OUR APPROACH

"Technology achieves some things very well, and removes too much of the human element of others; In the context of surfing and Lovemachine, the replication of specific surfboards and the ability to re-make them with reliability is my chosen focal point; I believe it is the best use of technology with respect to this very special culture and tradition.

Surf culture is shrouded in images of shapers with big silver planers hand-shaping all of their boards, but since the late 90's thats rarely been an honest representation. From a shaper's standpoint, until we clearly define and honestly communicate what we are doing, we can't offer an honest product to the world.

Designing surfboards by computer full-stop or scaling a design broadly up and down can be useful, but not without some consequence that I'm personally uncomfortable with. In the hydrodynamic sense, when we scale by over 10% in one direction or the other, the design and the way the water flows over it is fundamentally altered and considerable changes must be made. In the human sense, I want some variation in my approach to a different size board even of the same model; my goals for a 7'6 and a 6'6 of the same 'model' are different and take a different approach to design.

The hand shaping process for me means creative freedom and the opportunity to express years of experience in a surfboard for someone; it's a unique experience that nets a unique product and takes decades to master. Hand and machine shaping are two different processes and should be held in their own regard. There is no more debate over which is better - it should be a discussion on how they are different and how we can utilize both methods best.

Hand shaping surfboards for the past 20 years has given me my worldview, time to think, ways to connect with surfers and builders all over; it is an undeniably special process that I’ll never let go of in my custom work.

Using modern technology to replicate some of those boards allows Lovemachine to recreate those favorite boards under a unique umbrella, all over the world. The goal is to deliver these designs with complete transparency and sincerity, while allowing my hand shaping practice to remain totally intact and true.

I hope theres something here that fills a hole in your quiver here or that you’ve been wanting to try out - and if not you can always connect with me for a custom hand shape."

-Ryan Lovelace

ETHOS

LoveMachine is as much an experiment in deepening the communication between shaper and surfer as it is a surfboard brand. For the last 30 years the CNC machine has been the overwhelmingly dominant tool in surfboard shaping, surpassing hand shaping decades ago. The thing that didn't follow in that shift was the communication from the industry to the surfers that purchased their boards; the introduction of the machine en masse was generally looked down upon as cheapening a soulful product. Machine shaping became a bit of a dirty secret and the stigma created only pushed its use farther into the background. As the resurgence of 'retro' and 'craft' surfboards surged in the early 2000's, many new and young shapers have built a healthy career atop CNC-shaped boards while holding a planer in their photos. Social media has deepened that problem, with many branding-savvy people & companies dipping their toe (or whole leg) into the industry, playing off the romanticism of shaping - marketing boards as 'hand shaped', and charging a premium.

As people have come through my shop over the last decade, its a chat I have constantly; Proud surfers tell me about how they only choose to support hand shapers and list off their 'fully hand shaped' quiver. On average 7 out of 10 boards listed are machine shaped, but advertised directly or indirectly as hand-shaped. By avoiding the complete conversation, shapers and marketers regularly imply a sort of 'purity' without addressing the elephant in the room - the interesting thing to me, though, is that the elephant has always been pretty friendly - we're just scared to talk about it for fear of not being 'core'.

My hope is that we can help change that. I spent too many years trying to lift the veil without trying to actively change the problem - Lovemachine is my answer; Transparency, honesty, education...Killers of the boogieman. Not only can we lift the veil, but we can highlight exactly whats so good about the machine; If it is good enough to shift an entire industry in the early 90's, why can't we talk about it, share it openly and actually get excited about what it does for us as surfers and shapers? If we can de-stigmatize it and give it respect we can also do justice to legitimately hand shaped boards and what they give to our culture - In my opinion all of this is worth working towards, and LoveMachine is my step in a new direction.
-RL