KEY POINTS:
Name: Steve Morris (29)
Role: Surfboard maker and shaper. Owner/operator Morris Surfboards.
Working hours: 40-60 a week, depending on season.
Average pay: Juniors $20-$25K. Experienced boardmakers $40-$50K.
Qualifications: Initially self-taught, plus observing and working with experienced surfboard makers.
Career prospects: Further developing my reputation in customised boards.
What do you do?
I'm a custom-made surfboard manufacturer and I've been making surfboards for 10 years. The last five years I've been running my own business. I employ one other surfboard maker and we average 10 to 12 surfboards a week.
We build customised boards to an individual's specifications.
I'm a shaper, so I hand-shape the foam to the design, dimensions and style required. We stencil and airbrush designs using acrylic lacquers to create the visual detail. The board is then fibreglassed, laminated, sanded and finished.
We also design and make generic boards.
Why did you choose this line of work?
I'm a surfer and developed an interest in surfboard design and it progressed from there.
I set up my own business to have more control over what I was doing and start my own board label.
What training or experience do you need?
There is no structured apprenticeship system. You start at the bottom and work up.
The best experience is gained by doing stuff in your garage at home where you make early mistakes on your own boards and figure out how to use a sander and what to do with resin and stuff like that.
It is lot easier to teach someone or bring them in if they've had that background.
An introductory boat building course where you learn about composites and fibreglass manufacturing would be helpful if you haven't got tools available at home.
Your history?
After school I worked as a boat building labourer for a couple of years. Then I worked for a marine propeller manufacturer and started designing propellers and things like that with computer software.
While doing that, I was always tinkering in our garage making my own boards.
I started getting orders from friends, then went to work for a surfboard making company.
Surfboard manufacturing is all about perfecting boards and if you're quite young and inexperienced, it is hard to get a following. So it was important to work under someone else to get my skill level up.
What skills or qualities do you need?
An eye for detail, good hand-eye coordination and skills with hand tools. You need a passion for surfing and an appreciation of the construction of boards.
You need an open mind and be able to problem solve. It is one of those jobs where you need to be continually improving your work.
What are the challenges?
A big issue is the number of production line imports coming in. There are only three customised surfboard manufacturers in Auckland. There used to be six.
Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?
Research surfboards as much as you can. The more theory you understand, the better because it means when you're in a factory environment you'll understand the terminology and learn faster.
You need to keep asking yourself; 'Why does my board work that way? Why is it made like this? How made it? How?'
Changes ahead?
Making surfboards is becoming more engineering based, which is why we're starting to use a CNC [computer navigational cutter].
There are only two designed specifically for surfboards in New Zealand.
We send specifications by email and get the board cut for us. This takes the grind of 'mowing' foam out of the process.
Mowing is when you go over and over the board until it gets the shape you want. This can take one or two hours per board.
It is a recent innovation that requires skill in a computer design programme so I'm going to concentrate on developing and learning more about that this year.
Best part of the job?
I really enjoy the interaction with other surfers and making a good board that people appreciate. That can be pretty rewarding. After a while the refinement is quite particular.
It isn't a question of whether the board will work or not but about how to get more out of it. People's surfing progresses and they realise there is something they'd like better in a board so they come and order a new one.
That is where customised boards come into their own and it is great to make a board that helps someone take their performance further.
