Who is tore?

Almost 30 years ago
I imagine it starts the same way for every shaper, you just want to be able to make yourself a board… and that’s exactly how it all started for me almost 30 years ago. Back then, there were no shaping machines, and there was no internet, well it was there but still in its infancy. It was the era of the “shaper-guru” a time when you got what your shaper told you to get, no questions asked. I had several bad experiences with shapers of this nature and never forgot how unpleasant it felt to be let down when the board I had envisioned ended up looking like the board my shaper had envisioned instead.

Knowledge to make your own decision
Today, I make it a point to spend the time necessary to understand exactly what my customer is looking for, and if you’re not sure, I take the time to educate you. I don’t make up your mind for you. Instead, I guide you through the process. I teach the fundamentals of surfboard design giving you the knowledge to make your own decision.

The pivotal point
After all these years making surfboards, I have a pretty impressive resume. I’ve ghost shaped for most of the best shapers in the world, guys like JC, Bushman, Arwakawa, Tokoro, Cino, Schaper, Pang, Johnston, Kashawai… and the list goes on, but I’ll tell you this, in all these years I’ve learned just as much about people as I have shaping. Nothing has changed but the color of my hair, I still want to be able to make myself a surfboard when I need one, or want to experiment with something new… I still trust my gut when I’m tweaking my designs. I still test every model myself by riding that design exclusively for months at a time. I ride the boards in every size and condition of wave during that period refining various elements of the design along the way until I’m happy. This allows me to effectively explain the boards’ characteristics to my customers and ultimately helps them to make their decision.

Personal preferences
In the end, I am convinced that surfboards are all about personal preferences and that it takes a certain amount of time to determine exactly what yours are, but that once you determine them that’s all you want, that’s all that’s important to you… getting the board “you” want and that’s exactly what I intend to give you. They all work, surfboards. The trick is figuring out what you like, it’s a process, one I truly enjoy going through with each and every one of my customers!