The balsa decked ones seem to have a lot of problems with cracking where the deck skin ends. The all white, standard ones seem the best durability wise. Few guys at work have some, pretty happy with the white ones, balsa ones, not as much.
Agree mostly. Fact is there is no real " history " per say in the surfing industry. Certainly none that is written in stone. There is only what has been chronicled for public consumption. Who knows what went on in other beaches around the world at given times we never read about or see? The whole big business side of the thing has only been around in it’s present form since the seventies. The performance pro driven side since the late seventies. The entire industry is self centered as is most of surfing itself until we hit the water. The only real legitimate thing about any of it is paddling out and riding waves and gaining enjoyment from that on whatever you ride.
Also…I’m not really griping about Firewire having a business model to reduce it’s competition. I’m just describing what it is and what I believe the end result will be. I agree with whoever said shapers are their worst enemies sometimes also. The idolization of them as something more valid than the rest who surf has also been a problem and gone to too many of their head. It’s just surfing and just surfboards. I deal with folk I like and who shape what I like. I see zero reason to buy any mass produced surfboard when I can get all I need from a couple of shapers who are also my friends. If I see something I want to try, I’ll try it. Regardless of the sentiments of the surfing public or whether the shapers like it.
What makes forums interesting are all the varying perspectives and knowledge. Not so much anymore, but they once did. I have enjoyed seeing the many different flavors of boards, surfing, ideology, writing, art and etc. Even the pop outs and mass produces boards will at times produce something interesting. I still like the tech for the Surf Tech type stuff for smaller boards. I just haven’t ridden many I liked. The creative side of this sport is the best side outside the line up. The business side the most boring. One of the reasons I always enjoyed Roy’s post was seeing something ridiculed by the status quo that was totally different than anything else or being ridden anywhere else. I still find that interesting. I enjoyed the guys like Bert Burger, Ghetto, Rocky, Bernie and a host of others that used to post here.
There’s a lot of people in “the industry” that would be just happy to get in a solid weeks work , so the mortgage is payed and kids are fed …they don’t have time for ego trips. Another factory recently closed the doors around my local…I hated hearin’ that.
huie not bashing handshapers at all. they all could have learned how to bag and produced there own paulownia boards and then when firewire released one . all the local surfers would have gone " oh yeah such and such has already done that. "
what im saying is they should stop f&cking bitching about the big company and make there own vacuum tech boards or sh@t the f#ck up.
handshapes are awesome and the way to go. i make my a few of my mates boards and they are stoked cuz i can do anything they want . they are not interested in labels and shit and thats all good but there is no living to be made out of it . these guys should use there laminating skills and be foremen for sika or nuplex doing seamles flooing running big teams and making 140k a year instead of f"cking around with pool toys. and acting like its some sort of sacred craft…those days are done for most of em
if ya love it do it . thats my my motto but dont expect everyone to like the tune you sing
i really wish people would stop listening to rap music . and listen to me play fingerstyle country … f!ckers
im realy awesome at it and been doing it for 30 years. pay me
also i think people should stop shopping at michealcunthill and buy my handfabricated jewellery it took me 12 years to learn the three trades. manufacturing . gem setting and engraving and i been doing it for 25 years also my mum and dad and 2 of my uncles did it and my granddad did it for a bit as well. give me your money you cheap barstards
f"ck who cares. i live in NZ .i can surf all winter with out any douchebags to be seen
i would actually get a new board from you and harry in flash if i was near by. heaps o kooks ride firewires eh like surftechs. usually turn up in groups of 3 4 or more. guys riding firewires are more likely to be punched in the face
There’s a few here in Hawaii. Ambrose cut a balsa log with help from woodogre, gutrs is making balsa and wiliwili boards from wood he’s milled himself. He’s made solid boards. Bernie and I still have wiliwili that we got and milled ourselves. I’m not sure what you mean by infusion though. The closest we got is when the resin gets sucked through the wood by the vacuum process.
I have been milling my own cedar and balsa. Will be doing some redwood soon. Not completely set up for it but managing with a table saw and bandsaw. Wish I had a thickness planer. Maybe Santa will bring me one some day. Then I’d love a joiner too.
But I’m making do with what I’ve got. It’s not beyond the scope of anyone with moderate wood working skills. Cedar and redwood I can get locally here (Oregon). For me the tough part is getting the balsa. The shipping costs a fortune. I used to live in Florida about 1 hr. south of George Robinson and Mar Bravo. That was great when I could roll up to his place and pick thru a container load of long balsa beams. Now shipping cost just about double the price of the wood.
