I’m going to toss in a bunch of ideas . . .
It does apply to all of us. You are a customer of surfboards, or manufacterer. The bottom line . . .
For my personal experience, if I snapped by main WCT weapon (it just sound’s cool saying that), one board down, I cannot afford to replace it with one exactly like it. I like the way it rides and I’m beginning to understand why I like it.
It’s the beauty of surfing and shaping. You understand why it rides. Swaylocks is good for that. I’m thankful for the openess of everyone.
At the same time I understand a little of what Oneula is talking about. I work in a office where computers are paramount. Everyone’s totally cool when their stuff breaks and they are bro’s and sis’ when they need your help. You give, but people don’t appreciate. When something breaks, its like “it’s the computer guy’s fault!!” they don’t remember that yesterday you helped them out. They ask why, but its like all things man made. Stuff breaks. They want it fixed but don’t want to spend the down time to do it. They want it more efficient, but aren’t willing to sacrifice profits or time to do proper set ups. Behind your back they talk like you are a necessary evil . … You tell them the best solution requiring a compromise or effort on their part, but they rather take the 5th best solution because that lets them off the hook. That hook is Known as responsibility.
Its a disease that erodes some characters in US. That sense of ‘entitlement’, that you should get this or get that. You hear it in a contemporary punk song by a band of suburbian upper middle class kids, how they are raging against a society just for being born. Not realizing the gift of life given to them, or the goodness even if it seems like its dark all the time. Or maybe you are like all men and women before you and have responsibilities to fulfil, and part of life is to figure out which ones are yours and how much.
Sometimes people don’t realize the value of something unless its gone or taken away. Clark foam was a wake up call, but that was lost in the midst of ‘where can I get blanks’ and ‘dude if I make blanks I can make a killing!’
Despite what everyone thinks of CLark, he did help the backyard shaper. He helped with the planer suited for backyard shaping. Clark could’ve designed the best CnC foam cutter with curves and stuff. He could’ve gotten engineers and mathematicians to create formulas and motors. Done something spiffy so the big guys could crank out nice shapes in hurry.
But no. He redesigned a Planer for us, you and me. He set up standardization, made blanks cheap, despite many volume surfboard builders tried to get him not to sell to the public.
Clark’s call was, ‘hey gals n guys you need to do this better than me with your skill, or else people that don’t surf will do it by throwing tons of cash and cheap labor at it’. He was telling us ‘hey kid, you’ve lived under my roof for 24 years, heard me talk, nows time to use your own voice. now time for you to talk.’ Clark gave us the chance to learn about our art, without threat of excessive commercialization, or too fast of a change, allowing certain constants so we can test, refine and develop.
He was saying, ‘hey I’m holding you back. Time to let you fly’. It also made you realize the value of a surfboard. The joy it gives you, not how much can you make off of it. The effort goes into make it possible or making that design.
You see companies like Billabong and Quicksilver . . . they got ghost shapers making boards with their labels. AI doesn’t surf for Eric A, he surfing for his sponser. They are not doing it to support shapers. they are doing because shaping establishes legitimacy. Boards are legitimate, even if they don’t make money. Clothes make money. But its perception, and if people think your product sucks because it is uncool . . . you lose profits.
If several of billabong’s team riders don’t like the way ghost shaper XX boards ride (but maybe ghost shaper xx makes killer fish or bonzers or longboards) and since he doesn’t shape to what WCT weapons design that well . . . they’ll drop him or her for a kid that can do WCT weapons well. Or if Billabong suddenly realizes they only need a few shapers for team boards only, the rest can be copies, bought for cents upon the dollar from asian markets.
Oneula thanks for standing against that.
Swuz, sounds like you want to know what is a good price . . . you’re not simply just back yarding any more. As soon as you sell boards for $$, you’re in the market.
It’s sad, few appreciate what went into surfboard shaping. I think someone mentioned in previous posts we can see beyond the horizon only because we are able to stand on the shoulders of giants, those who paved the way before.
I take my machined CI board . … look at its design. It was built upon generations of surfboard design . . . Now that knowledge is readily available. You can copy it with a point and click, the flash of a laser gives all dims, curves, and shape. One who has never seen the ocean and visit a surfshop, and get the designs that took effort, toil, testing, knowledge, hard work to build and create, water time, and copy it and sell it for profit.
The difference is what carve nalu’s sig says. Will you advance this, and give back, not expect anything in return, become a giant for someone to stand on. Or will you use it fuel your greed? To take because you can?
Swuz, you’re smart and thoughtful. Think about what what is a reasonable price for someone purchasing your board and for your efforts. Remember to weigh in the value of outside variables, take into account the situations (of purchaser and you), and find something practical that fits both of you. Its both of you giving and taking . . . reaching a middle ground.
