MYTHBUSTERS- surfing myths.

General Discussion
61

[quote="$1"]

[quote="$1"]

Here is THE #1 myth...

unless you've shaped a thousand boards or more, you haven't mastered it.

  [/quote]

I would very strongly (and respectfully) disagree. But when I had only shaped 500 boards, I would have said the same thing. You can only realize how much better you can get in hindsight. I've talked to a lot of experienced shapers about this, and they ALL say the same thing - ''yeah, I THOUGHT I was good when I'd done (insert low # here), but.......''.

[/quote]

Dunno if anybody else ran across it, but there was a book out last year, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Quick outline here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book) . The things leading to high-level success he mentioned included ability, opportunity and practice. Lots and lots of practice.

Now, I'm not a shaper. No real desire to do it either. But I've worked with tools all my life and noticed that I ( at least) had to get a certain critical mass of knowledge and experience before things really clicked, before I was really accomplishing more than 'monkey see, monkey do' work. There comes a time when the tools become an extension of your mind and you are no longer concentrating on making the tool work but rather on the work itself.

And I have never seen anyone who could just pick up tools for the first time and just have it nailed from the beginning.

I'd be interested to see what other's think on this one....

doc...

62

[quote="$1"]  

 There comes a time when the tools become an extension of your mind and you are no longer concentrating on making the tool work but rather on the work itself.

[/quote]

You said that better than I could, thanks.

Some of the planer technique threads in which I've participated have made me think about the way we use the tool, and made me realize that I DON'T think about it when I'm doing it.

 

63

[quote="$1"]

Some of the planer technique threads in which I've participated have made me think about the way we use the tool, and made me realize that I DON'T think about it when I'm doing it.

 

[/quote]

Right, sometimes I'm thinking about the work, sometimes I think about only the edge of the tool and where it is and sometimes it's just  - uhmmm- happening without thought. I won't say it's approaching Zen or anything, though I guess the more philosophical could take it as that...where's Ambrose when I need him....

I started out as a boatbuilder's apprentice, working for The Old Man. Couple of years of that, then I went offshore for a while, and The Old Man was the mate on that fishing boat too.

And after that, the tools just fit better. The Old Man commented on it, matter of fact. Maybe it was knowing not just how but why.

doc...

64

ALL SHAPERS-I’ve never copied, there all my designs.

65

Crafty, at the risk of sounding like Bill Clinton… It depends on what you definition of “it” is.  Depending on how high one sets the bar, it may be quite easy to “master” the “it”.  Or… if one narrows the parameters of the “it”, it may be possible for a savvy person to “master” a specific “it” without needing to practice making the “it”, too many times. 

Surfboard design has greatly matured in the last 20 years.  So much so that there is very little variation in the bulk of boards being produced.  Simple proof of this is the current, high value, of duplicating machines and molding processes.  When designs are rapidly evolving and changing, mass duplication isn’t economically viable.  Once everyone is making the same basic designs and those designs are proven successful with lasting value, mass production techniques become highly desirable.

Since many of these mass produced clones are excellent boards and often their construction makes them more durable and longer lasting, customer’s needs for “something new” is greatly reduced.  Once the pool of boards everyone is commonly seeing in the marketplace all appear to be virtual duplicates, the common-ness and familiarity of good surfboard design becomes much easier to dial in on and define.

So… while there was a time when it required a lot of practice (numbers of shapes) to “master” all kinds of surfboard designs and building.  I don’t think that is so much the case anymore.  If one is a clear thinker, observant, sensitive to details, with good hand/eye coordination and some decent artistic sense and ability, I think it is pretty easy to dial in on a specific design and be able to duplicate “it”, even with some personal touches, within a few boards.  While this may be called “mastering” this design.  I don’t think it would be responsible to let that description, drift into the person being considered a master shaper or board builder, in the historical sense of the term.

The materials, tools, technologies and communications used in surfboard building, have continued to advance, making the process of creating good boards much easier then it was in the past.  Heck, when I made blank designs for Clark, I intentionally didn’t put my best rocker in them.  They were designed for shapers to use THEIR best rockers and have the space to create the design they were looking for.  Now days, what is considered to be “the best blanks”, are those that already come just slightly thicker and wider then those popular commonplace clones widely excepted in the market place.  How easy it that!

I am not complaining about these changes, nor faulting your comment Crafty.  Just pointing out that things have changed and since our industry has little interest in its history, myths may or may not have the same meanings they did in another time.

66

Well said doc!!!!

67

Equally well said, Mr. Barnfield!

68

I agree with you. I was hesitant to use the word "master" but i used it anyway.

designing/shaping is a lot like golf - you can get really good at it but you never truly master it. at least for most people anyway.

however, it doesnt take a thousand boards to be able to make good ones. maybe i should just speak for myself tho - and ive made a few duds too. 

btw, "it" for me is what i like riding. and like many of us, my tastes are fairly specific. 

i do appreciate the masters that have blazed the historical design trails for the rest of us. without them many of us wouldnt be here.

69

Master shapers will soon join the dinosaurs. Gone are the days of shaping 5-10 boards per day by hand.

Quickly, designers are becoming the new “Masters” and ruling surfboard manufacturing. Mind over mussel.

Much Respect to the master shapers.

70

why would you want to master something as mundane and dirty as shaping a bit of foam anyway

71

a very well known/respected shaper told me this:

“If you want to make the best boards, take note of what most people are riding in the water today and make those boards”

72

The physical laws of the universe apply to every single particle in the universe except the particles in surfboard–those are governed by magic.

73

Wave riding is a powerfully spiritual activity, it offers so much.
Many people, as I do, consider it as a Religion.
People froth over it, drive, fly, walk, run for hours tripping over their own feet just to get out in the water quickly.
We as shapers do this disgusting job to bring joy to peoples lives, and our own…

I read that the Cubans made their boards from foam from old refrigerators that had been glued together to form blanks, and shaped using cheese graters, cheese graters!!
The guy that made these boards could only make about 8 per year and didn’t charge a thing for them, he did it to spread the love of riding waves. Its my understanding he is one of only a couple making boards in Cuba.

Most shapers these days are lost so far up there own arses, in my opinion.
They feel the joy that they receive from customers and it goes straight to their heads. ego ego ego, F#$K I’m good…Look at me, all covered in toxic shit all day, F#$K I’m good!

On many (not all) occasions where I’ve meet other shapers it feels like two rooster circling in a hen house, always giving their resume and talking them selves up, you can almost see the feathers stand up on the back of there heads. I really take notice these days…
Over that shit!..Back in my younger days as a shaper I went for a job with a now major shaper, he took me into his office, Put his feet up on his desk and said " You know, I can make you into a god" I kid you not… WANKER, see ya.

Anyway why do I shape? Its got its ups and downs but on a whole at the end of the day it feels good. My beautiful Melly always keeps me grounded, ha ha.

74

Silly

why would you want to master something as mundane and dirty as shaping a bit of foam anyway

Really… would you consider shaping a surfboard from a raw foam blank mundane?.. Nar…surely not! lol, thats funny!

75

it was meant as a joke. but really i dont really care about master this master that

master bate

not much good being a master anything when there are folks will happily do your job for 1$ a day

bring back the monarchy, christianity, corpral punishment. close the borders (except for fit chicks that are willing to intergrate)  and fck globalisation

76

.

77

Silly,

How about Pride!

78

“Black people don’t surf.”

 

http://surfandthefury.blogspot.com/