Today, I want to keep it fresh. I'm posting on a talented right coast shaper named Bill Pressly. He agreed to do a short interview for my blog, and here you have it. You may or may not have ever heard of this talented shaper depending on what part of the world you're from, but his work speaks for itself.RT: Where are you from, and where have you been living?
BP: I grew up in suburban maryland and have been living in the mountains outside of boone, north carolina for a long time now.
RT: How long have you been shaping surfboards?
BP: This is my 4th year building surfboards, i'm just getting started. It's something i wanted to do all my life, but it took me awhile to get around to. After i sold my business 4 years ago, i stripped down a very beat 1965 con ugly and reshaped it into a 6'4 single fin. I used no power tools, just shaped it by hand. I really wanted to get the feel of of the foam and what shaping is all about. it went pretty well, so i ordered a planer, blanks and materials and have been at it since then.
RT: Where do you usually surf? and shape boards?
BP: In the fall and early winter i mostly surf southeast North Carolina to Cape Hatteras. Much of that coast faces SE and picks up a lot of tropical swell. Early winter I put the camper on my truck and head to mexico for 3 or 4 months.
RT: How long have you been shaping surfboards?
BP: This is my 4th year building surfboards, i'm just getting started. It's something i wanted to do all my life, but it took me awhile to get around to. After i sold my business 4 years ago, i stripped down a very beat 1965 con ugly and reshaped it into a 6'4 single fin. I used no power tools, just shaped it by hand. I really wanted to get the feel of of the foam and what shaping is all about. it went pretty well, so i ordered a planer, blanks and materials and have been at it since then.
RT: Where do you usually surf? and shape boards?
BP: In the fall and early winter i mostly surf southeast North Carolina to Cape Hatteras. Much of that coast faces SE and picks up a lot of tropical swell. Early winter I put the camper on my truck and head to mexico for 3 or 4 months.
All of my boards are shaped in an old donkey stall in my barn, 300 miles inland and 3000 ft above sea level.
RT: How did you hook up with Thomas Campbell and Ando?
BP: I met Thomas in Mexico 3 years ago. I was camped at this spot, and he showed up with that orange pignar. I hadn't really seen any boards like that, flat, hips way back and straight lines to the nose. and there he is, doing all that crazy switch stance, spinners off the top, tons of drive, tmoe style! i had a bunch of my boards with a crude logo, so one day he sat down and painted me a new one. Very cool! Andy was with him in mex this year and we had lots of good surf. It was cool to see him surf that little fish, leashless, like a skateboard. you could see little snapshots of his art in every turn. Super flow.
RT: Plans for the future?
BP: More of the same. I like it. Every board i build i learn a little more and it feels good when i put one in the water or watch a friend surf a new board for the first time.RT: How did you hook up with Thomas Campbell and Ando?
BP: I met Thomas in Mexico 3 years ago. I was camped at this spot, and he showed up with that orange pignar. I hadn't really seen any boards like that, flat, hips way back and straight lines to the nose. and there he is, doing all that crazy switch stance, spinners off the top, tons of drive, tmoe style! i had a bunch of my boards with a crude logo, so one day he sat down and painted me a new one. Very cool! Andy was with him in mex this year and we had lots of good surf. It was cool to see him surf that little fish, leashless, like a skateboard. you could see little snapshots of his art in every turn. Super flow.
RT: Plans for the future?
RT: Do you have any favorite or personally specialized designs you are most proud of?
BP: I'm proud of every board i drop in on, when you feel it bite on the bottom turn, project, and release off the top.....it feels good. Last year i did a short trip to costa rica. I took a keel fish and a quad fish, surfing mostly decent beachbreak. I was liking the keel on my frontside and quad backside. This weekend i shaped a "2x4". assymetric, keel fin on the front side, quad on the right. template on the right is a little longer and has a wing. i like a little more rail in the water on my backside. We'll see.
RT: Who are your shaping influences?
BP: Not being around the industry, all my shaping influences are pretty much the boards i've surfed over the years. I started surfing in the early 70's and had a great 5'10 tom overlin fish, then some skip frye fish and a 7' egg and it starts from there. the 6'6 campbell brothers bonzer, merrick single fin, parmenter stubb vector. rich pavel's speed dialers, fish, and 5 fins. a mike eaton shaped bing noserider and clay bennett on the longboard side.
RT: How does one get one of your boards (surf shops, custom by email, etc)?
BP: Doing everything solo and slow, i'm pretty backed up right now. you can check my blog or send me an email. bphang10@aol.com
all photos courtesy of Bill Pressly
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