Custom surfboard shaping is a crazy business - if you can even call it a business at all. Now I'm no authority on making boards. In fact, I've never shaped or glassed a board in my life. Ding repair is about the only time you'll find me with hands coated in resin, and I hardly even do that anymore. But I do consider myself an expert consumer of sorts, having ordered custom boards for about 12 years running. I'm enthralled by the whole process - the history and mysticism, the design discussions with the shaper, even the mere survival of the endeavor itself. Think about it: in what other sport do the athletes, irregardless of their ability level, regularly order individually-made equipment? Sure, a snowboarder or rock climber might become curious and experiment by tweaking their equipment a bit, but in the end most buy their gear off the rack. Skiers, tennis players, waterskiers, runners - heck, even pole vaulters (I checked) use mass manufactured equipment in all but the rarest of cases.

How is it then that a significant percentage of surfers still order custom boards from individual shapers? And that includes more than just elite members of the sport. Almost all surfers, from progressing beginners to advanced veterans, order at least some of their boards from custom boardmakers. I personally order two or three new boards per year and I have several friends who order upwards of five or more boards every year.

One explanation is that the surfboard manufacturing "industry" is extremely fragmented. While exact figures are difficult to come by, it's estimated that the top five board manufacturers account for less than 20% of sales here in the U.S. It's the small backyard shapers that make a vast majority of the boards sold, and further, surfers seem to prefer it this way. A fickle bunch, most of us who surf enjoy working with an individual or a small company, often located in our own community. Another cause is surfing's inherently dynamic nature. Not only do you have an ever-changing playing field, but you also have a variety of individual styles that permeate the sport. Compare surfing to, for example, skiing. In skiing, most participants aspire to a nearly identical style, and they have for over 30 years. Indeed, the only factor to significantly alter that recently has been the advent of the parabolic ski, a major design breakthrough. But surfing style is much more varied, as well as constantly changing. The surfboard creation process has molded itself to support this fluidity.

The personalities of the shapers themselves perpetuate the mom and pop aspect of the business. The people who build the equipment do it for the love of the act, and not necessarily to make a lot of money. Thus, there remains a cottage industry, built on nothing more than a passion for design and craftsmanship. Prices stay low because the builders are willing to manufacture for moderate wages - they don't need or demand much money, but rather seek the lifestyle that shaping affords them. Those who do want to cash in normally attempt to parlay their success in surfboard manufacturing into the clothing business in order to make the real green.

This will, of course, all change. It's inevitable. There is money to be made, and wherever there is money to be made, the businessperson will come. We're already seeing the beginnings of this with pre-fabricated boards coming from the likes of SurfTech and Boardworks to name a few. More will appear. Labor will be exported, and overseas factories will flourish. You can hardly blame anyone for this - just about every manufacturing business works the same. The only question really is how much custom business will remain after the foam dust settles.

For now however, consider yourself extremely lucky, because you're in a surfboard "golden era:" you can purchase a custom-made board from any number of different shapers, built-to-order to your exact design specifications, all for well under $500 - a steal. Imagine asking a craftsperson to build you a special snowboard or even a mountain bike. It would easily cost you thousands of dollars, and who knows how long to produce.

And yet despite all this, we surfers still bitch and moan over the cost of a new board, about how long it takes to get one shaped, and regarding how quickly a board wears out (or breaks). Surfers can be selfish bastards, even towards those who create the very boards they ride. True, the materials currently used are not the most durable, but they are in place primarily in response to the demand from the boardrider for constant change and refinement. Many surfers don't even want boards beyond a few years old, preferring instead to try new shapes and designs.

That being the case, the boardmaker doesn't exactly represent the model of democracy. Why is it that no matter how a board turns out, a surfer simply cannot challenge the shaper? It's true. A hand-made board is so intensely personal, it's as if the surfer feels fortunate to be getting the boardmaker's time and skill, and is therefore afraid to rock the boat. I suppose then that the custom board can come at a price, and that price is closely tied to the creator's ego. As merely a client, the surfer is relegated to passive status, with the ultimate decision-making authority bestowed upon the boardmaker. This holds true regardless of whether or not the shaper screws up. Example: I recently went to pick up two brand new shortboards from the boardmaker I’ve been working with for over ten years. Apparently there was some confusion over logo color (even though I order all of my boards plain white with yellow and black logos), and his glasser mistakenly put lavender logos on the boards. That’s right - lavender. But did I complain? No, I just put my tail between my legs and walked out the door - after thanking him profusely, of course. I do not take lightly the potential consequences of voicing my displeasure: mistakes, reduced priority, and sudden price increases. For while the surfer-shaper relationship might be a business one, at heart it still falls under "bro" status: you do for them and they will do for you in return. Which is why, as many who’ve been there will attest, a timely six-pack left at the shaping bay door can lubricate the wheels of production quite nicely.

So what exactly is the point to all this? Well for one, if you're not currently getting your boards custom-made, you should be. You pay roughly the same amount as you do for a new board off the rack, and yet you get to work with a professional and get exactly what you want. Plus, it's fun. If you're not going to be making the boards yourself, working with a knowledgeable shaper is an integral part of the entire surfing experience. Be sure and let them do their job and shape you a board based on their expertise - don't just go to them with measurements. Two, support your local shaper. You're fortunate to have them around in the first place, and you may wake up one day soon to find them replaced by a manufacturing plant. And finally, when dealing with an individual boardmaker, try and remember that the whole mini-industry is an inexact science, delicately balanced by good will, social capital, and a bit of commerce thrown in for good measure.

Get some waves. - DL

Author's note: To read more about SurfTech and the potential threat they pose to the custom shaping industry, see Ben Marcus' article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

(3/10/03)

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