Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Take your time and trust the measurements. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Zack Flores knows surfboards. He knows not only how to surf them extraordinarily well, but how to make them so they work well, too. It’s becoming a bit of a lost art these days — the surfer/shaper who makes their own boards and then rips on them — but Flores is carrying the tradition on as well as he can. And whether you surf as well as Flores (you probably don’t), I’m of the firm belief that every surfer should at least try and shape themselves a surfboard once in their life, if only to gain a bit of appreciation for what goes into making those slippery foam sticks we have so much fun on.
Here, Flores gives five tips to the would-be home shaper. The first, and most important — if you’re wanting a surfboard that actually works, that is — is to have a shaper make it for you. Sure, it goes against the entire point of the video, but if you want a surfboard that rides better than your front door would, having a someone who actually knows what they’re doing is a good idea.
If, however, you’ve decided that you are a DIY person and you enjoy creating things, then by all means, get a blank and hack away at it. Just listen to Flores’s advice, because it will help you. It will help you a lot.
