A Swaylock's Glass Shop Would Be Good For Surfing

General Discussion
1

Now before you jump down my throat and accuse me of attacking you back away from the bong and please take this into serious consideration.

If the backyard and professional gurus of Swaylocks joined forces and got a building and opened up a new standard surfboard factory it would be great for surf culture.

I thought it would be only natural that Greg Loehr head up this venture but he sent me an e-mail making it clear that he thinks the future of domestic surfer built surfboards is doomed. I’m much more optimistic and I think that the surfing public would respond very positively to a such a venue.

Interest in eps/epoxy surfboards is at an all time high thanks in part to this website and surf media coverage. The big bad Clark Foam is gone and surfers are looking for the next great thing.

Sadly, if the average surfer wants an epoxy surfboard his/her main choice is an imported replica. Yes, there are a few epoxy shops out there but the public is hungry for something bigger and better.

Imagine a place that not only has a full production glass shop but also sells blanks, resin, tools, supplies and even rents out shaping rooms by the hour. You could have a shaping machine or two on site.

An obvious choice for a production manager would be Jim Phillips. How much terrifc free advice has he given out on swaylocks.com over the years? It would be cool to see all the collective knowledge come to life.

If the core guys here put together some money or approached a bank with this business model there could be a new standard 100% eps/epoxy shop up and running by the middle of summer. It would also be ground zero for the sandwich construction boards.

Randy French does not want this shop to exist but I think it would be killer. I promise you that at least 50% of Surftech’s customers would rather ride a domestic built custom board of similar weight and materials. That is a lot of boards!

Give it some thought. Give back to surfing.

2

Swaylocks IS the “give back to surfing” you speak of. You too should back away from the Bong. It would be nice if your vision could be reality. Sadly it won’t.

3

I don’t smoke pot. The “back away from the bong” is just a common expression my friends and I use and is meant to be humorous.

4

For the most part Swaylocks is a breath of fresh air compared to SurferMag’s Design Message Board. I’ve never seen so much mis-information, such intellectually dishonest,illogical, inanely foolish, personally insulting comments stewing among precious few bits of truth. All compressed into one steaming fetid mass. Their need for an impartial moderator has been embarrassingly obvious for a long, long time. Thanks for the update!

http://forum.surfermag.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=944284&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

5

A centralized standard factory would create quite a target… I can think of a number of individuals and/or agencies who might have it in their crosshairs in short order.

6

boy could I ever go off on this one.

…ambrose…

doomed?

dooed?

yeah right

bong?

like you wern’t there

once… or twice

if not… maybe you didnt in hale…

and base credibility on a narrowed conciousness?

composing a reply…

maybe later.

pros and cons

the pros never got caught.

the cons did the time.

…aloha…

sargent made the boards

duke surfed em

7

sounds a good idea to me

8

I like the idea. But instead of a factory how about a Swaylock’s University offering Master’s Degrees in varous facets of surfboard design and/or construction. That would be more in the spirit on this site- ie not co commercial but more a sharing on info. Curse offerings could include epoxy construction- instructor G. Loehr and company, Vacuum bagging- Bert Burger, Hollow wood- Paul Jensen, Daniel Hess, Benny and company, alternative fin placement- Chipfish. And on and on. I’m sure alot of you have better ideas for instructors than I do. ANd one more- Onuela and Carve Nalu could teach Aloha, yeah? Mandatory class!

9

A target? Why? I think such a shop would be really successful.

Try to ignore the bong comment, I really didn’t mean any harm.

As far as me being moderator of Surfermag.com Design Forum it goes like this, Scott Bass saw that a lot of surfboard related topics were getting swallowed up by all the political stuff so he created the separate forum. He asked me about 12 times to be the moderator before I agreed. I don’t get paid and my only duty is to delete any porn when he is out of town (only had to twice). I didn’t know that being moderator meant that I can’t express my opinions or ask questions.

Bassy probably regrets asking me as I’ve posted a lot of stuff that is heavily critical of Surfer mag itself and I’ve had some stuff deleted in the past (recently a satire about Quicksilver).

Your description of the Surfer mag forum IS pretty good though, lol.

Who should take over as moderator over there?

How about Rob Olliges? He’s pretty cool.

10

Never visited surfermag but I imagine all that is really necessary is the type of IGNORE button that blocks a chosen members posts from your viewing. then everyone can be their own moderator. Haven’t seen the need for it here on sways

11

i like the idea as well .

custom composites

in fact why limit it to surfboards .

could do yacht spars or daggerboards and keels fo small racing boats.

i was thinking of making a windmill in composite construction.

also could get into molded polypropylene composites .

try a few soft surfboards maybe

some boogers

kitchen bench tops

racing kayaks and paddles

etc

and a bit of epoxy surfboard glassing on the side

thats kinda what i want to set up but i dont have the capital or crew.

ive even got a name and logo

12

I think it would be successful too.

All it needs is a rich lurker out there who wants to get into the biz, and makes realistic offers to techs and craftsmen to make it happen, of which there are several who frequent this site. A simple add would surely get responses.

You won’t have to be famous, just into it, really into it. Must do good work.

13

Hey Silly…need employee #1?

There aren’t many places to which I’d relocate…but yours would be deep under consideration. :slight_smile:

14

Get Schwuz out of Texas!

15

Relax, I understood the humor, and also employed it. Sorry that you didn’t notice.

16

sweet benny. if it hapens ill talk to you first.:slight_smile:

bit of a pipedream at the mo.

sabs is already hardcore boatbuilding .he might be worth talking to.

got a job for benny, mike?

its easier to immigrate here if you start a business here that employs kiwis.

my wife just got permenent residency and im aussie so i can just stay here.

i sort of consider myself to be an resident of pacifica though.

by the way mike you are working in the composite industry

in your opinion

would us new compsand guys have potential employment in what you are doing.

might be a time for a career change .

hey benny lets set it up at gisbourne

how fun would that be?

making boards and testing them in perfect uncrowded waves.

Tfad .

id really like to see your quiksilver parody

can you pm it to me or post under a notha name

problem is that it will prolly come back and bite you in the bum if you post it aye.

lucky for me im a nobody hey.

i can kinda say what i want.(within the rule of course moderators)

if your in the industry, u gotta be careful what you say.

i can look like a dick and no one cares cuz im nobody

17

" i can look like a dick and no one cares cuz im nobody "

…along those lines , can you please bring back that avatar of you with the red napkin on your head ?

I LIKED that one the best !

[mind you , this current one of your stunt double whacking it is convincing …looks like 'you ’ would rip on my head .]

kind regards from

ima dicktoo

now , SABS …HE’S the MAN !!

quality work , and personality , and disposition …RESPECT ! from me , that’s for sure

18

TFAD - As I read through your post I had a mixed reaction in that on one hand it seems like a good idea but at the same time I found myself thinking, why?

You are right, there are quite a few “backyard and professional gurus” in the Swaylocks community that give back to the community on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. Some are here all the time (so it seems) others stop by when they can. The big thing to keep in mind is that most of them have other (real? non-surf related) lives outside of this virtual “shapers garage”.

Your idea has merit but the “professional gurus” here that would/could do it are already in the surf industry. As for the backyard guys, I expect all of this is a pleasurable diversion from their “real” lives (I place myself in this second group).

[=1]Who know, perhaps your post may be the catalyst for Swaylocks-like shaping/glassing/apprentice business. Perhaps some of the professional guys are ready to take on something new or different. [ 3]How about you? Why don’t you give it a go?[/][/]

It would be nice to see it work. Good Luck!

- Rick

19

ive got some more of me “wacking it” if your that way inclined

however i just thought surfing photos were more appropriate for this particular forum

hey love your avatar by the way very funny.

ps i didnt think you were into people ripping a shit on your head

howeva i do know a website where thay are into those sort of things. :slight_smile:

20

TFAD,

First off, the thing that screams out in your post is Greg Loehr’s comment that, “the future of domestic surfer built surfboards is doomed.” If he did in fact say that, he’s got his head in the sand - and that’s a nice way to put it.

Since the beginnings of surfing, surfers have always built their own boards. Always, from Oceanea to Simmons to Velzy to Curren to … US. If Swaylocks is any indication, which I think it is, there are probably more surfers, by percentage, building their own boards today than at any other point in recent (post short board rev.) time. If Greg thinks it is a doomed aspect of surfing, it says to me that he may see selling his product to the surfer/builder as a loss leader in his push to place RR epoxy at the top of the heap (not enough volume sales to make it worth his while - wasn’t there a post about surfer/builders having problems getting product from RR). I hope I’m wrong about this - TFAD, you should clarify/quantify the quote in your post - as I doubt Greg started out any other way than from his garage. Plus, he - and Sam in his shop - has always seemed jazzed to help out the surfer/builder.

As for the Swaylocks Shop… besides the fact that I’m on the East Coast. The communal approach you’re proposing has been tried in all kinds of ways over the years - auto shop, woodshop, down to communal gardens. The concept and the initial start-up is always filled with energy. Then…after “Roscoe” shapes his first three boards, taking two and a half hours each every Saturday morning from 9 to 11:30, he decides to bring a cooler the next Saturday and hog a bay for 8 hours and 12 bottles of shaping fluid (the stuff in the green bottles from Germany) to “almost” finish 1 board… “Chill Dude, I rushed the last three and want this one right. It’s my last Clark blank, Dude.” Not to even go near liability insurances, misc. expenses, etc. etc. etc…

If it’s a full blown epoxy brand you’re proposing, it’s here, without the “imported replica” tag you mention. If anyone wants to buy epoxy “off the rack” from a well known U.S. company, they don’t have to look too far these days - and there’s alot more coming, you can bet…

Guess my point is, fun as it is to meet up, talk technique, show off our latest board and whatever, I’ll always prefer to hunker down in my little gypsy shop cause, as Keith Richards said when asked if he liked being in the studio with other musicians, “Hey, I don’t mind my own farts, but I don’t need to be smelling yours…”