SHAPER DIRECTORY
Local Motion Surfboards
Interview with Tom Cerff
Whats your main motivation for shaping surf crafts at the moment?
Birds fly, fish swim, shapers shape. I do what I was created for, plus the money.
Is there anything you are doing differently now as opposed to 12 months ago?
Not really, always try to get a nicer cleaner look.
How have board designs changed in the last five years?
The application of the physics changes to suit the demands of the surfer.
How long have you been shaping?
44 years.
Approximately how many boards have you shaped in your lifetime?
Thousands.
What design innovations are you currently working on at the moment?
Maximum utilization of wave energy through curve and flat. Especially in small waves.
What do you think the current surfboards designs could improve upon?
Less distortion through the glassing process. More even foam density for a better finish, and hold a clean line.
What advice would you give the average punter when ordering a board for the first time?
Order from a shaper who knows what he's doing.
Who is on your surf team? (Give me the dimensions of your best team riders short board)
The last board I shaped for Kieren Perrow was 60 18ΒΌ 2 1/8
What is your advice on fins considering the options available today?
Use what suits the board
Apart from yourself, what other shapers do you think are leading the way at the moment?
That's a hard one. I think surfer's lead the way. A shaper who can best understand the mathematical relationship between the wave, board and surfer contribute to the evolution of surfing. I am fascinated by that winged keel that Laird Hamilton rides.
Anything else you would like to get off your chest?
I am disappointed in whoever started the Asian import of surfboards. You're lucky we live in a civilized forgiving society, unlike other parts of the world. I can maybe understand it with clothing, but surfboards? It's disgusting, its our intellectual property, or technology, or whatever that we are giving away.
