Chris Christenson on shaping, therapy, and the subtle art of not giving a fuck

Alex Workman
Design Outline

Over a couple of beers at The Northern in Byron Bay, Santa Diego shaper Chris Christenson sat down with Alex Workman and, amongst other things, explained why opening your mind to different boards is the best thing you can do for your surfing.

Alex Workman: Should more surfers build a relationship with one shaper?
Chris Christenson: I think surfers should build a relationship with several shapers. I honestly don’t believe in working with one guy in anything. Even myself, I enjoy getting boards from other shapers. I’ve always looked up to and respected Simon Anderson and last year when I was here I was like, ‘I’ve got to get a board from Simon Anderson’. So I finally met the guy and even I was intimidated by him you know?

Matt Biolos and I shape boards for each other all the time. So it’s not just about getting a relationship with one person, having a relationship with several shapers is actually only going to broaden your knowledge of your equipment and respect for it. It’s only going to benefit your surfing in the long run.

Speaking of equipment you shape everything from Simmons-inspired fish, to performance shortboards, to big wave guns. Is this a reflection of what you’re into or your many influences showing through?
I think a lot of it is that I’ve been lucky enough to have so many influences. From being around Dick Brewer to Skip Frye, to working for Rusty—I used to be the team shaper at Rusty in the early 90s. It’s also my overall love for surfing and all aspects of it.

I like the way that guy rides a longboard and I like the way that guy rides a fish and that guy’s ripping on that thruster. It's a good challenge to do each one of those. Most shapers specialise in one area and leave it with that.

I also knew as a business model that if I could adapt in each style of surfing I’m probably not going to run out of work. That helped too.

The other part of it is that I’m super ADD. Today I did two guns for Ryan Hipwood—a 9’8” and a 10’4” for Jaws. Then I did boards for Noa Deane—all performance shortboard models. One was a channel bottom, a couple were swallow tails and a squash tail. I also did a twin fin fish and a 5’10” bonzer all in a day. It makes the day go quicker too. I think it’s a positive for my shaping.

Why do you think people are becoming more receptive to different ideas and trying different shapes?
I think it’s healthy to be diverse in anything in life. Anytime you’re focused on one thing that’s an obsession, and in my opinion it’s not healthy. Since I’ve been diverse in my shapes it’s been neat because I’ve dealt with guys who are on tour who only deal with performance boards and then they’ll see a twin fin or a longboard that I make and then they say, "Oh man, I want one of those for his pointbreak I have out the front or when I’m in the off-season".

The opposite happens too. I get longboard guys or alternative guys who surf really, really well that go, "Man, I want to get a performance board for when the waves get really good".

So it’s cool to finally see all the tribes in surfing kind of coming together now and being open about everything. Because twenty years ago, man you were either this or that and there was no crossing the tracks to the other side.

What things hold people back from choosing the right board?
At the end of the day we’re all consumers and we're all influenced by something. Especially nowadays, whatever you’re passionate about is readily available just on your phone, from searching hashtags to searching Google, Instagram and before that we were influenced by videos. Everything is so accessible now and there’s so much information.

Now, being on the other side of the fence and taking orders from people it’s kind of abstract, and I’ll be honest, 75% of the people that come to me have one thing in their head before we’ve met, and once I’m done with them 75% of the time it’s something else.

So what happens in that process, how do you steer them into the right board?
At the end of the day I’m kind of like a therapist, right? I gotta listen to them and I can kind of figure them out pretty quick. Usually it’s like, "No, no, no, no—this is what you’re going to get".

OK, so I’ve walked in, told you I rode a 5’10” bonzer of yours that I like but I want something that can be pushed in bigger waves. I’m open to trying anything—a single fin, going longer. What do you recommend?
Well the sky’s the limit, man. We could do that bonzer longer, or you could try a single fin…there’s no right or wrong though I’ve always been a fan of of the longer rail. 7’0” to 8’0” boards doing a proper turn on a three foot wave is a beautiful thing in my opinion.

I think more and more people are getting open to that because they are so brainwashed by what Kelly [Slater] has done all these years. I love Kelly but everyone has been brainwashed into riding that style of equipment and do that style of turn that they might get half way to it in about 1 out of 100 tries.

When you see a guy like Kelly have so much influence on a marketplace does it scare you or motivate you to push your designs further?
It would scare me if I didn’t understand it, but I understand it. It’s like everything in life. [Chris gestures outside the bar] Why does that guy want those tyres on his car? Why does that van have a whole bunch of flowers on it..? Our brain shoots so many sparks.

Literage has become this new gospel that defines how to choose the right board. Do you have an opinion about that?
[Long pause]. I mean … I’ve been reading a book lately and it’s called, ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck’ and to me that’s just a great way of approaching your surfing. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. What feels natural to you? What do you want to do, and to what end is that realistic?

The art of not giving a fuck is also about being realistic. Not giving a fuck and being unrealistic are a dangerous mix. You’ve gotta be realistic.

You've already said you like to be diverse, but is there one particular board that you enjoy shaping more than another?
I get asked that question a lot. I’d say I love shaping guns, but today I had to do two and I fucking hated it because the blanks felt like concrete. I knew I was getting hungry and I wanted to go to dinner with my buddy Charlie. I was like, ‘Fuck these guns! I’d rather shape a shortboard right now’ [Laughs].

It all depends on the moment really. At the end of the day I like to let my work do the talking. My only goal is that I hope I’m doing something positive for surfing. I don’t really give a shit about what model is better.

What do you hope people will remember when they mention Chris Christenson, the shaper?
[Long pause] I really don’t treat anyone differently. Whether it’s the guy who wants the board for Jaws, or Tom, Dick and Harry who want a board for their local beachbreak—I honestly just approach it with the same passion. Obviously if I’m doing a 10’6” board for Jaws I’m going to go a bit slower and measure where I place the fins a few extra times. But it’s not really my goal to be known for anything.

What was the last board you shaped?
Today I finished with a 10’4” Jaws gun—it was 90 litres, 21 inches wide by 4 inches thick for Ryan Hipwood.

(Photos this page courtesy Brendan Back)

Comments

neville-beats-buddha's picture
neville-beats-buddha's picture
neville-beats-buddha Friday, 7 Apr 2017 at 3:45pm

Mr Christenson spills a few gems in that there interview but I like this one...."I’ve always been a fan of of the longer rail. 7’0” to 8’0” boards doing a proper turn on a three foot wave is a beautiful thing in my opinion."

I'm a shortboard rider but also an admirer of a longer rail used well.

daisy duke kahanamoku's picture
daisy duke kahanamoku's picture
daisy duke kaha... Friday, 7 Apr 2017 at 4:34pm

I'm gunna lift the lid on Chris' modesty and say it's BLOODY HARD to shift gears from shortboards to longboards when shaping and my last attempt at a gun proves it. I started with a an 8'2" blank and finished with a sub-six shorty because those loooong smooth curves are so hard to match. My shed looked like Tony Montana's loungeroom once I was done.

upnorth's picture
upnorth's picture
upnorth Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 2:44am

You think he's modest?

Tarzan71's picture
Tarzan71's picture
Tarzan71 Friday, 7 Apr 2017 at 4:44pm

I know , I am ignorant, but those photos looks like he is cleaning up a machine shape, not a hand shape
Ignorance is bliss

mantown's picture
mantown's picture
mantown Friday, 7 Apr 2017 at 8:02pm

Yep, production machine shapers finish a board in 30 minutes, some take 15. If the machine shaped channel bottom took 1 hour Chris Christenson (never heard of him) worked for 3 hours that day and thinks he's got ADD??

lomlombard's picture
lomlombard's picture
lomlombard Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 3:42pm

Worked for three hours ... how did you draw that conclusion? I think the ADD reference is in relation to the diversity of boards he shaped that day not the number . He's probably never heard of you either .

helmet-not-hose's picture
helmet-not-hose's picture
helmet-not-hose Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 4:00pm

Never heard of Chris Christenson?? Have you ever heard of Greg Long, Ian Walsh, Twiggy Baker?

I guess every sport needs its autograph hunters. Starstruck by heroes but ignorant of equipment.

lomlombard's picture
lomlombard's picture
lomlombard Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 4:06pm

Where in the article does it mention hand shaping ??

mantown's picture
mantown's picture
mantown Friday, 7 Apr 2017 at 8:05pm

I think the machine shaped the boards.....

Gazman82's picture
Gazman82's picture
Gazman82 Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 10:11am

Have you ever shaped a board?? Even machine cut boards require a fair bit of detailed finishing...

Tarzan71's picture
Tarzan71's picture
Tarzan71 Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 12:36pm

Yes mate, Ive shaped a few, by hand from cut out to finish, never glassed one myself, got my mate to do that to save the mess. I think the point being that a guy making out he is going like a train is a fallacy when a cnc machine is actually expending the majority of the energy.
FYI, I stopped shaping my own because I wasn't good enough at it and have the utmost respect for true craftsmen that do the lot by hand. The boards in my shed are a mix of about 50/50 machine to hand, Ive got no problem with either, but I sent my own shapes on their way many moons ago.

lomlombard's picture
lomlombard's picture
lomlombard Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 5:08pm

Mate are you serious ? have you ever seen one of Chris's shapes ? So if a guy finish shapes 10-15 boards a day he's not working hard ?? If a shaper uses a machine to cut out the process of skinning a blank he's not a "craftsman"? Think of shaping machine like nail gun for a builder .
I think a true shaper should be able to shape a board from a block of foam but if he or she wants to knock out few more then why build a rod for ya back scratchin em out from scratch?

Gazman82's picture
Gazman82's picture
Gazman82 Monday, 10 Apr 2017 at 10:26am

True that... I like building from scratch. I design on a computer, print my template and all by hand from there.

fubby-tucker's picture
fubby-tucker's picture
fubby-tucker Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 12:29pm

So Simon Anderson is a hoax aswell.

He uses heaps of pre shapes? He explains it very well in his book why they use them. Basically they take out the grunt work..

MR?

Merrick..

Near everyone uses pre shapes, aren't they really just a blank that is closer to what the shaper wants.

The machines are more accurate and save time. Why wouldn't a shaper use them? Its the same as screwing in a screw with a battery drill instead of a screwdriver. Using a power saw not a hand saw.

Tarzan71's picture
Tarzan71's picture
Tarzan71 Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 12:49pm

Way to go wanker, have you been reading long or do you struggle with the perception of English in written form?
Nobody above has criticized the use of preshapes, only the guy who tells everyone about his ADD and how many he pumps out in a day.

fubby-tucker's picture
fubby-tucker's picture
fubby-tucker Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 1:17pm

Wow, thanks for the overreaction...
The whole tone is bagging the bloke for using a machine, saving time and inferring that he can't shape from hand..

Anyone that has the slightest idea about the bloke would laugh at this, especially as it is being written by never wheres ...

Stay blissful..

Gazman82's picture
Gazman82's picture
Gazman82 Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 1:41pm

That's actually the complete opposite of what I implied by my initial response. Someone still has to finish them by hand.. fine tune it to a precise craft. I for one wasn't knocking the use of machine cutting, however handshaping is a rare and dying art form.

fubby-tucker's picture
fubby-tucker's picture
fubby-tucker Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 2:03pm

Mate, i agree with you..
Making a surfboard is hard but after 30 years of doing it i'd guess it becomes easier and some tasks would be auto pilot stuff. Like cutting in a rocker and taking of the bulk from the blank.

Why are blokes that have years of experience starting from a blank expected to keep doing the grunt work.

To me. A pre cut is just a blank with closer tolerances and allows the bloke to be more productive, earn a bit of coin and stay in the industry where as before they may not have.

Gazman82's picture
Gazman82's picture
Gazman82 Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 2:23pm

I hear you.. I'm a backyard shaper.. built 15 boards to date.. yet my last two that came from my "known" shaper, machine cut.. are actually not as perfect as i'd have expected. The stringer on both is not 100% centered as one rail is wider on one side to the other down at the business end of the board (aka tail).

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 2:45pm

More care needs to be taken lining up the laser dots to dead centre of stringer

+ or - 2mm over 1.8 metres is not good enough.
What length are your boards Gazman ?

Gazman82's picture
Gazman82's picture
Gazman82 Tuesday, 11 Apr 2017 at 2:44pm

a 6'7" round pin, which is about 10yrs old now.. and a 5'7" squash.

My own boards vary from 5'8" to 6'2" these days. The 5'8 is a stubby thing.. want to build a 5'10 every day board.. the 6'2 is a step up.. needs to be scaled back a bit.. so thinking 6'0.

Eugene Green's picture
Eugene Green's picture
Eugene Green Tuesday, 28 Aug 2018 at 12:55pm

.

dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000 Saturday, 8 Apr 2017 at 7:30pm

ok i'm adding my bit here. Yes the machine cuts the board, but some human has to tell it what to cut. There in is the craftsmanship. I'm sure chris spends countless hours designing boards on the computer for the machine to cut, and as well as that, as gazman82 says, machine cut shapes need heaps of fine detail work, which is also part of the craftsmanship thing.
ps. sitting in front of the fucking computer for hours on end is still work and has to be done if you want to make a surfboard!!!

wuaagrevo's picture
wuaagrevo's picture
wuaagrevo Monday, 10 Apr 2017 at 6:54am

My two cents - I would be surprised if someone like Chris, who learnt his craft pre cnc, didn't initially create/design the majority his models entirely by hand. Perhaps he makes a few adjustments/notes over the next however long by getting some feedback from his team and himself. Once he/they are happy the hand shaped board/boards gets scanned and any further adjustments can be made on the computer. That is how I know of it being done by others. Computers and machines are just another tool which can save a lot of time and effort and increase the accuracy in which tweaks can be made to all aspects of the board. As previously stated it takes lots of skill to accurately finish shape a machined blank. Anyone can scrub the lines out of it but without proper use of the tools or by simply over doing it, anyone can also bugger the machined blank and take out all the amazingly accurate cutting and design that the computer and machine has provided by following the designers specifications. I do hate it when people call themselves shapers if they haven't ever hand shaped though - props to those in the cnc world who call their shapes designs