Jacksonville Florida’s Jim Dunlop is another shaper you might not hear much about if you live on the west coast, but Jim is one of the more versatile shapers in the state of Florida. A well traveled and skilled surfer, he is also one of those shapers who both rides and shapes a variety of surfboards. A soft spoken gentleman in person with the stoke of a grom when discussing surfing. When considering domestic surfboard manufacturing, Jim Dunlop is one of those type of board builders you want to continue to support. His company Mystic Surfboards is based in Jacksonville Beach Florida.

1. When did you started surfing and when did you begin shaping?
I started surfing in June of 1966 at Barber’s Point Naval Air Station on Oahu. It’s like the southwest tip of the island. I think the base closed and it’s called White Plains now. I started shaping my first year of college in 1976 with a classmate from Puerto Rico, Jay Emerson. We were at Jacksonville University and would drive down to Cocoa Beach and buy blanks at East Coast Foam (Brent Williams old company). Those were fun times.

2. How do you see being a custom shaper vs being production shaper?

I’ve never been a production shaper. An occasional batch of 4 or 5 at one time for my local dealer (Sunrise Surf Shop) would be the extent of my “production” shaping. Everything else is custom, dealing directly with the customer. Building long term shaper/surfer relationships and watching guys evolve and progress can be pretty rewarding. You end up with a lot of new friends, too.

3. What caused you to want to shape..who were your influences early on vs now?

I wanted (well, actually needed) to shape because I wanted to try EVERY design I ever saw…that just wasn’t feasible if I was having to buy them. Early on I was influenced by Dick Rosborough right after he moved back to Florida from Hawaii. In ‘83, he let me watch him shape one for me right up to point where he starts turning the rails, then he says “o.k. Dunlop, you already know enough…out of the room” Classic Rozo…I had to chuckle. Later on, every shaper I ever met or watched had some influence on me…in no particular order..Mike Whisnant, Clay Bennett, Roger Wood, Greg Stritch, Tom Eberly, Skip Smith, John Lucas, Chris Christenson….they come to mind first.

4. What has it been like being a shaper on the east coast in one of Florida’s most up and coming cities. How has it changed in Jax since you began?

I think what I like about our area is that even though the population is booming and there are more people in the water than ever, our surf industry (board building) still has that small town feel…maybe not close knit, but not above helping each other . “Hey, I’m ordering blanks, you need me to add any to the order for you?” that sort of thing…

5. Do you believe travel is important for a shaper?

Travel is essential. The experience of a speedy Indo barrel or a gut-wrenching free fall in real 10 foot Sunset needs to be lodged back there in your subconscious when you’re shaping boards for guys travelling. Other side of the coin, most of the boards I shape are for our waves here, so I have to surf at the end of the street a lot with “the guys” to stay up with what’s working best in north Florida mush.

6. What do you think about the modern thruster and the state of surfboards today?

The modern short board thruster is still here to do what it was originally designed for, to provide the best competitive surfers in the world a vehicle that allows them to do anything they can imagine. People forget that when Simon Anderson came up with the thruster it was in response to not getting the contest results he desired on the twin fins that MR had won world titles on. Adding the third fin, Simon immediately won at Bells, the Pipe masters, and some others I can’t recall..and in doing so changed forever how we would/could surf.

7. Do you believe there needs to be improvement in design or just further refinement of the same design?

Refinement and incremental advances pretty much define “design improvement” these days. Reaching back and tinkering with old designs/plan shapes and applying new twists to them is a fun way to branch out from that track, though. A lot of guys are doing that and it keeps the creativity flowing and the average surfer enjoying his time in the water more.

8. What importance do you see the pro tour having on most custom board builders and is there another influence besides the tour on what surfers are riding now?

What the pros ride on tour will always hold sway over what the average, surf mag-reading, adolescent is going to want. The ones that choose to compete as amateurs or, possibly down the line, as pros will have to ride whatever is the current status quo. Luckily, with some pros now being paid not to compete but just travel for photo shoots, a broad range of designs are being seen in the mags under their feet. It’s making it o.k. for guys to ask for alternative designs and still be riding what the “pros” ride.

9. What do you consider the state of board blanks since the closing of Clark…the same, worse, better, non consistent?

Good question. The Surf blanks (Aus, U.S., Brazil) formulas are way lighter and stronger than Clark and don’t delam like Clark would. But the foam tears so easily that you have to use a grit drum if you even shape at an average pace. The Surf blanks Brazil (teccel) formulas that we have access to are great -( sometimes)- but the plugs and the rockers are pretty bad. Time spent hand shaping is almost doubled. U.S. Blanks (the old Clark guys, new name) have some good plugs but the foam’s average. Ryno (Brazil) shapes well but, again, can’t compare weight-wise with Surfblanks. Availability is still an issue four years after Clark closed. “The container’s going to be here any week now!” Great..I just lost another three orders…..Constant supply, custom rockers in two weeks, prices 1/2 of what we pay today…yeah, it was better when Clark was open. I pulled out a Clark 68R superblue last week just to feel what it was like to shape that foam again. It was SO good, so smooth and effortless..

10. How do you feel about mass produced surfboards or boards made over seas. Does custom shaped quality still count?

Custom shaping will always be with us in some form or another. The big overseas manufacturers doing traditional polyester contruction are only copying existing shapes, not innovating or moving design ahead. That’s our advantage, design progression and innovation along with using the best materials available. There will always be a discerning clientele that won’t want to be limited to the dimensions offered in the computer shaped “models” .. let’s see, a 6′2″ “such and such” only comes 20″ wide??..why can’t I get 20 1/2″ ??? It’s supposed to be a CUSTOM board!

11. What do you predict will change in surfing and board building in the next five years?

Shapes will continue to be refined as they have for the last twenty years. Slater taking everything smaller and redistributing the volume is going to be interesting to watch unfold along with some of the other tangents off the conventional shortboard being pursued. Material innovation, especially in epoxy and vinylester resins, will be something to keep up with also. But none of that trumps a good shape, that’s where it all starts and that’s where I come in.

12. Desert Island question: Ginger or Mary Ann…ha ha

Both (it’s a deserted island, there’s a lot of time to kill)