In this episode I sit down with Luke Howarth from Howie Shapes and Nick Blair from Joistik Surfboards to talk about what we observed in each board's performance submitted to 'STAB in the dark' - Season 11.

Shapers are often asked for their opinion of regarding different boards on 'STAB in the dark'.  Ethan Ewing is such a supremely talented surfer that demands a lot from his equipment.  

It was easy to see when a board would underperform or fail for Ethan, but why?  Why did a particular board fail at a point during a turn? Why did some boards transition between turns better than others?  Most importantly, which one did we think performed best?  

I have a lot of respect for Howie and Nick, so I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear their perspectives and share my own observations.  We discuss the influence of outlines, rockers and fin placement that we identified as the reason for each board's performance.

During our conversation we share some insights into the surfboard industry and as always have a good laugh.  Make no mistake this is not a fluff piece, and we are honest in our appraisals.

We also discuss possible ideas that we would like to see in future 'STAB in the dark' seasons, and I share an idea from co-host at large - Johnny 'Robbo' Robertson that might blow your mind!

After the last season of 'Stab in the dark' with Kelly Slater, I received many messages asking what we would shape for him?  What surfboard design characteristics would we implement?  Nick and Howie provide their answers as an extra conversation after the episode.

This was a fun episode to record but it may be one for the real surfboard nerds...?

Enjoy!

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In this episode Luke Howarth and I chat with Matt Hurworth from MH Surfboards about the litres written on the bottom of your surfboard are not the answer. 

'Volume' and 'litres' ambushed the surfboard industry approximately 20 years ago with the growth of surfboard design programs and shaping machines.  Many of the big surfboard brands use litreage and stock dimensions to create a small, medium and large concept to convince the surfboard shop that all bases are covered for sales.  

Matt has been in the surfboard industry for decades and wanted to dive deeper to explain the various nuances with surfboard design that can influence the final 'litres' number.  These include style of board, where you surf, how you surf and what type of construction the board is. 

We discuss the alternative reasons people may think they require more volume including:

- the efficiency that can be gained from a longer board or flatter entry rocker which will make a board paddle better

- the surfer actually seeking weight in their board so they can push against the increased momentum

- the different bouyancy you get with different surfboard cores

- the inaccuracies of using 'litres' for grom boards and boards for older people due to the requirements these surfers have on boards.

Finally, I present the proposition of 'flotation vs water displacement' and present Matt and Luke with Archimedes' Principle to get their thoughts and opinions.

Enjoy.

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We kick off the 'Surfboard Myths' series with Sam Tehan from Force 9 surfboards.  We live in a world saturated with marketing bullshit and as the surf industry went corporate, surfboards followed.

Topics will be suggested by the Dust Up community, and we will get them on to discuss the myth.  We are not trying to discredit any brand or people in the industry and will do our best to address the actual myth.

In this episode we chat to Sam about how people view CAD programs and what exactly does the program do?  Sam has been in the industry for many years and is surrounded by numerous robots, machines and 3D printers at Force 9 surfboards.  

Many think shapers simply input length, width and thickness but it is way more complicated than that.  Like any computer program it will do what the user tells it to do.A good surfboard designer uses CAD programs as a tool similar to how shapers use any other tool in their shaping bay.  The journey to learn how to use these programs is never ending but it takes years to be proficient.  This has resulted in many high-profile shapers not even designing their own files.  

The main point of these episodes is to help customers understand what is true and what is marketing spin.  If your shaper cannot explain what a design element contributes to the performance of a board, find another shaper.  

I hope you enjoy our chat...

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In this episode I chat with Nick Masarin from Microjet Surfboards.  

Nick started shaping in the late 60's and experienced the shortboard revolution in the Sydney surf industry.  Surfboard design was changing so rapidly at the time that often no two boards were the same.  Numerous surfboard design ideas were potentially left on the shaping room floor.  I doubt he knew it but this would become the foundation for Nick's surfboard designs in the future.

Nick talks about his love for fast man-made creations, namely jet fighter airplanes.  Traditionally, a lot of surfboard shapers look to fish fins or follow George Greenough philosophies.  Nick didn't just stick his toe in on the jet airplane designs; he jumped in the deep end.

Microjet surfboard designs usually have a small wing alongside the side fins in the outline of the board.  Other strong design elements you may see are jet shaped tail outlines, jet like angular fins and various bottom contour designs.  Nick is not trying to make a 'NEW' design for the surfboard market and seems more interested in pursuing designs.

One of the biggest challenges Nick faces is his boards can be overwhelming for people.  He speaks about his desire for more high-level surfers to test his designs as well as making a couple of boards for Brad Gerlach.

The funniest part of our conversation is Nick is a self-proclaimed dumpster diver and loves turning discarded materials into something useful.  He explains how he sources a lot of his blanks from reject cuts, carbon fibre from dumpsters and slightly imperfect fibre glass cloth from industry reps.

Nick describes himself as 'not much of a talker' but he is a lot of fun to speak with, and I know his boards will inspire many ideas amongst surfboard shapers around the world.

I really hope you enjoy our chat...

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In this episode I chat with Dan Treloar from Grow Blanks.  Grow blanks are made in Kenya, Africa from agave storks or poles, as Dan refers to them.  The internal fibrous material is strong, lightweight and a natural alternative to traditional surfboard cores.

Dan talks about the agave farm, situated between two national parks filled with beautiful native animals such as elephants, zebras and lions.  We talk about selecting the right agave poles in the field and sorting them into various densities to use for different blanks.  Dan explains the challenges of manufacturing in Kenya and the importance of building relationships with good suppliers. 

We discuss tips for shaping the agave blanks and more importantly, glassing the agave blanks.  Dan conducts his own testing on kite boards and also relies on feedback from shapers and glassers in the surfboard industry to create the best specification information sheet.  

In recent months, Grow blanks has worked with Gary McNeill to create some agave core boards for Dave Rastovich.  The feedback has been positive so far and Dan looks forward to working with this A-team of shaper/surfer in the future.

What started as a possibility only a few years ago has quickly grown into a reality.  Grow blanks are currently available in Europe and the United States, the first 40-foot container is about to land in Australia in a couple of months.

It was great to Dan on the podcast and proud to say it is the first podcast he has done.  I really hope you enjoy our chat...

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In this episode, Luke Howarth from Howie shapes and I discuss fin placements and fins.  Fins can seem like a simple aspect of a board to some and extremely complex to others.  We both love fins and learning about them, but we are not fin experts.

 I would suggest many shapers have concentrated more on their designs over the last couple of decades since the introduction of fin systems.  The good old days of purchasing a board with the fins selected by the shaper to work best with the board would simply be glassed on.  There was no second purchase to enable the board to be surfed and there was no excessive lists of fins in catalogues.

For a while it seemed like the most important aspect of fins was their colour or the team rider associated with that fin.  I heard people describe fin companies as arrogant and greedy due to their lack of support for the majority of the surfboard industry, only looking to jump on 'HOT' selling brands to ensure their sales.

There is more to fins than that and so I sat down with Howie to chat all things fins.  From single fins to quad fins, where we place our fins on boards, what our experiences have been with different fin set ups.  We talk about what adjustment to fin cant or toe we have tried to try to improve a boards performance.

It was a great conversation, and I really hope everybody will get something out of it.  I cannot stress enough we do not claim to be fin experts and look forward to the feedback from the dust up community about wat they do with their fin placement and fins.

I hope you enjoy our chat about fins...

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In this episode I chat with John from Sanded Australia, a surfboard materials supplier on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

The beginning of John's relationship with the surfboard industry goes all the way back to when he was a young man making boards with his friends.  One of his friends was involved in building boats so that is where they sourced their materials - Expanded Poly Styrene (EPS) foam and epoxy resin.  

In the years to follow John pursued windsurfing and would become sponsored.  This allowed for him to work with his shaper/designer and have a good insight into how the windsurfing community was quick to embrace alternative materials and push the technology of the various constructions looking for an advantage.

Sanded started out from a shed in the backyard as John established himself, made important contacts and built stock.  He was able to sustain this for a few years but ultimately had to secure more space.  John speaks about the impact COVID period had on his business and the continual growth since.  Business has been so good he tells how he will have to look for a bigger warehouse in the next 12 months. 

The main driving force behind John's success is his open mindedness and willingness to try different things.  The collaborative work he has done with Colan Australia to develop Flax, Basalt and Pineapple cloth has set him apart from other suppliers.  Furthermore, John's honest appraisal of the products he tests has surfboard manufacturers at all levels paying attention.

John knows the value of good customer relations and many people I know speak highly of his customer service and quick delivery times.  Sanded ships products all over the world and we are lucky to have someone like John in our industry in Australia.  

I hope you enjoy our conversation

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In this episode I chat with Beau Armstrong from Armstrong Surfboards.

I was travelling home from Queensland when I stopped into the Bennett Surfboard showroom and was greeted by a young man behind the counter, Beau.  We chatted briefly and I discovered he made surfboards.  I told him I would check out his social media and headed off down the road.

As I drove the many hours back to Victoria, I thought a lot about how I observed the surfboard industry and wondered what draws younger people into the industry these days.  In my experience the surfboard is the same everywhere, however it also has its differences.

Beau is a young man in his mid-teens that was looking for a new challenge.  As he travelled home from a family holiday, Beau started researching surfboard shaping.  After many hours of watching YouTube clips and dissecting what information he could from the videos, he purchased a surfboard blank and proceeded to hack at it in his front yard.  Beau had been bitten by the surfboard bug and his journey had started.  

I was keen to hear how his journey into the surfboard industry was going, what attracted him to surfboards as well as what his future plans are.  It turns out Beau has been fortunate enough to meet great people in the Sydney surfboard industry, and they have provided him with an invaluable education.

I am really excited to kick off the year chatting with Beau as it represents fresh starts and big opportunities.  

I really hope you enjoy our conversation...

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In this episode, Luke Howarth from Howie shapes and I discuss the subtleties of a surfboard foil or profile.  The distribution of foam in a surfboard is often overlooked but it can have a big impact on how your board performs.

We chat about the evolution of foil in a surfboard and how it relates to the different styles of boards.  I ask Luke about what he thinks of 'swing weight' which is a term commonly used in discussing bigger boards and explain why I prefer to focus on 'momentum'.

You cannot talk about surfboard foils without discussing the various deck designs available such as s decks, single concave and double concave decks as well as the Greg Webber 'Crinkle cut' design that melted social media.

Ultimately, we end up discussing flex and who we see as the shapers pushing the boundaries.  Flex is difficult to measure in a surfboard and how we want the board to flex for optimum performance changes for different waves.  Luke shares his experiences with stringerless EPS boards, his research and development process and how he applies carbon on them.

Surfboard foil is not talked about enough but hopefully our chat will stimulate some further discussion.

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In this episode I chat with Scott James from SJS Custom.

Scott first appeared on my radar through social media.  The boards he was creating and the way he was presenting them really stood out amongst the many.

It piqued my interest.  I was keen to chat with Scott to hear more about his back story and it did not disappoint.  Scott grew up in the town of Dunedin on the very south coast of New Zealand.  He told me how he fell in love with the curves of a surfboard and sought out the local craftsman to learn.

Sourcing surfboard materials was difficult and the idea of making surfboards a career was more like a dream.  Scott pursued a trade and ignored his love for making surfboards for more than two decades.

Then... Scott made some big life changes, including moving to the Gold Coast of Australia.  The passion for making surfboards had become too much and he made it his career.  

I really enjoyed my conversation with Scott as he is a one-man operation and works hard to refine his craft.  His attention to detail and willingness to try different things or take risks is very familiar to me.

A sliding doors moment led Scott to find a solution to a design idea that had been formulating in his brain.  The way in which he could apply vee and various combinations of concave was now clear to him... the 'Scoop' bottom was created.

In addition to making custom surfboards for customers Scott also hosts people who wish to make their own surfboard or refine their surfboard making skills. 

Please note we did experience some minor internet difficulties, but I am sure you will still enjoy our chat.

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