Ten Things To Avoid Doing When Putting In Your Holiday Board Order

Grant Noble is truly a shaper’s shaper. 

He’s also just a Costa Mesa shaper, shaper for those seriously in-the-know, and shaper for the people. Seriously, all he wants to do is shape great boards so he can trade them for things like new road bikes, gear, beers, even a new dog (really, his pup, Hobie, technically came about following a handshake deal that covered both fibreglass and fur), and the obvious cash that helps him enjoy life a little bit more. It just so happens that his sleds are absolutely exceptional as well. Ask any Californian or odd beyond-the-Golden-State-borders resident lucky or smart enough to score one of his boards what they think of it under their feet and they’ll usually say something along the lines of, “Well, yeah. It’s perfect.” Longboards, shortboards, and fishes for all conditions, sizes, and statures. They’re good boards that work excellently everywhere from the two-to-ten, and really excel in the best lineups. There’s not much more you can ask for. 

Seeing as it’s that time of year where we all seem to be gifted, for some reason, five to eight (if you’re a really good boy or girl) hundred dollars that we always will immediately invest into new surfboards, we decided to call him up and ask about what’s the best etiquette for approaching your shaper, dialling in the right setup, and making sure everyone is happy. Don’t want to ruin your shaper’s holiday and your new deck in the process? Follow these steps:

Don’t order it too late (there are deadlines for a reason).

“This is the main no, no for holiday board ordering. This is one of the busiest times of the year, and sometimes the “you did it in 2 weeks last time” doesn’t apply.”

Buying from big business? No.   

“Shop small and support your local shaper. It doesn’t have to be me, but buying boards from your local shaper supports more than just the shaper. But the people at the glass shop it came out of too, and more. That means more work in your town, and happier people in your town.”  

Attitude.

“This is one of the busiest times of the year, be jolly not naughty.”

Bad communication.

“We can’t make what you want if you don’t let us know what you want.” 

Barter 

“I love bartering. I just got a Vespa, rims for my truck, and also bike parts. All can and were accepted as partial payment.”

(Some) shapers are not robots!

“There’s a difference between constructive criticism and being an asshole.”

“Are you really charging me tax?”

“You pay tax on your groceries, right?”

“Is my board done yet?”

“There might be a three-strikes-and-you-are-out sort of rule with this. Not with me, but I’ve seen shapers put people's boards on the slow lane with this infamous question.”

No mercy.

“Just a warning, when you ask, and we do colored tints. Remember, photos of boards on a phone may differ from the actual board.”

Golden rule.

“Treat us the way you’d want to be treated, we’re all just human.”