The Making of a Shaper : Why I'm Still Shaping
Q: Did you ever imagine, when you started shaping nearly 35 years ago, that you'd still be doing it today?
A: Basically, yes.
From the beginning, I saw shaping as a lifetime commitment.
I had a vision of coming to Hawaii and building surfboards, and I never really questioned it. At this point, shaping isn't simply what I do—it's my purpose.
To me, surfing has always been more than a sport. You're not confined by lines on a field or a court. You're working with energy, with the ocean, and with something that's constantly changing. It's as much a lifestyle and a connection as it is riding waves.
Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to work alongside some of the best craftsmen in the world. The more I learned about surfboard building, the more I became fascinated by its history, its culture, and the lineage of the people who shaped before me.
I like to think of surfboard shaping as a family tree. Every generation learns from the one before it, adds something of its own, and passes it on.
Looking back, I can trace my own path through that lineage, connected by the people who taught me and the factories where I learned.
When I started, there was only one way to become a shaper: you earned it.
You swept floors, repaired dings, glassed fins, watched the experienced guys work, and slowly gained their respect until someone trusted you with a shaping room. That process taught me that every part of building a surfboard matters.
Today, information is everywhere. Social media can make someone look like a shaper overnight. But for me, the craft has always been about experience, repetition, and a willingness to keep learning.
That's one of the reasons I still love it.
I often compare shaping to playing guitar. You can learn three chords and play a song, but that doesn't make you a musician. Classical guitar is something people dedicate a lifetime to mastering, and I think shaping is much the same.
The funny thing is, the better you become, the more you realize how much you still have to learn.
After decades of shaping, I can pick up a board, squeeze the rails, and immediately appreciate the subtle curves and flow that another shaper has created. Those details become more visible with experience, and every board is another opportunity to sharpen your eye and refine your craft.
That's what keeps me coming back to the shaping room.
Not because I've mastered it—but because I know I never will.
Todd back in Key West for the Christmas holidays in 1998, holding a 6'6" Step Up and wearing a Schaper shirt. The board was most likely glassed by Otis Schaper.
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