JC: What makes an exceptional shaper or designer?
SW: First of all you have to be open and listen to other people. I cannot test every single shape myself. I can try and test a lot of them but I rely on the related data that I receive. So I think a key point if you want to become a great shaper is you have to learn to listen and filter out the useful information from the not so useful information. There are certain team riders that have a better understanding of board design than others. You have to recognize who you can trust. All the feedback you get is a bit different.
The other aspect I think that is important is that you are able to test a lot of the designs that you make. I cannot test everything but I try and get out on as many models as possible. That all helps and speeds up the development process. It is different when you feel yourself what the problem is. I competed in the waves for many years so if the boys tell me something and I get a chance to test it myself, it all helps speed up the decisions. It is much quicker to translate that feeling into the shape. Obviously in the old days you needed to be a good craftsman because you had to physically make the board. Aside from the listening part you have to be creative obviously. You need to develop a good eye and it is important that you have plenty of experience and knowledge. There are still a lot of shapers that like to be able to say they shape by hand and the computer thing isn’t the real deal. I still did my fair share of hand shaping even though I have not shaped a board by hand in the last ten years. Twenty years prior to that I did more than my fair share of time in the shaping room. Shaping by hand helps to give you an understanding of the lines and how they flow and how everything blends together. Like how you put the pieces together – from the rocker line to the outline, to the rails, the bottom shape and how that comes together on a piece of foam. You have to understand a board is not just drawing lines on a computer.
