What are the tips and tricks you guys have to cutting costs? Costs on materials, tools, everything! I’d love to hear them!
Thanks,
Spencer
…there are only 2 things to keep costs down without going the second quality materials or outsourcing for cheap labor:
-buy in bulk
-be friend or have very good relationship with the right persons
Also be a distributor of materials keep the costs down, but this one is related to the previous two.
So you need plenty of money to spend.
for tools, check out flea markets, swap meets, yard sales… you can often find nice chisels, power tools, levels, hand planes, etc… necessary stuff for reasonable prices. You might need to sharpen them, of course, or buy a new part here & there…
And as Reverb says, buying in bulk for materials…whole rolls of fiberglass for example. If you don’t need a whole roll, find guys to split the cost and divvy it up.
use insulation foam and boatbuilding epoxy
Grow your own vegetables and body surf? These
guys said it all, I have nothing to add except a wild rant and moral support. But…, if you accumulate good tools they
will be a joy to use and last a long time. I think Jim Phillips said he’s
had the same hand saw for 40 years??!!
Spencer you’re starting to realise that the initial period of learning to shape, glass, sand will be more expensive than just buying other peoples boards and sometimes you will wonder what the heck you are doing it for. Like when you’re spending the whole weekend or your day off building and your mates are surfing.
But surfboard building is a mental addiction which is only curable by making the next board. If you have the skills and you go down that one way street, god help you there’s no turning back. Keep going you’re half way there!! Good luck, may the foam be with you!!
Be one of the first customers to your main supplier over 20 years ago when they were small time going up against the big dogs. That helps my materials bottom line a lot
Stay single and dont have kids
word
Foil your own fins from plywood and glass them on. Find scraps of plywood from cabinet shops, etc.
using uv mekp and the sun
Cutting cost? Steal
Your supplies. Rent space in Yuma or find a foreclosed house use it until you get found out.
Keep very close track of how much resin you need for a board (surface area and glass schedule) and get it right down to the drip. Try to keep it all on the board and not the floor. I think you can get away with a lot less resin than most people think. If you get a friend to help you glass, teach them how to mix the resin so if you find you need a little bit more they can mix it for you while you keep working. Make more boards, the more you make the less your “tool cost per board” becomes. ie, you buy a dremel which can do all the routing for fin boxes, leash plugs and a bunch more… let’s say that’s $65, if you make 10 boards, now it’s only 6.50 per. Keep things simple, resin tints/pigments, logos, paint jobs… they all add $ And last, take care of your gear and you’ll only have to buy it once!
Doing repairs will help cash flow and also supplement your new board margins. Do the math: 1 gal resin = 2 new shortboards or 1 LB, 1 gal resin = 30+ repairs @ $45 average. Use UV catalyst and turn around in 24 hrs for higher pricing.
Pete’s right there on making more money doing dings. Our mutual friend Perry, who works out of Terry Senate’s shop, stretches a gallon of resin further than I thought humanly possible. Does that mean Perry is not human? I am not sure, because that guy rarely wastes a drop.
Do regular burglaries to your biggest suppliers late at night or holiday weekends…let the bills pile up for as long as possible , then pay with bad cheaques…sell stolen goods as a sideline to stay on top of cash-flow…sell boards on Ebay and never send them…become proficient enough with a computer to steal someones I.D. , then borrow $ 100,000 with their name…become a politician…just be a generally creative person ( but don’t get too comfortable where you live)…Oh yeah !..sell the same board to 10 different people and tell them you’ll drop it off tomorow when it’s polished…mmmmm what else ?
WORD!!
and also, ride a bike, not a car!!
or,livein your van…
cutting costs for building? do everything yourselves!
I’ve been using this fin set with boxes for about 4 years with no problems. While they may weigh a little more than some other fin systems I believe they are stronger than either FCS or Futures. The fins that come with the boxes are about the same as the low end FCS fins. They only cost $24 for a thruster set of boxes with the fins included. Hard to beat.
http://www.surfsource.net/store/product/lightweight_ryobi1211
buy cheap boards at the dump and strip and reshape them , for practice towards good blanks one day
ride a foamie
make alaias from fenceposts , or old front doors
resurrect fins from broken boards in winter [it's surprising how many people ditch them ? ]
learn how to fix snapped boards and ding repairs for extra pocket money
what else ?
fins from ?polycarb? chopping boards , and / or g10 sheets
as rooster said , use plywood scraps for glasson fins ...
I don't advocate the stealing sideline
[i'm sure they were joking]
but maybe if it doesn't work out for you as a shaper
and you're a young good looking rooster
you could get a pocket money sideline as a fashion [surfy] model
[maybe wait till after 18 , though ...]
ummm...
what else ??
definately , if you are strapped for cash [ I know the feeling , very well !]....
try to offer SERVICES , in exchange for materials ...
egs:
are you good with computers ? photography ? making skateboards ?
offer these services ,
in exchange for
eg :
resin
glass
blank[s]
as per Stingray's "let's do a deal" thread ...
also...
are you in Cali ?
does your dad and / or mum surf ?
if so , could they maybe accompany you for a day or two to the big sur thing coming up ?
.... so then , you could personally MEET and introduce yourself to stingray , resinhead , and other helpful , experienced shapers / glassers / sprayers / suppliers , who would all be gathered in the one place at the one time ... [ a great opportunity , mate ! don't let it go !!]
stay on swaylocks for a long time if possible
i think these guys mentioned "may" still ? have their "shaping get-together" days and such , from time to time ?
it would be great for them , no doubt , to encourage an enthusiastic grom , like yourself
and
no doubt you would learn HEAPS from practical , hands on shaping etc experience with them ...
definately try to make the most of what you've got here , and I'm sure one day you will be able to give back in kind , too
last thought ...
I don't know if you guys have them there ,
but ....
here [ in west australia] , my local board supplier used to , when he got a delivery of blanks , get a few bonus ones [?"packing blanks"??] packed in the corners of the van .
he didn't use these , would sometimes throw them away [?!] , or put them aside ...
....VOILA !
instant , free blank !
So...
try to befriend a surf supplies guy , a glasser [free glass offcuts , for fin panels] , a sprayer , a fin install guy , a sander , a glosser ...
so you can learn first hand these valuable skills !
As I say ,
if you have any expertise or passions like photography , or computer stuff or ?maybe art ? for example ,
see if people are interested in 'doing a deal' with services , instead of [absent] cash
... barter .....
it's one of the oldest 'professions' around !
okay , spencer , hope this helps ??
cheers !
ben
"stay single and don't have kids !" ...., for SURE !! once you work full time , and [hopefully !] can save lots of money, you will be laughing ...
.... oh , to be young again ?! ....sigh :)
afterthoughts ...
do you guys have local council / neighbourhood roadside verge collections ? [if you target rich suburbs , you may be AMAZED how good condition the stuff is , that people will throw away ?!]
often , boards , fins , legropes [i've even come across the occassional board bag there , too ?!] can be found there , as well as dumper bins near [being demolished] houses , and the aforementioned rubbish tips / dumps ....
NaCl H2O
"Keep things simple, resin tints/pigments, logos, paint jobs.. they all add $ And last, take care of your gear and you'll only have to buy it once! "
.... yep , GOOD ADVICE !
And , equally important AFTER you have made your board[s] !!..
eg :
when not using your board[s] ,
fix any dings immediately , once dry [inspect board and fins regularly] ,
[put in ] board bag protection ,
store out of heat , humidity and direct sunlight , if possible .. store in board shelves / racks , so they don't teeter down walls , or get knocked over / around ...
Be careful when moving your board[s] around [i've dinged boards on ceilings , railings , front doors , up and down stairs grrr ]
don't leave boards sitting in hot cars in summer
or in the carpark , for people to run over
lastly ,
maybe think seriously about keeping " fido" away from it [unless you like teeth marks , or cheap yellow 'tint' jobs , on your boards , of course ?!]
a surfboard is NOT a bone , or a tree or pole
cheers !
ben
make boardshorts out of tablecloths
He ain’t called “Sling Ray” for nothin.