Shaper - Mike Walker

Reef Board Build-Off
by
John Fowler
SURFER Staff
Read an interview with Board Build-Off participant Chris Christenson
Read an interview with legendary surfer/shaper Mike Hynson

The spirit of competition has always driven surfers whether it be executing huge maneuvers in front of friends, or performing at the top level of the WCT. That said, an innovative twist on competition is going down this month at the Florida and San Diego Board Build-Offs -- two shaping “contests” for local pride and charity. Sponsored by Reef, 12 shapers from San Diego and 12 from Florida (plus one “ringer” chosen by Reef on each coast) are involved in two separate build-offs: one on the east coast at the trade expo, the other on the west coast at ASR.

For the first event Reef partnered with the Board Retailers Association (BRA) to put on the Florida Board Build-Off. The thirteen boards, meticulously crafted by the shaper/artisans involved, were displayed from January 11th-13th and were subsequently auctioned off to benefit the BRA. The more than $10,000 in proceeds are being used to design and implement a nationally accredited retailer education program.

As the shaper whose board brought in the most cash at the auction, Ricky Carroll was the ‘winner’ of the Board Build-Off and was presented with a $2,000 check from Reef at the end of the event. “I felt like I put my heart and soul into this board” said Carroll, “and all I wanted to do was win to showcase my skills. I knew that I was going up against my peers in the industry and it was important for me to win.”

The second event will take place on the Board Builders Pavilion at the ASR tradeshow in San Diego. All the boards will be on display in a silent auction from January 25-27th, with proceeds benefiting each specific shaper’s charity of choice.

The winning shaper whose board raises the most money in this auction will also receive $2,000 from Reef, though the real winners are the respective charities who benefit from the generosity. This type of event, while encouraging friendly competition, also lends more credibility to shapers as artists and not just producers of surf craft. These boards are one-of-a-kind works of art with a distinct beauty that belies their difficulty to create.

The Board Build-Off concept was the brain-child of Justin Kuttler, one of Reef's Senior Graphic Designers, and was initially met with a luke-warm response (as Reef is not involved with building boards so the tie-in to the team wasn’t 100% clear). Eventually the idea was revived by Bob Tanner, Reef’s Strategic Marketing Manager, to market the Hansen's/Machado Classic. Tanner went to work selling the idea to a group of very receptive shapers and it expanded from there.

“Board builders are the foundation of our industry” said Tanner “and we wanted to provide a platform that would spotlight what true craftsman and creative thinkers they all are.”

List of participating shapers:

San Diego Board Build-Off Shapers:

Michael Hynson
Hank Warner (Caster)
Ernie Higgins (G&S)
Rusty Preisendorfer
Rich Pavel
Larry Mabile
Gary Linden
Tim Bessell
Xanadu
Chris Christenson
Steve Boysen
Mike Walker
Rob Machado – as Reef’s ‘13th Shaper’

Florida Board Build-Off Shapers

Ricky Carroll
AJ Finan
Greg Geiselman
Chris Birch
Brian Tudor
Matt Kechele
Glenn Klugal
Tom Neilsen
Pete Dooley
CT Taylor
Rich Price
Kirk & Eric Brasington
DJ Kane – as Reef’s ‘13th Shaper’