You claim you can make them for less than a ST but you can’t polish a turd or make a living at it. Still interested???
Hey otay,
this is my second compsand and my 6th finished surfboard ever.This compsand, although nothing flash at all by any standards, has come out lightyears ahead in terms of finish and quality to what ive previously made.And I attribute this
soley to becoming a member at compsand.com and following only their advice, and making a few phone calls to some of the compsand.com members.Ive never been hands on person to person ever shown how to make a board at all.
Now lets say a couple hundred guys like me from where ever do this, get our build times and finished products respectable and all decide we love doing it so much that we are gonna throw in the crappy factory jobs we have and make customs in our garage for a living.what volumes of additional composite boards would then be hitting the lineups?.Ive heard you state correctly that paul cannot supply the volume of boards which is true, but get a few hundred more like him making them and maybe its a different story.Pretty easy really considering you just need to outlay
a vacuum pump and spend some time at night getting a few pointers from the bb members at compsand.com.
very nice board. I am glad you think you have it nailed so soon.
constructive criticism would be to stager your balsa sheets or have a diagonal “v” break in the middle planks on the bottom/top so the seams are not exactly lined up. Out side the different wood strips are symmetrical and it looks cherry there.
It looks like a really fun board to ride.
Next time you see a ST woody, try to find the seams. A compsand guy will have the eye for it but the average joe will have a problem finding them.
finally, do you really want to make a living at making and selling surfboards? I would think the most important thing is to enjoy the craft and not worry about surftech, sunova or firewire.
I have a custom longboard from a local designer that was made from an ST blank. …
He also said you could never get these in the US because of the chemicals used to blow them were illegal here.
I would think if they can sell the finished product here…they could sell the blanks here–they don’t want the blanks here.
The stuff they blow them with–OTAY must not know what that is, or he would have said.
It sure is great outsourcing potent toxins to people too poor to think about it–boy, that’s the free global market at work.
If you are insinuating CFC’s are being used you are wrong. Actually it’s all hype. Think about what they are trying to sell…Fused EPS?? A little company called patagonia started that hype when they changed foams in 1999. There are no secrets in making FEPS. The molds are in Thailand so why would you make it anywhere else? Now FEPS in a close tolerance mold. That’s brilliant and a brick wall few are willing to cross, but Randy did!! The urban legend about illegal gases being used is just that. Just jealous people making excuses for their inability to succeed.
ST and the cobra factory is a shinning example of self sufficiency under one roof. It’s actually what all you take pride in doing on a small scale. Randy French started just like you all except when you’re the pioneer in something you are the archives in progress and there are none others to check. just ask Bert Burger.
thank you for the kind words otay and the pointers, its definately far from a shop finished board and i know i have a long way to go to get to any decent standard and have it nailed(youll notice the camera angles are such that none of the defects show).Just simply making the observation that after pointers from the guys at compsand.com ive got a much better board than i would have otherwise had if i had have carried on as i was going, and this leads me to believe in the possibility for the the backyard compsand to be pushed out in great volumes.
I would love to see a st actually especially a woody but unfortunately i havent seen one at the local surfshop or in the lineup, which i have often thought is strange given that the local i surf spot gets busy when its on.I have seen a few firewires however but no surftech or sunova.Lots of bics though.
And as far as making a living from making boards i have thought about it when i have enough under my belt and have good enough build times.But that is cause i enjoy making them which could change if its a job i guess.
I think the finish is fine. Sometimes the finish is actually there but the right tool or trick with some elbow grease will bring it out. I think having some experienced builders to refer to will make your journey in board building much more enjoyable.
I agree, when it no longer is fun to do it’s just a way to make a living then.
More money was offered FW than was actually given. The Aussie Government didn’t come out bad on the deal at all. Very nearly all of this was private investmant. The main two problems which has effected everyone , the glut (unprecidented glut) and a shrinking dollar. The AUD is ripping the USD a new one while the Baht isn’t. World market out there today guys. This may be the US builders saving grace. BTW, talking with the shops in CA, NC and FL in the last month the only thing selling … custom product … the only thing. Tune up the web sites gents … we may get another turn after all. But don’t expect the retailer to do you any favors.
BTW word has it RF sold the second half last week.
The main two problems which has effected everyone , the glut (unprecidented glut) and a shrinking dollar. This may be the US builders saving grace. the only thing selling … custom product … the only thing. Tune up the web sites gents … we may get another turn after all. But don’t expect the retailer to do you any favors.
Sorry OTAY–I mistakenly dropped in on your thread here–I don’t really care about surftechs at all. They don’t want the blanks here though, that’s true, right?
Not just “custom product” but “local” custom product, eliminating the petro dollars in shipping. Additionally, with the economy skidding, people gravitate toward local community for symbiotic support, local cottage/farm industries leg up. Direct sourcing of goods wherever possible, eliminate middlemen parasites.
The manufacturing of surfboards in developing countries is but a microscopic particle compared to all the other toxicity that developed western countries have inflicted on them through industrialisation.
The industrialisation is in turn destroying their cultures and making the poor bastards lust after all things material.
i could be wrong but why does randy get credit for the tech? didn’t he just ask a windsurfboard building company to make some surfboards? no doubt he bridged the gap from sailboards to surfboards but did he actually have anything to do with the tech? not that it really matters…
Hey OTAY. Bit OT. I’ve had a woody Wingnut noserider for several years. Goes well. But I would be reluctant to get another one because the outer resin layer is forever chipping and cracking and is a real pain to repair. Bit of a design fault IMO but there must be a reason for that finish.
If it is a woody it should have a polyester resin hotcoat on the wood with no fiber glass cloth. Just sand the the whole board and re apply a polyester hotcoat. You should be able to get it cherry with about a pint and a half of resin and maybe 3 hours total time investment.