UPDATE: At the conclusion of the 2023 WSL CT regular season, Mayhem Surfboards won the Vissla CT Shaper Rankings with 228,855 points.
Say what you will about World Surf League (WSL) choices regarding World Championship Tour (WCT) locations and waiting periods, as they have made one very smart decision for the 2023 season. They have partnered up with one of the last remaining “core” surf brands to honor the individuals who provide the craft that CT pros ride to podium finishes.
The VISSLA CT Shaper Rankings 2023 is an inaugural “competition” that pits some of the world’s top high-performance surfboard shapers against one another. There are 18 shapers who provide boards for all CT competitors and their rankings are represented via a leaderboard that tracks the performance of men’s and women’s CT surfers as they progress through each event. Rankings count Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the ten CT stops of the season. The winning high-performance shaper will be determined by the end of the 10-stop CT, prior to the Rip Curl WSL Finals.
This platform is long overdue. Prior to 2023, the best that a shaper could hope for was a visible sticker and shoutout when their sponsored rider was interviewed by Rosy Hodge. The VISSLA CT Shaper Rankings now shine a much-deserved spotlight on master-craftsmen who provide equipment to the WCT elite. In this ongoing article, Action Sports Betting will update shaper rankings as they are adjusted through the season. In addition, we will provide betting odds on the Top 5 shapers in contention for the title. Bookmark this page and check back as each event concludes!
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Updated VISSLA Shapers Rankings and Odds for the 2023 World Surf League Championship Tour Season
Current VISSLA CT Shapers Rankings
After Stop 10 (Tahiti Pro) on the WCT
Rank 1: Mayhem Surfboards with 228,855 Points
Rank 2: Sharp Eye Surfboards with 188,485 Points
Rank 3: DHD Surfboards with 182,610 Points
Rank 4: Channel Islands Surfboards with 91,945 Points
Rank 5: Pyzel Surfboards with 88,385 Points
Current VISSLA CT Shapers Rankings Odds to Win
After Stop 8 (Surf City El Salvador Pro) on the WCT
Mayhem Surfboards: 1/5 Odds (83.33% Probability)
Despite a hiccup at the VIVO Rio Pro, Mayhem rider Griffin Colapinto is well en route to closing out the year strong. The fact that nearly all other big names dropped early in Brazil worked in his favor, even if he did get pushed down to the No.2 spot in CT rankings in the event. Then came J-Bay, which caused Colapinto to drop another spot down to No.3. Colapinto won the Surf Ranch Pro, came in 2nd in El Salvador, and is now expected to get a Quarterfinal finish or better at Tahiti. Meanwhile, Mayhem’s Carissa Moore has also done well by winning at the Ranch while coming in 3rd in El Salvador and again at the VIVO Rio Pro. She also came in 3rd at the Corona Open J-Bay. Furthermore, our expert’s pick of Yago Dora for a surprise win at the VIVO Rio Pro came to fruition and catapulted Mayhem to the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Caroline Marks came in second at the Surf Ranch Pro, won El Salvador, and pulled in a 3rd in Brazil along with a 5th at Jeffrey’s Bay which locked her into position for the trip to Lower Trestles in September.
With only one regular season event left on the CT we’d say that betting on Mayhem Surfboards to win the 2023 VISSLA CT Shapers Rankings is nearly sure thing.
Sharp Eye Surfboards: 5/1 Odds (16.7% Probability)
Filipe Toledo rides for Sharp Eye. He was expected to win the Surf Ranch Pro, but Griffin Colapinto spoiled that ambition which lead to Sharp Eye and Mayhem having the same odds to win the CT Shapers Rankings for quite awhile. Toledo then went on to win the Surf City El Salvador Pro. However, because Colapinto also made the Finals in El Salvador the two shaper studios were neck and neck in the odds race despite Mayhem’s 27K+ points lead over Sharp Eye. But with Toledo falling early at the VIVO Rio Pro and Mayhem rider Yoga Dora pulling off a win in Brazil, Sharp Eye was no longer a favorite. After that event, Filipe Toledo went on to win the Corona Open J Bay which keeps Sharp Eye in the mix. There’s only one problem for shaper Marcio Zouvi; his top contender (Toledo) is terrible at Teahupoʻo. Unless Toledo shocks the world and upsets current SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro odds and redictions, Sharp Eye will have to settle with a second place finish.
DHD Surfboards: 9/1 Odds (10% Probability)
DHD seemed to have a stranglehold on the VISSLA CT Shapers Rankings. However, the grip loosened up after the Surf Ranch Pro and the Surf City El Salvador Pro. On the men’s side, only Ethan Ewing is expected to get a good result for the remaining event after carrying momentum of a 2nd place finish at Rio and again at J-Bay. Ewing has a great shot at a Quarterfinal-or-better finish at the final event on the 2023 CT. Meanwhile, Molly Picklum’s campaign suddenly ramped up after we had expected it to plateau. She came in 2nd at Jeffrey’s Bay, although we don’t expect much from her at the Tahiti Pro.
Pyzel Surfboards: 18/1 Odds (5.3% Probability)
Pyzel has too much ground to cover. Even without a calculator in hand we can all but state that a win is mathematically impossible. Of course, you can’t completely count the brand out quite yet as John John Florence and Tyler Wright both ride for Pyzel. This fact keeps things interesting as JJF is a favorite to win to win at the Tahiti Pro while Wright is also presumed to perform well in Tahiti. Look for Pyzel to rise fast, even though JP has extremely long odds to win at this point.
Channel Islands Surfboards: 100/1 Odds (1% Probability)
The only CT relevant surfer Britt Merrick has left is No.4 ranked Joao Chianca. However, we’re convinced that his 2023 season momentum is over as we glide into the final event of the Tour. All of Channel Islands’ eggs for the VISSLA CT Shapers Rankings are in one basket, which makes them the biggest long shot of this (and next) season.
Bookmark this page and check back as each event on the remaining WSL WCT season concludes. We will update the VISSLA CT Shaper Rankings 2023 accordingly. Until then, sign up to make your wagers on the 2023 World Surf League.
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