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InFirst, I think this is the most exciting time in the history of surfing for shapers. There are more designs, styles of surfing, and lengths of surfboards than ever before. The shaper is under the gun to create better surfboards than our fathers and forefathers. At the same time the concept of the professional surfboard factory in Australia has probably never seen worse times. The backyarder will …

ContoursBottom contours are the shape of the bottom of the surfboard and influence how water travels under the surfboard. Some common surfboard bottom contours are:Flat BottomConcave BottomDouble Concave BottomVee BottomChannel BottomFlat Surfboard Bottom DesignFlat surfboard bottom design is a fast bottom shape but one that can be difficult to control in larger/faster waves. Flat bottom is good f …

SURFBOARD DIMENSIONSSurfboard dimensions are commonly measured in feet and inches. Your board dimensions will change depending on the type of board and shape of its rails, tail and nose.LengthThe length is measured from the nose to the tail. Choosing the length of the surfboard is dependent on your size (weight, height), board type and waves conditions you wish to use the board for. Longer surfboa …

Dick Van Straalen is an Iconic Australian Surfboard Manufacture, who started shaping boards in 1956 and still in 2010 hand shapes every single board! Dick is dying breed of an elite group of hand shapers.Below are a few questions we where able to get out of Dick between the surf and his shaping bay:How did you get into shaping? Because I bought a custom made board that had someone else name o …