Date of Birth: December 8th, 1956
Home Town: Copiaque, New York
Started Surfing: 1972
Started Shaping: 1977
Shaping with Rusty Since: 1991
Approx. # of Boards Shaped: 24,000
Best Surf Trip: Spain, 1990
Stance: Goofy Foot
Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, karate, getting annoyed at politicians
Favorite Type of Board to Shape: Guns, 6-channels, boards for Pipeline
Least Favorite Board to Shape: Epoxy guns, epoxy 6-channels, epoxy Pipe boards
Favorite Boards from the Past: A 6’3” deep 6-channel that the fin guy screwed up and tilted the fins way too much...it was magic!
Favorite Local Wave: Pipes in Encinitas. It’s crappy, but I love that place.
Favorite Wave in the World: Rincon, California
Travels: Up and down the East and West Coasts of the US, Baja, Hawaii, Spain
Team Riders Shaped for: Kalani Chapman, Holly Beck, Mark Healey, the Larsons
If I Wasn’t a Shaper: It’s been shaping ever since I realized I would not pitch for the NY Mets!
Rick Hamon Hand Shaping
Ray Hamon (Rick's Son) Machine Shaping
This is the burning question that seems to be firing up board builders world wide; here is what Rusty and a few of our other shapers had to say...
"As the body wears out the romance with the planer cools off. It's really the concept that matters; master your tools and bring good ideas to life. Computers definitely bring consistency to the equation."
-Rusty
"The Computer is just another tool, but, I think something is lost if someone has no hand shaping experience."
-Rick Hamon
"One completes the other- you can't design a board on the computer if you can't hand shape one."
-Pedro Battaglin
"Consistency is a plus. Great for keeping track of subtle design changes."
- Hoy Runnels
"At first I was down on computer shaping. I know that it is just another tool, but, it just isn't shaping. But, I guess maybe it has redefined what shaping is, for better or for worse? I don't know. I do know that shapers should be able to hand shape anything and do a good job on it, or you are not a shaper."
-Michael Russo
Photos: Brody
For the second year in a row, the Sacred Craft event has given the surfboard consumers a chance to directly interact with their shapers. A plethora of surfboard history, technology and craftsmanship could be seen at the event. Archived boards from the past were dusted off and crazy contraptions of the future were brought to life...
The Rusty booth was stacked with a full line up of boards and Rusty, himself, was in attendance along with several other R Dot Artisans such as Rick Hamon and Michael Russo. Check out the full story and photo feature on Surfline.com.
Photo: Brody
