Bodyboarding into the future: Hand Picked Customs

Inside Hand Picked’s Shaping Bay, Sydney, Australia

Story By Kylie Palmer

Bodyboarding in Australia has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years. In Victoria in particular there has observationally been a reduction in the number of people taking up the sport.  You only have to paddle out at any sucky reef or shore break to see that the average age of bodyboarders is likely to be 35 and over.   The number and average age of bodyboarders would be significantly different throughout each state in Australia (WA for example seems to have a thriving community), but overall, the younger generation over the last 15-20 years have been less attracted to bodyboarding.  The reasons for this, I imagine are multifactorial, but for the most part it's because there are few opportunities to progress and minimal exposure for athletes.  

This could all be about to change.  Bodyboarding Victoria for example has been reignited by a core group of people with a vision to take bodyboarding into the future and create opportunities for new athletes, promote the sport and offer streams into National competition.  Also, brands like Hand Picked (HP Bodyboards), hailing from South Africa, are creating hype by opening a flagship store in Sydney where you can go and browse bodyboards, shop for apparel and even watch the board shaper do their thing in real time.

I had the pleasure of talking to the founder of Hand Picked, Michael Ostler, about the new store and how the shape of your bodyboard can change the way you surf.

Michael, how did you end up shaping boards in Australia? 

Honestly, I wish there was a more romantic answer, but life kinda pushed us here naturally.  Australia, in my head, is where the peak of bodyboarding is. I grew up watching and following all the Aussie videos and they were all just in another league. The level here is in my opinion industry leading... So when the opportunity presented itself to open a shaping bay here, the stars aligned. Australia has some of the best waves in the world too, so having the opportunity to put our boards into some of the heaviest and best waves on the planet is just epic! 

Tell me about which Core Material you use and how this affects performance: 

Our boards are built up of two core options. We offer Poly Pro which is pretty much stock standard in high end boards. It's rigid, lasts a long time and is good to work with.  Poly pro works best in warmer waters, as the warm water causes the cores to have more flex. Then for the cooler to cold water, we offer a slightly more flexible core, we call the "apex" core. The difference in materials is subtle, but it's considerably noticeable when you ride it... Flex is massive in bodyboards. It can separate what people would perceive a good board vs a bad board. We try to educate our clients on cores and water temps, body type and performance level. Every one of those aspects affects the performance of a bodyboard, and it's vital to take into account every one of them when it comes to building a board.

A little more about flex & response:

We do have a few other shaping techniques to increase or decrease the flex or response of the boards....  

 When riding a flexi board, you're sacrificing speed for control. So, the more flex you have the more control you will have of that board in the water.  The stiffer your board, the faster you go and the less control you have. So, what we aim to do is find the perfect mix.

 More Flex = more control/ less speed

More stiffness = less control/ more speed

 Another thing to note is we can put deeper channels in to help with control, but it's very important to look at the waves you're riding, and what you want from your board.... 

 For example: If I was headed to Indo, where the waters are warm and the waves are longer, and faster, I will build a really, really stiff board. Probably add some volume into the core as I understand the water will force flex on the boards. So I'll build my quiver according to that... 

 If I was headed down the East Coast of Australia, where the waves are more slab driven, and the waters a bit colder, I will build my boards with a lot more flex, for control, and also because they will stiffen up in the cooler waters. When I'm riding bigger, heavier waves, control becomes more the priority over speed. That's when you hear talk of "drawing a good line" because you now have control, but you still need to generate the speed... 

 So, it's all a balancing act, and having the luxury of dealing directly with the shaper, who will consider where you're surfing, the type of wave you're riding and what you need from the board... It makes a massive, massive difference.

How do you choose the right size board? 

Also again, goes back to what waves you're riding. Body shape and size is in the equation absolutely, but you need to look at the water temps, and what you want to achieve. There's the old "belly button" rule, where people put the board to the belly and work off that. Which is ok, it's not right, but it's not wrong. When we make a board, we take all of that into account. Like for example, I'm tall but light, so if I was working off the "belly button" rule, I'd be riding a 46 inch.  In actual fact, I'm better suited to a board between 42.5 - 43.5 inch, depending on the waves. The best words of advice I could give you, when choosing a board... is talk to a pro. Talk to a professional, If possible, who knows your ability or at the barre minimum knows where you're surfing. Size makes a massive difference! 

Going up or down in size, how does this effect your surfing?

Size is big, people tend to talk a lot about length, but width and volume is important too. I have two boards in my quiver that are the same height, but the volumes are different.  The more foam, the faster you go.  This is the general rule of thumb, however once again, you are trading speed for control. Even off the wave face, paddling and duck diving... The bigger your board or the more foam you have in your board, the easier you paddle, but the harder it is to control your board when duck-diving etc.

Give us some examples of some HP Boards and types of conditions you ride them in: 

If I were to break down my current quiver, it would probably give you a better understanding of what it is I'm looking at when I build a board.

Right now, I have three boards in my pack. 

Board 1

43.25 Inch | Double Stringer | No Mesh | Thinned core | PolyPro 

I built this board for performance at smaller waves. I made it really stiff, with no deck backing (which makes the boards surface feel a little softer - for control) I made it this stiff and thin because I don't plan on using it very long. This board will be used when the waves are 2-4ft and water is warm. Other than those conditions, this board will stay in the bag... 

Board 2

43.25 Inch | Single Stringer | Mesh | Apex

This board is my performance board in waves 4ft and bigger. I'll use this board in cool to cold waters in a variety of waves from beaches to reefs. I would look at riding this board in anything up to about 10ft, then I'd need to get something heavier under me. 

Board 3

43 inch | No Stringer | Mesh | Poly Pro | Substrate 

So, this board stays in the bag most of the season.  It will be used mostly during winter swells in slabby conditions. I'll only use this board when its 4ft and bigger. It feels incredible but doesn't last too long, especially when I only use it in the bigger stuff. I've had some of the best waves of my life on this stringer-less board. Incredible for slabs and waves you really need to feel the foam beneath you. 

Finally, can you touch on stringers and how they affect the board?

So, stringers are basic but can be in-depth as well. The basic role of a stinger is to stiffen up your board. However, it gets complicated when we start to talk about where we want the flex. Then the stringers start to move accordingly. 

For example, I’m building a double stringer board to be stiff and have minimal flex on my elbows, so our shaper puts the stringers under each elbow (about 4cm above) through to the tail. This makes the bottom half of the board stiff, and the flex is only apparent in the nose. This allows for some control. If I need flex on the elbows for steeper more critical waves, I'll bring the stringers in a bit toward the center, allowing the foam beneath the elbows to twist and flex. Alternatively, downscale to a single stringer through the center to allow for some contortion. 

How can we contact you for more information or to have our dream board shaped in Australia?

I could honestly talk to you about it more in depth for hours but I'm sure your bored already! If you ever want to talk more or learn more about how the foam, we call a bodyboard works for you, we are available anytime either instore, on our socials or via email! 
Contact:

Store: Hand Picked, 3 Hay Avenue, Caringbah, Sydney Australia

Instagram: @hpbodyboards

Website: HandPicked (hpbodyboards.com)

Phone: 0423 564 979

Hand Picked Boards are also available in store at:

THE SLAB LAB

Rear 130 Liebig Street

Warrnambool VIC Australia 3280

Ph. 0408153513

Michael & Marc putting the final touches on a custom bodyboard, hand shaped in Sydney, Australia