Lotus Handshapes, Baler, Philippines
I am writing this post only because this good guy Byron kindly helped me out with a ding on my surfboard. I did not know the guy, I did not know about the shop. Until I did.
It started out with a semi-planned trip to Baler. My partner and I booked our room at the newly-renovated Bay's Inn Resort (great stay, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, read more here) the day before our trip (3.23.19).
We got to the place, settled in, and because I got a brand new surfboard from Free Pig Movement at The Pit Surfshop, Kuta, Bali (good guys too and of course, good surfboards, know more about them here), I had to assemble the surfboard, fins and all, at the driveway, because it's a longboard and our room was at the 3rd floor, we did not want to bother taking it up. While setting up the surfboard, a staff named Ednalyn looked at the board closely and found the ding on the rail near the tail. I got the ding when I landed in Manila because of airline mishandling (I will post the whole story with my complaint and their response soon). She volunteered and said that she had a friend that repairs boards, but there's also one across the street, pointing at Charlie Does. She said she'd text the people from there and ask them to check out the board later.
I used the board before any repair was to be done -- the ding was about a two-inch hairline crack on the gloss resin so I put a thick layer of wax on it to hopefully stop the water from seeping in.
After playing in the sea for a while, I came back and Ednalyn greeted me to tell me the person who does repairs was at the shop and she'd take me there.
We went there, to a "shop" beside Charlie Does. It is called Lotus Handshapes. This guy Byron greeted us and told us it will take him three days to carefully repair the ding. I could not afford 3 days. He looked at it and said "maliit lang pala, lagyan na lang natin tape na pangkaldero." I thought he was kidding but off he went and came back with the silver tape and tools in his hand. He carefully placed my board on the table outside the shop, cleaned up the wax I put there, and even said my center fin was positioned too far which of course I would not know -- it's my first time assembling a longboard! I asked about the repair and what they do exactly, and what do you know? He told me to come inside to see what exactly they do.
Voila. A full-pledged shape shop! "Wow, it's my first time to get inside a shape shop, may I take photos?!" I took photos.
Now that I am writing this, I remember I was also able to see a part of RPM's shape shop in Bali (see it here too)!
So Byron used the temporary tape and said it's for "pansamantagal", fixed my center fin's placement, and said the side fins were centers too! Wut? I said I would only understand and realize it on my own if I were a good surfer! Anyway, does not matter. The point is -- he took his time, telling me about it and fixing it without me asking.
So, the ding on my board was temporarily fixed for the next day's surf, I had a quick tour at a shape shop, and when I asked how much I owed him, he looked at me like I was being ridiculous! I wanted to buy him beer but it was 5:30 in the afternoon and it seemed like he was still working so that is why I am writing this - to help promote Byron, the nice guy shaper, and his shop Lotus Handshapes right beside Charlie Does. Visit Byron and maybe his are the hands that will shape your first (or next) surfboard!
It started out with a semi-planned trip to Baler. My partner and I booked our room at the newly-renovated Bay's Inn Resort (great stay, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, read more here) the day before our trip (3.23.19).
We got to the place, settled in, and because I got a brand new surfboard from Free Pig Movement at The Pit Surfshop, Kuta, Bali (good guys too and of course, good surfboards, know more about them here), I had to assemble the surfboard, fins and all, at the driveway, because it's a longboard and our room was at the 3rd floor, we did not want to bother taking it up. While setting up the surfboard, a staff named Ednalyn looked at the board closely and found the ding on the rail near the tail. I got the ding when I landed in Manila because of airline mishandling (I will post the whole story with my complaint and their response soon). She volunteered and said that she had a friend that repairs boards, but there's also one across the street, pointing at Charlie Does. She said she'd text the people from there and ask them to check out the board later.
I used the board before any repair was to be done -- the ding was about a two-inch hairline crack on the gloss resin so I put a thick layer of wax on it to hopefully stop the water from seeping in.
After playing in the sea for a while, I came back and Ednalyn greeted me to tell me the person who does repairs was at the shop and she'd take me there.
We went there, to a "shop" beside Charlie Does. It is called Lotus Handshapes. This guy Byron greeted us and told us it will take him three days to carefully repair the ding. I could not afford 3 days. He looked at it and said "maliit lang pala, lagyan na lang natin tape na pangkaldero." I thought he was kidding but off he went and came back with the silver tape and tools in his hand. He carefully placed my board on the table outside the shop, cleaned up the wax I put there, and even said my center fin was positioned too far which of course I would not know -- it's my first time assembling a longboard! I asked about the repair and what they do exactly, and what do you know? He told me to come inside to see what exactly they do.
Voila. A full-pledged shape shop! "Wow, it's my first time to get inside a shape shop, may I take photos?!" I took photos.
Now that I am writing this, I remember I was also able to see a part of RPM's shape shop in Bali (see it here too)!
So Byron used the temporary tape and said it's for "pansamantagal", fixed my center fin's placement, and said the side fins were centers too! Wut? I said I would only understand and realize it on my own if I were a good surfer! Anyway, does not matter. The point is -- he took his time, telling me about it and fixing it without me asking.
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| That's Byron with the shirt on |
