Dino Tziolis - Shaper

My name is Dino Tziolis and one thing I have learned about surfing is that passion starts way before you get to the water. It starts with the foam and then the labour of love that shapes that foam into the apparatus that works optimally with you and the waves. Without passion at this end of surfing, surfboards would not progress and neither would surfing.

My boardriding as a grommet is what got me into shaping. Over 25 years ago that was. I loved riding so much that I wanted to find out everything I could about surfboards. I wanted to learn how they worked and what I could do to them to make my own riding better. I was lucky enough to be picked up by Brothers Neilsen when I was 15 years old and was one of the few people who stuck with them, doing the full 4 years learning the trade. This included a full year each glassing, sanding, fin making and spraying. I shaped whenever I could during those years.

Having learned the trade from the grassroots up, I contracted to some major surfboard businesses; Brothers Neilsen, Byrning Spears, Hot Stuff, Phantom, New Line surfboards, Nev Hymen, always learning more, refining my skills. Over the years I have worked along side some of the best shapers around; Al Byrne, Chris Garret, Tony Dempsey, Stuart Cadden, learning what I could all the while developing my own style.

During the same period I have been developing my profiling machine, which now has 20 years in it. This basically means that I can replicate any surfboard design, or any element of a design that exists in the world. If there is an element of your current board that you love and want in your next surfboard, this profile machine will guarantee it will be exactly the same.

Really though, surfboard shaping is not about me, it is about you the surfer. As your shaper, I am an adviser to you. I don’t just build a surfboard for you, I give you the input you need to ensure your surfboards help you advance your surfing, over your surfing life. I build relationships with my clients, helping them improve and progress. As a surfer, your surfboard needs will advance as your surfing does. The relationship side of things is crucial to make sure your progression of surfboards keeps up with you. Understanding the importance of this is why we have long term clients, clients who have been with me for over 15 years. It all starts with an intensive interview process too. You can read more about this process on the custom surfboards page.

One of the things I am enjoying about my trade now is the way surfboard shaping has come full cycle for me. From my days learning the trade with Brothers Neilsen all those years ago, now I am helping others who share this passion learn the shaping trade themselves. I have two young guys working for me now, a sponsored surfer and a young part timer, who is also making his way through the boardrider ranks. I really enjoy the process of watching them develop their passion for the trade and how it is helping their surfing, getting right into the nitty gritty grass roots stuff;  sanding, laminating, glassing and laying out fins. They are both having input into their own boards too, which really is what surfboard shaping is about.

A love for surfing really does start a long way back before hitting the water