hey im 15 years old and shape boards. people are always happy to see the boards i make for the low prices i make them for but they think my dad is the shaper some times and as soon as they figure out im the shaper they get discouraged like its not the same board it was 7 seconds ago but not always some of them still order boards but i was just wondering, would you be less likely to order a board if a 15 year lod shaped it, even if it looked and felt like a good board?COMMENTS NEEDED! thanks
I guess if the boards are well shaped , glassed and strong …they will sell themselves, pretty much .
And I guess if you don’t ‘talk it up’ , if people see you are genuine in your desire to learn and improve with each board , and open to [constructive] criticism and advice from 'old guys ’ [any shaper over 20??] , then good on ya mate !! Being honest with people about where you’re at , and having a realistic self-appraisal of your boards will , I think , speak volumes to people.
I personally am stoked to see you young shapers here …dk here [‘djk’?] is 16 , and from the photos I’ve seen at Surfer Forum , and the feedback from the Moonlight Glassing guys , is improving with each board . I’m glad I’m not doing it for a living in HIS home town , or I might feel threatened .
You’re in good company here Jon …‘deathfrog’ , ‘josh’ , ‘djk’ and I’m sure others are all giving board making a go !
And swaylocks is here to help / inspire / give feedback / keep your feet on the ground , and masters hang out here [wish I was one !! hehe], so …
Age has nothing to do with anything. skill is what is important, if you shape good boards people will buy them. i think the most important thing is to not under sell your product on the basis of how old you are. a person could attempt shaping for ten years and not find the skill that you may have in the short time you have been shaping. quality is what sets the prices- so take the extra effort and extra expenses that big companies cant afford due to their large output and make higher quality boards and up your proffit margin.
I wish I knew how to shape when I was 15. I shaped my first board on 7-15-05 and I was 40! I just made 41 and my friend and I were just saying how cool it would of been to be shaping when we were in our teens. Our shop teacher for sure would let us shape and glass during school…
For me, I’d look at the board and if it looked good I’d be real impressed. I’d buy one if it were good… If it looked like crap I’d think, “Well, he’s only 15 but if he sticks with it he’ll get it down with time…”
Power to you brah… Just be humble and work hard at making clean, strong boards. Don’t let the nay sayers slow you down. Hang with positive people and stay the hell away from BATU!!!
yep, don’t let ANY drug impair your judgement , reflexes , eyesight or insight …
from the industry news section to here now, it bears repeating Jon !!
[=1] [ 2]<span style="font-weight:bold">[ 3]Re: [JonGibb3] DO YOU TRUST A 15 YEAR OLD SHAPER?[/] </span>[<a href="http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?post=230327;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#230327" class="bb-url">In reply to</a>] [/] <span style="font-size:6px"><span style="font-weight:bold"><a href="http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_reply_write;quote=1;parent_post_id=230335" class="bb-url">Quote</a> | <a href="http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_reply_write;parent_post_id=230335" class="bb-url">Reply</a> </span></span>
Howzit Jon, You should post this in the general posts if you want to get more answers. But as far as I'm concerned age is not the biggest factor, ability and skill are what counts. Some people are meant to shape no matter how old they are so don't let your age be a negative, there are others, some even youger than you that are shaping boards and some of them learned from this site so welcome and feel free to use out resources and experience to make you the best shaper you can be. Aloha,Kokua
and I’m 44 and have shaped , glassed and sprayed 16 boards in my entire life …and they all suck [but I rode them anyway ]. So there ya go …age really DOES mean nothing !!
ben
A guy called Mark Richards [do a google search] got given a planer for , I think it was , his 14th birthday . The rest , as they say , is history …
your age doesn’t worry me. what worries me is the the fact that your ad reads “custom board between 6’2 and under”. another huge stop sign is right in your post for this thread "would you be less likely to order a board if a 15 year lod shaped it’. hit the books man, or at least proof read and use the spell checker. you are trying to sell something that takes precision to build and your presentation suggests that you are lacking precision. remember i can’t see or talk to you, i can’t see or fondle your boards and you posted no photos. at this point, what you type here and how you type it is all i have to go off.
Hang with positive people and stay the hell away from BATU!!!
batu is ???
Crystal Meth Amphetamine A.K.A. Ice. Plenty kids hanging with or surrounded with this absolutely horrific drug in Hawaii. Young, old, its the worst thing you could ever see someone you know get into. The entire State of Hawaii is affected by this in one way or another. We call them chronics. In Hawaii we all know or have a friend or family member that turned into chronic Ice users. 95% of all crimes commited in Hawaii are linked to Meth use…
The reason I brought it up to a Kauai boy is I have friends there that turned chronic. People that had good jobs with wife/kids and plenty fun hobbys… Just like on Oahu, the Big Island, Molokai and Maui, its happening to Kauai too. A damn shame. For them, for their families, just a life ruining shame… I guess I got the point across how f*#*ed up BATU is…
your age doesn’t worry me. what worries me is the the fact that your ad reads “custom board between 6’2 and under”. another huge stop sign is right in your post for this thread "would you be less likely to order a board if a 15 year lod shaped it’. hit the books man, or at least proof read and use the spell checker. you are trying to sell something that takes precision to build and your presentation suggests that you are lacking precision. remember i can’t see or talk to you, i can’t see or fondle your boards and you posted no photos. at this point, what you type here and how you type it is all i have to go off.
There are some valid points here… If I were to decide to buy a board without seeing it from a young shaper without any positive refferals I’d be very hesitant. In fact I’d say no way no matter how cheap. Cheap actually can be a bad thing because the reality is, cheap is, well… Cheap.
I’d say hone your skills and build a good rep on Kauai as a kick ass board builder. This will come with time if you have the passion. You’re 15 years old. Brah, you get PLENTY TIME to become an awesome board builder. As you go you will learn all kinds of good stuff to make you’re shaping business grow and thrive. For now my suggestion is to ride and shape more varieties of board sizes and designs. Have an open mind to all types of surfing styles. This can only help you if the business side is what you’re after… Good luck to you…
Go for it. Things you learn when you are young are much easier to translate when you get older. Like many of the posts I wish I learnt how to shape when I was 15. Keep pumping the boards out and if they are good people will respect you.
Please don’t take any of this personally or look att it as beign to negative…
You just might be the one out of a million exception, but if not then I would never buy a board from a 15 year old, unless i was extremly well acquainted with you.
Here’s why:
Life experience, not just shaping experience goes a long way into defining who you are not just as a shaper, but also as a man. Without it, I certainly would question (perhaps unfairly, but prolly not) your work ethic, your attention to detail, and most importantly your ability to communicate with me as to what I am looking for in a board. I doubt very highly that at the age of 15 you have seen enough of this world to translate that into your product and personality to succesfully win over wary customers.
Now with that said, there is HUGE potential for you to court surfers that are near your age. 14 - 18. Gaining thier trust now when they are at or close to the same age as you will allow you to build very long-term relationships with them and, if your stuff is good enough, will keep them coming back board after board.
I’d trust him to shape my board about as much as I’d trust him with my daughter. No offense meant, but yeah, I’d be real skeptical and have to hear a lot of good reports before buying in. Just take it as a challenge though, one more thing that you as a shaper are up against.
No. 15 year olds are the spawn of satan. …No wait I’m just kidding. It was hard enough pushing boards when I was 18, so I’m sure it’s even harder being 15. But when I look back now, It was largely because I was inexperienced, in more ways than one. But don’t worry, If you keep plugging at it, in a couple years you’ll be 18, and have more experience than most of the guys your age. People tend to pigeon hole younger guys, so the way around it is to concentrate on selling boards to people your age and younger. Look at it this way, if you’re talking to a 13 year old, you’ve got 2 years on him… so you can go, “Look kid, when I was your age…” see now you’re sounding like a real shaper… haha. Seriously though, the older guys are always going to be the hardest to sell to, I’m 26 and some of the hardest people to impress are the guys that are 40 plus… but what’r you gunna do? They’re looking back at me going… yeah sure kid, when I was 26 we walked to waves uphill for 10 miles barefoot… in the snow. Now what did you say you knew about surfing? But then again, now for me dealing with 15 year olds is like selling lolipops to children… In ten years I’ll be answering a post that says “I’m 26 and no one takes me seriously… sniff… sniff.” …but I’ll probably say the same thing… look here kid, when I was 26 I was pushing through drifts of foam that piled 12 feet tall… some days we would get “foamed in” at Arrow and have to stay over, sleeping in our shaping clothes and dust masks…" and the cycle continues! -Carl
If your shaping shorties on easy to shape blanks, most everyone can do that given some guidance. Try learning to shape some hybrids and longboards under a master. Learn about bottoms, rails and glassing. Learn about fin placement (which can ruin a good shape). If you don’t know the difference in these things yourself, you will never know if someone saw you coming at the glass factory. There is much more to it than turning rails and cutting an outline. Rocker? Don’t believe anything other kids wanting deals tell you. Consider others motivations, when taking advice. If this is your dream, go for it and don’t look back, but your going to have to pay the bills some other way for awhile and don’t drop out of school.
Keep your chin up and learn your craft from bottom to top and stick with it about ten more years. We need the next generations of masters.
From what I can see among those who like to call themselves “the surf industry”, to be a hardcore shaper you need to be either an Alcoholic or some sort of addict.
If you’re not, and you keep your act clean, chances are you’ll end up like Al Merrick or Rusty.
Pick your battle, but let me tell you: being taken seriusly is a battle you’ll fight your whole life, and there’s nothing bad about it.
