January Surfexpo & ASR San Diego

Well, I must say after going to Surfermag.com a few days ago and reading about the master board builders build-off at both shows. I am NOT attending the Orlando show, but have a double booth space at San Diego ASR.

They have picked 12 masters and a wild card, needless to say I am NOT one of the 12 or a wild card.

So I say unto thee, everyone of my boards at the show will put all of the selected masters to shame.

What is it with the media? Why do they have their heads so far up their asses?

Surfers Journal has me as a helper to a man who I have built an entire collection of wood master pieces.

He also had a whole array of other “master shapers” do boards for him, but I had to completely re-do their work before it could be glassed.

The choices were “picked” by Reef Brazeeeeeel

Bite me where the sun don’t shine

Don’t let it get you down Jim… life’s to short. Great TSJ article BTW with good credit to you. Those boards must be absolutely beautiful. I’m envious!

D.R.

for quite some time, i’ve feared for the future of surfboard manufacturing. now i’m convinced…another master craft sold out to asia. F&@#.

List of participating shapers:

San Diego Board Build-Off Shapers

Michael Hynson

Hank Warner (Caster)

Ernie Higgins (G&S)

Rusty Preisendorfer

Rich Pavel

Larry Mabile

Gary Linden

Tim Bessell

Xanadu

Chris Christenson

Steve Boysen

Mike Walker

Rob Machado—Reef’s 13th Shaper

Florida Board Build-Off Shapers

Ricky Carroll

AJ Finan

Chris Birch

Brian Tudor

Matt Kechele

Glenn Klugal

Tom Neilsen

Pete Dooley

CT Taylor

Rich Price

Kirk & Eric Brasington

DJ Kane—Reef’s 13th Shaper

Reef Confirms Shapers for Florida and San Diego Board Build-Offs

Jimmy,

The media has their heads so far up their asses so they can see ADVERTISING DOLLARS. You may be the best board builder in the world, but you’re not buying double-page (or even 1/4 page) spreads in the mags every month. Don’t worry, we know you rock. Besides, if everyone figures out how great you are we’ll never be able to get you to make boards for us.

I saw this along time coming Jim,

If you’re not giving them(the mags, excluding TSJ ) A Load of $$$$$$,Kissing there assets and promote their way of surfing, then you don’t exsist.

In the past if you were truly an outlaw to the major surf mags, it was suicide.Now days the mags don’t control everything anymore and it’s getting less and less,eventually the mags will go under or be so passive it won’t make a difference what they say anymore.

To me,they lost it many years ago when they stopped focusing on the smaller guys ,and only fished out big money interests.

My building/surfing will go on just the way it has,and in the end I know where my rewards will be…and it won’t include much or any of them,unless things change dramatically.

This may be harsh words to the publishers ,but I call it a wake-up call.Herb

The mag guys get plenty of wake-up calls… almost every one of them is currently for sale. Editors are constantly forced to look at their bottom line. They are owned by big conglomorates that could give a rat’s ass about surfing. They just want the ad $$$. And… the web is taking over as a content delevery system anyway. Surfer Mag made way more though their internet site last year than they did through the mag. The good thing about the web is that it’s a level playing field. Anyone with $10 a month can put up a site. If you make it compelling people will come… look at swaylocks - Jim’s ads live here (yours too Herb, “and you were there too Roy…”), and there are eyes that see them.

The times they are a changin’…

I come to this website far more than any other surfing based website, and TSJ is the only magazine that I read, because I have a funny stomach condition which brings on nausia at the sight of too many sponsor laminates on a board or pages of adverts before the editorial.

Yup !