Ep 32 - Surfboard Myths - CAD programs create perfect surfboards with Sam Tehan - Force 9 Surfboards

We kick off the 'Surfboard Myths' series with Sam Tehan from Force 9 surfboards.  We live in a world saturated with marketing bullshit and as the surf industry went corporate, surfboards followed.

Topics will be suggested by the Dust Up community, and we will get them on to discuss the myth.  We are not trying to discredit any brand or people in the industry and will do our best to address the actual myth.

In this episode we chat to Sam about how people view CAD programs and what exactly does the program do?  Sam has been in the industry for many years and is surrounded by numerous robots, machines and 3D printers at Force 9 surfboards.  

Many think shapers simply input length, width and thickness but it is way more complicated than that.  Like any computer program it will do what the user tells it to do.A good surfboard designer uses CAD programs as a tool similar to how shapers use any other tool in their shaping bay.  The journey to learn how to use these programs is never ending but it takes years to be proficient.  This has resulted in many high-profile shapers not even designing their own files.  

The main point of these episodes is to help customers understand what is true and what is marketing spin.  If your shaper cannot explain what a design element contributes to the performance of a board, find another shaper.  

I hope you enjoy our chat...