National shaper Marco Pacheco tells us his whole story in the wonderful world of creating surfboards.

With around 40 years of experience in the world of creating and repairing surfboards, the first Costa Rican to be part of an international "surf movie" such as Endless Summer 2, in addition to of course being a surfer at heart who through the decades has left a mark on the national board sport.

This, and nothing less, is how we could describe Marco Pacheco, who has dedicated a large part of his life to the sport he loves: surfing.

In this article, Marco tells us all about his career as a shaper, and in this way we begin our new section “Tico Shapers”.

How many years have you been making surfboards?

I have many years of experience working with surfboards; I repaired them for a long time before I started making them. All that work helped me get started as a shaper, officially around 1997, a little late for my liking, but it helped me focus on concepts and not so much on numbers. Basically, I have 40 years of experience working with surfboards. My mindset is based on being independent of global markets, more of an identification with the 1970s era, since that's when I started surfing, but my vision is progressive. I've developed my own concepts for fins, among other things. The most important thing as a Latin American shaper is to reflect Latin American culture: fresh, innovative, and invigorating. We are a relatively new continent.

Approximately how many boards have you made?

I once asked Tom Eberly how long it took him to finish a board, and his answer was exactly what I needed to know. He said, "That's not the right question. The question is, how long does it take to finish a GOOD board?" Boom! Right there, I learned something. Talking to other shapers from the 1960s, they confirmed the same thing: initially, they focused on producing numbers, but now quality, not quantity, is paramount. Having said that, and with two thousand boards made—and I can say that not all of them were made for money, because I love putting boards in the hands of kids who don't have the chance to own a new board for one reason or another—money can't be the main reason you become a shaper.

When did you start surfing and why?

In 1978, everything aligned for me to become part of the movement that was already underway. On one hand, life placed me in Barrio La Granja, San Pedro Montes de Oca, San José. In 1976, a taekwondo academy opened, and my friend Adrián Fumero invited me to join. Two years later, he did the same with surfing. Boca Barranca was the epicenter of surfing, and La Granja, very close to the University of Costa Rica, was the post-Vietnam War epicenter. I say this because the hippies were giving way to a new wave of influence. At night, the bars were filled with a multinational student population from North, Central, and South America. In the afternoons, the south side of the ICE building in San Pedro, more specifically "La Cuesta de los Mafufos," served as a stage for skateboarding and other activities as the sun set. It didn't take long for this new lifestyle to captivate me.

What do you consider to be the most difficult part of being a shaper?

Convincing someone to order a board they need, not one they simply want based on visual appeal, is key. Lately, people talk about liters when ordering boards, but that's just catalog jargon introduced by the industry itself. When SUP came onto the scene, it brought this term, which originated in windsurfing, which was losing popularity. SUP was perfect for those who used liters. I believe each surfer is responsible for certain factors when ordering their board; it's complicated yet simple at the same time. But the easier it is for the surfer to communicate their needs to the shaper, the better the result will be.

Where did the idea to become a shaper come from and how did you end up doing it in Tamarindo?

It's hard to say where it all started, but in my case, I'd have to go with the film industry. In 1965 or 1966, Endless Summer was shown at the Líbano cinema in San José. My dad took me to see it one day. At the end of the film, there's a surfboard on the back of a pickup truck. The sun is setting, representing the end of the story. The fin is red, reflecting the sunlight. I think that's where the idea of ​​not creating surfboards, but rather thinking that surfboards are beautiful sporting goods, might have been born. I always wanted to make beautiful boards, but the initial results didn't reflect that desire. It wasn't until I committed to a disciplined plan for surfboard production that I achieved better results. But you never truly reach that place that exists only in your imagination; the journey is endless.

What do you think is the future of surfboard shapes?

The future of surfboard shaping is here, and it's not pretty. Automation is here to stay, which is good news for consumers because the machine that makes your board doesn't get tired, doesn't wake up in a bad mood, and basically doesn't make mistakes. The bad news is the over-homogenization of board models that companies are determined to sell you. It will be harder in the future to match your needs to the board. In other words, you will be the product, not the buyer. This is already happening at a very high level. I don't want to name names, but let's suppose that brand "X" was sold to a corporation eager to enter surfboard manufacturing but which has never gotten its hands dirty before. Even so, it's determined to participate in the market. It buys the name, it buys the surfers, it tells them what kind of board to surf, among other details, all based on algorithms, and the consumer agrees to this because their phone screen tells them it's okay. Artisanal “Shapers” will become fewer and fewer; the era of puca necklaces, typical of the 70s, will never return.

How have you been affected by the current crisis?

At every moment in our lives, we have at least two options: keep paddling to the lineup or, ideally, return to the beach. In my case, I've used this time to work without creative constraints, with time as my ally, not my enemy. I've been able to shape boards without a sense of urgency, my clientele has kept me busy, and I'm grateful that people appreciate my work. This moment has marked something unprecedented for all of us: our perception of the sea, surfing, and the practice of surfing, which we took for granted, has suddenly changed. Suddenly, we're with our families, like in a movie from the past. We have plenty of time, and we're not so focused on making money. I assure you that we all appreciate this lifestyle even more now than before, and that's a good thing.

If you want to have a surfboard made by the Chilean shaper Marco Pacheco, here is his direct contact information: +506 71 90 70 98

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Management: Marco Montero