Shaper Spotlight: Timmy Patterson

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Could you tell us a little about how shaping has played an integral part in your family history?

Growing up in Dana Point, you had the characters; Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison had the Hawaiian outriggers here. Just the area itself, southern Orange County, has a part to play. Two of my uncles and my dad worked at Hobie Surfboards.

What you guys are doing now [at Dark Arts] is what I always wanted to do, which is the advancement of surfboards. Fortunately for us here at Dana Point, we always had tons of surfers coming through. Pros were around even in the earliest days. I grew up at Hobie Surfboards from a very young age and used to bring my dad’s lunches to him; He was a sander. My one uncle was a pin-liner, and my other uncle was a laminator. I was there all the time, just cruising the hallways. I did my friends’ ding repairs and messed around with resin. If you wanted to work at the shop, you had to do the hard jobs first. For me, that was rail sanding and cleaning the shop.

My dad was making boards in La Jolla, he was part of the original Wind and Sea group in the 50s, and then his father was making blanks out of old army surplus boats from Pearl Harbor for Walter Hoffman, who was Christian Fletcher’s grandfather and Herbie’s father-in-law.  

The influences, for me, were the surfers at the time, Buttons and Mark Liddell. They were doing 360’s, and I thought, “I want to do one of those!”. I was shaping full-time in the early 80’s and got to make boards for Christian Fletcher. In the latter part of the ’80s, he said, “I don’t want to surf on a wave; I want to skateboard on a wave.” I responded, “Okay, let’s make a different kind of board.”.

Herbie was the nose rider, and I loved seeing him do that. I saw it on a magazine cover in the 70’s. I was awestruck. “Wow, that’s Herbie, my Dad’s friend!”. There was always progression. That’s when skateboarding was getting big; there was ramp riding, and guys were doing airs, which then transferred to the water at the same time. I wanted to do that, too, so I started making boards to fit in tubes and to try to do airs. It all relates: skating and surfing both add that little bit of adrenalin rush. But, of course, the water was a bit softer.

I was shaping out of my garage, and it really picked up before I started working at Hobie and another glass shop as a hot coater. Then, I gradually entered laminating and sanding. I started really shaping a lot around ‘84ish as a full-time shaper at Hobie’s doing everything. I was into shortboarding, but I had to do a lot of longboards, funboards, and whatever needed to be shaped. For me, I was getting my hands in the foam, which was the most fun thing ever, so I wasn’t bummed.

If I go back to one of the first times I got to shape, I probably was around ten years old. I got a railband from when the guys used to cut out their boards, and a 2ft outrigger canoe hull. I shaped that thing, and it actually turned out pretty good. That was kind of the beginning. If you were a surfer in school, you would draw surfboards on your school papers or shape them out of popsicle sticks. That was typical for kids, especially around here.

At Hobie, I really got the opportunity to go for it in my own way. I had a chance with Herbie Fletcher to go and shape for Chris McElroy out of San Clemente. He was doing Christian Fletcher models. You know how Hobie was kind of old-school. All of a sudden, I was fully up-to-date with the newest progression of surfing models. He was doing some of Matt Archbold’s boards; he was doing boards for Sunny Garcia, Dino Andino, and all the boys. I said, “I don’t want to do longboards all my life, I want to do this!”. They were super progressive boards and for advanced surfing. There’d be many people in town like the Ho brothers, the Gotcha boys, and Martin Potter; He was around San Clemente quite a bit. It was such a sudden shift, like “click.” The ’70s were gone, and the ’80s were on.  

 

I think that’s what shaping is for me. It’s all about the fun, the subtle sarcasm from egging someone on to do better. That’s that sarcasm you need to have when shaping boards since it can be a thankless job to a point. You’ve got to give it up to the workers, for my guys and the crew at Dark Arts. I know they’re nailing it, and I know what goes into them.

  

After so many years of shaping, what have you found to be the most challenging part of maintaining a successful shaping business?

At this point, I think passion overcomes a lot of that. Once you lose passion, it gets super hard and turns into a job. I don’t feel like I have a job; I just go make fun stuff all day long. I’ll shape a board and then want to make the next one better. I never lost the fun. It’s cool to have a business and still feel like I’m back in the garage trying to make a better board. That’s where shaping comes from, whether it’s stock, custom, or a team rider board.

 

What do you find most gratifying as a shaper today, and has that changed from when you started?

It hasn’t changed. Just seeing someone walking up to one of my boards and smiling with that stoke. I’m like, “Yes!”, knowing I made their favorite board. Seeing them come up and bragging about their board is the best feeling ever.

I don’t get customers who want to go straight and slow, and even if they did, I won’t make them one. Everyone wants something faster, forgiving, and loose underfoot, but not too loose. Everyone wants drive; I mean it’s talking to team riders and working with guys who can articulate it that makes a difference.

Some guys can describe a board really well. For me, Pat O’Connell and Dino Andino are really good at it. Pat is great; if he didn’t like a board, he’d just say, “It was dog balls; it skips halfway through a turn.” Then, I’m like, “Okay, I’m going to tuck it more here,” and the problem is solved. It’s the character and sarcasm that pushes you to shape better; the surfers are what really make it fun for me. There’s nothing better than working with the guys.

 

 

It sounds like you enjoy the refinement process with team riders…

We’re getting Timmy Reyes a Dark Arts board really soon since his feedback is so good. Honesty is good for everyone looking to improve. 

 

It’s really cool that you can surf the same volume as all these other guys so you can experience their board’s performance firsthand.

Being able to ride their boards, I’m always impressed when I get a chance to ride Italo’s boards. I tried that one for Mick, and it just didn’t click. I was so bummed, and he was too nice to say, “It sucked,” but that’s the only way to get better. From that, I was able to change a few subtleties and turn it into a really good board. It’s all those minor details that make or break a board.

 Do you have a favorite model you enjoy surfing in everyday conditions? What is it?

Yes, actually, it’s my Synthetic model; it gives instant speed. You don’t have to pump hard, and it’s easy to connect the dots with the fuller, flatter deck. Italo started on some of those boards in small-wave contests. He’d ride them in little conditions and go mental. I think he rode one of those in the beginning days of the Olympics. That was a testament to the board design. That model is a complete ’80s throwback with a little difference in concave. The model’s name is a throwback to my first brand, Synthetic Surfboards.

Back in the day, the manager at Hobie found us making them. I was shaping them with his son, and he was like, “Get this thing out of here!”. It was so funny; he did encourage us through, telling us they were pretty good shapes.

It’s great to see the groms today in the shops because they’re just like how I was when I started. Even though the business has grown quite a bit, we still have that same garage feeling from the beginning. It was never forgotten; We just transferred to a bigger garage!

Seeing groms shaping still inspires me to this day. Some of them are so talented, and I’m just blown away at what they’re making with so little experience.

 

 

What have been some of the most significant moments in T.Patterson’s history that you would care to reflect on?

 Italo winning in 2019 was when everyone thought we won our first world championship, but it was actually the second. Joel Tudor won the first one on a longboard. 

Honestly, just collaborating with certain people has been significant for me personally. Making boards for Cortez bank missions without even knowing it was incredibly special. I’d ask, “Where are you guys going with these boards?” and they’d say, “Oh, just up north somewhere.” then you’d see on Surfline that they were surfing massive Cortez bank with the boards I made.

It’s cool to do all this stuff, but it’s also about how you stick with it even when it’s hard, which gives you the endurance to keep going. ’08 was a bad year, but I persisted. Even if I couldn’t afford to pay anyone, I’d just do the boards myself. That year, I spent a lot of nights glassing boards alone. And then, to come out of that and pick up good riders makes me thankful to have stuck it out during that time.

Some other highlights were surfing with Potter at the local breaks and watching him draw new lines I’d never seen before. That was cool about the guys who would come into town like Andy and Chris Ward “Wardo.” All the Instagram social media wasn’t around, so you didn’t know they were at the spots. You just got a phone call saying where they were going, and then my buddies and I went to watch them surf. You know how your local spot is, and then to see someone like Felipe at the same place and see them blow it away, you get to enjoy your spot in a whole new light. Like, “Oh, you can do that over there? I’m going to do that now!”. 

I was fortunate enough to make a lot of boards for Adriano when he first got on tour—then shaping with the Long brothers. I have such a long history of making boards for different people. Working with Sunny and Buttons, I like working with everyone from average surfers to professionals since they all share the same stoke. I see it from the groms to the old guys; there’s no barrier to levels of stoke. It’s just so cool, you know?

Working with that and, meeting Jadson before he spoke English, and him introducing us to Italo. Then, in making Italo a board and watching where he went to another level was terrific. Suddenly, we watched him win Pipe and then go to the Olympics. I’m just a shaper from Southern California whose boards went all around the world. It’s kind of hard to accept for me. I don’t really like the pat on the back. I prefer to be the “fly on the wall” type, just making surfboards in the background.

 

Yeah, well, you’ve definitely made it as one of the best shapers in the world…

A lot of it is just passion, but it’s also a lot of work. Nobody really sees what I actually do. I’ll work during the day a bit. In the summer, especially at night when it’s hot outside, I’ll go bang out boards and work super late hours, get into my techniques while tuning everything out, and just start shaping.

That’s part of having all the right workers; my manager, Scotty Metzner, plays a huge role. It’s not just me doing my job anymore, so I don’t have to worry as much. A good crew makes you better, and our crew is on fire.

 

What has it been like working with Italo on his boards?

When he’s in town, I work with him in person. But I’ll design and send him the files in Brazil when he’s out of town. We have a deep connection with Silver Surfboards; one of them used to be my backshaper for years. We can adjust the shapes online, and they can produce them identically, kind of like Dark Arts. When I pick it up, it’s just like one of my boards. I also have my son shaping now, and he shapes just like me. Actually, he’s one of the better shapers I’ve seen.

 

It’s in the genes…

Well, the genes nailed him. Then, many different shaper relationships make a difference, too. Everyone has so much character. John Pyzel is like watching an event comedian. When he stops by the shop, I’ve got to get him out of here since it’s like having a copy of me walking around bouncing off the walls. 

It’s like two kids in a garage saying, “Let’s try this!”. And then there’s the full professional-esque Eric Arakawa, who blows me away since he’s so dialed into his designs. Maurice Cole is all over the board, too, and Simon Anderson is more calculated. What’s cool is my shaping room is open to all of those guys. I’m like, let’s get together; we’re right by Lower’s, Salt Creek, and everything in between. It’s a melting pot of ideas. We’re so fortunate we get to do this every day. We’re surrounded by shapers all the time, good shapers like Pat Rawson bringing in that old-school knowledge of guns and designs. Maurice Cole has his reverse v-designs. There’s so much going on that I get to experience! I’m so blessed to have these interactions with shapers from around the world. I remember Mark Richards being around and showing him the boards I made for Potter, and he loved them. Matt Biolos’s shop is across the street. It’s cool to see your board through another set of eyes and get feedback; seeing their boards through your perspective is sometimes fun, too. 

 

Whatever it is, we’re in a really cool situation where I don’t think that there is a lot of negative stuff; everyone is so positive, and I like that. Matt and I are beside each other, doing each of our boards. We can look at each other’s boards since it’s interesting to see their thoughts. You know you keep to your designs and keep to your techniques, but the inspiration is everywhere; it’s a melting pot of surfboards. Like “Incredible”, with all the best shapers in the world coming around, you will learn something unless you simply just don’t want to learn.

 

It’s like a surf-shaping destination for everyone to come and hang out, and it’s right at your shop.

You know, the guys working in the shop try not to ask too many questions, but sometimes they’ll ask me stuff like:

“Who is that big Australian guy?” 

and I’ll say, “That’s Simon Anderson.”

“What’s he doing in there?”

I’m like, “Shaping a board!”.

This one kid came in; it was really cool because he had planed out a board, and it was really good. I was like “Come over here, let me check it out!”. 

He was a handshaper guy and it was super tight. And then, Pat Rawson came over to check it out and was like: 

“Wow, these are really good.”-Then he left.

The kid was like, “Who was that older guy?”

I responded, “That was Pat Rawson.”.

He was like, “No way.”

Then I said, “Yeah, man, he’s checking out your board!”.

So yeah, I don’t really like to let them know. Usually, I say, “He’s just my buddy.”. 

 

But, they’re always curious, I’m sure.

Yeah, of course. But I really want them to just be themselves. It’s also that sarcasm thing. You do it to your buddies at the shop, the fin guy, and the finish guy. Everyone has a lot of fun.

 

It sounds like you guys have more fun at that shop than just about anywhere!

Yeah, sometimes we’ll get a guy that’s like, “Oh man, he’s eggy. He’s not going to last long; oh well, let’s terrorize him more!”. Everyone takes their job so seriously, though; it’s a messy job, sniffing resin all day long. But they all do such a good job we can still have some fun. I’ll do anything to crack them up. For one guy, I crack a joke first thing in the morning every day and see him get all stoked before he starts working; it’s the best!

 

Why do you like working with JT and the Dark Arts crew?

I like working with professional people who know how to do it. They’ve done an excellent job with the R&D and have developed some awesome boards.

Any additional comments? 

Well, you’ve got to have fun with it! You know, I’ve been doing this for a while, and the best way to get a board build is to have fun and not forget the enjoyment of board building. Just being a part of every kind of surfing is cool. You know, tow boards, longboards, and shortboards, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to do them all. Just keep that passion, and you won’t ever feel like you have a job!