Mark Nelson, Master Shaper

For the record, he doesn’t call himself that, that’s MY title for him.

I had originally approached another boardmaker, but he didn’t seem receptive to doing something completely new. While on Maui last summer (2013), my friend Dave Freeman sent me up to talk to Mark in his workshop. Dave and his wife Shawn have several Nelson boards and swear by them, and Dave’s been passing me for fifteen years or more.

When Mark and I met we had an instant rapport, and he understood immediately what I was trying to do, and seemed very interested in trying something new. I knew right away that he was the right choice to shape my very first custom board.