"It's a lot of work," she says.įor her first board, Slabb made a 5'7" singlefin. Slabb evens out the stringer and fine-tunes the nose and tail. "Then you do the rails, and like, roll them out," she says. First she sands out the board to remove the marks from the machine cutting. "There's a lot to do," she says of this step. Then the board is machine-cut to her specifications, and returned to her for hand-shaping. With Aku, she creates her board template.
#Youtube aku shaper software#
She learned to use AkuShaper, a software program made for surfboard design, after a mentoring session with one of the program's developers. Like many shapers these days, Slabb uses a combination of modern technology and traditional hand-shaping techniques. McNeill, who has designed boards with Dave Rastovich and has Navajo heritage, showed the Juraki crew the step-by-step process of shaping a board. "Juraki teaches us about our culture and connects us with surfing."Ībout a year ago, Slabb attended a session with long-time shaper Gary McNeill through Juraki. "Through Juraki, we've become really good friends, so it's super fun to go to the contests," she says. Juraki Surf hosts a contest and cultural events, and each year, Slabb competes in contests around Australia that are specifically for Indigenous Australian. The organization is named for Juraki, an aboriginal man who performed the first known surf rescue on the Gold Coast. Through Juraki Surf, Slabb has met other Indigenous Australian kids interested in surfing. "Surfing and dancing are a way we can connect spiritually with the land and the ocean." 16-year-old Slabb started shaping just a year ago and she has already shaped 15 boards and counting. "Surfing is a connection to the land and the water," she says. She participates in Bandjalung cultural events, such as dances, and has learned some of the language. She's part of the Coodjinburra clan of the Bandjalung nation, whose ancestral lands include Fingal Head. Slabb's Indigenous Australian heritage gives surfing a special place in her life. "I love that you can be whoever you want to be in the surf. "I was kind of just born into it," Slabb says. Jalaan Slabb walks on the beach, carrying one of her signature boards and smiling as the sun sets.
Slabb learned to surf at age two, and her whole family surfs, including her sister and two brothers. In addition to the breaks near home, she's just across the Tweed River from surfing hotspots Duranbah and Snapper Rocks.
Having grown up in Fingal Head, Slabb is surrounded by good waves. Now 16, Slabb is making her own boards - and recently she shaped a board for two-time World Champion Tyler Wright. Each day, she surfs in the morning and does her schoolwork. When Jalaan Slabb learned to shape surfboards a year ago, she immediately fell in love with it. Follow along as we get to know these creative women and the joyful, useful products they build.
#Youtube aku shaper series#
Editors Note: Welcome to our series of stories about women who are carving out their own spaces in the surf industry.
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