…Good read… This what I found to be paramount… " What will happen in the future if the traditional body of working shapers is reduced? By wiping out jobs for production shapers we are robbing our sport of future contributions that might have come from the next Rawson or Rusty, both of whom honed their skills by shaping thousands of production boards, and then perfected those same skills by working with large stables of world class surfers. With those jobs gone, the best that we can hope for is a generation of shapers that have spent the bulk of their careers whittling the router ruffles off of computer shapes, subbing for a ‘master shaper’ that has fallen out of love with shaping to such an extent that he will stoop to sign someone else’s work. Since the classic surfer/shaper along the lines of a Brewer, a McTavish or a Fitzgerald are, apparently, a dying race we will have to rely on a future base of technically adept production shapers who have come up through the ranks after building their ten or fifteen thousand custom and stock boards. If those production jobs are not there for them, we risk the unthinkable: that our surfboards will be designed by proxy; by a company like SurfTech and a bunch of longboard-era ‘master shapers’ who might be hell on wheels with a Rockwell, but whose ideas on surfboards are twenty or thirty years out of date. For example, can you imagine if, back in the ‘70s, Dick Brewer had built a shaping machine rather than share his knowledge with a stable of white-hot protégés? How limp and wilted our surfing lives would be today without the contributions made by Brewer-trained shapers such as Reno Abellira, Sam Hawk, Mark Richards, Tom Parrish, Gerry Lopez, et al. And yet this is exactly what is happening today, as shaping machines and offshore manufacturers take apprentice or production jobs away from surfers who might well have someday been the next Parrish or Richards. " http://http://www.swaylocks.com/resources/Detailed/397.html
…Good read…>>> This what I found to be paramount…>>> " What will happen in the future if the traditional body of working > shapers is reduced? By wiping out jobs for production shapers we are > robbing our sport of future contributions that might have come from the > next Rawson or Rusty, both of whom honed their skills by shaping thousands > of production boards, and then perfected those same skills by working with > large stables of world class surfers. With those jobs gone, the best that > we can hope for is a generation of shapers that have spent the bulk of > their careers whittling the router ruffles off of computer shapes, subbing > for a ‘master shaper’ that has fallen out of love with shaping to such an > extent that he will stoop to sign someone else’s work.>>> Since the classic surfer/shaper along the lines of a Brewer, a McTavish or > a Fitzgerald are, apparently, a dying race we will have to rely on a > future base of technically adept production shapers who have come up > through the ranks after building their ten or fifteen thousand custom and > stock boards. If those production jobs are not there for them, we risk the > unthinkable: that our surfboards will be designed by proxy; by a company > like SurfTech and a bunch of longboard-era ‘master shapers’ who might be > hell on wheels with a Rockwell, but whose ideas on surfboards are twenty > or thirty years out of date.>>> For example, can you imagine if, back in the ‘70s, Dick Brewer had built a > shaping machine rather than share his knowledge with a stable of white-hot > protégés? How limp and wilted our surfing lives would be today without the > contributions made by Brewer-trained shapers such as Reno Abellira, Sam > Hawk, Mark Richards, Tom Parrish, Gerry Lopez, et al. And yet this is > exactly what is happening today, as shaping machines and offshore > manufacturers take apprentice or production jobs away from surfers who > might well have someday been the next Parrish or Richards. " FIRST OF ALL A DIEHARD BACKYARD SHAPER WILL ALWAYS HAVE WORK EXPECIALLY IF HE CAN ACTUALLY RIP ON A SURFBOARD(PROVEN FUNCTION/DESIGN)! UNLIKE THE NORM, OF POTBELLIED GRUMPY 60’S MASTERS WHO SELL THEIR LONGBOARDS UPWARD OF $700.-$800. TO COVER THEIR TEAM AND AD COSTS. THE AVERAGE UNDER 30 CONSUMER CAN’T AFFORD $800. BOARDS. DON’T BUY INTO THE LIE, A SHORTBOARD STILL ONLY COSTS ABOUT $200. WITH HIRED FACTORY GLASS. AND THE BLANKS ARE SO INCREDABLEY CLOSE TOLERANCE THAT WITH A SHAPING VIDEO AN ORGAN GRIDER MONKEY COULD SHAPE HIS OWN BOARD. YOU KNOW PARMENTER WAS A GREAT SURFER IN THE EARLY-MID EIGHTIES BUT HE ALWAYS BIT THE HAND THAT FED HIM, MEANING BITCHING ABOUT A CONTEST LIFE THAT HE WAS A MAIN PLAYER IN. FRANKLY SURFBOARD MAKING, WHICH I’VE DABBLED IN SINCE '72, IS A MANUAL LABOR JOB. YOU COULD MAKE A SURFBOARD COMPLETE(PAYING RETAIL MATLS.) FOR $80. WITH PIGMENTED VOLAN AND RAINBOW FIN!. MEXICANS CAN EASILY BE TRAINED TO DO IT ALL(AND THEY DON’T COMPLAIN,WORK 7 DAYS A WEEK IF YOU WILL LET THEM). MANUAL LABOR IS FAIR GAME FOR THE NON COLLEGE EDUCATED, SAY GOOD BYE TO ROOFING, BRICKLAYING, LANDSCAPING, AND NOW FIBERGLASSING!!! PARMENTERS WIDOWMAKER RIDES NO BETTER THAN A MANUEL GOMEZ’S 7’6", IT’S THE RIDER CONFORMING TO WHAT HE’S RIDING MORE THAN A DESIGN DICTATING RIDER PROGRESS… I JUST WATCHED A VIDEO WITH A BALINESE KID RIDING A DISGARDED BROKED IN HALF SHORTBOARD WITH ONLY A MIDDLE FIN…HE WAS RIPPING, WITH A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE…YEA SURE, YOU REALLY NEED A $900.TAKAYAMA, NOLL, OR RUSTY, MY ASS.!.! THE FACT IS THOSE MASTERS DIDN’T FINISH HIGH SCHOOL AND WOULD’NT HAVE MAKE IT THROUGH THE EIGHTIES WITHOUT DRUGS AND ALCHOHOL AND LATER THE LONGBOARD RESURGANCE, WHICH IS NOW STARTING TO TAKE A DUMP. GOOD LUCK THERE’S ALWAYS TRADE SCHOOL…
First of all Jackass, check your facts - R. graduated from U.C.S.D. Good buisiness sense exellent shaping skills and yah he still charges big blacks ,all the while still employing 10+ skilled shapers who for the most part are hand shaping boards( I should know I used to be one of them).Of course there will allways be backyard guys- it/s the guys in the middle- guys who took the risk unlike you of committing their life to building surfboards for a living that are sweating it- listen to what Biolas has to say- so keep on charging 200$ for your aprrentice? beginner shapes and keep running your mouth - CAN’ WE ALL JUST GET ALONG! I’ll get along just fine with or wiyhout YOU because if I have to go back to the garage at least I can take my 8000+ boards worth of experience and build a consistent functioning board for quality surfers who have been riding my boards for many years- I’ll be the guy at the jetty getting all YOUR waves S.A.
…AND THE BLANKS ARE SO INCREDABLEY CLOSE TOLERANCE THAT WITH A SHAPING > VIDEO AN ORGAN GRIDER MONKEY COULD SHAPE HIS OWN BOARD. Actually my monkey is already far better at shaping than me, he’s doing channels, making his own fins, and doing some crazy stuff with asymetry… 3 patents pending
Actually my monkey is already far better at shaping than me, he’s doing > channels, making his own fins, and doing some crazy stuff with asymetry… > 3 patents pending My monkey took all of my knowledge and started his own deal down in Zaire,Africa.I hear that all he does now is smoke cigars,drink banana rum punch, and count his money.Labor is super cheap down there (1 chicken per day) but as long as he is happy so am I.Where is all this negative stuff coming from boys???You are supposed to be having fun choking on dust and fumes like me.Lets get off this stuff before Coral comes in and kicks ass. R. Brucker
Where is all this negative stuff > coming from boys???You are supposed to be having fun choking on dust and > fumes like me.Lets get off this stuff before Coral comes in and kicks ass. > R. Brucker Yea, I sense some Pissy Petes, if yall are gonna keep bitchen at each other, your gonna force the rest of us to talk about monkeys and Mackie’s girlfriend, who… hey… what’d I say about wearing my boxers??
Yea, I sense some Pissy Petes, if yall are gonna keep bitchen at each > other, your gonna force the rest of us to talk about monkeys and Mackie’s > girlfriend, who… hey… what’d I say about wearing my boxers?? Just look at what happens to a bunch of surfers who really do know what’s up when the name Surftech “Pool Toys” and our future is online… We all start acting like a bunch of monkeys looking for another surfer to shit on??? Why cause we need someone to blame?
Just look at what happens to a bunch of surfers who really do know what’s > up when the name Surftech “Pool Toys” and our future is > online…>>> We all start acting like a bunch of monkeys looking for another surfer to > shit on??? Why cause we need someone to blame? Sorry, some-one putting their thumb on my creativity is going to get bitch slapped, I pay tax for my materials and i create! Instead of a painting it just so happens to be a painted handshaped surfboard. People seek ‘me’ out, i don’t even try to sell a shape it just happens because i surf pretty well on what i make, and some anti-establishment types admire that. Don’t care if some shaper who i don’t like anyway disapproves, i handle it as underground art just like most of them do/did !!! Not trying to work myself to death, just occasionally when creative juice flow. I could easily be board sponsored and surf contests, and i have in the past successfully. But a dislike for self-promoting opportunist posers has pointed me to my own shaping room, no ass kissing or team pecking order B.S. or playing ‘their’ game. Don’t like it? tough. Don’t tell me Skip or anybody else isn’t taking $$$ in the pocket for non-invoiced boards, Just like a savvy surfer/buyer probably isn’t paying retail for disposable 4oz boards. Don’t be a hypocrite, don’t hate, create!!! No disrespect intended towards Swaylock shapers/readers.