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How A Board Is Created
Shaping a board is a science, and shapers are skilled artists. Shapers undergo long apprenticeships to perfect their skills, and surfboard construction isn’t cheap which is why boards are quite expensive – materials are costly and margins are small in the shaping business, so before you stare open-mouthed at the price ticket you should realise you are investing in a piece of art shaped by someone who is in the business for love rather than the big bucks!
The shaper starts off with a ‘blank’, which is a panel of polyurethane foam. Firstly he cuts the outline of your board into the blank; this is when shape and style is decided, be it shortboard, long board or anything in between. From this crude surfboard shape he skillfully shapes the nose, the tail, the rocker and the rails and sands out any bumps and lumps until the surfaces are completely smooth and perfect. This is a highly technical part of the process as all dimensions have to be spot on to the millimetre, and a small adjustment in bottom contour can have a huge effect on the performance of the board. But when the shaper is happy, the shape of your board is complete.
The next stage is the artwork. Boards range from plain white decks with just the shaper’s emblem visible, to highly decorative and elaborate tableaux. There is no limit to design and colour as long as the artist has the ability and the spray paint is available, and if you are having a board custom made you can create the design yourself. The design is sprayed directly onto the foam, and left to dry.
The board is then ‘glassed’, which takes place in a separate area from all the cutting and sanding. Thin layers of fibreglass are laid over the foam for strength and coated in a clear resin, and each coat is allowed to dry to a hard veneer. Different boards have different amounts of ‘glass’; the thicker the glass the heavier and more sturdy the board. Competitive surfers ride boards with very little glass as they are lighter, and a beginner board will often be thickly glassed for toughness. There is often a thicker glass job on the top than the bottom of a board as the top has to take the weight of the rider. A board with a really thin glass job will often have dents along the surface caused by the rider’s feet.
When the glassing is complete, the board is sanded once more to rub away any rough edges and drips, until once again there is a completely smooth surface. A top coat of pure resin is applied to seal the board, and then it’s left to dry and harden completely. It usually takes at least a few days for the board to ‘go off’ and be ready to ride – if you’re too keen and take it out before its ready you’ll find you’ll dent the deck as the glass isn’t tough enough, but sometimes its just too tempting.