TALKING DESIGN



Hanger Demo

Friday, May 18th, 2012

Get down to La Jolla Shores and try your favorite Rusty Surfboard models… Yew!



Surfboard Design Challenge by Subaru: Win a Hustler!

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Attention residents of Washington State and Oregon! You are eligible for the Surfboard Design Challenge…

For more information click on the image above and stay tuned for the Surfboard Design Challenge coming your way.



Getting to know Clint Preisendorfer

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Most of those who have had the pleasure of meeting Clint Preisendorfer probably remember him as Rusty’s little grom running around the factory and surfboard demos terrorizing everyone… Well he still does that, but he’s all grown up now and, just like his father, he is quickly becoming a master craftsman of fine performance surfboards. With over 500 surfboards under his belt, Clint has graduated to his own shaping bay and is building beautiful boards on a daily basis. We are proud to have Clint on our team of world renowned shapers and invite you to try one of his shapes, they’re epic. Shaping is in his blood.

DOB: 07/11/1986

Hometown: La Jolla, California

What was it like growing up as the son of Rusty, an icon in the surf industry?

Believe it or not, my dad kept me out of competitive surfing all together, he wanted to keep surfing fun for me. But the waves were not always great, so I had to keep myself busy with every other sport possible. I was encouraged to compete in every sport except surfing! Eventually I landed on baseball as my competitive sport of choice… surfing has always just been a fun thing for me and my dad made sure of that. Personally, I’d rather surf a b-grade wave by myself then surf with everybody down at Blacks or something… I prefer surfing to be carefree.

When did you get your first surfboard?

My dad shaped me my first surfboard for my third birthday! It was a 4’8″ thruster with my name sprayed on the deck. I still have it.

When did you shape your first surfboard?

I was 15, it was right after we got the machine to program boards. My dad programmed it for me and we finished it in the shaping bay together. We made a 6’4″ squash tail, but unfortunately it met its demise at Blacks shortly after. I was devastated! I remember coming home and telling my parents that I wanted to use the half of my board as my tombstone!

You had a run at professional baseball, when did you decide you would pursue shaping as a career?

I played competitive baseball and I was drafted to the New York Yankees farm system. I was training with them for a while and about three years ago I got released. It was a blessing in disguise! I had the option to call other teams and make something happen for myself, but the first month or two I found myself in the surfing a ton and in the factory a lot. It was at that point that I faced the fact that I would rather be surfing and making surfboards than throwing a baseball.

What is your favorite aspect of shaping?

I love to meet people in the water and help get them on the right board; it is really rewarding to help someone get dialed with the right equipment for their skill level and desired surf spots.

You must have met a lot of influential people sweeping foam in the Rusty Factory as a grom, anyone in particular leave a big impression on you growing up?

Jason Weatherly for sure! I remember when I was about 13 we did a Grom Fest Tour on the East Coast for a few weeks and with Jason it was all about having fun, not competition… We would even take out the foam longboards into the shorebreak and fun things like that. I learned a lot on that trip about having a good time and not taking things in life so seriously.

So you have spent some time on Tavarua as a Boatman, what was that like?

Pretty freaking amazing! It was my job to take out the early boat to Cloudbreak and surf with the guests… I would usually wind up surfing Cloudbreak for 5-7 hours a day, mandatory!

What are your favorite waves?

I’m a bit bias, but I love Cloudbreak and Restaurants. But there are a few nuggets in the Mentawaiis as well.

Favorite Bands:

Black Keys, Led Zeppelin, Clapton, classic rock is what I usually have on.

Favorite Food:

California Burrito at Sahira’s next to the factory… it’s massive!

Other hobbies:

Snowboarding! I wasn’t allowed to snowboard for eight years when I was under contract for baseball! So now I am making up for lost days on the mountain. I enjoy body surfing when the waves are small as well.

If you were not a shaper what would you do?

Surf more!

Know your Shaper.

Interview and Photography: Brody



Shaping With Jay Davies part dos

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Part uno we saw Jay shape. Part dos we see Jay shred. Talking Design. Shred Design.

 



Shaping with Jay Davies part uno

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Jay Davies is a maestro in the water and it seems he has a secret affinity for design in the shaping bay. Here’s to being well rounded.



Board CAD with Rusty

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Surf Journalist, Mark Anders, had a chance to design and shape a board with Rusty and he found out first hand it is a lot harder than it looks…

“With legendary shaper Rusty Preisendorfer as my mentor, a free blank from US Blanks (usblanks.com) and some complimentary computer cutting time from San Diego’s APS3000 (aps3000sd.com) I was all set. The process was an enlightening experience and I learned a few valuable things along the way.”

- Mark Anders

LESSON 1: Computers are better at mowing foam than most backyard beginners.
Using a planer to mow a surfboard the old fashioned way requires some relatively expensive equipment and a shaping bay. Even if you have all of that at your disposal, it’s still really tough to turn out a board with symmetrical rails and a smooth outline. You need lots of practice mowing foam. One of the coolest things about using BoardCAD is that it enables a surfer with no shaping skills to produce a relatively clean shape.

LESSON 2: It’s harder than it looks.
Though the BoardCAD software is pretty easy to use, designing a board that surfs well is tough. Try not to get too fancy with wings, crazy tails or channels on your first couple designs. Stick to a simple, clean shape (fish and eggs are easier than longboards and performance shortboards). “If you’re going to do this yourself, you need to know your numbers because what you see on the screen can be very deceiving,” says Rusty. “The best thing you can do is learn to measure, and measure a lot of boards so you have a baseline to compare to. You can’t be a slave to the numbers but they’ll let you know if you’re in the ballpark.”

LESSON 3: It takes time.
In the same way you often have to wait (and wait and wait) for your custom surfboard to be finished, the DIY surfboard project can be a lengthy one. Sure you’ll knock out the first computer design quickly but expect to do several revisions before your board is ready to be cut. Remember: Garbage in, garbage out. “I’ve had plenty of novice customers send files for us to cut. Normally if it looks bad I email them back and tell them they may want to practice some more in the virtual world before spending the money on a blank and cut,” says Chris Russell of APS3000. After you finalize your design, then you’re at the mercy of the cutting shop and the glassing shop schedules. It could take well more than a month or two from start to finished product.

LESSON 4: When you’re done, you’re not actually done.
The computer shaping machine gets your shape 95-percent of the way complete, then it’s your turn. Before it can be glassed you need to smooth out the cutting grooves and finish the nose and tail (where the machine holds the blank while cutting). Some computer shaping facilities will let you hand-finish your own board in one of their shaping bays. You’ll need sandpaper and sanding screens and at least an hour to fine-tune your shape–but that hands-on time can be really fun.

LESSON 5: It’s not exactly cheap.
While making your own board is definitely more cost-effective than buying a custom or a brand new board off the rack, it’s still not a cheap endeavor. Here’s the rough price breakdown:

–BoardCAD software: FREE!
–Foam blank: $60-$85
–Computer cut: $75-$125; for a board under 6’11″-bigger = more $ (in SoCal contact APS3000)
–Finish shaping: $35-$55 (if you don’t/can’t do it yourself)
–Glassing: $210-$255
TOTAL COST: $345-$520

LESSON 6: Rusty is a better shaper than me–or you.
And so is every other pro shaper. Don’t expect to just waltz onto BoardCAD and produce bad ass boards your first shot. Maybe you’ll be a natural but odds are you’re a hack, just like me. Expect that from the outset and you’ll be good.

LESSON 7: Jason Weatherly is a better surfer than me.
Despite the fact that JW can rip on just about anything, we tapped him to test my shape because we’re both larger-than-average surfers. For his test-drive of my shape, the surf was chest-high and marginal, but he still managed to crank off a few really good turns on the board. JW’s final comments on my board were basically this: “fun, but kinda funky — and nothing I’d ever buy. But still better than every other backyard shape I’ve ever ridden.” I’ll take it!

LESSON 8: Shaping your own board is awesome.
I truly believe that every surfer should try his hand at shaping at least one board in his lifetime. Besides giving you an education in the intricacies of board design, the experience breeds plenty of healthy respect for our shapers and the skill it takes to craft a board that rides truly well. To me, mowing foam the old fashioned way is naturally best but if you don’t have access to a shaping room and tools, computer shaping is the next best thing–and a hell of a lot of fun.


For the full archive of Surfline’s Surf Gear Reviews, click here.



Rdot Interview and Board Buyers Guide on Surfline

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

Click the image to have a look…





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