Gallery: Shaper Fletcher Whittle
I first photographed Fletcher surfing at Trestles back in 2021 I believe. He was one of many groms at the USA Surfing Championships in San Clemenete, CA. It wouldn’t be until the next year that I officially met him and his family at a contest in North Carolina. I heard the contest announcer mention that Fletcher shapes his own surfboards, and I asked his family if I could come see the process the next time I am in their area. Thankfully, they agreed.
It was a warm hot summer day in August as I arrived to their shaping studio near the coast in North Carolina. Woody, Fletcher’s father, was working in the shed as Fletcher led me to it. They warned me it would be very hot in there, but I didn’t care as I was eager to explore the world of surfboard shaping more than I already had. This was only the second time I had been to a shaper’s studio, the first being Michael Takayama’s in Oceanside, CA.
We spent about 3-4 hours in the shed, taking water and fresh air breaks intermittently. Four hours was only enough time to see part of the process, and I hope to make it back there in the near future to document and learn even more.
