Plymouth's New Surfboard Factory

Plymouth’s New Surfboard Factory
As Plymouth’s only consistently producing surfboard shaper I’ve reported on Luke Young quite a bit over the years. When I started my column in 2003 Luke had set up a surfboard shaping bay at the back of Mutley Plain in Plymouth, then later on the brand moved over to Mountbatten. Now, after time away from the city fine tuning his shaping with some of the world’s top shapers, Luke has found his way back to Plymouth.
At 29 years old, Luke is one of Europe’s youngest professional surfboard shapers, plus he’s already managed to accrue an invaluable 13 years of experience. November saw the launch of his new factory, so naturally I headed down to check it out.
Luke has spent the past three years working with various surfboard manufacturers in the South West, and has also been fortunate to hone his skills with a number of internationally renowned shapers. Pat Rawson from Oahu, Hawaii, and Rob Vaughan of Billabong surfboards, were both key to the development of Luke’s shaping. Besides cutting it with top shapers, Luke’s broadened his board building skills. As well as spraying with Nick Williams who’s responsible for some of the finest graphics ever seen on a surfboard, Luke’s been laminating with renowned craftsman Phil Northey.
Tired of commuting to Kernow, Luke decided it was about time he built his own factory closer to home. Located at Battisford Farm his new setup is on the outskirts of Plympton, just off the A38 Devon Expressway (not far from the Lynham Inn). Having cased out the swanky new joint and given two thumbs up, I picked Luke’s brains on the state of English surfboard production.
For me the step between backyard board manufacture to fluid scientific design is big one, and I don’t think you’ll find anyone arguing that Luke hasn’t accomplished that transition with flare. Don’t get me wrong Luke’s always been a guy of high standards, but in the past he was just a good local shaper, so it’s nice now to see his boards cutting next to some of the most renowned craftsman in the industry.
Over the past eighteen months imported surfboards have taken over a large part of the learner market, whilst new age manufacture techniques have been crushing the little UK shapers from the other end of the spectrum. With depressing industry statistics in my minds eye, I was surprised to see Luke’s traditional style factory busier than ever. During our chat Luke discussed his work ethic, explaining that he thinks it’s ‘essential to be able to complete every aspect of surfboard manufacture to an extremely high standard’. Whilst he operates like this for peace of mind, I think it’s really promising for the future of British shaping, and the reason why Luke’s a growing presence in local stores. By keeping quality high, English shapers can earn the reputation of other respected trades men like carpenters. With time showing lots of imported boards to be of poor build quality (particularly those shipped from Asian conveyor belts), English workmanship could win the long race. It’s similar with cars, we all appreciate the effort Audi, BMW, and Mercedes put into their vehicles to make them drive better – why’s riding a surfboard any different?
From custom spray jobs upon mals to ultra smooth gloss polishes on retro boards, Luke builds boards for pros and novices alike. Plus if you fancy getting hands on, why not get Luke to show you how to shape - I built my own and learnt a lot doing it. You can find Luke’s boards in the Billabong Store, Plymouth and Wild Waters, Plympton. For further details contact Luke Young Shapes on 07789 663693, or log on tohttp://www.lukeyoungshapes.co.uk/.

Photo credit: Mike Meal photography