We kick off the 'Surfboard Myths' series with Sam Tehan from Force 9 surfboards. We live in a world saturated with marketing bullshit and as the surf industry went corporate, surfboards followed.

Topics will be suggested by the Dust Up community, and we will get them on to discuss the myth. We are not trying to discredit any brand or people in the industry and will do our best to address the actual myth.

In this episode we chat to Sam about how people view CAD programs and what exactly does the program do? Sam has been in the industry for many years and is surrounded by numerous robots, machines and 3D printers at Force 9 surfboards.

Many think shapers simply input length, width and thickness but it is way more complicated than that. Like any computer program it will do what the user tells it to do.A good surfboard designer uses CAD programs as a tool similar to how shapers use any other tool in their shaping bay. The journey to learn how to use these programs is never ending but it takes years to be proficient. This has resulted in many high-profile shapers not even designing their own files.

The main point of these episodes is to help customers understand what is true and what is marketing spin. If your shaper cannot explain what a design element contributes to the performance of a board, find another shaper.

I hope you enjoy our chat...

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In this episode I chat with Nick Masarin from Microjet Surfboards.

Nick started shaping in the late 60's and experienced the shortboard revolution in the Sydney surf industry. Surfboard design was changing so rapidly at the time that often no two boards were the same. Numerous surfboard design ideas were potentially left on the shaping room floor. I doubt he knew it but this would become the foundation for Nick's surfboard designs in the future.

Nick talks about his love for fast man-made creations, namely jet fighter airplanes. Traditionally, a lot of surfboard shapers look to fish fins or follow George Greenough philosophies. Nick didn't just stick his toe in on the jet airplane designs; he jumped in the deep end.

Microjet surfboard designs usually have a small wing alongside the side fins in the outline of the board. Other strong design elements you may see are jet shaped tail outlines, jet like angular fins and various bottom contour designs. Nick is not trying to make a 'NEW' design for the surfboard market and seems more interested in pursuing designs.

One of the biggest challenges Nick faces is his boards can be overwhelming for people. He speaks about his desire for more high-level surfers to test his designs as well as making a couple of boards for Brad Gerlach.

The funniest part of our conversation is Nick is a self-proclaimed dumpster diver and loves turning discarded materials into something useful. He explains how he sources a lot of his blanks from reject cuts, carbon fibre from dumpsters and slightly imperfect fibre glass cloth from industry reps.

Nick describes himself as 'not much of a talker' but he is a lot of fun to speak with, and I know his boards will inspire many ideas amongst surfboard shapers around the world.

I really hope you enjoy our chat...

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In this episode I chat with Dan Treloar from Grow Blanks. Grow blanks are made in Kenya, Africa from agave storks or poles, as Dan refers to them. The internal fibrous material is strong, lightweight and a natural alternative to traditional surfboard cores.

Dan talks about the agave farm, situated between two national parks filled with beautiful native animals such as elephants, zebras and lions. We talk about selecting the right agave poles in the field and sorting them into various densities to use for different blanks. Dan explains the challenges of manufacturing in Kenya and the importance of building relationships with good suppliers.

We discuss tips for shaping the agave blanks and more importantly, glassing the agave blanks. Dan conducts his own testing on kite boards and also relies on feedback from shapers and glassers in the surfboard industry to create the best specification information sheet.

In recent months, Grow blanks has worked with Gary McNeill to create some agave core boards for Dave Rastovich. The feedback has been positive so far and Dan looks forward to working with this A-team of shaper/surfer in the future.

What started as a possibility only a few years ago has quickly grown into a reality. Grow blanks are currently available in Europe and the United States, the first 40-foot container is about to land in Australia in a couple of months.

It was great to Dan on the podcast and proud to say it is the first podcast he has done. I really hope you enjoy our chat...

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Check out the stories on our Instagram home page for photos to accompany each episode.

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We hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to rate and review our podcast as well as subscribe.