Handshaping's Importance

I am not necessarily against cnc manufacturing. I think the shaping machine makes handshaping more relevant. It creates a void for handshaping to fill or exist within, and the more cnc preshaping there is the more handshaping will be sought after; the more valuable it will be within certain niches.  

I also truly believe that people connect more easily to well-built, handmade products.
They’re heirlooms that can be revered and passed on. They have a unique story and the ability to participate in that story is a powerful thing. But why is it so powerful? I have come up with 5 of my own reasons for the importance of handshaping surfboards:

1) Handshaping preserves the cultural integrity of the industry,
which the client then supports directly and can participate in. This flow of interest and capital encourages a future which preserves shaping methods and, therewith, styles.

2) Handshaping encourages a higher level of corporate transparency.
It holds shapers accountable to their customers who should demand to know how their board was manufactured.
Still, there are no guarantees here. Many labels operate under the opaque assumption that their products are handshaped when they’re not. The customer is being duped in this case. The customer is participating in a farce and their capital isn’t flowing toward what I would consider a cultural investment.

3) Handshaping helps to preserve a shaper’s legacy & lineage.
Handshapers either descend from or are often the beginning of lineages that bare resemblance to a family tree of sorts. Each branch represents both a continuation of or an elaboration upon unique stylistic trends. One might argue that these characteristics could be better stored in a file. Sure, but what if the file is lost? What if the inheriting programmer doesn’t have the where-with-all to reshape what was lost?

4) Handshaping helps keeps manufacturing local.
Certainly! Shapers are part of local surf communities and tribes. The boards they make are often relevant (but not always limited) to the places they surf and spend time at. If you want a board that will work well at a specific break, chances are that local knowledge will deliver the desired result.

5) Handshaping makes YOU the center of the manufacturing process.
I cannot stress this enough. A custom, handshaped surfboard is truly about YOU. And I’m not just referring to the design, but also to what I began this post with: it’s about YOUR participation in a transparent process that is designed to cater to your needs.

Photo: Simon Ford