i am looking to start shaping my own boards soon, but would like some guidance to get me started. this site is fantastic, but i dont think anything could beat a visual. i was thinking about getting the master shaper/master glasser series of DVDs, but recently i found out that my neighbor across the street owns a very prominent local board company. he and i give the usual greetings and waves, but i woulnd’t call us best of friends quite yet. anyways, he knows that i surf, but he never mentioned to me that he owns “_____” surfboards. when it came up, i didn’t really want to make it awkward and start blathering about how they make great boards, so i kind of just left it, as did he. anyways, what i am getting at is, do you think it would be uncomfortable and/or rude to go and knock on his door and ask him if i could just act as a fly on the wall in his shop and watch his guys do their stuff? im sure that shapers get guys all the time expecting favors from shapers just because they know them. i think i remember one quote from Al Merrick saying that one of the most popular questions he gets is, “how much can I get a board for?” anyone have any thoughts? i dont think or see a problem with it, but like i said, i dont want things to be weird.
Someone who surfs can get a job in a surf shop
at the retail level. Then you have the connections
to take it to the next level.
Asking the Board Mfg. across the street to have him introduce you to his shapers so that you can bother them and ask 1,000
questions is probably an unprofessional stretch.
Asking for a sweep up job, sanding etc and relating
your interest in becoming a professional shaper… isn’t
a stretch.
Yes shaping foam into piles with a broom you can get accustomed to the dust mask and goggles…ambrose…it is a skill you can use throughout life
Ambrose youre a bonafied addict! Were so proud.
how many have that beautiful, mesmerizing white dust thru out their house, and the fragrance of mek and resin sends the endomorphins into action?
i live really close to a really popular surf spot in santa cruz. there is a certain shaper who parks his van, w/ his name on it, close to my place all the time. when i was in the process of shaping my first board i walked over to him, timidly, and asked if i could pick his brain about a few things. i asked a bunch of questions and asked for clarification on some of his answers and he ended up telling me that i could use his room for my next project. i made a couple of boards there and made a good friend in the process.
i think if you let your neighbor know that you’re interested in shaping, if he’s interested in helping you, he’ll let you know.
good luck,
t
stumble through a few boards on your own. The process can be frustrating but at the same time immensely rewarding. Get a few boards under your belt first, then go see if you can chill for a few hours at his shop. That way you can have some insight into your own shaping ability and how wrong you’ve been doing things to that point.
I would try to get as friendly as posible with your neighbor first and then slowly bring up your new hobby. If you a re cool, then he might even suggest it himself, or otherwise maybe over a few beers and a burger on the grill mention it to him.
Drew