Longboarding in Long Branch, NJ. Photo: Kenneth Kelty
Recently I sat down with local East Coast shaper Phil Taylor of Phil Taylor Handcrafted Surfboards and his right-hand man, team rider Artie Seaman. We discussed how they are starting at the roots of the art of surfing and expanding on East Coast of the USA. Phil has been shaping for just over 18 years and shapes just outside Ocean City, Maryland. I spoke with him and Artie about functional board designs with new projects they are working on as well as tailoring boards to your local break.
What is the most important aspect of the shaper/rider relationship?
Communication. Communication is key. The shaper needs to listen and the rider needs to explain how they feel when surfing. All the answers are in how they feel and what they are describing. Then it is the shaper’s responsibility to take that information and turn it into a tool. And when that tool lives up to the rider’s standards, trust is formed. Trust is formed between the shaper and the rider through communication. This is the basis of a good shaper and surfer relationship.
What is your best advice to someone buying a surfboard in today’s market?
Don’t go out looking to buy the only board. Go out looking to buy the next board. You are building a quiver. Surfing is about growth and progress. Don’t stop exploring and experimenting. There is nothing wrong with having that one go-to board that you are most comfortable with, but always remember, no session is too precious to experiment with. When shopping off the rack, know before you go and don’t settle because of a sale price or art design. Get exactly what you set out to find. When looking for a shaper, ask around. Set up a meeting to talk surfboard design. Look around the shop. If his/her craftsmanship on boards or even carpentry work around the shop lacks creativity or integrity, chances are so will the surfboard he/she makes for you. Finally, always keep an open mind, a free mind.
Monmouth County, NJ. Photo: Connor Halpin
Artie, talk about your new progressive longboard you are riding and why you have adapted to the style of surfing you have.
Artie: Phil recently released my signature model longboard, the Seaman high-performance model in the spring of 2013. It’s a triple stringer 9’2 x 21 x 2 5/8. It’s essentially two boards in one. I needed a longboard to suit the waves I was riding. I wasn’t content getting barreled on my shortboard anymore, and no traditional longboard was doing the trick. I needed a longboard for steep, fast, barreling waves. Believe it or not, the East Coast gets just as good as most places just usually not as often. That being said, sandbars along the Outer Banks and reefs up in the northeast can hold some solid surf.
This longboard has a huge spoon in the nose and 50/50 rails from the nose to the mid-body. There the board transitions to a double concave and vee out the back with hard rails, a pintail and a 5-fin setup. The custom rocker helps in steep waves, yet also allows the board to noseride very well. On a quad pintail longboard, you would be amazed at how well you can perform in steep, hollow, overhead waves. Funny thing is the board also noserides better than any board I’ve ever owned, even in small surf!
My motto is: single fin, single mind! Those who say longboards should only be ridden a certain way probably haven’t surfed any other longboard types and may actually like them! Just as you don’t have only one shortboard in a quiver, you should diversify longboard setups as well. I love single fin noseriding as much as most other loggers do, but when it’s big and firing, I need the right tools at the right spot. Progression is great in all forms of surfing, but we must never stray from its roots. A large fully grown tree is still attached to its roots even though it has grown and expanded. Performance longboarding simply adapts today’s knowledge and board technology to longboarding while still staying connected to its soulful roots.
Phil, lastly, how important is it to shape a board to a surfers needs and that of his/her home break.
Phil: We are all victims of marketing. Magazine ads, TV commercials and surfing DVDs. And in competitive efforts, I feel, the industry has led us astray. In pursuit of making the lightest and strongest surfboards, the importance of ride has been passed to the wayside. The lightest and strongest surfboards have their place but don’t always outperform in all conditions. For example, would you rather ride the lightest board at a break with large waves and howling offshores? Or would you rather ride a board with a bit more weight to hold it down the face? Having a surfboard made with one specific goal is important. That goal shouldn’t be beating out the competitor. It should be making the right board for the right person to ride at the right break. It should always be about the surfer and their ride. No two waves are the same and no two breaks are the same so why would anyone assume any two surfers are the same.
