Got a solicitation from The Dragon Lady in Tiwan, it seems thy will make boards for anyone. Is this the future?? The e-mail went on to explain the advantages to having them make my boards, High quality, cheap price, satisfaction gauranteed! I hated to tell them I like making my own boards just fine, & If I ever decide to become a Volumn Surfboard Dealer, my wife & kids have been instructed to shoot me. For any of you would be “DEALERS” out there, take a peek at there website. Email Address: http://www.handtools.com.tw/html/surfboard/
Got a solicitation from The Dragon Lady in Tiwan, it seems thy will make > boards for anyone. Is this the future?? The e-mail went on to explain the > advantages to having them make my boards, High quality, cheap price, > satisfaction gauranteed! I hated to tell them I like making my own boards > just fine, & If I ever decide to become a Volumn Surfboard Dealer, my > wife & kids have been instructed to shoot me. For any of you would be > “DEALERS” out there, take a peek at there website.>>> Email Address: >>> http://www.handtools.com.tw/html/surfboard/ Ichecked out that site and I noticed that they are using Blanks from Australia…the shaping room looked o.k. I guess.How cheap are these boards and what will happen when they start blowing their own foam?The shots of the factory looked like any other glass shop in the USA.Very strange indeed.How much for a 9’0 polished longboard?Don’t get me wrong I don’t want em but we need to know what the competition is up to.
This thread makes me VOMIT!!!
This thread makes me VOMIT!!! The blanks they are using are Burford soft foam so the boards are not going to last very long. Burford blanks are on the goldcoast in Australia and are very slow at the moment maybe the words out that they are sending blanks to Tiwan. We have got some large orders from different companys lately Rabbit http://Southcoastfoam.com.au
That tells us that they haven’t got a handle on blowing blanks at this time.The only rich guys in the industry are the blank builders…when the Asians finally get the technology and profit margin figured out they will come on strong.I hate to see it but it will probably happen.If they wanted to they could possibly cut wholesale blank prices in half.Just a thought.
That tells us that they haven’t got a handle on blowing blanks at this > time.The only rich guys in the industry are the blank builders…when the > Asians finally get the technology and profit margin figured out they will > come on strong.I hate to see it but it will probably happen.If they wanted > to they could possibly cut wholesale blank prices in half.Just a thought. >>>>>>>> They buy blanks from Aussie foam because its inexpensive,FCS Australia sells them fin plugs because they think they own the worlds fin market(wrong) and they have incredibly cheap labor. In the big picture they will have a minor impact on surfing in the U.S. Does any one remember the glass shops and surfbord manufacturer’s south of the border? Where are they now? See any in your local surf shop? I think not. Pet rocks, Chia pets, Molded surfboards, and Custom surfboards from Taiwan, same old crap. And their going to take over the surf market? Not going to happen. sk
sk- You fortune teller now too? We think “big picture” say American surf culture in for “big changes”. Look at world market flow trend. Surf consumer cheap minded. You had yours. Now we get ours. Who win build surfboards to world cultures? U.S.A. surfboard leader of Randy French beg to differ too. We say east rising, west sinking.
sk- You fortune teller now too? We think “big picture” say > American surf culture in for “big changes”. Look at world market > flow trend. Surf consumer cheap minded. You had yours. Now we get ours. > Who win build surfboards to world cultures? U.S.A. surfboard leader of > Randy French beg to differ too. We say east rising, west sinking. I can now see why you guys are hard to sell foam too. All the Aussie shapers should stop buying foam from Burfords and see how he likes his market stomped on. I can feel some bad blood between some people here Rabbit http://Southcoastfoam.com.au
I really don’t see what the fuss is all about. Those of you who produce top class customs have nothing to fear. The market is there and it is by no means threatened by china made massproduced lowcost boards. The ones who might loose in the long run is the big companies that sling out large numbers of nothin’ special shooters for the massmarket that last about a year or so. I guess they’ll either loose or move their production east. Or try to change market segment. A regular board here imported from south africa(Safari by Spider Murphy) cost NOK 4500, about US$575(No artwork, white or red, fcs plugs and fins). I dunno if this is a cheap layboured product as I don’t know how much black people in south africa are paid, but I guess it considerably lower then in the US. Anyway, add about NOK3000(US$385) for wetsuit and it all adds up to surfing being very prohibitive to get into. One of the reasons I didn’t (really) start until after college and when I did I started out on a cheap bic popout. I wouldn’t mind having the option to buy a board at a good price, even if it was made in China. As long as it surfs who cares where it was made? regards, Håvard
sk- You fortune teller now too? We think “big picture” say > American surf culture in for “big changes”. Look at world market > flow trend. Surf consumer cheap minded. You had yours. Now we get ours. > Who win build surfboards to world cultures? U.S.A. surfboard leader of > Randy French beg to differ too. We say east rising, west sinking. >>>>>> No fortune telling needed here, history speaks for itself. Since the advent of the foam core surfboard (1950’s) someone has claimed to be able to come out with a cheaper, and , or mass produced surfboard that would forever change the surfboard market as we have Known it ie; hand shaped custom surfboards. A molded surfboard will never replace a well made hand shaped custom surfboard. As to the question of how these cheaper boards actually affect the “big picture”, in the long run they will probably improve and increase the U.S. surf market by turning on more people to the sport. In most if not all sports you have different levels of equipment available to use. Starting with entry level equipment,(low start up costs) and as the persons ability and interest increases leads to better equipment. That is what separates the latest inovations in surfboard design and the stuff being sold as “premium surfboards” out of places such as Costco, Sams Club, etc. Cheap labor, greatly inferior materials and the ability to copy not invent new designs will be your downfall, not anything I or any else has to say about the subject. Until these facts change, you have nothing to claim. sk
I remember the days when people used to say, “I would never buy a _____ made in China.” The main complaint with the Chinese _____'s was that they were unreliable and poorly made. Now practically all the _____'s are made in Asia. The quality is top notch and the price unbeatable. As Americans, we don’t like to acknowledge the fact that for every hardworking U.S. laborer, there are 50 people on the other side of the globe willing to work harder, cheaper and without the same restrictions. The Chinese are not incapable of producing a superior product. Think of all the items in your household that can be used to fill the blanks in the first paragraph. What can we, the US consumers, do to prevent the custom surfboard from becoming just another _____?
I remember the days when people used to say, “I would never buy a > _____ made in China.” The main complaint with the Chinese _____'s was > that they were unreliable and poorly made. Now practically all the _____'s > are made in Asia. The quality is top notch and the price unbeatable.>>> As Americans, we don’t like to acknowledge the fact that for every > hardworking U.S. laborer, there are 50 people on the other side of the > globe willing to work harder, cheaper and without the same restrictions. > The Chinese are not incapable of producing a superior product.>>> Think of all the items in your household that can be used to fill the > blanks in the first paragraph. What can we, the US consumers, do to > prevent the custom surfboard from becoming just another _____? Going back even more years, I can remember when “made in Japan” was often synonymous with “poor quality, cheap price”. It
s wise to understand why thats no longer true anymore… especially when seeking insight into the future of surfboard manufacturing.
Going back even more years, I can remember when “made in Japan” > was often synonymous with “poor quality, cheap price”. It
s wise > to understand why thats no longer true anymore… especially when seeking > insight into the future of surfboard manufacturing. The Japanese wised up a long time ago…look closely at the big name Japanese power tools and you will find that most of them are made in Taiwan.I am not trying to defend anything but we are are a market driven nation.Taiwan is really a high tech place…clean factorys etc.not a bunch of underdogs toiling away in a chicken shacks as we tend to believe.In the long run they may hurt some of the big surf factories that pump out tons of machine shaped clones…but it won’t affect the high quality artisans and the home built guys like most of us on this site.A good example is Harley Davidson Motorcycles.What scares me the most is the fact that they could possibly cut into the blank market and make a great guy like Grubby Clark give it up.He has a hard enough time with the EPA as it is.That would be real bummer.
Well, I guess this is a sore spot with some of you guys. I think mass produced surfboards are inevetable. How many other sports use hand crafted one of a kind equipment? The more people surf, the more attractive to the mass market mentality. Hand made one of a kind boards will always be the choice of the purest, but the surf competetors will be bought & sold by the highest bidders.& a large part of the market will be for people who have to have something that some surfstar rides, or indorses. The real inovators in surf craft, for my money, will be all you guy’s who are addicted to the art of making your own & not being confined to the same old designs that have been in the magazines & surf shops for past decade. There used to be alot more inovation, before surf competition defined what you have to ride . You got your Longboard contest, your Shortboard contest, & The big wave contest. What if you want to ride a Fish or, a hibryd egg, or a short single fin, or a matt!! Are you out of touch, or ahead of your time??? The Mass production folks will always be able to build 'em cheeper, but they will never be able to have the creativity to stay out front.
Well, I guess this is a sore spot with some of you guys. I think mass > produced surfboards are inevetable. How many other sports use hand crafted > one of a kind equipment? The more people surf, the more attractive to the > mass market mentality. Hand made one of a kind boards will always be the > choice of the purest, but the surf competetors will be bought & sold > by the highest bidders.& a large part of the market will be for people > who have to have something that some surfstar rides, or indorses. The real > inovators in surf craft, for my money, will be all you guy’s who are > addicted to the art of making your own & not being confined to the > same old designs that have been in the magazines & surf shops for past > decade. There used to be alot more inovation, before surf competition > defined what you have to ride . You got your Longboard contest, your > Shortboard contest, & The big wave contest. What if you want to ride a > Fish or, a hibryd egg, or a short single fin, or a matt!! Are you out of > touch, or ahead of your time??? The Mass production folks will always be > able to build 'em cheeper, but they will never be able to have the > creativity to stay out front. blah, blah, blah, blah, … blah
Well, I guess this is a sore spot with some of you guys. I think mass > produced surfboards are inevetable. How many other sports use hand crafted > one of a kind equipment? The more people surf, the more attractive to the > mass market mentality. Hand made one of a kind boards will always be the > choice of the purest, but the surf competetors will be bought & sold > by the highest bidders.& a large part of the market will be for people > who have to have something that some surfstar rides, or indorses. The real > inovators in surf craft, for my money, will be all you guy’s who are > addicted to the art of making your own & not being confined to the > same old designs that have been in the magazines & surf shops for past > decade. There used to be alot more inovation, before surf competition > defined what you have to ride . You got your Longboard contest, your > Shortboard contest, & The big wave contest. What if you want to ride a > Fish or, a hibryd egg, or a short single fin, or a matt!! Are you out of > touch, or ahead of your time??? The Mass production folks will always be > able to build 'em cheeper, but they will never be able to have the > creativity to stay out front. --------------------------------------------------As MOMMA always said there is always room at the top - or out front, its in the middle of the race that things get crowded----these guys like many US board builders probably build a fine ,decent,good product but from what I’ve seen many of you build a great product (reguardless of the numbers) so why sweat who’se in the middle of the pack when your in the lead-just stay focused on the road ahead
Got a solicitation from The Dragon Lady in Tiwan, it seems thy will make > boards for anyone. Is this the future?? The e-mail went on to explain the > advantages to having them make my boards, High quality, cheap price, > satisfaction gauranteed! I hated to tell them I like making my own boards > just fine, & If I ever decide to become a Volumn Surfboard Dealer, my > wife & kids have been instructed to shoot me. For any of you would be > “DEALERS” out there, take a peek at there website.>>> Email Address: >>> http://www.handtools.com.tw/html/surfboard/ If these imported boards hold up and ride well, who can blame one for buying one? I have a friend who has an imported hybrid and he seems to like it a lot. He knows what rides good, rides boards from the islands better shapers, so Id say hes qualified to judge how good (or bad) these things ride. If the American surfboard industry feels threatened by the overseas competition, the answer is simple, come up with something BETTER!!!
Joe, i think that the diference between any of the “______” that we have at home and a surfboard is that i’ve never meet a shaper who doesn’t know a lot about surfing and weren’t in constantly contact with other surfers that made one good board. Thinking about this, i think that before this guys from Asia could do good surfboards they must develop a “surf comunity” with their “surf culture” and all what that means. Other way, as Stu Kenson said, all they can do is produce cheap boards for introducing new people in the sport, but nothing more. So guys, stay calm, here in Spain we have a surf culture that is like 20 years old (it’s like 30 years since Spain beaches have meet surfing) and the good shapers we have can be count with the fingers of a hand… ummm, maybe with the fingers of a hand i can count all the “european good shapers”. Good waves, Coque. (coquearaujo@hotmail.com)