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An interview with experienced shaper and shaping machine owner, Howie of CHP. |
If you’ve ever wondered how shaping machines work or pondered if they’re run by real people or not? Then wonder no more. Avalon Beaches Luke Howarth unveils some truths about the ‘machine’ and what it takes to run one and a successfully surfboard making company in these hard financially times. A powerful and stylish goofyfooter in his own right, Howie, as he is affectionately known around the world, is a dab hand. He’s been there done that, and after years shaping boards here in Australia and in Japan, he’s refining the art with the help of his mechanical friend.
Note: HIGH NOON is a feature at Tracksmag.com where we talk to surfers of note and interest. From top level professionals to industry insiders, feral legends and vital grommets.
Do you think shapers need to be high-quality surfers before they start hacking the foam?
There are two ways to look at this; I personally think that yes, to understand the way a surfboard works and be able to communicate this with your team riders, you need to know how to surf. How to drive off the bottom and come off the top… whether you’re doing an aerial or whatever. And for the dynamics of the board to work you have to put it through its paces yourself. That gives you a fair idea of what sort of boards you’re making… but the other thing is, for example the boards coming out of China, they’re all just copies. With the machines people just cop boards create a file and pop them out. It’s pretty hard to bugger up a cut after it [blank] has come from a machine.
Some shapers are actually kneeboarders? Peter Daniels (who now rides stand-up I think?) David Parkes from Byron?
[Laughs] Well, they might be good knee boarders so they know about flow and how it everything works.
Speaking of China and pop outs etc, you’re actually a shaper that’s gone and purchased a shaping machine yourself, in fact I have visions of you like a mad scientist in a white coat up late at night with your machine pumping out 6’3” squash tails, can you tell me what the reality is? How much does one machine differ to another?
They are different. From one machine to another, take for example the AKU shapers, what we’ve got, it’s the most modern user-friendly machine on the market and it’s Australian made. The other example I’ll use is the Shape 3D machine, which is totally different from our machine as far as the cutter head and the dynamics of the way it all works the AKU, the Y axis – which is a carriage type that moves backwards and forwards. And then the Z axis moves up and down. The head on the shape 3D machine moves backwards and forwards across the board, the board doesn’t move. These are the two main differences –between the two main machines on the market.
Before you purchased the machine did you have seeds of doubt?
I think shaper’s (well most) have translated to the software and the technology; it just takes so much work out of it, there are still guys like Psillakis [Mike], and those types who are hard core hand shaping, but the machine doesn’t do the whole thing you still have to finish them off – mark the fins on, touch the edges up, you still have to do a lot to it. It’s not totally machine shaped.
Young team rider Conner Gale coming off the bottom (L), and Karl Attkins (R), and his Howie shaped Rhino.
What about the investment of capital? Break down the cost to profit ratio and it’s a tough business. Hand shapers at least have the advantage of minimal capital investment?
Definitely. You have to do your research and crunch the numbers and have the right people onside and if you make it look to easy – like some of our customers have – they’ll go and buy their own machine [laughs].
Are they going to be able to run the machine as well as you guys?
That’s a good point. Quality of what you’re producing comes down to the person who is operating it.
Tell us a bit about your experience before getting to this stage?
I was a carpenter by trade before I got into shaping and I think having that behind me leading into shaping was invaluable. You use the planner as a carpenter, you use a lot of the same tools and you can automatically duck and weave your way through foam… Now taking that next step and having a machine myself it all comes down to design. I know how a board is put together from foam blank to finish – so now having the machine I can focus so much more on parts of the board rather than try to blend it all in to look good.
You’ve been shaping a few boards for Luke Stedman, is he still riding them?
Yeah, he picked up two just last week; unfortunately Luke’s injured himself again. He’s got a massive cork. He says it felt like he broke his leg but it’s a cork. He feels kinda stupid but can’t walk properly and is on crutches.
Is on a mission to get back on tour?
Oh, it’s hard to say. I haven’t spoken to him about that specifically. We’ve only been working together for six months so I’m just concentrating on making good boards. Plus he lives in Bali so we don’t get the time to sit down and talk like I do with team guys that live in Australia. I personally think realities hit and he’s beginning to think, “I am passed my due date” and with so many kids coming through it’s a hard ask… but that’s just speculation.
Well if reading this may spurs him on to come back?
I would love to see him come back and I’m going to do everything I can to help him by putting good boards under his feet. As I said I haven’t spoken to him about that.
You told me earlier that you’ve now incorporated the glassing element of making a board in your factory is that a sign of the times?
I think everybody’s starting to consolidate with the scare of an Australian recession. Keeping things in house to save a buck here and there. For me, in the past I’ve always done it, so after a break of five years I’m stoked to be back doing it again and getting boards done the way I want.
So a CHP board will start at your factory as a raw blank, be put through your machine, finished off by you and then glassed and finished under the same roof?
That’s right.
To contact Luke go to the CHP surfboards website: CHPsurfboards
