This letter was posted at http://www.murphysurfboards.com/clark.html. It’s a bit long, but there are some interesting comments. “A WORD FROM GORDON CLARK” ORIGINALLY RELEASED TO ALL OF CLARK FOAM’S CUSTOMERS DISCUSSING CHANGES IN THE SURF INDUSTRY. Dear Valued Customer, We have just suffered a historic tragedy and are now in a very real war against people who will not only never buy a surfboard but would also like to end surfing and the rest of our way of life. This war, according to President Bush, is filled with uncertainty and will take a long time. During the summer of 1972, with nothing better to do, I rode a motorcycle through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. (It seemed like a good idea at the time.) Reflecting on that experience, I sympathize with our leaders for most of these people are not only poor beyond our wildest imagination but the majority of them are really different in their ways of thinking and standards of living! There are going to be some tough decisions to make. The other bad news is that we have been headed into a recession for some time and now it has arrived. The good news is that our suppliers tell us that Clark Foam and our customers have been doing a lot better than the majority of their other customers. In other words this is pretty much a worldwide thing and there is nowhere to run. We have dealt with recessions, depressions, and war before and we always got through them. This time will be no different. In the last part of this letter I will briefly discuss the export and import of surfboards. I believe my analysis will be different than some of the common perceptions of the situation. Part of the import information will cover imported “pop outs” and the endorsement of “pop outs”. This information, as I present it, might be depressing and you may not want to read it. Therefore, I will first announce some pretty neat things we are doing at Clark Foam. We will be offering over half a dozen new blank sizes in the near future. This should fill some of the gaps in our line caused by new shapes and trends. Sorry to be so late, but everyone was too busy last year to shape the very difficult and time consuming mold plugs. In the last year we have finally completed our new method of predicting future demands for sizes and weights of blanks. This method still uses our overall sales history but in addition it adds estimates of our larger customer’s future needs in the form of what we call “projection orders”. The new system is far more accurate than our older systems. Since we started using the new system, we have noticed that there are fewer substitutions of blank sizes and weights due to shortages. Therefore our database has become more accurate as it reflects the true demand and not just what was available. This in turn makes our predictions of future demand more accurate. Few people, outside of the actual custom surfboard manufacturing industry and the majority of expert surfers, seem to understand the wide range of shapes and other board design variables that have always been a part of advanced surfing. At Clark Foam we have always tried to supply this demand but unfortunately we always seem to be struggling or better put - behind. At this time the custom surfboard industry is producing the widest range of designs in the history of the sport. We hope this new system will assist us to meet this challenge. The majority of our new system would not be possible without new custom software, an improved database, and a really powerful computer that does almost all of the work. With out these essential tools our new system would be too labor intensive. As announced some time ago customers can use our “mark” system, sales history database, “projection order” system, and extensive custom software for the purpose of managing their own inventory and ordering. There are numerous ways for customers to use our system. For some customers this has little value but for others it can make a very significant difference in their inventory costs, efficiency, and customer service. The electrical blackouts in California really wreck our tight production schedules, resin manufacturing process, and computers. We also ruin a bunch of blanks each time there is a blackout. To avoid this problem we installed an emergency generator. Currently we are in the process of replacing some of our bulk storage tanks and resin making equipment. The larger tanks are already finished and in service. Our older tanks were ugly and were actually exhibiting metal fatigue from continued heavy use. We have scheduled these projects to be completed early next year. We are using computer-guided laser technology to cut the stainless steel for the new tanks. This has allowed us to place the majority of our plumbing inside of the tanks. Not only will the new equipment make the inside of our factory look a lot neater to government regulators, but there will also be significant savings in the manufacturing and processing of our resins. The designing and building of the tanks has been an exciting project as our designs are clearly ahead of everything we read about in resin processing equipment. For what it is worth we had expected a number of new government regulations for toxic chemicals and flammable materials when we started this project. Between the recession, running out of energy, and terrorism one can assume the government will change its priorities. Since the last part of this letter will address some relatively new challenges for the American surfboard manufacturing industry, I believe it would be a good idea to quickly review the overall status of Clark Foam. In the past twelve years we have replaced or remodeled almost all of the equipment in our factory. We also added some new equipment to enhance our efficiency. The equipment not replaced or upgraded appears to either have an indefinite life or has proven to be easy to maintain. In sum, our plant is in top shape. Furthermore, we believe that in all parts of our manufacturing process we have by far the most efficient and highest quality equipment in the world. Last, but not least, we are fully permitted after a decade of the toughest government regulations on the face of the earth. Starting in the early 1990’s we began reading books on management and quality. We also attended seminars and spoke with other manufacturers to accumulate new ideas. As a result of these studies, we added a number of steps to our process that improved our efficiency and quality. We also located and then fixed a lot of things we were doing that were inefficient. During this transition we converted to the so-called “work team” or “interactive work team” management system. This change has given the majority of decision making at Clark Foam to the people actually doing the work. As we were implementing the new management methods, the complexity of the demand for custom boards as well as the demand for quality products and good service increased. We also had a significant number of price increases in raw materials and supplies. The bottom line of our efforts has been a very significant increase in productivity per employee as well as an overall increase in quality. We have not had a change in our pricing since 1995. I would note that over the past 12 years many of our customers have also made very significant improvements in their facilities and operating methods. Now I will give you a brief analysis of the bad stuff. What happened to the export market? With the exception of a few American manufacturers who made exceptionally weak boards and/or had poor craftsmanship no one did anything wrong! It appears the perception overseas is that the American boards are by far the best. (There are some exceptions to this statement. For example Hawaii lost some of its excellent reputation for quality and has been hit harder than other areas.) The main reasons exports have been dying are: 1. The value of the dollar has been very high for a very long time. American products simply cost too much overseas. 2. There is a worldwide recession. This does not help surfboard sales. 3. Manufacturing of surfboards in very low wage/low cost countries has developed at a rapid rate creating a flood of cheap boards and molded boards on the world market. 4. Australia has maintained very low currency value and government subsidies for a very long time and has become very price competitive in the high-end surfboard market. The problems mentioned above are not limited to the surfboard industry. As noted in the current mainstream news media, most American manufacturers are in trouble. In the past few months, there has been another troubling trend affecting both the exports and imports of surfboards. There is a price war going on in Asia for chemicals and resins. We first heard about this when a polyester resin from China (we think) found its way through Australia to Japan and Europe. It is up to 44% cheaper than Silmar. We have also heard of polyesters that are 50% cheaper than Silmar. Since this information could have been based on rumor, we checked with Bayer and DuPont. They confirmed that the entire region of Asia has been suffering from severe price erosions over the past few months. For example Bayer told us they were selling the main chemical used in polyurethane foam for about 23% less in Australia than in the United States. I have been led to believe that the main cause might be China’s rapidly developing chemical industry. Also, places like Australia and China have been known to have government subsidies as well as tariff protection. We may be entering a new era, but historically competition has always forced the prices for commodities to adjust over time to a single price worldwide. This price is normally based on the dollar. Imports are coming in two varieties. Conventional foam-fiberglass boards and molded boards traditionally called “pop outs”. It appears Australians have provided the technology for the contemporary foam-fiberglass boards built in countries with very low labor and other costs. These boards have been around for some time. The first big market was Japan’s Department Stores followed by a few surf shops on our East Coast. Conventional sporting goods stores worldwide were the next customers. The boards keep getting better and cheaper. Several times the very efficient large discount chain stores have tried to market these boards. This is interesting for they retail them at a price that would make any retail surf shop owner shudder with fear! When Costco first tried to market these boards they were horrible. Costco is marketing them again and they are a lot better. We can debate the effects of these boards on the American surfboard manufacturing industry forever but anyone who thinks retail surf shops will sell many of these boards if they are offered at the local Costco or Wal-Mart is nuts. While the foam-fiberglass boards will be sold strictly on price, the “pop outs” are a far different story. To understand how they evolved we have to study the windsurfing or sailboarding boom and bust. An American surfer invented windsurfing in 1967. It never really caught on in the United States but in Europe it was a huge success. By 1979 it was reported that there were 29 European factories building boards for windsurfing. At the time, they could hardly fill the European demand. Most of them were using the rotomolded shell filled with urethane foam. (The Atkin Surfboard made in California was the only serious attempt to transfer this technology to surfboards and it failed.) Then an Australian put a sail on a regular surfboard gun and the sport totally changed. Maui followed within weeks. In the early 1980’s Clark Foam was swamped with orders for windsurfer blanks. With the rapid growth of windsurfing in Europe and around the world it looked like this would soon be a billion dollar per year market. Among the windsurfer board builders in Europe, there were several huge companies with sales of products other than windsurfers that were greater than the total worldwide sales of surfboards. Some of these large companies were not about to run from what looked like an emerging billion dollar per year market. Instead they spent millions of dollars on research and developed the modern “pop out” windsurfer to compete with standard surfboard construction. They were brilliant marketers. They used a three-part marketing strategy that is interesting to study for it appeared to work and is now being attempted on the healthy and very complex surfboard market. First they hired some of the top windsurfer shapers to endorse their products. Next, they literally bought the windsurfing magazines by placing huge ads. Last they made materials and construction techniques the highlight of their advertising campaigns. In the latter part of their marketing program shape was discounted as not being important. Materials and construction technique were promoted as being all that is important in board performance. For what it is worth, within a few years the shapers who endorsed the technology were discarded and engineers from Europe took over the designing. The endorsement money was switched to the champion racers. It is pretty easy to figure out that shapes for molded boards are free - just copy a proven board. I believe all molded boards now use the same technology for mold building as the surfboard shaping machines use. As a matter of fact the advanced operating system software is exactly the same and it is available all over the world. During the evolution of the “pop out” version of the modern windsurfer board several things happened that ruined the plans of the surviving windsurfer board builders. First and foremost, it turned out that windsurfing was a fad. Sales died and it does not look like they will ever come back to more than a single digit figure of their peak. Second, they found out the same thing that was learned decades ago in surfboards - “pop outs” cost too much to produce. Some quit and the majority of the others wisely moved their production to countries with the cheapest operating costs and labor. Sales kept dropping so they naturally turned to surfboards with their idle factories. How can we make these contemporary, labor intensive “pop out” boards in the United States? One way is to drop the value of the dollar in half then divide the legal minimum wage by two digits. The other way would be to make an eight-digit dollar investment and automate the whole process - probably changing the technology or construction at the same time. Another factor regarding the imported surfboard is that some retail surf shops are fed up with erratic delivery and low margins associated with domestic custom boards. When a brand is hot or the market is booming, they can’t get enough boards. Ordering and delivery is often unpredictable. The imported boards offer immediate delivery from stocked warehouses and in some cases big margins. What these surf shops fail to recognize is that all of the hassles associated with the custom board are also the main reason why they are in business. There is no way Wal-Mart, Costco, or even a large sporting goods store is going to deal with a regular American custom surfboard manufacturer! We are a hassle. The big discount stores will, however, snap up a reliable supply of boards stored in a warehouse with immediate delivery. Also the big discount chain stores are importing a lot of their manufactured goods anyway so they are already consolidating containers and could care less where the boards are stored. I would like to close this letter with a few points. I have been struggling to find a word to describe the so-called “new technology” I read about in the surfing tabloids year in and year out. I believe the following has been the approximate sequence of the introduction of new technology: Solid wood, hollow boards (in several forms), balsa/fiberglass/polyester (1946), extruded polystyrene (1948), epoxy (in many forms), urethane foam/polyester/fiberglass/wood stringers (1958), “hard shell” urethane foam “pop outs”, “mat blank” urethane foam “pop outs”, bead polystyrene (molded to shape and buns), honeycomb and foam sandwich skins, epoxy prepreg, polymeric isocynate/urethanes, rotation molded thermoplastics/foam filled, thermoformed skins, PVC or methacrylic foams as sandwich or simply on top of other foams as a hard skin, wood veneer skins, fiberglass reinforced thermoplastic skins, urethane finishes, and a number of cloth combinations or weaves including Kevlar and carbon fiber. I have decided that the word “recycle” best explains the so-called “new technologies.” Everything I have read about has been tried before. Not only are the “new technology” construction methods “recycled” but the problems with each method of construction are also “recycled”. A salesperson for a shaping service once told one of our very small customers that he could have all his boards shaped on their machine and have most of his time free to go surfing. Sounds good. Maybe we can have all our surfboards made overseas with two dollar a day labor and all board builders can go surfing every day - all day. For some reason I do not think that is going to work. I predict that the dollar will eventually fall in value. Meanwhile I predict there will be some belt tightening. I would like to briefly review some of the positive sides of the custom surfboard industry. Surfing is not a fad but is a well established, healthy sport with a large customer base of experienced and dedicated surfers. These surfers come in all ages, have all types of experiences, and ride all types of waves. There are also a number of different surfing styles. The vast majority of experienced surfers have a fairly direct relationship with a custom board builder or a local specialty retail surf shop. The best surfers usually have a direct relationship with one or more shapers or board manufacturers. Experienced surfers normally pay a lot of attention to their board purchases. The majority of experienced surfers have developed tastes for their equipment. They have rarely purchased boards based on advertisement or promotions but instead seem to rely on their own judgment, peers, “gurus” including shapers, or good surfers. The good surfers that influence their purchases are often surfing side by side with them. Surfers have always been very interested in board design. There was no “conspiracy” to make things as complex as they are today. We are simply producing what surfers want to buy. Furthermore, what they want appears to be an ever-changing target. Try to name a sport with anything similar to the custom surfboard and the very personal relationship between the surfer and his board. There are really none! This is something special. There are an awful lot of board builders and good surfers that know a lot more about these subjects than I do so I had better stop now! I hope this letter has been both informative and thought provoking. Thank you for your business, Gordon Clark http://www.murphysurfboards.com/clark.html
…what is your long-winded point?Herb
…what is your long-winded point?Herb Batten down the hatches and the strong will survive… Honestly, China is a constant threat. I’ve just lost two projects to China due to labor cost inequities. But, oppurtunities have also arisen due to Chinese relationships. Right now the Chinese are checking out U.S. proven projects and beating us at our old game. The trick is to stay one step ahead and differenciate your product from the pack. They are currently great at making it cheaper. But, we give them a hell of a run at making it better!
When written in Chinese, The word “crisis” is composed of 2 characters. One represents danger; the other represents opportunity. aloha, tom
i think mr clark summed it all up at the end… customs are our strength, service is our forte. if the consumer buys on price i dont wanna know him! make special (ie really good) products and name your price!
You can buy on price and still get a good board. I just ordered a cutom 6,7 for 300 out the door. Plus, of course, I just made a seven foot single fin for 140 in materials. But, related to the “letter,” a year ago I bought a 6,9 from Costco called a NEXWAVE for 199 bucks (It even had a sticker that said Made in China). It rides very, very well, but is already coming apart…on the RAILS!!! It seems that they didn’t wrap the cloth all the way around the board, so once in a while a three inch section will slightly peel up. So, I have to sand it and put a little resin on it, sand it again. That works, but it’s weird. But, it’s the best board I have ridden in years. I think someone over there finds a shape that is agreeable to many surfers, scans it, and then mass produces it. They are still selling boards at Costco (Carlsbad, CA) for 240. They include FCS fins and a leash. They come wrapped in styrofoam and plastic. The current cheap brand is Realm. Last year it was Nexwave and Aloha. I think it’s good for the kids. 400 bucks for a board that falls apart in a couple years (if that) is crazy. The custom board will always survive, because good surfers need that and are willing to pay for it, but there are certain standard sizes and shapes that fit a lot of different people, so the mass produced boards have a place. Complaining about automation is old hat. I mean, the canal operators were furious when the railroad received federal funding. And movie theaters were terrified of the VCR. Well, most canals shut down, but the theater lives on. Don’t be afraid of change…create it.
When written in Chinese, The word “crisis” is composed of 2 > characters. One represents danger; the other represents opportunity.>>> aloha, tom tom, That
s the simplest, yet somehow the most sophisticated thing Ive read in quite some time… and absolutely true. An excellent metaphor for life. Thank you. Dale
i think mr clark summed it all up at the end… customs are our strength, > service is our forte. if the consumer buys on price i dont wanna know him! > make special (ie really good) products and name your price! Bill Bahne sits on the SIMA board as a surfboard advisor, what they are saying is, there is no way to try to compete on the dollar level, so the way is for the bonified mfg. to step up to the plate quality wise and offer the highest quality product availible for the dollar (the true custom board). Good boards won’t be cheap and shouldn’t. The one thing I fear, as in the case of Herb, is over regulation and imported cheapboards will force more builders into underground factories or out of the picture alltogether.
you americanski’s are freakin crazy. but not to be left behind the rest of the world will soon follow your wicked ways and i will be able to pick up a new board on the shelf in the grocery store.>>> This letter was posted at http://www.murphysurfboards.com/clark.html. It’s > a bit long, but there are some interesting comments.>>> “A WORD FROM GORDON CLARK” ORIGINALLY RELEASED TO ALL OF CLARK > FOAM’S CUSTOMERS DISCUSSING CHANGES IN THE SURF INDUSTRY.>>> Dear Valued Customer,>>> We have just suffered a historic tragedy and are now in a very real war > against people who will not only never buy a surfboard but would also like > to end surfing and the rest of our way of life. This war, according to > President Bush, is filled with uncertainty and will take a long time.>>> During the summer of 1972, with nothing better to do, I rode a motorcycle > through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. (It seemed like a good > idea at the time.) Reflecting on that experience, I sympathize with our > leaders for most of these people are not only poor beyond our wildest > imagination but the majority of them are really different in their ways of > thinking and standards of living! There are going to be some tough > decisions to make.>>> The other bad news is that we have been headed into a recession for some > time and now it has arrived.>>> The good news is that our suppliers tell us that Clark Foam and our > customers have been doing a lot better than the majority of their other > customers. In other words this is pretty much a worldwide thing and there > is nowhere to run. We have dealt with recessions, depressions, and war > before and we always got through them. This time will be no different.>>> In the last part of this letter I will briefly discuss the export and > import of surfboards. I believe my analysis will be different than some of > the common perceptions of the situation. Part of the import information > will cover imported “pop outs” and the endorsement of “pop > outs”. This information, as I present it, might be depressing and you > may not want to read it. Therefore, I will first announce some pretty neat > things we are doing at Clark Foam.>>> We will be offering over half a dozen new blank sizes in the near future. > This should fill some of the gaps in our line caused by new shapes and > trends. Sorry to be so late, but everyone was too busy last year to shape > the very difficult and time consuming mold plugs.>>> In the last year we have finally completed our new method of predicting > future demands for sizes and weights of blanks. This method still uses our > overall sales history but in addition it adds estimates of our larger > customer’s future needs in the form of what we call “projection > orders”. The new system is far more accurate than our older systems.>>> Since we started using the new system, we have noticed that there are > fewer substitutions of blank sizes and weights due to shortages. Therefore > our database has become more accurate as it reflects the true demand and > not just what was available. This in turn makes our predictions of future > demand more accurate.>>> Few people, outside of the actual custom surfboard manufacturing industry > and the majority of expert surfers, seem to understand the wide range of > shapes and other board design variables that have always been a part of > advanced surfing. At Clark Foam we have always tried to supply this demand > but unfortunately we always seem to be struggling or better put - behind. > At this time the custom surfboard industry is producing the widest range > of designs in the history of the sport. We hope this new system will > assist us to meet this challenge.>>> The majority of our new system would not be possible without new custom > software, an improved database, and a really powerful computer that does > almost all of the work. With out these essential tools our new system > would be too labor intensive.>>> As announced some time ago customers can use our “mark” system, > sales history database, “projection order” system, and extensive > custom software for the purpose of managing their own inventory and > ordering. There are numerous ways for customers to use our system. For > some customers this has little value but for others it can make a very > significant difference in their inventory costs, efficiency, and customer > service.>>> The electrical blackouts in California really wreck our tight production > schedules, resin manufacturing process, and computers. We also ruin a > bunch of blanks each time there is a blackout. To avoid this problem we > installed an emergency generator.>>> Currently we are in the process of replacing some of our bulk storage > tanks and resin making equipment. The larger tanks are already finished > and in service. Our older tanks were ugly and were actually exhibiting > metal fatigue from continued heavy use. We have scheduled these projects > to be completed early next year.>>> We are using computer-guided laser technology to cut the stainless steel > for the new tanks. This has allowed us to place the majority of our > plumbing inside of the tanks. Not only will the new equipment make the > inside of our factory look a lot neater to government regulators, but > there will also be significant savings in the manufacturing and processing > of our resins.>>> The designing and building of the tanks has been an exciting project as > our designs are clearly ahead of everything we read about in resin > processing equipment.>>> For what it is worth we had expected a number of new government > regulations for toxic chemicals and flammable materials when we started > this project. Between the recession, running out of energy, and terrorism > one can assume the government will change its priorities.>>> Since the last part of this letter will address some relatively new > challenges for the American surfboard manufacturing industry, I believe it > would be a good idea to quickly review the overall status of Clark Foam.>>> In the past twelve years we have replaced or remodeled almost all of the > equipment in our factory. We also added some new equipment to enhance our > efficiency. The equipment not replaced or upgraded appears to either have > an indefinite life or has proven to be easy to maintain. In sum, our plant > is in top shape. Furthermore, we believe that in all parts of our > manufacturing process we have by far the most efficient and highest > quality equipment in the world. Last, but not least, we are fully > permitted after a decade of the toughest government regulations on the > face of the earth.>>> Starting in the early 1990’s we began reading books on management and > quality. We also attended seminars and spoke with other manufacturers to > accumulate new ideas. As a result of these studies, we added a number of > steps to our process that improved our efficiency and quality. We also > located and then fixed a lot of things we were doing that were > inefficient. During this transition we converted to the so-called > “work team” or “interactive work team” management > system. This change has given the majority of decision making at Clark > Foam to the people actually doing the work.>>> As we were implementing the new management methods, the complexity of the > demand for custom boards as well as the demand for quality products and > good service increased. We also had a significant number of price > increases in raw materials and supplies.>>> The bottom line of our efforts has been a very significant increase in > productivity per employee as well as an overall increase in quality. We > have not had a change in our pricing since 1995.>>> I would note that over the past 12 years many of our customers have also > made very significant improvements in their facilities and operating > methods.>>> Now I will give you a brief analysis of the bad stuff.>>> What happened to the export market? With the exception of a few American > manufacturers who made exceptionally weak boards and/or had poor > craftsmanship no one did anything wrong! It appears the perception > overseas is that the American boards are by far the best. (There are some > exceptions to this statement. For example Hawaii lost some of its > excellent reputation for quality and has been hit harder than other > areas.) The main reasons exports have been dying are:>>> 1. The value of the dollar has been very high for a very long time. > American products simply cost too much overseas.>>> 2. There is a worldwide recession. This does not help surfboard sales.>>> 3. Manufacturing of surfboards in very low wage/low cost countries has > developed at a rapid rate creating a flood of cheap boards and molded > boards on the world market.>>> 4. Australia has maintained very low currency value and government > subsidies for a very long time and has become very price competitive in > the high-end surfboard market.>>> The problems mentioned above are not limited to the surfboard industry. As > noted in the current mainstream news media, most American manufacturers > are in trouble.>>> In the past few months, there has been another troubling trend affecting > both the exports and imports of surfboards. There is a price war going on > in Asia for chemicals and resins. We first heard about this when a > polyester resin from China (we think) found its way through Australia to > Japan and Europe. It is up to 44% cheaper than Silmar. We have also heard > of polyesters that are 50% cheaper than Silmar. Since this information > could have been based on rumor, we checked with Bayer and DuPont. They > confirmed that the entire region of Asia has been suffering from severe > price erosions over the past few months. For example Bayer told us they > were selling the main chemical used in polyurethane foam for about 23% > less in Australia than in the United States. I have been led to believe > that the main cause might be China’s rapidly developing chemical industry. > Also, places like Australia and China have been known to have government > subsidies as well as tariff protection. We may be entering a new era, but > historically competition has always forced the prices for commodities to > adjust over time to a single price worldwide. This price is normally based > on the dollar.>>> Imports are coming in two varieties. Conventional foam-fiberglass boards > and molded boards traditionally called “pop outs”.>>> It appears Australians have provided the technology for the contemporary > foam-fiberglass boards built in countries with very low labor and other > costs. These boards have been around for some time. The first big market > was Japan’s Department Stores followed by a few surf shops on our East > Coast. Conventional sporting goods stores worldwide were the next > customers. The boards keep getting better and cheaper. Several times the > very efficient large discount chain stores have tried to market these > boards. This is interesting for they retail them at a price that would > make any retail surf shop owner shudder with fear! When Costco first tried > to market these boards they were horrible. Costco is marketing them again > and they are a lot better.>>> We can debate the effects of these boards on the American surfboard > manufacturing industry forever but anyone who thinks retail surf shops > will sell many of these boards if they are offered at the local Costco or > Wal-Mart is nuts.>>> While the foam-fiberglass boards will be sold strictly on price, the > “pop outs” are a far different story. To understand how they > evolved we have to study the windsurfing or sailboarding boom and bust.>>> An American surfer invented windsurfing in 1967. It never really caught on > in the United States but in Europe it was a huge success. By 1979 it was > reported that there were 29 European factories building boards for > windsurfing. At the time, they could hardly fill the European demand. Most > of them were using the rotomolded shell filled with urethane foam. (The > Atkin Surfboard made in California was the only serious attempt to > transfer this technology to surfboards and it failed.)>>> Then an Australian put a sail on a regular surfboard gun and the sport > totally changed. Maui followed within weeks. In the early 1980’s Clark > Foam was swamped with orders for windsurfer blanks.>>> With the rapid growth of windsurfing in Europe and around the world it > looked like this would soon be a billion dollar per year market. Among the > windsurfer board builders in Europe, there were several huge companies > with sales of products other than windsurfers that were greater than the > total worldwide sales of surfboards. Some of these large companies were > not about to run from what looked like an emerging billion dollar per year > market. Instead they spent millions of dollars on research and developed > the modern “pop out” windsurfer to compete with standard > surfboard construction.>>> They were brilliant marketers. They used a three-part marketing strategy > that is interesting to study for it appeared to work and is now being > attempted on the healthy and very complex surfboard market. First they > hired some of the top windsurfer shapers to endorse their products. Next, > they literally bought the windsurfing magazines by placing huge ads. Last > they made materials and construction techniques the highlight of their > advertising campaigns. In the latter part of their marketing program shape > was discounted as not being important. Materials and construction > technique were promoted as being all that is important in board > performance.>>> For what it is worth, within a few years the shapers who endorsed the > technology were discarded and engineers from Europe took over the > designing. The endorsement money was switched to the champion racers. It > is pretty easy to figure out that shapes for molded boards are free - just > copy a proven board. I believe all molded boards now use the same > technology for mold building as the surfboard shaping machines use. As a > matter of fact the advanced operating system software is exactly the same > and it is available all over the world.>>> During the evolution of the “pop out” version of the modern > windsurfer board several things happened that ruined the plans of the > surviving windsurfer board builders. First and foremost, it turned out > that windsurfing was a fad. Sales died and it does not look like they will > ever come back to more than a single digit figure of their peak. Second, > they found out the same thing that was learned decades ago in surfboards - > “pop outs” cost too much to produce. Some quit and the majority > of the others wisely moved their production to countries with the cheapest > operating costs and labor. Sales kept dropping so they naturally turned to > surfboards with their idle factories.>>> How can we make these contemporary, labor intensive “pop out” > boards in the United States? One way is to drop the value of the dollar in > half then divide the legal minimum wage by two digits. The other way would > be to make an eight-digit dollar investment and automate the whole process > - probably changing the technology or construction at the same time.>>> Another factor regarding the imported surfboard is that some retail surf > shops are fed up with erratic delivery and low margins associated with > domestic custom boards. When a brand is hot or the market is booming, they > can’t get enough boards. Ordering and delivery is often unpredictable. The > imported boards offer immediate delivery from stocked warehouses and in > some cases big margins. What these surf shops fail to recognize is that > all of the hassles associated with the custom board are also the main > reason why they are in business. There is no way Wal-Mart, Costco, or even > a large sporting goods store is going to deal with a regular American > custom surfboard manufacturer! We are a hassle. The big discount stores > will, however, snap up a reliable supply of boards stored in a warehouse > with immediate delivery. Also the big discount chain stores are importing > a lot of their manufactured goods anyway so they are already consolidating > containers and could care less where the boards are stored.>>> I would like to close this letter with a few points.>>> I have been struggling to find a word to describe the so-called “new > technology” I read about in the surfing tabloids year in and year > out. I believe the following has been the approximate sequence of the > introduction of new technology: Solid wood, hollow boards (in several > forms), balsa/fiberglass/polyester (1946), extruded polystyrene (1948), > epoxy (in many forms), urethane foam/polyester/fiberglass/wood stringers > (1958), “hard shell” urethane foam “pop outs”, > “mat blank” urethane foam “pop outs”, bead polystyrene > (molded to shape and buns), honeycomb and foam sandwich skins, epoxy > prepreg, polymeric isocynate/urethanes, rotation molded > thermoplastics/foam filled, thermoformed skins, PVC or methacrylic foams > as sandwich or simply on top of other foams as a hard skin, wood veneer > skins, fiberglass reinforced thermoplastic skins, urethane finishes, and a > number of cloth combinations or weaves including Kevlar and carbon fiber. > I have decided that the word “recycle” best explains the > so-called “new technologies.” Everything I have read about has > been tried before. Not only are the “new technology” > construction methods “recycled” but the problems with each > method of construction are also “recycled”.>>> A salesperson for a shaping service once told one of our very small > customers that he could have all his boards shaped on their machine and > have most of his time free to go surfing. Sounds good. Maybe we can have > all our surfboards made overseas with two dollar a day labor and all board > builders can go surfing every day - all day. For some reason I do not > think that is going to work. I predict that the dollar will eventually > fall in value. Meanwhile I predict there will be some belt tightening.>>> I would like to briefly review some of the positive sides of the custom > surfboard industry.>>> Surfing is not a fad but is a well established, healthy sport with a large > customer base of experienced and dedicated surfers. These surfers come in > all ages, have all types of experiences, and ride all types of waves. > There are also a number of different surfing styles.>>> The vast majority of experienced surfers have a fairly direct relationship > with a custom board builder or a local specialty retail surf shop. The > best surfers usually have a direct relationship with one or more shapers > or board manufacturers.>>> Experienced surfers normally pay a lot of attention to their board > purchases. The majority of experienced surfers have developed tastes for > their equipment. They have rarely purchased boards based on advertisement > or promotions but instead seem to rely on their own judgment, peers, > “gurus” including shapers, or good surfers. The good surfers > that influence their purchases are often surfing side by side with them.>>> Surfers have always been very interested in board design. There was no > “conspiracy” to make things as complex as they are today. We are > simply producing what surfers want to buy. Furthermore, what they want > appears to be an ever-changing target.>>> Try to name a sport with anything similar to the custom surfboard and the > very personal relationship between the surfer and his board. There are > really none! This is something special.>>> There are an awful lot of board builders and good surfers that know a lot > more about these subjects than I do so I had better stop now!>>> I hope this letter has been both informative and thought provoking.>>> Thank you for your business,>>> Gordon Clark
Don’t be afraid of change…create it. Who needs foam… I’m goin’ to the lumberyard and for less than $70 in wood I’ll make a hollow wood board…
The thing is, surfboards are a toxic nightmare. Change is on the horizon like a tsunami. I just made my first board, glassed it, and am almost finished sanding it. What a mess–the smell, the dust, the itching…everything. I am glad I did it, and feel more complete as a surfer, but dang, what a toxic nightmare, one which I will probably never do again (at least the glassing part, that is). I don’t mean to discredit anyone, or disrespect anyone, because I know this is your passion, but surfboards are part of the problem when it comes to pollution. The damndest thing is: I love them and always want more, but like meat, I want to buy it. I don’t want to see how it is made (or slaughtered, so to speak). I have much, much, much more respect for surfboard manufacturers than I used to. My god, they are heroes…no, heroes are lifesavers…they (the shapers and glassers) are icons…yeah, that’s it…icons. They go the extra mile. I am greatly impressed. But, it isn’t for me.
The thing is, surfboards are a toxic nightmare. Change is on the horizon like a tsunami. I just made my first board, glassed it, and am almost finished sanding it. What a mess–the smell, the dust, the itching…everything. I am glad I did it, and feel more complete as a surfer, but dang, what a toxic nightmare, one which I will probably never do again (at least the glassing part, that is). I don’t mean to discredit anyone, or disrespect anyone, because I know this is your passion, but surfboards are part of the problem when it comes to pollution. The damndest thing is: I love them and always want more, but like meat, I want to buy it. I don’t want to see how it is made (or slaughtered, so to speak). I have much, much, much more respect for surfboard manufacturers than I used to. My god, they are heroes…no, heroes are lifesavers…they (the shapers and glassers) are icons…yeah, that’s it…icons. They go the extra mile. I am greatly impressed. But, it isn’t for me. Too toxic.
…what is your long-winded point?Herb Take the crisis=oprtunity metaphor, and I get the feeling Mr. Clark is ,in his own way, explainig to us why blank prices are going to go up,up,up…
The thing is, surfboards are a toxic nightmare. Change is on the horizon > like a tsunami. I just made my first board, glassed it, and am almost > finished sanding it. What a mess–the smell, the dust, the > itching…everything. I am glad I did it, and feel more complete as a > surfer, but dang, what a toxic nightmare, one which I will probably never > do again (at least the glassing part, that is). I don’t mean to discredit > anyone, or disrespect anyone, because I know this is your passion, but > surfboards are part of the problem when it comes to pollution. The > damndest thing is: I love them and always want more, but like meat, I want > to buy it. I don’t want to see how it is made (or slaughtered, so to > speak). I have much, much, much more respect for surfboard manufacturers > than I used to. My god, they are heroes…no, heroes are lifesavers…they > (the shapers and glassers) are icons…yeah, that’s it…icons. They go > the extra mile. I am greatly impressed. But, it isn’t for me. Too toxic. But that´s the point. You said surfboards are toxic and that you don´t want to deal with this side of surfing. I think we shouldn´t discard the problem. Everybody should build his own boards and kill animals (at least in his dreams) to get his meat ration for the day. Then you would start to think if you really need a new board (or if the next one has a heavier glass layer for durability) or if it is necessary to eat (so much) meat.
Better get rid of your car and ride a bike. Oh wait, bike manufacturing contributes WASTE too. Better just stay home. Oh wait, homes take up land and are filled with toxic materials. YAAAAARRRRRGH!!!
Better get rid of your car and ride a bike. Oh wait, bike manufacturing > contributes WASTE too. Better just stay home. Oh wait, homes take up land > and are filled with toxic materials. YAAAAARRRRRGH!!! …I love the smell of resin in the morning, whats wrong with 60% waste, a shaped blank is a beautiful thing.
…I love the smell of resin in the morning, whats wrong with 60% > waste, a shaped blank is a beautiful thing. And acetone…yum. Works better than round up.
And acetone…yum. Works better than round up. Acetone also works as a cock roach killer.Aloha, Kokua