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FEBRUARY 2012

THE NEXT BEST THING TO TRON FEBRUARY 2012 - ISSUE 497

THE NEXT BEST THING TO TRON

PHOTO: NATE SMITH

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FEATURE SIMON ANDERSON

THE EMPEROR’S DECREE

SIMON ANDERSON ISSUES A COMPREHENSIVE BOARD GLOSSARY AND ANSWERS THE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BOARDS

Although many surfers feel they know what kind of board works for them, it’s likely that we could all get a little more out of our equipment if we had a better understanding of design principles. Acquiring the board which is right for you, depends largely on your ability to provide accurate feedback and info’ to the shaper or board salesman you are purchasing from. The comprehensive glossary compiled

by Simon Anderson below, offers you an invaluable reference guide for your future board orders. At the very least it will broaden your understanding of a few key design variables. We suggest you don’t throw it away because it may be the last time Simon wets the nib on his pen for such a purpose.

SIZE The best way to gauge what size board a surfer needs is from board to board.

Quizzing them on the good and bad of the current board will lead to an accurate assessment of the exact length, width and thickness needed for a new board.

There is no universal textbook on board size – everyone has different needs so it’s great to have a starting point. Even if the starting point is a board that doesn’t work, at least then you can build from this. Noting the paddling level [is it easy or hard to catch waves], if the board feels too slow, too fast or too stiff. Whatever feels bad can be evident in the shape of the bad board. It’s just a matter of simply changing all those elements. The size of the board is also fully dependent on the surfing level of the individual, even more so than their height and weight. It is impossible to gauge this level accurately [without seeing the surfer in action] to arrive at a definitive length, width and thickness, so the only way is build from the previous board. Sometimes the previous board is so far away from being right that you do have to make an educated guess.

This is done by using the intimate knowledge of surfboards accumulated over the years as a board maker, but a bit of luck also helps.

and the quicker you run out of speed if you are just going straight. The flatter the rocker the board will go quicker in a straight line but have a longer turning arc. This is the principal. However, from there you have the three areas of rocker – nose entry, the mid section or planing area and tail rocker. Adding different combinations of rocker to these three areas, from flat to full curve, you have a very complex and almost limitless playground of optional rocker configurations.

FLAT ROCKER BOARDS Boards with flat rocker will have a low nose entry, be flat through the middle and have flat tail rocker. This combination will be fast down the line and fast even when just trimming. It will have a long turning arc and resist attempts to turn short and go vertical. Flat rocker boards are best in full-face waves like Bells Beach, or any small to medium high tide surf. Flat Rocker also fits nicely with short fish style or retro type boards.

MEDIUM ROCKER Boards with a medium rocker consist of smooth nose entry and smooth tail rocker. This will be the rocker style you’ll see predominantly on most boards toROCKER From the three following rocker types, all boards will feature either one type day. Medium rocker suits a wide variety of board types and wave conditions. alone or a combination of two or even three. For example mini-mals and most fish boards generally have a low or flat nose rocker and a medium tail rocker. STEEP ROCKER BOARDS Rocker combinations can also be utilised to help improve performance for Boards with steep rocker have full curve nose and tail; they will have little surfers with different techniques. Front foot surfers will enjoy a low nose entry speed down the line but will turn in a short arc and go vertical without with medium to full tail rocker. Back foot surfers will be suited to boards with much effort. medium to full nose entry going to flat tail rocker. Tall lanky surfers can some- However, steep rocker boards can become very quick across the wave times enjoy a board with full rocker through the middle and low to medium at because they are efficient rail to rail, enabling you to access the speed part the nose and or tail. Rocker is a key area of surfboard design where you can of the wave where you can change direction downwards to gain max speed. change up the performance of any style of board to suit the individual surfer Full rocker works best on low volume, deep concave, high performance type boards. It suits clean and hollow surf like Snapper or D Bah, or any and surf conditions.

Rocker is pretty simple, the more rocker you have the shorter the board turns low tide conditions.

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PHOTO CREDIT HERE AND HERE. PHOTO: NAME HERE

hail simon! nate smith

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FEATURE SIMON ANDERSON

RAILS The function of the rail is to deliver the board into the water through turns. You combine the thickness of the board and rail type to control the depth the board will penetrate into the water at various speeds, from flat out to low speed, through all turns on the wave face.

area at the back. This allows for maximum hold through turns and the ability to hold a high line while trimming on the face of the wave when outrunning big sections. Mostly favoured for big wave paddle in spots like Sunset, Waimea and Mavericks.

WIDTH

FULL RAILS Full rails have increased volume, feel chunky in the hand they tend to have less tuck on the underside of the rail to the bottom. The lower tighter tuck gives the full rail more feel and life. Full rails are usually associated with a flatter deck but can also be at the end of a vee deck, creating a low but boxy full rail. In the modern high performance thruster full rail boards will generally be associated with a thinner board or vee decks. Fuller rails were the norm through the ‘70s and ‘80s, combining well with the traditionally wider single fin and twin fin boards with their wider noses, pulled in tails, flatter rocker and vee bottom. A full rail will help the board sit on top of the water more, provide good trim speed and glide across the wave.

WIDER BOARDS Width, like any of the design elements, is critical to get right. Wider boards will be faster on the flat because they have more surface area, but this extra width makes the board slower when transitioning rail to rail. So when you need a quick transition like a cut back in a tight pocket, the wide board can end up feeling too slow and you miss the timing you need in that section.

Having a shorter board in this case can help rectify this. A shorter board will turn in a shorter arc and respond nicely in a tight pocket. The extra curve nose to tail in the plan shape of a short wide board is also a turn shortening agent and is why fish boards are popular in small surf. The width on a fish board also feels nice because you can use the width to hold length of turn when needed, like off the bottom. The slower rail to rail transition on a MEDIUM RAIL Medium rail transitions from a slightly rolled or vee deck and can have a low wide board can force you to surf smoother through turns improving performor soft tucked under rail to either heighten or reduce sensitivity. The medium ance. rail is commonly used in most fish and hybrid boards, as well as most modern thinner high performance craft. Works well in all surf conditions and is the NARROWER BOARDS most forgiving rail meaning less chance of catching or digging in through turns Narrow boards produce straighter lines in the plan shape, which tend to increase length of turn and produce an overall feeling of stiffness. Shapers or overloading at high speeds. can address this by increasing the rocker in a narrow board to shorten the turning arc. A narrow board will be fast in solid surf, primarily because with LOW RAIL Rolled or low rail is associated with a rolled deck and has a soft tucked under- the straighter outline you can hold your line higher on the wave face where side to prevent it catching and feeling sticky or over-sensitive. The low rail will the speed is without the board slipping or sliding and washing off speed. penetrate deepest through turns on the face and is desirable for clean hollow Narrow can be good for big hollow waves and was popular during the single surf and in boards with a lot of rocker and or concave. Low rail is the rail most fin era at Pipeline. likely to overload at speed and jump from the water, but paradoxically in my opinion, it is also the rail to offer the best potential for all round performance Wide boards will generally suit average and older guys, or surfers who are at the highest level in surfing. The key is to have the right balance of all the not fit, while narrower boards are good for young fit surfers. Today board design elements – thickness, width and rocker with concave combinations. makers are looking to get the right balance in width for the varying conditions and individual requirements of the surfer. Manipulating the width by moving it forward and back on a board changes the dynamic of performance.

TAILS Wider nose boards will have the effect of straightening the plan shape from the mid point to the tail, this can also move the wide point of the board in ROUND The round tail flows smoothly from the wide point to the tail and is rounded front of halfway. This has the net result of making the board sink deeper in in shape, half way between a rounded square and pin-tail. With less surface the tail through turns, feeling stiffer and helping the board hold in off the botarea and a lot of curve through the tail, it will be slower but helps the board tom. It also helps to hold a line through a turn without any slide effect. The initiate a turn easier and also turns in a shorter arc. This works nicely on opposite is true of having a wider tail, turning arcs will be shorter and the board will sit flatter on rail in the turn creating opportunities for slide through good waves and waves with tight pockets. the turn. The wide tail will provide good speed for the average surfer going across the wave and is also good to negotiate over flat spots. A wider nose ROUNDED SQUARE The most common tail shape for all-round small waves and high perform- can be good for the average surfer who stands forward on his board for trim ance pro boards. The area under the back foot helps with speed because speed. Either variation can be incorporated to help out the individual. Geoff of the greater planing or surface area, and at speed you can generate your McCoy uses the wide tail in the Laser Zap design, while Skipp Frye uses the wide nose in the Twin fin Fish boards he is famous for. best turns.

SQUASH TAIL The same as rounded square but the squash has more curve in the plan shape to the squared off area at the tail, effectively acting halfway between rounded square and round tail. A squash can be applied to any style board for any wave size but is most used as a small wave all-round option.

SWALLOW TAIL The swallow has a similar plan shape area to a rounded square, but the outline extends to the swallow tip. This gives more rail line at the back to the tip, producing slightly extended rail turns with the swallow tip acting as a claw by holding onto the wave face. Good for all-round surf and can be utilised successfully on small wave fishes or step up boards to any length.

ROUNDED PIN Similar to a round tail, the rounded pin comes to more of a point at the end.

With less area but a lot of curve, the round pin will initiate turns easily and turn shorter on the wave face and the pocket when needed but will still have hold on the wave face. Popular in longer step up boards.

PIN The pin has constant slight curve to a narrow tip, not leaving much surface

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THICKNESS Thickness works in conjunction with every other design element and is a standard you need to get right in particular when it is combined with the rail type and volume. If your board is too thick it will sit too high on the water and be prone to spinning out through turns and it’ll also be hard to penetrate the water when initiating a turn. A board too thin will sit low in the water and will be harder to paddle into a wave. It will also penetrate the water too deeply when you go into a turn, loose momentum and slow up quicker after the turn.

Thickness distribution from nose to tail will change the feel of the board.

Modern high performance boards are thin at the nose and tail, while retro boards are thicker. Making a board thinner through the nose will move the volume balance back, giving the nose a lighter feel enabling you to flick the board around more freely. A thicker nose board will move the volume balance forward; this will keep the nose up through rail turns because it resists penetrating the water. Particularly in bottom turns where it allows the fins to remain deeper in the water, whereas the thinner nose board will turn flatter, keeping the fins shallow and enabling slide potential during the course of a turn. Same for the tail, a thin tail will sit deeper in the turn; a thick tail will tend to sit high through the turn. There is a myriad of combinations you can make with thickness distribution and rail variations to soup up or tone down performance.

JORDY SMITH PUTTING A SIMON ANDERSON ON RAIL AT WINKIPOP. PHOTO: NATE SMITH MANY PROS LIKE A ROUNDED PIN BECAUSE THEY WILL TURN IN A SHORT ARC BUT STILL STAY NAILED TO THE FACE IN THE VERTICAL SECTIONS. KELLY SLATER ON THE WAY TO VICTORY AT BELLS IN 2006, ON A SIMON ANDERSON ROUNDED PIN. KELSO

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FEATURE SIMON ANDERSON

OUTLINE Outline is manipulated by working the universal nose and tail width points at 12” back from the nose tip and 12” back from the tail. This produces performance variables similar to thickness distribution. If you make the nose narrower at the 12” point your board will have less surface area and therefore less volume, making the board feel lighter and easier to flick around. Having a narrower nose will produce a straighter curve in the first quarter of the board and increased curve in the next quarter through to the wide point, usually halfway.

Making the nose wider at the 12” point has the opposite effect, increasing plan shape curve toward the nose and then straightening the curve to the mid point of the board. This will increase surface area, increase the length of turns and force the back area of the board to sit lower in the water through turns. Manipulate the 12” point at the tail for similar results. Narrower will reduce surface area and keep the fins low in the water, increasing hold and making the board feel stiffer. Increase the width and the board will sit up on the water, produce easier speed but loose positive hold. The plan shape curve through the back half of the board combines with tail templates like rounded square or roundtail so manipulating the width at the 12” point will not change the curve as much as in the nose area, but will, of course, change tail surface area dramatically. So manipulating the plan shape curve is an important part of defining how your board will perform, whether it’s light and lively, solid and drivey or a blend of the two.

FIN PLACEMENT Fins found their way to the current set up position because that’s where they work best. It will be interesting to see what the final formula or placement will be with quads. I know that Bruce McKee, the original innovator of the quad, has a formula he swears by and is adamant that everyone should adopt. But it’s just not in the nature of surfers and board makers to accept anyone else’s theories on design. Kelly, along with Stretch and Nathan Fletcher, is obviously setting the pace in the world of quads in both big and small surf right now, and we are pretty close but I don’t believe we have arrived at a definitive placement. There is a fairly universal view of the right position on the board for a thruster set up, but having said that everyone has slight variations on placement. There are several elements you take into account when formulating the position for your fins and marking them in pencil on the shape. First up, the distance up the board for the back of the side fins, and the back of the rear fin. The round about formula for this on a normal high performance thruster is 11” up from the back of the board for the side fins and 3 3/8” up for the back fin. From this point you could then move the back fin forward a little to 3 ½” which would make the board a little looser, but sacrifice a little hold at the same time. From here you would now establish how far in from the rail the back of the side fins will be, thus determining how far apart they are. The norm for this is somewhere between 1” and 1 1/4” in from the rail. Around 1 1/8” in is standard. Now you have the point where you place the dot on the foam for the side thruster fins. Next you need to consider where to point the side fins [the back fin of course points directly along the stringer]. The normal direction for side fins is roughly 1” to 1 1/2” straighter than if they were pointing to the tip of the nose. Pointing the fins directly at the tip of the nose will allow the board to change direction easier but it won’t move through the water as fast. Pointing the fins straighter to say 2” wider of the nose tip will allow the board to run freer with more speed but lack a little direction.

Finally you need to take into account the angle at which the fin will lean over, this is sometimes referred to as the cant angle or tow out angle. The usual angle for a high performance thruster is between 4 and 6 degrees. The depth of a concave then affects this angle. Concave will straighten the fin up (more vertical) so usually a deep concave will have 5 to 6 degree, and shallower concave will have 4 or 5. Vee bottoms need a straighter angle and generally 3 degrees is around the norm. The general rule is a board with the fins at a straighter angle will run freer through the water and have good speed in a straight line but be harder to get onto a rail, a board with an acute or high degree of cant angle will go into a turn easier but will be slower through the water. So you can see there is a lot of stuff going on in the fin area of the board. To find out more about fins and fin effect go to the FCS or Futures websites. FCS did do some tank testing a few years back and I’m sure they got some interesting results.

VEE Vee bottom boards are usually flat in the nose entry area with the vee starting just before halfway and peaking (highest point) at or in front of the fin area before fading out at the tail. The vee can be rolled but is generally a flat panel either side of the stringer varying in depth from 1/16” to 3/8” in wider tail boards. Vee bottoms work well in any big board including mals, mini mals, step up semi guns and guns. The vee bottom aids smooth rail-to-rail transition and is the most stable bottom for navigating across the face of big paddle waves.

Vee bottoms dominated board design from the short board revolution in the late ‘60s to the early ‘90s, complimenting the flat rocker-ed, wider and thicker boards of that era.

Maurice Cole introduced the EEV bottom, which was forward vee peaking at about half way before going to a flat bottom through the fin area to the tail. This gave the vee bottom some added life and was popular from the late ‘80s to early ‘90s before concave took over as the most popular bottom shape.

CONCAVE Concave starts just back from the nose and continues through the entire length of the board. Concaves can be 1/16” to 3/16” deep and are usually deepest in front of the side fins of a thruster board before fading out at the tail.

The concave bottom creates a straighter rocker line through the board along the stringer, and in combination with gutter effect caused by the curved contour shape, funnels the water super efficiently creating a hydroplane or lifting effect to generate speed. Shallow concave will have less lifting effect and therefore be slower but more stable, deeper concave will of course have more lift and greater speed but will not be as stable. Although, having deep concave can help hold you in higher on the wave face cutting into the water more efficiently and deeply. There are two types of concave – single and double. Shapers can also use any combination of the two types of concave. The most commonly used concaves are the single concave bottom, and the single concave to double concave (through the back half). From here shapers can manipulate the depth of the concave at any point along the bottom to change up the feel of the board or make it fit a certain type of surf. Single concave is the fastest and is generally ridden by pro surfers in association with lightweight boards. Single concave works best in small or clean waves and will be more dynamic off the top, giving added extension through turns due to the extra speed. Single to double concave is not quite as fast but has more control due to the double.

The double concave peaks at the stringer and acts as a vee inside the concave, which has the effect of stabilising the board at speed and enabling you to initiate turns smoothly. The peak of the double feels a little like the tail of an airplane allowing you to break the track of the hydroplaning concave more readily, making single to double concave boards more desirable in choppy or strong surf.

CHANNELS Channels are relevant to a degree, but board makers need to be committed to the manufacturing process. It is difficult to glass and sand a channel bottom board without creating a weak spot on one of the channel points. It is not uncommon to see a high number of deep channel bottom boards with cracks or creases in and around the fins. It is much easier to manufacture a concave bottom board so I have to ask if channels work no better then why bother.

There are people, surfers and shapers, who will argue channels work better but I’m not one. Channels perform a similar function to the concave efficiently funnelling water across the bottom, but in this case the channel area is usually from the mid point of the board to the tail. In the 6 deep channel variety the two outside channels will cut through the rail at the tail and the middle channel fades out at the tail block. The channels are usually 1/8” to 1/2” deep, and are cut into the foam with flat panels in the valley and perpendicular walls to the channel tip. The width of each channel will be formulated by an equation that takes into account the positioning of the side fins. The feel on the wave is one of speed and good hold on the wave face through turns. The channels each act as an extended extra edge for hold and to add speed. Channel bottom boards are still popular in Queensland and go best in clean point style waves. I have had many good to magic channel bottom boards, including the less popular 4 belly style shallower channels but I reckon this design has had it’s day.

BOTTOM SHAPES As shapers we have many elements to play around with it’s almost limitless.

The fact that we have no tank testing, because of the differing shape of waves, FLAT Flat bottoms are dead flat from rail to rail throughout the length of the board the different energies, directions and refractions, the myriad of differing reefs and is a neutral feel bottom hardly ever seen, but it does tend to compliment and sand bottoms surfed by surfers of all physical shapes, sizes and abilities it is not possible to put a limit on it with any authority anyway, so we are free full rails.

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LEFT: IF INVENTIONS WERE MEASURED WITH A STOKE METER, THEN SIMON ANDERSON’S THRUSTER WOULD BE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME.

BELOW: ADAM ROBERTSON MAKING IT CLEAR THAT CHANNELS STILL HAVE THEIR PLACE. PHOTO: NATE SMITH

FEATURE SIMON ANDERSON

agents to do what we like and claim it. This is the beauty of surfing and board making; any opinions expressed here are just that and are debatable as accurate statements. By going over the info contained here you will hopefully gain a basic concept of some of factors that affect the way your board surfs. I think it is always nice to know why your board is not working. I don’t know that you can ever know exactly what is making your board work, but when it goes wrong to be able to break it down and have an idea of why is invaluable. There is no substitute for working with a shaper but there are also many good-looking craft lining the racks of surf shops. Purchasing on line is not advisable, it is always best to see the board and use the knowledge you have, get the feel of the board in your hands and check weight, dimensions, plan shape, rail volume, rocker, concave and how the fins sit. This will always be the best way to a good board. Having a dialogue on boards with someone you trust is also handy, it’s like knowing a good mechanic.

OKAY NOW FOR A FEW TOUGH QUESTIONS WITH TRACKS …

Going shorter, wider and thicker?

Boards have had these elements available to the everyday surfer for many years in models for smaller waves. The recent innovation on tour was sparked

by Kelly’s push to surf a shorter board in all sizes, which has lead to the current trend. Shorter, wider and thicker doesn’t hold in better, especially in good waves with speed and power. The difference recently is in taking those shorter, wider and thicker dimensions and making them adapt. Slightly increasing the forward area in the plan shape through the nose, and keeping the area through the tail similar to previous slightly longer narrower boards have achieved this.

The advantage is that shorter boards will always fit the wave better in tight sections, high on the face and under the lip. The extra width of the board will maintain length of turn when needed off the bottom and through roundhouse cutbacks etc. The Tour also uses a heat system of man on man, best two waves and jet-ski assist, reducing the need for a good paddling board. The disadvantage of the short trend can be for the average surfer who still needs volume to catch waves. A board too short and too wide may end up surfing like a fish and be too loose, fast and unstable when the waves are good.

The future? Do you anticipate another radical design leap like the thruster or is board design simply in a phase of constant refinement? What about materials research - Is this the aspect of design where there is the most scope for improvement?

I don’t expect so because when I look at surfing performance right now at the elite level, the surfers are seemingly reaching beyond controllable speed. Flying through the air at great height and distance, having modified their technique to deal with too much speed through turns like cutbacks and even bottom turns by having to grab rail mid turn or at the point of maximum torque. So I think there will be steady refinement and the reapplication of old elements to new combinations. There is still no end in sight to this process just yet. Materials can be adapted to perhaps deal with the ramifications of taking PU boards beyond the known bounds of physics. Realistically you can’t jump 10 feet in the air beyond the top of the wave regularly and not break an awful lot of boards, so that could help. Material developments seem to be achieving lighter, more buoyant boards with increased durability. A worthy endeavour, but ultimately ends in performance problems in waves with power, specifically trying to maintain momentum and length through turns. We are seeing boards like Firewire addressing this with a complex but expensive combination of alternate materials but the jury is still out.

Elite surfers’ boards – does the average surfer sometimes get it wrong by saying “I want to ride exactly what that guy on tour is riding.” Can the right board be worth 10/20/30 percent to a surfer’s performance?

In many respects surfing the same equipment a WT pro is surfing is like getting an F1 car for urban driving. Pros are surfing single layered, four once fiberglass PU boards that are the ultimate in our sport. If you have no aspirations of joining the elite tour then you should not be on the same thing. The attrition rate alone should tell you this. Every pro will break at least three boards per year and some up to a dozen or more. So for one you need more durability. Breaking just one board a year is painful enough. Durability equates to a touch more weight, so right there is a minor adjustment to make. Generally the lighter the board the faster and more responsive it will be but this type of board has its own constraints. You will need to be super fit to hold the fast little fucker in on a wave of consequence when the surf finally gets good at your local. Generally, the truth is you are looking for control and help from your board in good surf, not necessarily ultimate speed and looseness.

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Getting your board just right is beyond necessary. It will be the difference between career best moves on the wave of the session and a nice turn that didn’t quite feel right. To have the right board is a work in progress, it is a mission that you can’t underestimate. Sometimes you will be right there, and then the next board you are somehow further away.

Having said all that, it is possible to look at what the pros surf and surf a similar board yourself. It will end up slightly heavier so this will tone down the performance slightly making it more versatile. Matching the volume of the board to the level you surf at is critical. So let’s say Mick Fanning is surfing 5’11 x 18 5/8 x 2 5/16 round square and he is 73 kg. If you are the same weight and a good surfer you can surf something similar maybe 5’11 x 18 3/4 x 2 5/16 round square. Just adding a touch more volume into any of the length, width and thickness elements will temper the board a little, making it easier for you to surf. If you are Mick’s size and from a good surf area you could just go longer maybe 6’0 x 18 5/8 x 2 5/16. Or if you are Mick’s size and an average surfer you may go 6’0 x 18 3/4 x 2 5/16 giving yourself a little more volume and comfort all round.

Multiple fin set ups – Kelly has been experimenting with five fins. Do you have any thoughts on those boards and the justification for them?

Now that Kelly has been so successful surfing five-plug boards there can be no argument having a five-plug board is an option worth exploring. I would caution surfers though, the ability to make a board that works well as a thruster and also good as a quad is not an easy task.

Retro interest – what is to be gained or lost by the recent interest in boards from different eras? Did things evolve so fast through the ‘70s and ‘80s that perhaps certain design concepts weren’t addressed properly?

The good thing about board design is that nothing is ever lost or thrown on the scrap heap. The things that are not in use today can be applied tomorrow in a new combination of elements. Surfers are not quitting as they get older, they continue to surf, and as a result there are sometimes three generations from one family in the line up. Borrowing elements from the past and applying them to modern ideas for the older generation for improved enjoyment is undeniable. This is a big growth area in board design development.

Nothing is lost in revisiting the past. Kelly Slater’s current favourite board will not work for a guy in his 60’s but you can adopt elements from Kelly’s board and combine them with older principles to come up with a fun board for older guys or average surfers.

Shapers can’t help but be influenced by progress and each new board is a statement of where they are at as a craftsman or designer.

The modern shaper – any kid can jump straight on a machine, design boards and pump them out. Would you suggest a young aspiring shaper should be able to shape a board from scratch or is this just old-fashioned thinking?

It’s old-fashioned thinking to me. The end result is the end game. If the board is right for the client and as a board maker you have never fully shaped, then that must be progress. This does not mean there is no value in the craft of full shaping. People will always be interested in it and some are prepared to pay for it. The truth about shaping is that the more you do it the more you improve.

Some improve more than others. Having control over the shape of a board is not easy and you probably won’t have the ability to do so if you have only worked through pre shaping machines and lap-tops.

Will Simon Anderson ever have an apprentice to pass his wealth of knowledge onto? Is there a danger that certain knowledge will be lost when your generation of shapers hangs up the planer?

Yes, I will have apprentices and I have had them in the past. It’s unusual to work from scratch with someone new to the industry however, usually you will work with a young guy who has already had some experience elsewhere, either at home in the shed or part time in the cottage industry sector. The cottage industry is about board makers doing it for fun at nonprofit rates for mates and a few local guys. My previous apprentices have been more junior colleagues and fairly accomplished shapers. The one most like an apprentice I guess has been Greg “Red Dog” Moss, and he was even more of an associate. My work, like many others, remains in the thread of the modern board. You can’t highlight or point to it but it’s there and therefore never can be lost. The statement ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ is so accurate with shaping. We have all stood on the shoulders of giants in our industry, whether it’s Gordon Woods or Bill Wallace. As long as surfing evolves knowledge is never lost, it’s just placed on the shelf ready to be reapplied when the moment is right. X

ATTUNED OVER YEARS, THE SENSITIVE HAND OF THE EXPERT SHAPER CAN MAKE ALL SORTS OF CALCULATIONS BY SIMPLY TOUCHING A BOARD. SIMON ANDERSON, FEELING OUT THE RAIL ON A FRESH ONE. NATE SMITH

SIMON ANDERSON, BLASTING AT NARRABEEN IN EARLY 2011.

PHOTO: BEN BUGDEN

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