The shapers Workshop has been established to share skills to those who want to learn the art of surfboard shaping. In an industry that has been very reluctant to share its knowledge, the majority of surfboard manufacturing is now either machine shaped or sent overseas causing a void where interested people have nowhere to learn shaping skills. This is where the Shapers Workshop steps in.

The Surfboard Shapers Modules are being conducted by Richard Harvey in his shaping studio at 63 Lower West Burleigh Road Burleigh Heads. Here is some background on Richard Harvey.

Richard has lived through the heart of the evolution of surfing in Australia. He started learning about the ocean and its power as a boy on holidays at Manly in the 50s and 60s and later when his family moved to Mona Vale on Sydney’s northern beaches.

In his early teens Richard joined the local surfriders club and began his competitive surfing career. He competed in events across the country and in 1973 went on to win the Australian Open title. This led to surfing competitions in Hawaii like the Pipeline Masters and the Duke Kahanamoku Hawaiian Surfing Classic. His desire to surf the best waves in the world has taken him all around the globe. But Richard is probably best known for uncovering some of the classic breaks at Bali before they became popular. He once paddled and walked his way back from Uluwatu to Kuta along the coastline discovering the magical surfing playground that is now known as Padang Padang.

Richard has more than 40 years of shaping experience which he uses to create his hand-crafted boards. His shaping career started as a teenager in Sydney in the 60s when he used a saw to take the front two feet off a nine-foot board which he then used in the New South Wales Championships. His ‘Ugly’ board, as it became known, drew plenty of laughs but the turns kept coming and he went on to take third in the event.

This idea spawned his enthusiasm for shaping and he has since gone on to shape thousands of boards in Australia and around the world. Nowadays his focus is on designing and making handcrafted boards that stand out from the crowd.

For more info on the Shapers Workshop email info@harveysurf.com