“I can’t even color in the lines of a coloring book, so if someone’s telling me I can actually shape a surfboard, I guess right now it’s just a matter of proving it. I’m not really sure I can. We’ll see how it goes.” These were the words of a tool-averse student just before starting one of Shaper Studio’s board-shaping classes. But with the help of a professional shaper, she got the hang of using a crosscut hand saw, an electric paner, and the other necessary equipment for shaping her very own board.

It might seem like an impossible task, but the founders of Shaper Studios knew that if anyone would welcome the challenge of shaping their own boards, it would be the San Diego surf community. Here, on the shores of the Pacific, they’ve set up a public workshop space where surfers and SUPers can come by for private or group lessons on shaping and glassing their own boards. Those totally averse to shaping their own can leave it to one of the staff pros, but are still welcome to come to the artist stage to paint their own board design or just to see what a paintbrush looks like.