This is my brain child. I have been growing this brand since I was fourteen learning all the ins and outs of the trade, putting in countless hours, and pulling many all-nighters learning how to make surfboards of the highest quality. This journey has taken me to many places working for a number of people and companies. Learning from world-renowned surfboard builders and channeling all the knowledge I picked up from them back into my unique creations. The fourteen-year-old who started making boards in an old horse stall would not believe that he is making boards for professional surfers and that he has become respected as not only a shaper but also a board builder within the industry. Chase Jacoway Surfboards will forever grow naturally with zero marketing and maintain the authentic quality of hand-shaped surfboards. The goal of keeping this brand so small is to allow me to pursue other avenues in life, and continually learn new skills, and broaden my creative abilities across mediums. Shaping surfboards has led me to my graphic design aspirations. Keeping the business small allows me to develop relationships with all of my customers, and turn clients into friends. 

Planing is one of the most crucial parts of shaping a surfboard. This can either make or break your board. If done well and properly this can save you a lot of valuable time. It takes me about forty-five minutes to rough out a board, which means within forty-five minutes I’m shaping 90% of the board. But through this process, I am also setting the rocker and thickness, marking and truing up the outline, setting the foil on the deck, and making the board start to look like something that might resemble a surfboard. Other than using a template and a handsaw for roughing out, the planer does all the real work. This tool can take up to a 1/8” of foam or wood away at a time and helps me set and blend curves

Now hand-shaping is becoming a lost art with the rising popularity and ease of CNC machines. Me on the other hand trying to save the traditions and preserve the old-school soul that was once put into surfboards I do not stray away from hand-shaping. Scrubbing is the part when you’re cleaning up all the planer marks put in from roughing out the board. This is the last 10% of shaping. Further cleaning up all the scratches and turning the rails. Making sure the stringer is flush the rails are tucked and the board can be ready for glassing. 

The very last step could probably happen earlier than it does as I spend too much time chasing shadows and scratches. In my opinion, this is the part that seals all the soul and energy that I put into the board. This makes the boards unique. Not the fact that I had tailored the board model specifically to the customer’s request. But the fact that I put my seal of love and sign it with my customer’s name and my own. This is the part that makes a board of mine the most special-channeling all the wondering thoughts I had while shaping each board into the unique hand-drawn badge of authenticity that signifies the connection and craftsmanship that goes into each board. The patterns and textures I draw are representative of the waves that harmonize together and travel thousands of miles through the ocean only to dissipate as they approach the beach and transfer their energy to the surfers to harness and enjoy. These vibrations resonate with our souls filling us with newfound energy and joy. My job as a shaper is to tap into the customers’ desires and allow them to tune into mother nature’s frequencies.