we’ve never had a shaping or glassing shed
we’d shape in a $79 popup next to the garbage cans that’s not even big enough for an 8’
we have no lights or blue painted walls
we have no sturdy racks made of metal or wood
and in the beginning we shaped only with a belt sander or a 2x4 with 40 grit paper stapled to it
some times we just used a hotwire or hot knive to cut out our shapes with zero bubble dust
one brother shapes and sands while the other(usually me) holds down the blank with one hand and a vacuum hose in the other to vacuum as much or the petro chemical pollution with the shopvac so it won’t mess up the neighborhood street just infront of the garbage cans
we make our own blanks from bent home depot foam and springers and outside skins from woven bamboo wall covering from the same store. We “vacuum bag” these with saran wrap packing tape and tons of painters tape and PU glue from the same store.
If we had it our way we would never buy anything from a “surfboard supply” store just to prove we could build a board with out them just like we did as highschoolers in the 60’s and 70’s when all we had was the local (not big box) hardware store (city mill) to shop at.
Most of the time(not FGH) employees in such places can act snotty nose if you aren’t a “connected” pro with a big account
we make our own crap and usually give it away to friends and neighborhood kids
but we pay good money to buy our own boards from old time local shapers who deserve the work and make a living doing so
we do this be cause we like it and it brings us joy in doing so eventhough it is so addicting
and not because we wanna become the next greatest thing since swiss cheese in the local “industry”
I think as difficult as it is to do a good job with all these odds stacked against us
it some how keeps it core
and keeps it in all in perspective
that there’s more to it all
that what’s its been made out to be by the media
to surf was always a gift to us
something you did
when there wasn’t something more important to do to get by
like get your dinner from the sea
or keep your house and family in order
I don’t know what happenned
but something got lost in the translation over time
I doubt allot here will understand why