I’m not in the business, but am always interested in the correlation between board sales and the general state of the economy, since surfboards are generally purchased with “disposable” income. So, to those of you who work so hard to build our toys, how is it going? What’s your take?
Custom Boards are still in demand. I had 12 orders last week despite the condition of our economy? (All Custom) Retail is dead slow.
I make boards as a hobby
everyone is a custom
lately about one per month and a half
takes me about 2 to 3 weeks to finnish
big money,NO
I had 8 on the go 2 weeks ago, only 2 last week and 2 this week but one of them is mine ( testing the new CDD foam and cant wait either ), been going ok but would be hoping for more at this time of year. about 70 - 80% of my orders are Fat-Bat quads…cheers,
Custom orders are flowing in from past customers. New orders are flowing in from new customers. These are people that DO NOT want a popped out board from China, Thailand or a model a pro rides well but they are underwater with the same model. They don’t care about the logo being advertised or that a 20 time world champ can ride it.
They want the board made for them and they like that the board is signed by the shaper and dedicated to them.
They like the interaction with their shaper instead of getting something that was shaped on one side by Qui Quong Chi and Do Ziam Li on the other side.
Nothing personal, they just like showing up at the beach with a board different from a dozen other people.
This week, I finished a 9’2" pintail tri-fin longboard, a 7’3" retro diamond-tail single-fin, a 7’4" egg winged round-pin quad, and a 6’5" winged swallow 5-fin shortboard. IMO, to survive this economy, reach out to the whole market and the work will be there. Specialists may have an increasingly hard time.
Currently the market report is showing retail sales for the surf industry are down on all fronts: Hard and Soft Goods.
It’s scary for a lot of people so have a heart and don’t rub it in!
The Top Board Companies make a good product and employ many people.
There are a lot of people who will not have a joyful Christmas.
This is the worst year in many decades for the surf industry.
So let’s be careful not to turn our noses away from the industry that many of our friends are a part of.
I feel for their families and pray for a economic turn around soon!
Not trying to rub it in. I feel deeply for the people who need to crank out a good number of boards just to make a hand-to-mouth existence. I did it for many years until I just couldn’t do it any more.
Don’t get me wrong either. I’m glad you are finding a niche. I just feel bad for so many people that are effected by the situation.
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This week, I finished a 9’2" pintail tri-fin longboard, a 7’3" retro diamond-tail single-fin, a 7’4" egg winged round-pin quad, and a 6’5" winged swallow 5-fin shortboard. IMO, to survive this economy, reach out to the whole market and the work will be there. Specialists may have an increasingly hard time.
I agree with your approach and also feel much like Surfding; whom I have done biz with, and knows of my philosophy that to survive (and even thrive) in this biz you have to have a realistic formula for YOU and what your needs and aspirations are.
Needless to say, like having a diverse financial portfolio, it is very difficult to have your eggs all in one basket. This in a sense, is prudent thinking, while yet a bummer for those of us who are 100% dedicated to building the very best quality surfboards.
The issue gets more complex from there. I do not want to start an issue here, or harp endlessly about the practice of offshore building of surfboards…flooding the market with advertising with what is saved using foreign labor, so that someone can successfully brand their business venture, then sell it to the highest bidder.
Surboards are a specialized market, unlike the rags business, but are frequently used to launch into a broader offering…so when Nike or Crocs or whoever else wants to come in and buy such an effort out, it benefits very few people in the surfboard industry. The magazines benefit more through the increase of advertising dollars coming in, and yet with publications like “Longboard” going under, this isn’t fool proof either. This is a time of consolidation and staying lean at the top. Focus on less waste (always a good approach) and servicing your customers.
This approach(going offshore) doesn’t serve to employ more Americans, and I hope the new administration will address the loss of employment that has been been further exacerbated by the credit crunch.
If you do surfboards as a hobby, than you aren’t impacted by the current economic crisis, but it might help you to realize that to keep the dedicated builders and designers working is important in order to advance the equipment enabling us to progress state of the art equipment.
Some people on Sway’s state that we are only ‘toymakers’…I beg to differ. Surfboards are beautiful, intricately designed artistic pieces of recreational sporting equipment that offer relaxation, exhiliration, and peace of mind to many individuals at all levels of ability. Great memories are made with good surfboards.
Don’t underestimate their intrinsic value!
Down in the Surf Getto (San Clemente) there are a few guys that are really busy.
Mostly custom and no real (stock shop) orders to speak of?
There is an interesting distinction to note here.
Hardcore surfers vs. ‘recreational’ or ‘Sunday Surfers’…
The first group will get boards no matter what, because their lives revolve around surfing. They are the lifestyle surfers…both man and woman.
The second group may surf only during the summer when the water warms up or on a much more limited basis.
Hardcores have close relationships with their shaper and are higher demand, more specific with their equipment, and go through considerably more boards than the latter group.
Different strokes for different folks.
I make boards for either group and then some…the first group is less likely to curtail their “discretionary spending” of surfing equipment vs the “SS’s”.
I’ve seen ads of this nature posted around on the net. Not really sure what it indicates if anything?
Half Ownership of famous Bisect surfboard company for sale (Ojai, Calif/Rochester NH) $550000
Check out the website www.Bisect.com
The company is in Ojai California
This is a patented two or three piece surfboard or a three piece Standup Paddle Surfboard.
We make, stock, and sell…
With the cost of baggage fees for boards these day these might become pretty popular.
If Wayne Rich is involed the shapes will work!
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With the cost of baggage fees for boards these day these might become pretty popular.
If Wayne Rich is involed the shapes will work!
At over half a million $ for buy in, they BETTER WORK…and you better sell a helluva lot more than anyone else to recoup your investment and attain “R.O.I.”…I’m not replying in red for nothing…
At over half a million $ for buy in, they BETTER WORK…and you better sell a helluva lot more than anyone else to recoup your investment and attain “R.O.I.”…I’m not replying in red for nothing…
Dead: You always keep things in perspective.
It’s not a bad Ideal? The travel part!
However your right on the 1/2 mil!
There are so many sucessfull wealthy surfers unhappy in their line of work so they like to dump money into building surfboards to stroke their egos regardless of how much money they burn. I say let them burn their money. I would love to see my friends make some cash from these delusional sorts.
Don’t talk about ROI. (LOL) You might push a reality button? Let these guy’s burn some money. Keep it fun for us board builders. The Drama never ends!
Okay Ding…I will give one of these adrenalin deprived richies a REAL ride if they want to be immortalized in surfing history
They can be the name to my design wealth…we will simply trade out an abundance of what they have for what I have…
…when did I show up on this site? A year ago or something? I think the avatar has “member since”. The truth of how I ended up doing so much R&D was from having a lot of $ thrown at me throughout the 80’s with sailboard production…I plowed a lot of profit back into it because I’m a design junkie on steroids…least I was then…could be again with the right circumstances.
So there it is: I do the design, you get the glory for the $ provided…that’s my offer.
I have no problem being a design ghost…I’m already dead…what a perk.
Dead:
Your the “Man”!
Recieved the big Clark Planer. So Stoke!
I have a few solid wood boards to mill out.
Perfect timing!
SD
Ps I can’t believe you gave me such a cool tool?
Glad to oblige…just returning the stoke. 
This time of year is always good for me here in Northern CA. The shaper’s who bring me boards all have lots (For this area) of orders coming in. I currently have eleven half finished boards on the racks and I just delivered a finished one today. I actually posted pictures of it. Besides new boards, the repairs have been very steady and the restorations are picking up quite a bit. Not very many seasoned surfers from my area are willing to buy a board off the rack these days. China and Indonesia made boards look nice, but they don’t really have the “Cool” factor going for them. Actually, the china boards ding awful easy, so I make out on the repair end of things. We are charging more money for a nicer product and nobody is balking at the cost if the quality is there. Custom is in. China has oversaturated the market to the point that it’s turning people off a bit. IMHO.