Shapeshifting – The art of hand-making surfboards
Design and creation: The deck
Once the rocker and the outline bottom have the right shape, the deck of the board is worked on to create the desired thickness for the different areas of the board – the nose, middle and tail. Generally, the widest part of the board is the thickest. The contour of the deck controls the volume of water as it flows out to the rail: a flat deck carries more volume of water, making the board more stable and more suitable for surfers who use their full body to control their board; a domed or crowned deck carries less volume of water, making the board more sensitive and more suitable for a light-footed surfer.
"People spread their weight differently. Some people are naturally inclined to turn off the back foot. Some people have more of an ankle thing, others a hip thing; some drive off their front foot."
Surfers also vary in their mental approach to waves, says Jay.
"Some people look at the lip and the bottom of the wave and see the first ten yards. Others look 300 yards down the line and think about how many sections they can make. It's all about wave approach.
"There is no one 'magic board'. There isn't just one final evolutionary product for surfing. It's never going to be like that."
