i’m thinking that this has probably been suggested before in the past but what do you guys think about starting a shaping mag? i think it would be a great one and it has the potential to be good. We could have a how-to in every edition along with a board from someone with dimensions and how to shape the board. also, could have an interview w/ a well known shaper and a tips section… let me know what you think. i think it’d be really cool to somehow start one up… -Nova
I’ve got InDesign, so I can help you out a little on that one.
This is the shaping mag.
I’m in…
Do you think there would be a big enough market to make it profitable? Mike
MD…right on!
This works PDG as a mag…we get instant input, you can imagine in black or white or ANY COLOR YOU WANT TO!
CATCH MY DRIFT???
lots of shapers arent interested in sways though…most want to keep or gather secrets and not share…i share my shop with a guy who every time i see him/we talk about some design, he snaps and says “AND DONT PUT THIS $HIT ON f***ING SWAYLOCKS!”
ugh. revolitionary ways to make a glass bead on a keel fin???
anyways, theres a market…esp if its cheap enough and has enough info. everyone wants to know what people are up to…might be a good way to get more people involved in a shaping ‘community’.
if the mag was started in the right context, not with dilusions of making big bucks, i think it would be a great thing.
SG80:
Reality check: your friend can keep ALL HIS SECRETS to himself. I share a pretty deep knowledge to whoever is interested here…it’s your choice.
I can’t take it with me. Wealth is measured in many ways. My self image makes me happy. I sleep well at night. I’m not an elitest…it makes me just as happy to see a beginner having the time of his/her life on one of my boards as Kelly Slater.
In the grand scheme of things, we are only here for one fleeting moment…was I here with friends or alone?
Hi Novasurfer316 -
I assume you are referring to a printed magazine/newsletter? Problem with that is by the time it’s printed and distributed, it’s old news.
“Snail Mail”… get it?
Check Youtube.com. There are lots of shaping and glassing videos that could give you a boost. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a whole lot more.
As to the guy who apparently believes he has THE top secret magic formula that will make him filthy rich or whatever? LOL
Just ask around. A few private messages here and there to Swaylock folk will get you most of what you need to know. There isn’t a lot under the sun that hasn’t been explored by somebody around here. Chances are you can find just about anything right here with a search or P.M.
Nice pic Nova,
You should be in the mag business.
Yeah do a shapers version of podsurf tv.
thanks dlock except its just an avatar i downloaded off the internet… wish i had taken that or was the one riding that though…
I agree with John. The forest product idea is DOA.
Electronic media is the way to go.
Hug a tree. haha Save the oil from being wasted on transporting just another landfill product. Not everyone recycles paper.
What other motive is there for distributing a newsletter anyway besides profit? And what does that do for me? Get it?
Swaylocks is still the way out front pioneer and that’s why it works so well. It must be powerful if it strikes fear in the fearful! Keep it here and keep it real.
save a little money, come visit me in japan sometime around March and I will show you a couple nice waves.
Anyway Nova,
You put it together and I will subscribe.
Mike Daniel said it, practically speaking.
He has a design buddy who won’t jack with internet stuff though. There must be thousands of those guys, and who can blame a shaper who doesnt want to share “magic,” whatever the 2D limits of the internet?
Trouble with Swaylocks vs. print media is, you can go and dig up your 1971 Surfer mag right now and see what whoever said about whatever, but it’s kind of a bitch to dig around here, in a way. It wouldn’t be so bad except for the archive is pretty jacked, and no pics, from a reconfiguration a few years ago.
Print media will never really die–the internet will probably always be ephemera.
Sways would be a worldwide influence if it were in print, but then it would have to be an annual, or a quarterly, with editing staff, etc
Nova & Janklow,
I agree with you, generally speaking, and I would like to see such a magazine–but I’m a poor test market.
Who would your advertisers be? That’s pretty much the first question and I can’t really think of many with deep pockets (blanks, fins, resins, wet suits, business-to-business folks).
Otherwise, it’s subscriptions-based and that gets really expensive for the readers. Would enough shapers pay $XX/issue? Postage alone is a big cost.
Most magazines fail. It’s a tough medium in the long haul. That said, I work in magazines so if I can help at all, it sounds like a fun and worthy project. Lemme know.
C-Slug
PS It’s worth remembering that swaylocks is “free” because someone else is picking up the tab.
Think centerfold. Think template of the month. Mmmmm…
Hey guys,
Im a long time lurker here on sways and had to chime in when I saw this post.
There is soon to be a shaping mag out with in the next few months , there is a blog and website soon to be released in the next few weeks I was kinda waiting on the site to be up, to say anything about it. If any one would like to get in on this project please let me know and we will be in touch.
The focus on this mag is to spotlight Shapers of the west and east coast and then expand to other areas in the would. Also to spotlight glassing houses on the west and east coasts.
We are just about in the process of selling Ad space to pay for the publication.
Our goal is to help keep the hand shaper in the spotlight, and educate the public about buying and making surfboards.
Again if anyone would like to get in the ground floor of this publication pm me and Ill get right back to you.
Thanks for your time.
JH
I think trade secrets are a bit of a waste of time myself. It’s going to take more than one trade secret to put a board together and you usually get something in return.
Keep me in touch if you wouldn’t mind.
Can’t remember the last time I saw an in depth profile on a shaper on Sways or industry news delivered right to my door that doesn’t disappear when I turn the computer off. Flicking through pages tends to be a bit harder on the net as well.