Stab Magazine | “Anyone Could Ride This!”: Chilli On Shaping A World Class Surfboard

Live Now — Episode 2 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

523 Views

“Anyone Could Ride This!”: Chilli On Shaping A World Class Surfboard

Episode one of the Stab In The Dark Shaper Series.

cinema // Oct 18, 2016
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

If Stab In The Dark is the main event, then please consider the Shaper Series as special features.

Presumably you’ve already watched our 36-minute film, in which Dane Reynolds takes 13 of the world’s best (unbranded) surfboards to South Africa for 10 days of rigorous and unbiased testing and flexing.

In the Shaper Series, a joint with our pals at Swell, we delve a little deeper on the other side of the coin; we step into the shapers’ bays and syphon their thoughts and reasoning around their art, and the board they shaped for Stab In The Dark 2016.

So, what did we tell our shapers? Boards to be delivered by June 1 in either LA or Sydney. Surfer is 6’0” and 190 lbs (86 kg), but will remain anonymous. Shoot location, South Africa. Surfboard must be 6’0” but width, thickness and volume all open to interpretation. Oh, and blank, blank, blank. Completely void of all branding or recognisable features like unique carbon patches. This is not a paid-for board guide – our readers are too savvy to make informed decisions based off that. Yes, there will be honesty. Every board will have positives and conversely, every board will have negatives. And, there’s a chance the board could break first wave, first turn, first air. If it does, apologies, you’re out.

Dig the way the Chilli looked? Get at a SITD x Chilli t-shirt, here.

KZN STAB AlanvanGysen 0141 Banner

There will forever in Stab’s black heart exist a place of warmth for vertical backhand re-entry photographs. A true classic! And, few better than Dane’s.

Photography

Alan Van Gysen

This episode, we sit down with 43-year-old James ‘Chilli’ Cheal, based in Mona Vale. “I went with our new ‘shortboard’ model that we’ve been working on with Lee Wilson, Jay Davies and Mitch Coleborn,” says Chilli. “It’s become the ‘easy’ shortboard to jump on and it works in all conditions and waves. I wanted to create something that’s amazing from a low level surf to the highest performer. I thought this was the perfect match for Stab in the Dark. The board has a medium curve rocker with a wider outline shape and a wider rounded-square tail.”

KZN STAB AlanvanGysen 0151 3

“Your shape should be governed by our surfer’s height and weight,” we told our shapers – Chilli included. “He’s a world class surfer with a complete range of skills: mind-numbing rail work, great in the tube and you could call him a “fly-boy”, however he’d probably hate that…”

Photography

Alan Van Gysen

“It’s a Chilli,” guessed Dane with absolute confidence. “It has good board speed, paddles good, good floatation. Everything feels right and then I get up and I bottom turn and it drags through the bottom. Water comes over the rail on my heel. It might have just been because of the conditions. When I rode it a second time it felt like there was a top speed. It felt like it had a governor on it or something. It didn’t feel like a bad board, it just doesn’t feel familiar.”

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

Watch the full Swatch Nines highlight reel and decide.

Jun 30, 2025

Houshmand Bludgeons Field To Win Second CT — Molly Picklum Tastes Blood, Snatches World #1 In Brazil

You can't argue with big surfing — that's Saquarema wrapped.

Jun 29, 2025

37 Years Old And World #1 — What’s Changed For Jordy Smith?

On rediscovering decades old surfboard templates, having a personality on the CT, and why this…

Jun 27, 2025

Tom Lowe Stars in ‘Let Me Live’

The wild, improbable ascent of Britain’s best big-wave surfer.

Jun 27, 2025

Saq Wrap: Italo Celebrates Mid-Heat, Griff Drops A Freestyle, Jordy + Yago Continue BBQing 20-YOs

Top seeds sow ruin, Final 5 starts to crystallize.

Jun 27, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 2

Our seven surviving surfers confront an oddly large California beach break.

Jun 26, 2025

SEOTY: The ‘Once-In-A-Decade’ Caribbean Swell That Kelly Slater Passed On

Michael Dunphy stars in Jimmicane's 'Blue Veil'

Jun 25, 2025

Who Owns Bingin? Legal Fight To Stop Demolition Begins

Eviction notices served for all businesses built on state land.

Jun 25, 2025

Tony Hawk Just Named Hughie Vaughan’s Internet-Breaking Air Because… No One Else Can

89% of our IG poll respondents claimed the 'stale fish flipper' was the best air…

Jun 25, 2025

German Surfers: AN INVESTIGATION

Truth is the light by which the world can see. 

Jun 24, 2025

“I Lost Everything I’ve Ever Owned, But This Board Came Back”

One month after the LA wildfires, a surfboard washed ashore.

Jun 24, 2025

Shock Therapy: World 1 & 2 Eliminated Early In Saquarema

Gabriela Bryan and Caity Simmers fall victim on Day 1 of the Vivo Rio Pro.

Jun 22, 2025

German University Surf Contest Derails After Local Pushes Competitor Off Wave

The story behind the shove, and why wave-rental politics turned physical in Seignosse.

Jun 22, 2025

An Accidental 90-Minute Chat With Caity Simmers

A Stab Interview on life, individuality, and chimpanzee research initiatives.

Jun 21, 2025

No Tears In Saquarema

Can anyone other than Italo, Filipe or Yago win the Vivo Rio Pro?

Jun 20, 2025

Why Is One Of The World’s Longest Lefts Being Bulldozed?

Pavones residents displaced as excavators move in.

Jun 19, 2025

The Seven Surfing Conspiracies

Inside surfing’s shadow government: what they don’t want you to know.

Jun 18, 2025

Mongrels Flood The Mondrian, Doped Youth Resurfaces in Versace

An autopsy of the Solento Surf Film Festival — and a breakdown of the biggest…

Jun 18, 2025
Advertisement