Surfer vs Shaper Relationship



‘…Surfers eye is vital. Shaping is about making numbers balance but the interplay between all the different elements of a board are still ultimately judged by the craftsman. It’s all about relationship. How these measurements link up with one another – the feel of the board, the bottom and how it liaises with the deck, the form through the rail – if it’s high volume or low volume, and so on is all down to your eye.

The skill is still in the hands of a shaper. Technology will never replace that. The most important thing is getting the relationship right between the outline and the rocker, getting the interplay right. It’s a shaper’s job to make sure they compliment each other. The foundation of a good board is the rocker. A lot of care is spent getting this right, and then building out from there. You can breathe a little easier when it’s in place.

The best thing is right at the very end, standing back and just giving the board a final look over, making sure there are no bumps in the rails, no flat spots anywhere, just checking the overall form so it looks good from either end. The aesthetics are important in as much as, to a great degree, if a shape is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, there’s a high probability that it will work well in the water…’
NinePlus website quoted

Do you know your Shaper?