Order terms from the shaping bay

01Using this website

The pages and calculator are here to inform your conversation with the shaper. The numbers are good starting points, built from rules of thumb and simplified physics, and they are not a guarantee that a board will suit you. Swell figures are deep-water estimates, and real surf at the beach differs.

Nothing here is safety advice. Cold water, big swell, and heavy boards are dangerous. You decide whether the surf is within your ability. Leashes break, fins cut, and rocks do not move. Wear a leash, check it, and know your exit.

Our descriptions of how a shape performs, such as looser, faster, or more drive, are the opinions of a shaper with years at the bench. Riders differ, and so do days at the break. Two people on the same board will describe it differently.

02Ordering a custom board

An order begins when you and Kai sign the template and the order card. A deposit of half the price holds your place in the queue, and the balance is due when you collect the board. The order card records the dimensions, fins, glass schedule, and finish we agreed, and that card controls if the details differ from an email or a conversation.

The lead time we quote, usually ten to fourteen weeks, is our best estimate. Blank deliveries, resin supply, and Kai being sick can move it. We will tell you early when it does.

If the delay runs more than eight weeks past the date we quoted, you may cancel and we will return your deposit in full, because the delay was ours.

03Changes, cancellations, and the foam

You can change the design freely until the blank is cut. After that, the foam is yours. The deposit is not refundable once cutting starts, because the blank is a custom shape that nobody else can ride. If you cancel before the cut, we will return your deposit less any cost already paid to suppliers for your build.

04Pickup and shipping

Boards are collected at the bay by appointment. Shipping is possible and quoted separately. Packing, freight, and insurance are charged at cost, and a shipped board is your responsibility once the carrier takes it, so we recommend insuring it for the full price.

A board left at the bay more than thirty days after we tell you it is ready may be moved to storage, and we may charge a modest monthly fee. We would rather you rode it.

05Workmanship coverage

For twelve months from pickup we will repair or, if repair is not sensible, remake any board that fails through a defect in our work, such as delamination, a lifting laminate, or a fin box that was installed badly. We do not cover pressure dings, impact damage, fin-box ripped out in a collision, heat damage from a parked car, or wear from normal use. Repairs outside coverage are quoted at fair bench rates.

06Risk, law, and disputes

Surfing carries real risk, and a custom board is built to your instructions. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have under California law that cannot be waived.

These terms follow the laws of the State of California. If we cannot sort out a problem by talking, disputes go to the courts that serve Santa Cruz County. The shapes, templates, photographs, diagrams, and text on this site belong to the bay, and we ask you to write to us before you copy or reuse them. Written October 2026, and it applies to orders from that date.