dumpster diver??

Not a local shaper but totally believe that for 95 percent of surfers in the mid-Atlantic, the big name brands just don't work as well as custom shapes from the guys who ride our waves. I've ridden big name board and occasionally on a lark I'll buy one just to see what the hype is all about. With the exception of a ...lost SDII I have always been disappointed. In contrast, I've ridden customs from Jon Ashton for 25 years and have NEVER had a board that didn't work in our waves.

 

Word of mouth has alot to do if you know a local shaper has enough experience to make one decide if they wanna buy a board from them .

If a guy has been only making boards for 6 months and in that time he has made a good name for them self with the people who he made boards for. I would probally give him a shot if my first of second choice shapers were to loaded with work and the wait was long.

Wynn and Cosmic Bull are both board makers you cant go wrong with either of them

 

right. since in that industry if a small time guy makes junk he's not in business for very long. If a guy has been around for awhile you can bet he makes high quality boards.

 

Great point!

 

I agree with aka...i've had all good experiences with local shapers such as Jon Ashton, Mike Hague. Obviously guys like Merrick or Rusty or JS. are perfectly capable of building boards that will work perfectly for you in Jersey or Delmarva waves but their stock boards off the rack may not fit your situation as well as what a local shaper can build since you can describe your exact needs and skills and what has worked for you in the past and what hasnt

Back to the pop out thing... I dont see how a board that starts by being cut by a C&C machine is really any more of a pop-out than a board that starts out from an close tolerance blank as most poly boards do. In both cases, isnt the shaper just relying on technology to get them to a starting point where to a large extent rocker and foil are provided by machine. In both cases the shaper tunes the rail, hard edges, adjusts the vee and concaves etc.

 

Yeah, word of mouth, mostly through forums, is what leads me to only trust Wynn and Cosmic Bull, as far as Jersey is concerned. I guess what prompted my question is the influx of local shapers popping up all over other avenues like Craig's List. There's a couple people advertising new custom shapes (starting at $350), but don't supply names or experience, etc. One guy does, Chaize, but I know nothing of him...

 

Yeah I would steer clear of those types of guys. If you've never done it, get a custom. It is so cool to go the shaper and sit with him and go over dimensions and then have him rough shape the blank for you. Then when you get it you know that board is made exactly for you.

 

haha My local surf shop/ shaper made me A single fun modeled from the MSF. The thing is sick.

 

my newest Ashton is the basic template of the Lost Speed Demon but we made some changes to make it work better in mushier waves.

 

If you like the Dumpster diver check out a Roberts White Diamond. This was Danes inspiration for the DD. Check the thread in the design forum on Surfermag about CI pressuring Surfer to pull a video of Dane riding the Roberts board before CI "created" this "new" design.

 

I don't buy into any of this east coast vs. west coast shaper crap.... There are Hawaiian and Californian shapers who make boards that work amazingly on the east coast, and vice versa.

 

well for one thing..its not like "east coast" is one kind of wave. I would say shoulder high mid-town OCMD breaks way more like Blacks than Assateague right down the road...and Assateague breaks just like San Onofre does at the same size....But SanO is right next to Trestles...I think the point being made is not east coast vs. west coast but rather "locally shaped for your waves" vs. "mass produced store pre-orders"

 

I was gonna compare the Boombastik with the White Diamond and the Dumpster Diver. I usually ride a 6' thruster, I am 5'9 165. I got a custom Chem Boombastik at 5'7 19 1/2 2 1/4. Seriously super fun board. Its a surf skate, but it handles just about everything though I have not taken it out in overhead. Super light and turns great. I kind of wish I went smaller. Definately worth checking out. Chemistry is awesome they even threw my own art on the nose of the board.

www.gyasurf.com

 

I went 5 inches shorter by going 5'7 and 3/4 inch wider with 19 1/2. If I were to tweak it I would go 5'7 x 19.



www.gyasurf.com

 

I've mentioned his name a ton on this board and posted a few pics of a board he just shaped me. Chris Chaize shapes out of Asbury Park (In his shaping shack in his backyard) and you can find his boards in Lightly Salted Surf Shop in Asbury Park and Stokaboka in Red Bank. He really does not make shortboards, he shapes predominantly retro shapes, fishes, bonzers, single fins, etc. After he shapes them he delivers them to LBI for Wynn to glass. His boards a reasonably priced, well shaped, look awesome, and are so much fun.

http://www.myspace.com/chaize_surfboards

Check out some of the pictures. He shaped me a 5'6 quad fish and it's my board of choice currently (I have yet to paddle out on my coil thanks to this freakin flat spell).

 

Yeah and your buying Locally too . That why I dont really Order anything online and only buy boards and wetsuits from who I do. It put money back in to our community and help progress Surfing in the East Coast