Is there need for handing down the craft: shaping and glassing

Whether it be from guests on Surf Splendor or other interviewees on you tube, I sometimes here that not enough younger people are entering the trades of hand shaping and glassing. Is there a big need?

I use to hear the same thing about teachers, that there is a shortage. And then time passes and then there are teacher layoffs.

Will there be a cool down in the new number of people taking up surfing, reducing demand? Will hand shapers go buy the wayside and will the big companies supply close to 100% of the boards?

Interested in others’ perspectives. I remember the days in the 80’s and 90’s when many surfers ordered custom boards. Seems like now surfers think in terms of board models and buy mostly off the shelf.

“Is there a big need.” Answer; No! Like Brad Basham once told me. “There’s no shortage of shapers”.

Perhaps there is a need for fiberglassers?