Destination Gold Coast and the Bulletin’s 12 Plays of Christmas: Shape your own surfboard at S-lab Miami

Calling all tube lords. Ever wondered what it’s like to shape your own surfboard? Read how you can take part in creating the stick of your dreams.

A CUTTING edge surfboard factory in the heart of Miami is shaping up to give one of the best hands-on experiences this Christmas.

S-lab offers surfing enthusiasts the golden opportunity to get busy in a real shaping bay, where as part of a package people can create a high-performance surfboard.

The company is backed by former world surfing champ Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholemew and headed up by longtime local shaper Dave Verrall.

Surfboard shaping with revenue manager Justin Koen, surfing legend Wayne Rabbit Bartholomew and shaper Dave Verrall, at S-LAB at Surfboard Warehouse, Miami . Picture: Glenn Hampson

Mr Bartholomew says the experience, which forms part of Destination Gold Coast’s and the Bulletin’s 12 Plays of Christmas – is an “Australian first”, giving surf lovers the gift of learning how to shape a board from start to finish.

The best part he says – you keep the board when the process is done and dusted.

“Shaping bays were once known as these dirty, dingy dens where the general public would generally not venture,” Mr Bartholomew said.

“Now the experience of shaping your very own board and working one-on-one with industry veterans is open to all and right at your fingertips.”

The Goldy is home to the famed superbank and is a global surfing mecca. It has no shortage of amazing breaks to try out your very own board from S-lab. Picture: NewsCorp

Mr Bartholomew said the boards made in the factory – with some help from cutting-edge machinery – were “formula 1” surfboards and each board is “pretty much perfect”.

“We guide people through the entire process. They come in, relax and go through design specifications with our team before the shaping starts,” he said.

“You can pick any board style you want with all the bells, whistles, designs and colours of your choice.”

Mr Bartholomew said once the overall specifications are dialled in, people get to watch the board “come alive” before them.

“Things get really exciting once in the finishing bay, where people can sand and put the final touches on their board before it is glassed,” he said.

“It’s an end-to-end experience like nothing else and I couldn’t recommend it more for people who love surfing but have always wanted to try their hand at making a board.”

For more, see www.destinationgoldcoast.com/12plays-of-christmas or the S-lab website for details. s-lab.com.au.