Before the production boom, surfboards were shaped in backyard sheds, basements and garages. The shapers would take a foam mould (blank) and proceed to carve it into whatever shape they desired using hand saws and electric planers.

 

For a long time, polyurethane was not known by shapers to be toxic. When blanks are shaped, dust and debris fly everywhere, resulting in the danger of inhalation. 

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Simon is a local shaper from Sydney, he works as a carpenter during the day and operates his side business from the garage. He shapes custom longboards and mini-mals by request and most of his time and effort is handling board repairs. 

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'I started shaping around the late 80s. I started surfing as a kid but I was about 16 when I shaped my first board. They weren't anything special, just a couple with me and my mates. I'd use my dad's basement but it didn't have any windows. At the time I didn't know what the dust was doing to my lungs and I didn't even wear a mask.'

 

Years of damage had already affected shapers when they finally took proper precautions.

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'I don't shape many boards as often as I did, sometimes I get custom orders but it's just me in my garage. I don't have a big business, most of my business is for my mates and their sons. And their daughters too. I started doing board repairs for them as well. And the kids on my street too, they told their parents and their friends, so that keeps me busy.'

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Working in well-ventilated areas and wearing masks and PPE decreases the health risk but even then, the environment still remains at risk from these toxic surfboards.

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'My nose is kinda messed up, I got a bad cough and my throat can hurt some days but my garage is open. It's got windows around the sides and I leave the door open. I've even got a mask now.'

 

During this process, there are a lot of scraps left over and when discarded, these scraps remain in landfills indefinitely, unable to biodegrade.

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'It's terrible when broken boards rot in the surf, I know it's bad for the water and the fish. I've heard about the new way they want to make boards, the bio-foams and bio-resins. I think they're a great idea but I don't see the big brands going that way, especially when it's expensive and hard to make. Even for me, I know it's better but guys that shape locally won't be able to afford that.'