BassSUP drops 2026 hard board line – Exclusive look at shaper Jędrzej Klafkowski’s craft

Over the past months, we’ve been sharing updates from the young riders of RTW Racibórz – one of the fastest-rising junior SUP teams on the international racing scene – now training and competing on new custom boards from BassSUP. A long-time supporter of both the team and the growth of the sport in Poland, Basssup is the premium SUP brand founded in 2016 by Jędrzej Klafkowski and Małgosia Majda.

Now, the brand has released its 2026 hard board catalogue, and we’re catching up with Basssup Co-Founder and shaper Jędrzej Klafkowski  to take a deeper look into the shaping process –  and what “serial production” really means when every single board is still touched, refined, and finished by Jędrzej’s own hands.

Hi Jędrzej, welcome back to TotalSUP! Let’s dive right in… How does the shaping process for a rider’s board begin?

The process starts with getting to know the athlete themselves. For me, it’s incredibly important to understand how much they weigh, their height, and their paddling style/technique, because the boards we create can be highly customised and personalised – in terms of width, volume, but also according to the athlete’s individual characteristics.

Of course, this requires a lot of interaction with the athlete themselves, which I try to maintain from start to finish.

Jędrzej Klafkowski_Co-Founder and Shaper, BassSUP

What do you primarily take into account when designing a board – which parameters are the most important?

It’s a very difficult and broad question. I take into account all the generally available and existing knowledge about boards, shaping processes, and what is currently available on the market.

I pay huge attention to physics and all knowledge related to yacht design and everything that floats – how shapes behave in the water and all the resistance factors connected to that. On top of this, you also have to consider that something which may be extremely fast is not necessarily good or usable for a person to ride.

That’s why I take into account the conditions the board is designed for, and combine this with surfing knowledge – rails, concaves, and all the values and characteristics we can define – and from that, the board is created.

Jędrzej with Jakub Kubiak, Team BassSUP x RTW Racibórz

In your opinion, which board characteristics have the greatest impact on a rider’s performance overall?

The most important factor is the athlete themselves – their approach to training, their physical attributes, and ultimately they are the author of all success, while we are only an addition to the process. We can make that journey easier, or it can become more difficult – but in the end, it is their own path to victory.

When it comes to what I believe influences performance, a huge factor is the feeling of comfort and stability. The board not only has to be fast, but it also has to be controllable.

It also matters what the boards are made from, which materials we use, and how much work we put into making them perfect – light and fast.

The biggest influence comes from adapting the board to the athlete, especially in terms of volume and buoyancy. That makes a massive difference. A difference of 50 liters of volume between two different athletes can completely change the performance and feel of the board. With us, there is the possibility to fine-tune and smoothly customise all of that.

Jakub Kubiak – BassSUP California Fast Pro

Could you tell us about the main rigid board models – Razor, California, Gen Z, and custom – in the 2026 collection? How does the shaping process for these models work, and how does it influence their character and intended rider?

In the 2026 collection we have the Gen Z board – our second all-water board without a dugout but featuring a 2 cm lowered standing area to improve contact with the water.

A very fast and highly demanding board, perfectly suited for downwind paddling and open-water conditions. It will also perform exceptionally well in technical races – especially during starts and turns.

It features very quick responsiveness, extremely rounded rails that are almost invisible, and a subtly sharpened nose outline. This is a very technical board, designed for very lightweight riders – and it’s extremely light itself at just 9 kg.

From left: Basssup California and two Gen Z models

Then we have two true racing machines – the California models with a dugout design. These are all-water boards with high volume and a deep standing area for greater stability and control, of course equipped with drainage systems to remove excess water.

The board features a double concave bottom with a V-shape hull design, rounded rails with sharper edges toward the tail, and a very high-volume nose that also helps maintain control on the waves. It’s a board designed for everything – open-water racing, technical races, sprints, and long-distance events. A truly versatile shape.

Emilia Daszewska at the ESL World SUP Festival 2026 – BassSUP Razor Fast Pro

But my pet project – and probably my boldest one – is the Razor board. At first glance, it may look like a flatwater board because of its shape: a very sharp nose, a very clean and regular outline through to the tail, and a large standing area. It’s incredibly wide where the rider stands – despite the board being only 21 inches wide, the standing space itself is almost 50 cm wide because the rails are so thin.

It also has a rounded tail that allows for very fast turns, slightly reduced volume, and a very clean bottom shape with almost perfect water contact. The bottom is free from any concaves – just a subtle roundness throughout the hull. The rails stay rounded through two-thirds of the board, becoming sharp toward the tail to improve control.

As it turned out, this board performs extremely well in open-water conditions. One thing worth highlighting is the board’s outline, which I call the ‘rifle’ shape – it shoots forward. It releases energy very easily and accelerates incredibly fast. At the same time, it remains exceptionally stable, which, combined with its other features, allows the athlete to get the absolute maximum out of the board. And we’re very excited to see what the riders will do with it next. We’ll have several versions of this board model available.

Mirek Nowak at the ESL World SUP Festival 2026 – BassSUP Razor Fast Pro

In our catalogue, you’ll also find a beautiful classic longboard, which we can build for you in many different material configurations – another highly versatile all-around board. You’ll also find wing foil and SUP foil boards.

As for the shaping process, it’s handled by our design team – myself and my important partner Wojtek, who perfectly complements my skills. We first create the design, which is then cut on a CNC machine using what’s known as a tri-shape process. After that, around 20 hours of hand work remain – sanding and refining the foam so it’s ready for lamination.

During this stage, I’m able to make a huge number of adjustments, especially when working with an experienced athlete who understands what sharper or more rounded rails can change. We can also modify the tail construction on request – for example, on one version of the California model, the tail was originally cut square and flat, but there was a request to make it rounded instead. These are the kinds of refinements that happen throughout the process.

Then we move on to questions of volume and board dimensions, which are decided together with the client. All personalisation is added directly into the design.

After that comes lamination, hand-finishing, and hand-wrapping – everything is handmade and built by one person.

You focus on both serial production and custom boards – can every model (Razor, California, Gen Z) be fully customised for a rider? How does the customisation process work?

Above all, we focus on making sure our boards are built with passion and with every bit of excellence we can put into them. The production process is primarily fully handmade by me, without any additional help at the moment – of course supported by 3D design and CNC machining – which means our production capacity is limited to what I’m personally able to create.

We already offer boards that are produced and ready to buy, and we’re continuing to grow in that direction so customers always have that option available.

Every individually ordered board can be personalized. This means we can do virtually anything – including changes to the shape itself  – as long as it comes from a shared understanding of what we are creating together. In that sense, the possibilities of how a board can be built and how it will finally look are almost endless.

We want every customer to feel truly special with a product that comes out of our hands (read, Jędrzej’s hands 😉

Jędrzej Klafkowski in his element

What does the collaboration with a rider look like when creating a custom board – from the first contact to the finished product?

I try to make this a journey for both sides. I’m open to endless conversations about what we’re going to create together.

For example, in the case of an athlete like Krystian Świerkowski, who has an excellent feel for what’s under his feet and truly understands the changes being made, he personally requested a different tail shape for the California model. I genuinely had no problem with that, because for the way he paddles, it was a thoughtful change that would be beneficial – especially for technical racing.

The fundamental things I always establish first are the rider’s weight, the required volume, and their paddling style, because some paddlers are more power-oriented while others are less so. All of these elements can be adjusted when preparing the final product, so the board comes as close as possible to the rider’s expectations.

We talk a lot and really listen to each other throughout the process. There are lots of photos, video materials, and updates from every stage of the build, because people are interested in what’s inside the board – not just the finished product. The more the athlete understands, the more deeply I’m able to work together with them.

Krystian Świerkowski – BassSUP California Fast Pro

To what extent does shaping a board specifically for a rider affect performance compared to serial production models?

It has a significant impact. The most important factor that determines how an athlete will ultimately feel on the board is adapting the volume and width specifically to that rider – that is the first and most important point. That’s exactly what sets us apart from everyone else.

Of course, among mass-produced boards you can usually find something that works for you – but never something that is truly made for you.

When it comes to unlocking an athlete’s full potential, take the example of a female rider weighing 60 kg paddling a board with more than 300 liters of volume – immediately the question arises whether that setup can really allow her to perform at her best.

That’s why we emphasize that this way of creating boards is unique, and we invite people to build them together with us.

Explore the 2026 BassSUP range here

To find out more about BassSUP, visit basssup.com

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*Images courtesy of BassSUP