I’m a new member, but I’ve been reading Swaylock’s for a few months now - its awesome. For a newbie like me, everyone’s posts have been a big help. Thanks…
Here’s my question: Does anyone know of a hands-on surfboard shaping class in Southern California…?
I learn new skills best by “doing” under the guidance of an experienced “coach”. Nothing beats hand-on instruction from a real person… I found a few older posts which mention classes at community colleges, and classes for wooden boards. However, I’m just wondering if there is anything new out there you might know of for shrt boards.
The only hands on surf instruction you will find will most likely be in the local community colleges. You can also try to find a shaper through a local board shop that might allow you to watch the process while they shape. You will probably have more luck if you are purchasing the board that he/she is shaping.
The easiest way to get up to speed is through online discussion forums like swaylocks, shaper's personal blogs and training videos. Youtube has a bunch of free videos. And, there are also tons of professional videos that have very extensive instructional training that shows you step-by-step the various processes. (JC101 Shaping, Glassing & Airbrushing, Master Shapers Series, Greenlight EPS Shaping & Bamboo Glassing, etc.)
I just got back from the Rob Machado Surf Experience and Green Expo where we were promoting the Greenlight Beginner Surfboard Building Kits. It's the most inclusive, low-cost and environmentally friendly kit that I've found. http://www.spearz.com/webdocs/Items/Details268.cfm
There were a few shapers at the event that used the pro version of this kit in the green shaping competition.(same kit without the tools) I'll post some info on the event soon and share some photos of the boards as well.
But, in my opinion, swaylocks is one of the best resources available for shapers. You can find just about everything you need just by searching the discussion forums.
I seem to remember seeing something about this company doing classes
“Pravda Surf (www.pravdasurf.com)
is a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based custom surfboard design studio that
lets customers design, shape and paint their own surfboards. The
company launched in November 2005 and is the first of its kind.”
Thanks for the info, and I agree these discussions are awesome… The “shaping studio” sounds like a pretty cool idea, especially if you could just borrow a fully stocked shaping room for a few hours. One of my Biggest problems is finding a decent space to shape.
I also like Spearz’s idea to just ask a few shapers if they would “coach” me through shaping a board. I imagine there are other people like me who don’t have a good place to shape, or who’d love to hear a few secrets from the pros. I’ll let you guys know what I find…
I live in Pacific Beach, San Diego and I rent the shaping bay down the street at Wind'n'Sea when I shape my boards. They have a full stock of blanks that you buy, the rent for a day in the shaping bay is $10 and they will get your board glassed when you are done. They do not have the proper facilities for you to glass your board in, which is why I have not been able to glass any of my own boards.
But if you are in the area it's a good deal in my mind.
I help out on a course run by the Nova Scotia Sea School where we teach people to build their own boards. I am far from a pro shaper but I've doen a couple dozen. pretty much everything I've learned is from very diligently searching and reading Swaylocks as well as a couple shaping/glassing videos and then practice. The building techniques can be learned from research and practice pretty quickly, it is the years of experience in shaping and knowing what designs and lines work together that is the tricky part to master.
If you can't find a shaper to coach you, look up the home depot blank thread, make a couple and shape them until you are happy with 1. Glass it and go have fun. While it is tricky to nail that "magic board", it is surprising what you can actually paddle around and have fun on.