Rules and etiquette to buying boards.

General Discussion
1

Im not new to surfing but have ridden mostly second hand boards most of my surfing time and bodyboards before that.

Anyway im curious to a few things when i go about buying boards off shapers.

You see some shapers (Mandala among a few others) who i cant reach, are making boards i would like to ride.

1-

Is it rude to ask a respected shaper to shape you someone elses design? (rude to eithor shaper)

2- Is it wrong to hunt down (shop around) for eithor the guy who seems like he knows most about what you want

or the guy who can do your wanted board for the cheapest price?

3- any other rules or etiquette type things i should know about when talking to or hunting down a shaper?

2

Man, just look in the pages, research on the net, talk to shapers in your area, talk to surfers/friends who ride the boards you want…be realistic about your surfing ability…its all good

3

Whatever you do do not stick your finger in your shaper’s ear in South Africa. It is considered rape under S.A. law.

4

Ok…maybe ill have to start a new thread too then about step up boards from a fish like this one-

http://www.mandalacustomshapes.com/round_pin_quad.html

Any advise on getting this type of board shaped? i need it for indo as my step up board.

My smaller wave board (below 5ft unless the takeoffs mellow, i can ride bigger then) is a Banks mkii which i love riding.

i just think for pitchier takeoffs or waves bigger than 5ft i need something like the rounded quad.

Manual seems to be shaping them based off a fishy shape.

Do you think many shapers could do something close to this?

I will be heading off in april for six months. Just taking two boards… and a boogie for sumatran pipe, supersuck etc.

But mainly concentrating on these fishies.

Im 5’10 63kg surf about 3-6 times a week.

Dont like thrusters much, like fishes and single fins.

Used to riding a boogie on the big and hollow days, but getting ready to change to shortboard for those days.

Or just find somewhere more mellow and have fun.

5

Before you chose a board consider this. You can get a board that is made good,cheap,and fast. The deal is you can only chose two of these. So, if you get a board that is cheap and fast then chances are it won’t be that good. See how this works?

6

Choose a blank not a shaper…

You shape it with no rules and your own etiquette

7

not knowing where you are—i would suggest taking your fav board to the local shaper(or the guy who made it) and telling your story—see what he can do for you–SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHAPER / Surf Shop----long distance special orders are often a mistake or hassle and noone ends up happy----considring your planned trip, you want -"the right thing’—work to get it, you have time…

8
Quote:

.

1-

Is it rude to ask a respected shaper to shape you someone elses design? (rude to eithor shaper)

2- Is it wrong to hunt down (shop around) for eithor the guy who seems like he knows most about what you want

or the guy who can do your wanted board for the cheapest price?

3- any other rules or etiquette type things i should know about when talking to or hunting down a shaper?

1- Yes, but if you put the word ‘‘like’’ in there you’re probably OK.

2- No to first part, go to lowest bidder at your own risk.

3- When hunting shapers, use Labrador Retrievers because the shapers may land in the water. Don’t take more than your bag limit.

Mike

9

another thought popped into my head today----your local shaper would love you to stop by on a friday afternoon with a six pack of cold beer—it sharpens his focus, and also may make the sanders and glassers happy too-----happy folks make better boards

10

You mentioned that the board is for Indo. Have you talked to anyone who

has surfed there? That might be a place to start.

I have recently spent some time there (Mentawais) and if that is your destination,

then you might want to reconsider a quad.

All of the surfers I met there, from Australia, Hawaii, Japan, Brazil, etc. were on

thrusters. One of the guys brought a hi-po twin fin and only surfed it on the inside

of the smaller breaks a couple of days and then put it away. The waves there

are not fun, they are fun and serious. With what you are planning on taking I could see

you spending most of your time on the sponge as it is really hollow most of the time.

That being said, if you do consider a thruster, my recommendation would be

the following:

6’3" - 6’6" 11.4 x 19.25(2 to 3" back) x 14 that is around 2.4" thick with big base

fins for lots of drive & hold. PM me if you want to know the rocker dims.

You will need to surf the board some beforehand so you are confident on it. I like a

thumb tail as with an Indo wave you get in that tiny bit earlier. On our trip everyone

surfed boards like this all the way to XXX. The step ups stayed in the racks on the boat.

You need to get moving quickly and keep moving so semi-guns didn’t work as well. Also

the waves had a lot of power (whitewater too) so you need to duck dive deep. Everyone

got scraped at least once on the reefs. Us older guys surfed slightly bigger boards but

we needed to duck dive them too so they were low volume.

Find a shaper who has been or has team guys that he shapes for and you will be better

off. If you are going to Bali mostly, then find a shaper who has experience with boards

for there. I shaped nine boards for Indo and they all rode well but I had good advice from

shapers that had been there and made lots of boards for there. Good luck!!!

PS: Be sure to read the thread on holding your breath…

11

Thanks guys.

Surfteach yeah the board is mainly for an indo stint.

The waves im heading to are not really that heavy, im hanging out at fat freddies which most often has a mellow predictable takeoff, walling out then grinding for about 3-6 seconds before racing on down the line in a wall for a few hundred metres.

The kind of wave id like to ride my fish.

The fish ive mainly been riding is a jim banks mkii which i find goes best in really lined up swells.

Jim himself made the board as a suitable fish for indo.

I really like it in hollow waves, especially if the takeoff isnt pitching at first.

just yesterday, it was around 3-4ft at my local with doubleup takeoffs straight into the tube, which raced down the beach… and i felt like the board couldnt have been any better.

Ive ridden this fish in waves up to 8 feet and aslong as the takeoff isnt pitching it surfs well.

The only thing is when its a late takeoff, i have trouble with taking off under a pitching lip,

taking off in waves above 5 foot if they are not mellow.

I surf a lot better on my fish than i do a thruster too so id really like to find something like my mkii but a step up for bigger waves.

I have a 6’7 (a bit shorter than it was) by 2 1/4 by 18 wide.

The guy who gave it to me says it went unreal out padang on a solid day but i find it hard to get into the waves and really narrow.

Maybe i should just surf that a lot to get used to it before i go.

If that and a few other thrusters dont suit my surfing… ill ask a shaper to make me a suitable step up from my mkii.

Thanks for the dims too.

12

Oh and by the way i have been to indo for a few stints before, surfing deserts, gland and some other waves on a boogie, but got into riding surfboards over there when the surf was smaller.

I just dont really like thrusters,the rocker or smacking the lip or vertical surfing. i like it down the line, cruising,carving, floaters… and getting a few tubes.

13

Since you have been to Bali/Indo before, then I think you know what

you need. If you like the way that a quad surfs, then go with that for a

step board. The dimensions I gave you were a starting point that would work

if you get one from someone who knows how to set up a quad. Banks boards

were in some of the Aussies quivers that I saw. I’m not a shortboard/quad

shaper (altho I love making & surfing speed-dialers) and so can’t help you there

on tail specs. A your size tho, I would think that a 6’6" to 6’8" would be fine and

I would try not to go to narrow. Rocker for Indo is super critical for the drop ins

as you well know how quick the waves are. I hope you have a chance to go

to the Mentawais one of these times, the waves there are unique… Let us know

here at Sways what you decided and how it worked out when you get back!!