LukeHS, 1424302856

Great read. Miller is a master of his craft and should enjoy the niche business space of surfers wanting the best quality boards shaped specifically for them by a guru shaper.

seaman-staines, 1424304106

Interesting point on the lack of environmental controls around the foreign factories, not to mention the impact shipping has on the environment. Just another reason to buy Australian (or wherever you live) made.

Corey Enfield, 1424304450

That echos my feelings about surfboards and the shops that sell them. But this is society in general in buying anything. Cheap is best as i can afford another one.
I do feel that the cottage industry is still alive and small shapers around the country are going ok.

stunet, 1424305010

It's interesting when you look back at surfboard design for the last 20 or so years and see where Grant Miller fits in. It's my recollection that 'shorter, higher volume' boards are a product of the fish resurgence of the late-90s/early-00s. Kidman/Hynd/Curren caused a complete rethink of planshape and volume distribution.

Yet while that was happening, and while it was getting all the attention, Grant was making his Water Skate model - a short, high volume surfboard that owed absolutely nothing to the fish design.

It seemed to me that Miller arrived at the same point as many shapers but from a wholly different direction, and did it by himself (though perhaps he took a few cues from McCoy).

rrobb, 1424307228

I enjoyed Grant Miller's comments and support nearly all of them. Just a small point in which Grant (along with many) is in error: "The foam used in epoxy boards has much greater buoyancy". Not so: Archimedes' principal pertains - a body immersed in a fluid experiences lift (buoyancy) equal to to the weight of fluid displaced." The difference in buoyancy between between 2 small boards of equal volume - a polyurethane board and one with, say, an eps blank (which must be glassed with epoxy) is simply the difference in the weight of the shaped blank if the glass jobs are of identical weight. Perhaps some couple hundred grams. (The bigger the board the greater the difference in buoyancy). eps is about 1/3 the weight of standard p.u. - usually about 15kg per M3 against 45kg/M3. Before anyone goes: Aha! pu blanks are 3x the weight... there you go! Just calculate the volume in fractions of a cubic metre of a shaped 6' board say 2" thick. Multiply by the difference in density of the two foams (say, 30kg)and you have the difference in buoyancy. Likely less than if you wore or didn't wear a wetsuit (with the water they entrap). The difference in the feel of the board is another matter. When I built myself epoxy boards I usually used up the weight difference in the shaped blanks by applying more glass in the laminate for a more durable product, in which case the resulting buoyancy was similar

drewb, 1424308236

rrobb = thank-you for that.

Now can someone please explain in science-y terms that the thickness / volume of a board makes very little difference in the turning and (especially) the planing characteristics of the board. I see that particular myth perpetuated by the media and latched onto by most everyone else. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is the rail shape, plan shape and rocker that makes the difference - the thickness makes next to no difference as the board is planing and all volume is above the water.

radiationrules, 1424309746

Grant made me an all rounder about 6 years ago. At the time I agonised over how his recommendations, particularly how wide and thick it was. I soon came to realise that all of the benefits that Grant had talked to me about were true, wrapped up with his "multiple sweet spots" mantra. It's my go-to board in decent waves and as an aging surfer who still loves pumping surf, it gives me great confidence that I'll actually stick the take-off. The glass job is very solid too. My only minus would be a little heavy, so snappy redirections in small waves is difficult..but that's probably more about my level of talent.

udo, 1424310130

Rad Rules ,what were the dimensions
And what were the dimensions of your previous board ?

mcbain, 1424310339

Well - it does have much greater buoyancy - 3x as much, as you say (excluding the weight of rider). For a 33L board, all other thinks being equal - that is a 1kg difference in weight (lots of glass and resin to replace that!).
That is definitely enough to discern a difference in board behavior (whether positive or negative), particularly when you it comes to acceleration (light board picks up speed quicker and slows down faster) and momentum (heavier board maintains inertia).

Wharfjunkie, 1424311942

Everything Grant Miller mentioned made a lot of sense and I would have to agree with him regarding a lot of surf shops. Its good to see he contacts his customers to receive feedback allowing for repeat customers to create a surfer shaper relationship ultimately progress the customers surfing simply by getting them on the best equipment for where they are at.

By supporting overseas mass produced products you will slowly take shapers such as Grant out of the game.

freddieffer, 1424312160

Solid analysis by Miller. Hope he and like minded shapers can financially survive and hang in there in the face of the long-term corrosive effect that mass produced cheap machined boards are doing to the health of the surfing industry. I see it all the time with guys riding boards where they seem to be all arms and legs trying to ride them. Wrong board for the wrong person. A side effect is it's undermining the 'real body of knowledge and skills' that guys like Miller have and maybe some of that will die out when some of these guys with 30 or 40 or more years experience hang up the tools one day?

gavin007, 1424312186

I am a previous customer of Grant, having purchased a Waterskate some time ago. I fit the description of the aging odd-weekend surfer. The board Grant shaped me really put some zest back into my surfing and I would not hesitate ordering my next board through him. Totally agree with Grant's comments.

As a further comment, what we are seeing happening to the local surfboard manufacturing being swamped by cheap imports is happening to the whole of the Australian manufacturing industry. Cheap imports everywhere - cars, electronics, you name it.

Don't retire just yet, Grant, you may still have one more order to go!

chin, 1424315415

When I was looking for someone to make me a custom a few years ago, I found that even some of the smaller well known name brands, some even considered "cottage industry" level, had a process where you just fill in an order form, and hand it to someone working in the shop (not the shaper) end of ordering process.
Sorry mate but I'll keep looking.
I know the shapers are probably busy (if they are lucky enough) but I don't want to piss their day away shooting the breeze, just connect with the guy enough to know what he's going to make me, and for him to know a bit about what might suit me.
Grant will grill you for as long as it takes for him (and you) to be satisfied that he can go ahead and start shaping a board that will suit you
Have had a few boards from Grant since then, Paul Gravelle is another guy in the same mould. Wouldn't dream of trying to save a few bucks with an off the rack board when guys like these are around.

freeride76, 1424315523

So glad he called bullshit on this steaming pile of dog caca:

"As small independent shapers we don’t have the budget that these overseas manufacturers have. They can spend a lot of money in the magazines and in the online media. As a result they often have these editors in their pocket because they are paying for advertising on a big scale. So you will see things like board buyer’s guides in which you actually have to pay for an ad to be included. This immediately compromises any claim to objectivity the guide may make. Then your board is assessed by an editor with no experience in surfboard design who puts himself up as an expert.

All the boards typically score fairly highly so they are not really discriminated between. There’s very little useful information for a potential buyer and these editors make pronouncements on aspects of design when they are not qualified to do so."

Can't believe those board bible scams are still running. Not only do they charge shapers to be involved, they don't declare to the consumers they are basically advertorial and then, to add insult to injury they charge the punters for the content as if it was an independent test.

udo, 1424317367

A custom Gravelle is actually cheaper than a board off the rack.

Jelly Flater, 1424318503

What a great article. It's refreshing to hear someone of such vast experience and knowledge - looking forward to part 2! The days of surf etiquette are gone and in a way 'board etiquette' is going the same way. I mean in regard to a board as a piece of art ... a true reflection of craftsmanship in regard to functionality. On the other hand we are spoilt nowadays with our vast selection of rideable options when choosing a board, I think the idea of a shaper making a board to fit us personally is as important as an individual's honest assessment of their own ability and awareness of what really is suitable - not just going for a trend of something somebody else rides... Great to know people like grant genuinely want to help a surfer realise their potential... Surfing was always about stoke before money was involved - such a pity that the dollar drives most aspects of surfing and surfboard production now. The clearest and most blatant display of worthlessness at the moment are companies like 'Disrupt' out of Bondi - sure young kids and tourists are drawn in with the promise of a cheap stick 'made to your specifics' but the truth is these soulless bloodsuckers simply buy a shitload of cheap poorly made boards from China, and sell them for ridiculously cheap prices. Same with 'Sanctum' boards... There will always be uneducated kooks who will be lured by these pricks who know they are going against everything surfing is about and are willing to put a quick buck instead of going the hard yards to produce genuine quality. Kudos to grant for his contribution to the industry...

Wharfjunkie, 1424318919

I have no issue with board bibles from the likes of Tracks, Surfing Life, StabMag etc. These infomercial's for the surfboard manufacturer are attracting pro surf groupies riding undersized boards that don't suit them creating a struggle to get waves because the author and a few pros talk them up because they suit their ability.

More waves for the rest of us who surf boards that suit.

deckstrus, 1424319372

I have recently made an order through Grant for one of his SUBX models. I have surfed close to 30 years but in late 2013 sustained a very nasty knee injury during a kite surfing lesson in Mauritius whilst on honeymoon. I nearly lost my leg it was so bad.

15 months later and I am finally getting back in to the water but my old boards aren't floating me / getting me in to waves early enough as I put on a lot of weight due to immobility. I went to Grant and he spent considerable time grilling me on my experience, expected time in the water etc etc.

I have to say I've never experienced a level of service like this before and I could tell he really wanted to get me the right board.

He called me yesterday and its ready to collect. If the board is as good as the service (and from all reports they are) then I know I will be stoked.

brutus, 1424319444

I don't see the problem,unless you are a big manufacturer with small margins....which is an old formula ....and one that seems to have been taken up by the Co's who work out of Asia.

there are some great quality bds coming out of Asia....and even some that have mass produced stronger lighter bds.....

I f you take the egos out of it...and really just want to design shape and produce a limited amount of bds ....all you have to be is able to do 5pw if you shape/glass and sand the bds....and theres a really good lifestyle living for a man and his family.

But if you 5 pw...no team riders,advertising...word of mouth....imagine if you get to 10 pw....with the same o'heads??

the Problem arises when you want to shape for the world and show everyone how good you are....then the freebies....teams advertorials etc all eat out your margins...

ya can't blame the bd tests ....actually biased here but ASL/Nick C does the best by far ,but yes you have to pay for the advertorial........but if you are doing this one would think you are trying to expand your business and need more sales..etc and the problems begin....

I think that if you look at the surfboard market and surfing in general...can someone explain how the biggest Surf Co in the World does not have a shaper designer...releases new models and the lemmings line up and buy!

trolleyboy, 1424319875

[quote=brutus]..can someone explain how the biggest Surf Co in the World does not have a shaper designer...releases new models and the lemmings line up and buy![/quote]

[sarcasm] But they go so good! Have you seen the way Dane surfs? [/sarcasm]

chin, 1424323723

Yeah quite a bit too, will be speaking to him in a few days to order a board.
Didn't want to make it sound like a plug so I won't mention the price, but it's a good point worth making in this topic.

Headspace, 1424327871

Great article and couldn't agree more with Grant's comments. I've shaped boards for myself since my late teens, over 25 years now. For a few years I used shaping machines but I got off them. Using a profiler to cut the bottom curve now the rest is done by hand. I've found the boards are much better. Going back to basics, foil of the design, volume distribution, rails, concave / vee placement etc. Using you hands to feel the design whilst your shaping , not a line on a screen that's 95% complete coming off a machine.
One of my best mates got a Miller after surfing with Grant on the South Coast. I was blown away by the design & craftsmanship of the finished board. Grants not along there a quite a few guys on the Northern Beaches (and other places I'm sure) who are fine shapers. Their knowledge and experience can't be replaced by clever marketing. My concern is the new shapers starting out. Where will they get there experience??

AB3182, 1424328875

Got two Miller boards... F Skate and Waterskate... good to see him back on deck after a small hiatus a few years ago (went to buy a third but saw he took a bit of a sabbatical). Great guy who cuts through the crap and really takes an interest in what you need and where you want to go.

radiationrules, 1424330295

Hey Udo:
6'10" x 20 1/4 x 2 7/8 : grant miller board
6'10" x 19 3/4 x 2 3/4: Gunther Rohn (the board a rode b4 it)

Do u have a theory?

weasel, 1424336327

I am a shaper from South Australia. I think the main issue for the surfboard industry in Australia is the fact that surfboards can be purchased online so easily. Most of these sales would be going to the sites that spend the most on advertising and promotion.
These manufacturers that do the big spend on advertising usually have X amount of models for the customer with claims this board or that board will do this or that for your surfing.
The fact that these bigger companies spend lots of dollars on advertising means that the surf media who would like to have that money spent with them, just end up helping push the misinformation about what works in a surfboard design.
There are so many useless designed surfboards out there that have been pushed onto the uninformed masses of surfers that it boggles the mind.
Example: the very short shortboard push of a couple of years ago and the wide nose wide tail rectangular boards that are still being pushed to this day.
I honestly don't know why some surfers persist with these board when 99% can't get past 2 turns on them in most surf conditions.So many people get sucked in by videos of surfers such as Rob Machardo surfing on them and surfing well i might add, but the fact is he actually surfs a lot better on a modern well design shortboard the likes of which are surfed by all the surfers on the pro tour today.
The modern short board as surfed by the surfers on the pro tour hasn't change much in the last 25 years, sure they have gone up and down in length by a couple of inches and width by fractions of an inch, but the fundamentals have remained the same.
Rolled deck: for me the most important design innovation, up there with the Thruster setup and the Fin itself. Accentuated bottom curve between the front and back foot,
the single or single to double concave and a pointy nose.
These main ingredients (apart from the pointy nose) were introduced in the late 80s.
Any design changes since then have been tinkering around the edges.
A surfer who is struggling on a 5' 9" shortboard most likely needs a bigger version of the same board it will certainly surf better than if he or she goes overly wide in the nose and tail of the board.
The majority of surfers I speak to or even read on the net or in magazines have very little knowledge of surfboard design and because of this they are easily lead down the wrong path. My point is if you wish to surf to the limits of your ability and who wouldn't, don't buy a crap design. Stick to the fundamentals that I've described above. Most experienced shapers in the world can build a really good board with those magic ingredients.
Untill someone sticks a small powerful motor in the modern shortboard i can see no further improvements as it s performance is only limited by your ability.
In reply to rrob the main issue with epoxy polystyrene boards is the extra rigidness of the epoxy resin it doesn't have the flex characteristics of polyester resin and so is less forgiving thru turns basically the board transfers every bump on the surface of the water through to your feet which is less notable the shorter the board but is still there. And for some reason and i have not been able to put my finger on why but they seem to have less drive than a polyester board. I also note that it is rare to see a top pro surfer on an epoxy board in a comp. Kelly sometimes, Michel Bourez ?
I totaly agee with Grant. On the volume issue . You need to talk to the shaper.
My comments here are not directed to people who are into longboards or people who are just learning how to surf. The boards for these purposes are a different issue.

clif, 1424336619

I appreciate the sentiment.

Remember though, those workers (many from poorer rural areas) at those overseas factories are thankful for and need their jobs. A lot are employed in this work. I spoke with a few. No idea about the discourse going on here and no interest in it. They just want a job and to be honest the 'Water Sport' factories provide OK ones (albeit environmentally unsound) in comparison to other labor they would have to do e.g. they get some freedom to move around without having a local 'hukou' (registered residential card that determines access to social services and housing etc) unlike construction workers who are very restricted and often don't get paid and live in very tough conditions.

Difficult to reach a balance. Capitalism 101.

I think in Australia it has to all come back to the consumer. In a sense, they helped make the bed ...

weasel, 1424337664

Most board reviews are fairly useless and dishonest because of the payment factor. The playing field for the shapers is uneven because they won't know who is testing the board and what surfing conditions it will be surfed in. The variables are so many that the resulting end summary is honestly unbelievable.

eel, 1424338199

Grant quite rightfully has strong view that overseas manufacturing and online purchasing of surfboards is killing the local industry. Swellnet seems to heavily plug Global Surf Industries (overseas surfboard manufacturers), advertising their boards with links to their online shop. I'm interested in Swellnet's view on the overseas' manufacturers effects on the local shapers.

eel, 1424338227

.. double

weasel, 1424339255

Look stu i can honestly say apart from some very good surfers. Top level surfers. These wide skatey style boards do not perform very well in most surfing conditions. Most people do not have the ability to get past two turns on these style of boards. They are actually a backward step in the evolution of the surfboard.
They actually go quite fast in one direction and that is if you have a surf break that will allow you to continue in one direction. Why isn't Curran still surfing this style of board answer because the modern shortboard goes better, even a longer version. The wide tailed fish and the water skate style board are only suitable for long flat faced point style waves with nice light offshores. Which for the majority of the surfers on this planet are not available on a very regular basis and when they are you would still be better of with the modern pointy nose shortboard . If you struggling with the one you have just get a bigger one, at least you will be able to do a turn.

weasel, 1424340113

weasel, 1424340508

There is also a lack of environmental controls in Australia and Australian boards are also shipped overseas.

spiggy topes, 1424345241

I love these stories on shaping/board building because I have always wanted to do it. I've been surfing since 1969 - yep, I'm that old - and have been on my knees since then. I have only ever sought and bought Australian custom boards, bar one, which my wife virtually forced on me before we got married after I'd spent five years in London out of the ocean. Some of these shapers/surfers have been key people in my life. That's how important the relationship is. To find someone with whom you can communicate the exact feeling you want to experience doing something as individualistic as surfing is a key conversation. Kinda like having a guru. There's respect and admiration for both first principles and innovation (Chris Crozier). No-nonsense functionality (Peter Daniell). Voodoo science and instinctive magic (Albert Whiteman). Scatological humour and aqua dynamics blended with mind-opening art (Bruce Hart and Martin Worthington). Pure stoke (Peter Crawford). Versatility and local knowledge (Wayne McEwen). Dedication to excellence and curmudgeonly craftsmanship (Murray Bourton). With the exception of PC who supplied unbridled energy and a lifetime's artful experience, all these other men made me kneeboards - an exacting craft for any shaper to produce. Most of them were pure magic. The thing is, the magic came partly from the relationship, the shared vision, the camaraderie. We're all old codgers now, except those who died too soon, but carefree youth when talking plan shapes, rails and fin bullshit. This is something my oldest son, a typical 21st century board slut, does not enjoy because he'll buy and ride anything that catches his eye. He understands design but has not acquired that knowledge in a linear fashion ie direct from his favourite shaper. To me, that's quite a bit of the fun of surfing. And the banter. One cranky craftsman was decrying the plank riders choking Currumbin during a shapely swell. "Went down to Currumbin, even Lacey's was clogged with silverbacks and their logs." "Mate," I said, looking at my grey hair and where his should have been, "WE are the silverbacks." "I refuse to admit it," he cursed, "I'm not one of them old bastards."

rooftop, 1424362494

clif: "Remember though, those workers (many from poorer rural areas) at those overseas factories are thankful for and need their jobs."

You're right, but the fact remains that it's not an environmentally *groan* sustainable industry. The argument of "making a living" has been used to justify everything from mildly dodgy industries to completely criminal ones. It shouldn't really wash in today's world.

One can't blame the workers. But these companies are in a position to take better care of the environment. And we are in a position to make a difference with our choices.

This comes from a person whose current board is a cheapo cookie cutter Asian import. After reading this article and discussion though, my next board will be made by someone I've talked to face-to-face.

stunet, 1424379084

Every GSI board has its country of origin stamped in big unambiguous font near the fins. They are not in any way ashamed of where their boards are made, I've interviewed Mark Kelly - CEO of GSI - and he said as much. And they don't price cut either, GSI boards cost at least as much as most Aust-made custom boards.

With those two aspects out in the open the final decision simply comes down to the consumer.

It should also be noted that GSI have a list of shapers wanting to be on their books.

Blowin, 1424379687

Is no one aware of the irony involved that a fella is complaining about lack of standards in the industry after describing his two week apprenticeship ?

So he was selling boards to punters from day one.

This is after he'd shaped a board at least as good as the boards that master shaper Terry Fitzgerald on his first try.

Standards were so much higher back in the day....

udo, 1424380737

Just look at the list of shapers they have already, esp surftech......the worlds best..and these shapers don't give a fuck..

royalty cheques royalty cheques royalty cheques

eel, 1424380979

Re. The price. Isn't that what Grant is talking about, the mark up? GSI can make boards for much cheaper than they can here. They then significantly mark up the price, make huge profits, have a huge advertising budget and flood the market. You are right that it is consumer choice but unfortunately with all the heavy advertising that GSI can afford the uneducated consumer (who is in the majority) falls for the marketing. GSI make bank while shapers lose another potential customer.

madwax, 1424395470

Weasel - appreciate your comments. I cannot understand why people are paying $850 upwards for something that's glassed in Thailand. There are so many gimmicks now - particularly with fins that it is getting more and more difficult to sort wheat from chaff i.e. fin sets - particularly with the advent of five fin set ups! We all know your board should either be a thruster or a quad. It should not be both imo. What do you think of the short straightened rail line work?? Tomo, Stu Kennedy come to mind and some shapers are following suit, some good some bad. All been done before too? Thommo stuff looks wicked (no nose stuff the exception) but haven't had chance to try one.

blindboy, 1424408567

I think the piece was a little misleading in that regard Blowin' and it is my fault. Grant originally described the full process which was much longer and included regular support and instruction from Terry. I asked him to let me cut a few sections as the interview was quite long and I cut that section. I actually had a board (the only one) from him in those very early days as Terry was encouraging some of his regular surfers to work with him. It was a great board and, to my eye, very finely crafted.
Also in comparing his first two boards to Terry's by saying they went as well, you should remember that they were produced under the watchful eye of Frank Williams who was an absolute master and shaped me a stack of memorable boards around the same time.

enjoying the view, 1424411541

Grant dated my Mum back in the 80's, shaped my first custom board and dragged me around surfing and pulling me out of the odd rip.........He must be mad.
But he is surely an honest, no bullshit guy with a lot of knowledge and skills to pass on to anyone who takes the time. Happy to see him over his injury and getting back out there.

Blowin, 1424421440

I wasn't belittling the mans work or ethics Blind'boy . I'm actually a bit disappointed that the truth wasn't quite as radical as the story made out.
It wasn't me that was making calls regarding the modern take on an industry that was formed on sticks of Buddha and having a go.

radiationrules, 1424425109

I'd like to hear more from Grant/others on why describing boards in volume terms is a fail. I don't mean the ONLY measurement. What I mean is if you ordinarily ride a 6'10" like I do - I have 3X for differing conditions - and you want to ride a shorter board without loosing the paddling benefits etc, I would have thought measuring volume by litres is a good starting point for finding board fit for purpose? Then add this information to all the other factors - rail profile, rocker curve, waves to be used in etc. Here is why - about 5 years ago, before measurement in litres was ubiquitous, I bought a 6'2" that "looked and felt" like a sawn-off 6'10" to ride in smaller waves. I was totally wrong, I could barely catch a wave? Nice board to surf once I did catch one - but watching everyone else surf isn't surfing from my viewpoint. I have now worked out, with retrospective measurements (approximations) applied, that my standard board is about 40L, whereas the 6'2" is 35L. Had I known that at the time, I wouldn't have bought it as it was bound to fail me on the buoyancy front alone. In summary, as a generic 1st pass window, it seems to me that measuring every boards volume in litres is a good starting point for comparison purposes.

deckstrus, 1424426525

radiationrules I agree with you in that it would seem like a reasonable starting point.

Grant wrote an article on this topic which is posted on his website.

http://www.grantmillersurfboards.com.au/shaper/Volume

Mopsy, 1424432242

Started surfing at 30yrs old. Now 45. If you want a board that works for you and where you are at with your surfing, talk to Grant Miller. Started with the Waterskate, then VSkate and picked up the new SUBX two weeks ago and it is a wonderful board. Regardless of your level, all he cares bout is your surfing experience and making sure your board works for you. Glen H

radiationrules, 1424483464

thanks for the link deckstrus > was a good read. I'm very happy with my GM board. I still believe there is room for data collection and analysis too. In my view "regression to the mean" is a rule of nature that should get more airplay in the surfboard shaping world.

kerry1, 1424493995

NO MACHINES @ Outer Island surfboards. The machine is Mitchell Rae.

kerry1, 1424494036

goofyfoot, 1424496655

Udooooooo where are you!!!!

velocityjohnno, 1424499339

Great article. I've been shaping my own for 22 years and am at a point where very happy with them. Early on it's a learning curve! The rest of the industry is as described by Grant and weasel. Spiggy, the relationship between the shaper and surfer is so very important. As is honesty in the face fashion. It seems the problems that surfers were having in the 90's are still here today, even with so much design and tech progress, increasing the volume, and having "the best boards ever" as someone else said on another one of these articles. This means less waves for those who struggle with their equipment, more waves for those whose equipment suits them. A lot of it comes to the internet, if you are in an office all day and can browse all the 'models' of board, you will pick one and save for it. Will it suit you?

FWIW, if you are to compare the bottom rocker from a good late 70's board with one today, they can be eerily similar - the major advances are in deck rockers (and thus changed foil), rails (agree about the dome deck), fin setups and concaves. That said, I still enjoy a good vee bottom for simple turns. Being a back foot surfer has seen me evolve equipment to suit myself, and it's sad to see that in advanced surf instruction today you see biomechanics tailored toward surfing a pro board: such as the front foot "wiggle" for speed. Hopefully this too will change.

The preservation of our History, that Stu collates so well in the Board Bazaar, is really important too, for these boards form a library of knowledge handed down by the greatest. When I am lost I consult one of my old singles.

It's been a privilege to know some of the great Australian shaper/surfers, listen to their advice, their teaching, and even order boards off them! Len Dibben sold "Fun Guns" in the early 90's that would still hold their ground today for intermediate surfers. Thank you for the wonderful longboards Len. Thank you Chris Mackenzie for teaching me how to do channels. Thank you Geoff McCoy. Thank you Al Byrne. Thank you Fitzy.

yehmateyeh, 1424517531

Good read, but a few points that lacked credibility are worth calling out:
- Shapers would make the best sales people in a board store.
No way! In my experience surfer/shapers only ever ride their own craft (without exception the more I think about it). I'd much rather a good surfer who has ridden the different boards (really ridden, not one or two waves) in all sorts of conditions. They are best positioned to say what the signature advantages are or signature faults are for particular shapers boards.
Most Surfers are on the wrong boards. This is true, but it is just as prevalent with good surfers as it is with bad surfers and it's often the old-hand shapers who are to blame just as much as anyone else. We all have outstanding surfers in our local area of the"could've been pro" variety, who in the name of loyalty and reciprocal flattery, have ridden shaper X's board and only Shaper X's board since they started kicking everyone else's arse at the age of 16. Good as it may be, they've often completely limited their own surfing

velocityjohnno, 1424527610

Good point. The best thing is to surf with your customers, watch them surf a variety of equipment and develop boards for them based on who they are; surf a variety of equipment from other shapers yourself, and try to understand where others are going with the designs they make and who it's for. Not easy!
I could contrast a Lazor Zap with a Hypto Krypto for you...

memlasurf, 1424673593

I think a shaper who has similar experience to Grant and surfed all over the world know what works and doesn't. They guy I get boards from fits into this slot and he constantly checks out designs from other manufacturers as the come in for ding fixing. He can instantly spot the intricacies of the design and compare them with his models. If you are honest about your ability and age he will nail the right type of boards for various conditions. He is definitely the best salesman for his boards.

yehmateyeh, 1424682089

Yes and no. When you jump on an absolute dog, of course, a good surfer will know right away. However, the difference between a good board and an exceptional board are more subtle. You can definitely ride a board or numerous boards from one shaper for years on end and think it's "good" and then one day you jump on an exceptional board and have an epiphany of sorts and realise it wasn't so good (this had been my own experience). The more you ride one one of these good (but not exceptional) boards you can surf to its strengths and "smooth over" the bad points. It's mportant to give yourself and your board a reality check often I think.

scottishsponger, 1430269259

I have to completely disagree with your assertions weasel. The wider, "skatey" style boards you're referring to, often ridden as quads, are totally applicable to a wide variety of surf conditions, considerably more than the traditional pointy nose thruster, which is only suitable for top quality surf. These fishy type boards work very well in both short mushy beachbreaks and in long, powerful top-to-bottom surf. You mention Curren not surfing these any more, but I've personally seen both him and KS riding these type of boards in heavy critical surf. Many of the other top pros are surfing wide, fishy boards as a personal choice, Rasta for example. The general consensus based on what I've heard from shapers and free surfers is that we're in a considerably better place with board design and appropriate boards for surfer's abilities than we were in the 90's when everyone was riding stupidly thin, narrow thrusters, jiving along waves, trying to get some speed up. I honestly believe that type of board has already been consigned to the history books, for all but the elite 1%. The rest of us are way better off with the board choices on the market now.

udo, 1444079916

Kezza, have you read Mitchells latest blog comment Aug 15th ?