This message is a story about the performance of custom short boards (polyurethane, eps, or extruded blanks) compared with the performance of the Cobra factory’s various short board models marketed by US based companies. I’m going to assume for the sake of discusssion that variation in performance between the two types of boards would be the result of several factors including - but certainly not limited to - the design of the shaped blank, the glassing schedule, the fins and fin system, and the suitablity of the board’s dimensions to the specific surfer. What has really caught my attention with regard to performance is that virtually all of the surfers on salary to these companies to market their boards ride custom boards shaped and glassed by competent professionals in the surfboard manufacturing trade. Is the surfer’s preference to custom boards a barometer of the relative performance of custom boards compared to the Cobra models ? What are the specific variations between custom boards and Cobra models that make one or the other the board of choice for surfers who demand the best quality of performance from their most important tool ?
Dear Mr. Cobra, Your pets are constantly nipping at my ankles. That damn flute player French has wooed these serpents to our shores and we don’t like it. They are sinister and soul-less. Time to create some anti-venom. Rob Olliges Picture of “big-name” US boardmaker toasting new wealth: 
Dear Mr. Cobra, Your pets are constantly nipping at my ankles. That damn flute player French has wooed these serpents to our shores and we don’t like it. They are sinister and soul-less. Time to create some anti-venom. Rob Olliges Picture of “big-name” US boardmaker toasting new wealth:
LOL he is just a Factory owner trying to figure out the sport and how to sell more boards. One hint… make them less durable…most surfers need to break boards on a regular basis.
LOL he is just a Factory owner trying to figure out the sport and how to sell more boards. One hint… make them less durable…most surfers need to break boards on a regular basis.
Hellow fellow Serpant analyists: I too find it very telling when the pro’s who fly the flag, accept money, and promote boards made by surftech/cobra only ride the boards at the “right” time. I dont know about you but the right time for me is when waves are 6 foot, offshore, and kegging. The “right” time for many of these riders is when the lens is pointed in their direction and a fly away air or 2 foot closeout means bread on the table, beer in the fridge, and one foot brain sucker full of green stuff I heard about on TV. The truth is when the waves call for real surfing- NONE of these pro’s are caught dead on those molded boards. None are seen in WCT contests, never seen AR/P.mel making tow history on Surftechs despite being on “staff”- you dont even see them riding them when the waves are everyday fun. Only in the ad’s promoting these boards as the new viagra for your surfing is where the SC/Surftech/Cobra riders ride them…telling indeed. Unbreakable? No more sturdy than a Polyurethane board custom made by a person who knows what they are doing. In these times of terrosism, blackouts, and summer flat spells our President has stressed the importance of choosing sides. “You are either with us or against us”. Well in that case I throw my entire support behind the custom polyurethane surfboard and the people who manufacture them- keeping us up to date on surf design and stoked in the water as a result.
Hellow fellow Serpant analyists: I too find it very telling when the pro’s who fly the flag, accept money, and promote boards made by surftech/cobra only ride the boards at the “right” time. I dont know about you but the right time for me is when waves are 6 foot, offshore, and kegging. The “right” time for many of these riders is when the lens is pointed in their direction and a fly away air or 2 foot closeout means bread on the table, beer in the fridge, and one foot brain sucker full of green stuff I heard about on TV. The truth is when the waves call for real surfing- NONE of these pro’s are caught dead on those molded boards. None are seen in WCT contests, never seen AR/P.mel making tow history on Surftechs despite being on “staff”- you dont even see them riding them when the waves are everyday fun. Only in the ad’s promoting these boards as the new viagra for your surfing is where the SC/Surftech/Cobra riders ride them…telling indeed. Unbreakable? No more sturdy than a Polyurethane board custom made by a person who knows what they are doing. In these times of terrosism, blackouts, and summer flat spells our President has stressed the importance of choosing sides. “You are either with us or against us”. Well in that case I throw my entire support behind the custom polyurethane surfboard and the people who manufacture them- keeping us up to date on surf design and stoked in the water as a result.