"From a very early age I have always had a love of surfboards. Growing up across from Manly Beach in Sydney, I was always in the water trying out my own unique style of surfing which has been a major influence on the design of my shapes. I think there is such a great art behind making a surfboard and I think it is a shame when a board gets pumped out of a machine with no individual touches.Where is the soul in that? The bottom line is this:

The difference between a good board and a great board is how it feels under your feet." 

How did you get into shaping or decide to make a career from it?
I started by watching some of the Shapers in Brookvale, Sydney. This included guys like Bob Mctavish, Peter Cornish, Keith Paul, Glen Ritchie etc. But the Shapers that influenced me the most were; Neil Purchase. NP (Neil Purchase) got me my first job at Keyo Surfboards back in 1968. Where I stat off by cutting back the rails on surfboards and doing good old factory duties such as: Cleaning the shaping bays and glassing rooms (its where all the shapers start).

In those days Keyo Surfboards was one of Australia’s leading surfboard manufactures, that is where “in my opinion”, Mctavish started the “Shortboard Revolution”.

When shaping became a career path for me was after competing in surf competition is the 60’s and early 70’s. Where NP (Neil Purchase) was my surfboard shaper, but I would shape a few myself and Neil would fix them up for me haha. Later in 1968 Neal left Keyo to work for Nipper William Surfboards, this is when he gave me a one day shaping lesson and then I became one of the shapers at Keyo Surfboards.

Who were your mentors?
Niel Purchase (NP).

Describe the first board you shaped?
The first board I shaped was in 1967. I shaped it with a mate of mine, he shaped the left side and I shaped the right. We painted his side black and my side red (that way there was no arguments haha). We brought a fin and resin and borrowed one of mum’s linen sheets for fibreglass, glassed and finished the board. It was very rough but surprisingly went pretty good!

Who where your influences early in your career?
All of the greats from the late 60’s to early 70’s.

Glen Ritchie: Fantastic Surfer/Shaper, the first guy to shape full concaves. He taught Mitchell Ray (Outer Island Surfboards) to shape.

Jim Pollard: The first guy to shape channel bottoms (who I shaped with for 3 years). These channels started 12” from the nose and followed the plan shape and curved out through the flyers in the tail. Al Byrne started the concept of 6 deep straight channels after Jim.

Then later on through the 80’s and 90’s Glen Winton was a huge influence because of his eccentric ideas, I always remember a surfing magazine ask him how he came up with the “Four Finned Surfboard”... and his answer was that “he simply took two fins off!

Who have you shaped boards for over the years?
From the 80’s to the 90’s the main guy I shaped board for was Glen Winton (Mr X) through his years on the pro tour. Through the 90’s I did an American Franchsie with Spyder surfboards and shaped for a lot of American and South African sponsored surfs, guys like Benji Weatherly, Conan Hayes, Greg Browning, Byron Howarth and Frankie O. I also did boards for Peterson Rosa and Polo Moray while they where on tour. In recent years I have just really been focusing on shaping for the local Gold Coast surfers (but every so often a pro like Hedges will grab a few.

Has there been any board that has stood out over the years?
With 40 years of shaping there has been quite a few through the different eras... But I think Simon Anderson thruster has been the biggest influence in surfing for the last 20-30 years. But for myself being involved with Glen Winton and making “Four Fins Surfboards”.

I always found that the Four Fin Setup had more drive and freedom the thrusters. I think that it’s only now (30 years later) that people are starting to understand and get the same sensation that we got out of the Four Fins back in the 80’s, I believe with likes of surfers such as Kelly Slater that they have open surfers minds to experiment with the benefits of quad surfboards.

What designs have you been working on lately?
Right now I’m really concentrating on playing with a lot of tail area and four fin placements. There are a lot of different placements for fins, which all work but do slightly different things. For instance, on some boards with more tail area (Fish/semi-fish), I’m pulling the fins back to give you more drive and control.

I’ve also working on a Vee bottom concept which I call “Free-Line Vee”. It’s a Vee contour shaped into the bottom stringer between two flat sections to give the board a pivotal point which makes it super-reactive under your feet.

There are also a few more experimental designs that I have in mind but that might take another 30 years to perfect haha.

What makes your boards better then the rest?
The knowledge of shaping for the last 40 years and shaping, surfing everything from single fins, twin fins, thrusters, quads and bonzer’s.

Where do you see the future of shaping (e.g. board design, materials)?
I think as far as shaping goes I feel that sometimes it’s a bit of rework of what you have done in the past, a bit of the old with a bit of the new... a melting pot. Something I’m working on now is something I surfed over the 30 years ago in a bottom shape, bit it’s something that hasn’t been done before that I know of.

As far as basic surfboard design goes we are seeing shorter/lighter flatter-rockered kind of boards, we are trying shorter and wider board which gives you a bit more balanced plan-shape, it enables the board to fit into sections of the wave and flow a lot smoother. As far as materials go, there has been a pretty big push with Styrofoam and Epoxy. In the last 30 years there have been probably been about 2 or 3 times where it’s been pushed but this time it seems to be sticking and more people are involved and it also seems the materials and technology are getting better.

I think the epoxy boards are good for smaller days, you get a stronger board and more floatation in the surf but I think in the bigger waves you can have more problems. It seems you have to weigh them down a little and adjust your shaping, otherwise they seem to get too corky. I’ve started experimenting with it myself with the guys from Shapers, they seem to be progressive with their materials and coming up with something better month which can make it easier for me to use these new materials they have to offer.

What words of wisdom would you pass down for inspiring shapers?
The first thing I’ll say is you have to have a love for making surfboards and a love for the industry... Never think you’re a shaper if you’re using a computer and just finishing off. Learn to shape from the blank and using a power planner and all the tools. You will have a better sense of achievement. Experiment with as many different shapes as possible, the best way to know how everything works is to feel it for yourself.

Tell us why you love your job?
The satisfaction I get from shaping a surfboard for a customer and they come back and tell me how much they liked it... They enjoyment I get from shaping even after 40 years I still get grumpy when I wake up in the morning and I don’t have a shape to do.

Someone once asked me what I will do when I retire; I told them I would probably build a shaping bay in garage and continue to shape... I can lose the business part but I will never lose the love of shaping.

Anything you want to get off your chest?
Surf Shops and Corporations that don’t sell “REAL” surfboards and only sell imported CRAP for a bigger profit. Now we have all these companies that use cheap computer shapes and pay some so called shapers to finish the board off which making the shaper lose their credibility. To some people it is becoming more important what Pro-Surfer rides surfboards than who actually shaped it.

Favourite shaping tools?
All the tools from Shapers; Soft/Medium/Hard Blocks, hand planers, shaping Gauze etc... But a shapers best tools are his eyes, hands and imagination!

Why do you use Shapers Fins?
Because Shapers try to accommodate all the shapers with their own fin designs, for example my Quad JK70/30 Fins. Shapers Fins doesn’t think of limitation when it comes to designs they think Possibilities!

What are the benefits of Shapers Fins?
The benefits of Shapers Fins are they are always trying to better their fin selections with different materials and templates. I know that when I ask for something they will do their best to help me.

What is you favourite Shapers Fin Set(s)?
My JK70-30 Quad Set Up

Contact:       Jack Knight  
Ph:                (07) 55765914
Email:           info@jackknightsurfboards.com.au    
Website:       http://www.jackknightsurfboards.com.au