hey i really want to go to school and build surfboards at the same time...is there a college, maybe on the west coast, that is s surfboard shaping school? or what classes would be best to take to learn how ways for shaping?
i never heard of an actual surfboard shaping school. Though, you could go to school out in California, take a class that local shapers often have available, start shaping yourself, and see if you can shape part time and work your way into your own business. But if you go to school out west, chances are you will be surfing more due to a more consistant wave then over here on the east coast where we have a lot of flat spells.
I know CAD is used a lot in shaping, even though it is a hands on trade. Also, I'm going to assume that like engineering, or architectural design would be greatly beneficial to a shaper.
that is my plan if i can get a good school, or can find that would be willing to teach me the trade. i was looking at this school Cerritos College. they have a tech dept. and it has everything from fiberglassing, composite shaping, and others. have yall ever heard of this place?
I visited Cal Poly and on their campus is a "creative center" type building with a whole shaping/glassing room devoted to surfboard building. They order the blanks for you and once you take the class and get a certificate, you can shape boards in there whenever you want. It looked awesome! You should definitely check out Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) if you have the grades.
that would actually be sick! my fiance is going into Vet Medicine, which cal state poly has, and we're trying to find a school with both, or schools close to each other and we'll get a place in the middle...
Most current shapers probably learned from other shapers. Kind of an apprentice system. You should see if you can talk to some current shapers and see if they'll let you help out for free and teach you a few things in return. If I were you, I'd be hesitant to think of shaping as a viable career for the next 50 working years of your life. The surf board industry is changing as production becomes global, popout use increases, and local shapers see their margins squeezed. My advice would be to pick it up as a hobby and study something else in college that will give you the free time to shape. Maybe you get lucky and the opportunity arises to turn it into a viable career. But the dirty little secret in the surfboard industry is that the majority of boards (yes, even the "name brand" poly boards you see in your local shop that are bought by the guys with the "no popouts" stickers on their trucks) were shaped in a factory somewhere in Asia by a worker willing to make a lot less money than you are.
honestly, shaping is a dying art form. talk to most local guys and they will tell you how much they are struggling and most are constantly on the verge of going out of business. if you are going to spend all that money to go to school, you ought to try to pick up a productive major so you can get a decent job and make shaping a hobby.
well said. If you are serious about both college and and shaping or having a career in the board building industry, they are sort of separate paths IMO. i would attend a college in an area with access to major blank suppliers and a thriving shaping community. Engineering programs with courses in fluid dynamics, aeronatuical engineering and lightweight materials which will give you career opportunities in the engineering field, and the high tech direction that the surfboard industry is headed. At the same time you should just start shaping AND GLASSING boards on your own and learn the "craft". Seriously....Shape and glass a board every month this year...doing is learning.
