realise how little we know. All aboard…
I always enjoy having freinds hang out with me while I shape, Nothing like a good bullshit session to make things that much more interesting! “Whoah! Oops bro, looks like your 6’6 is a 6’5 now huh?” -Carl
so thats what happened
if you’re desperate to find the secret ingredient… any board can be reversed engineered
You know, I emailed a local shaper here, a guy I had gotten a custom board from about 6 months ago, to pick his brain a bit. I told him I was thinking about shaping a couple of boards for myself (my first), but that I didn’t feel confident with the idea of glassing and how much would he charge to glass them if I did shape my own. Their response: “As far as wanting to shape yourself, I don’t reccommend it. It takes alot of tools and it is expensive at first adn if you blow the blank… Also we don’t do independent glassing at this time, however it is something that I want to get into in the future. So think about it and research it. It is a big commitment. You need a planer, and lots of other meticulous tools and a way to dispose of the foam which is hazardous not to mention you need templates. Blanks are expensive and the shipping, forget it. Let me know what you decide.” Scare tactics? But why? For tools (no planer, thank you very much!), shipping and three blanks, I spent less than $400. I watched Shaping 101, and I produced three shapes in six days that I am quite proud of. The only reason I can think of that they would try to scare me that way is they don’t want anyone to find out how easy it is… They’d lose too much business if “just anyone” could make a surfboard.
I think it would be awesome if everyone would share their information and tricks and tips. Imagine if the power was taken from the major board builders. Imagine what new inovations would arise, maybe surfing would be taken to a whole new level, a second shortboard revolution. So many board builders are afraid of the cheap machine made popouts. These will never take over. Surfers are naturally curious, and love to experiment. Everyone should shape their own boards, imagine the barriers that could be broken down, imagine the possibilities.