Howzit ChrisP,
Heck if I know what they’re using. I just know know that the conventional wisdom is that anything under 1.5-lb EPS should be vented, and to my knowledge they are not. Of course, there’s nothing conventional about them so who knows?
But if the OP is anywhere near OZ, I’d be all over Josh Dowling. Anyone heard from him lately? He’s been pretty quiet.
Marsh nailed it!
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There is surf in Texas?
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I haven’t seen him on Sways lately but he’s been keeping busy.
Building boards and moving iirc.
6’ balsa compsand thruster, CF rails, 0.75 lb/cu. ft. eps, 2 oz. interior, 4 oz. exterior glass. I think this one was in the 5-6 lb. range. I don’t measure anymore, nor really care about weight, nor put much effort into it to thin it out. Just follow the notes. stronger than your normal board. Ultralight is ok for your small fish/performance type boards and work well with less chop. I don’t care so much for ultralight for longboards, at least in Florida type surf. Depends on your style for sure. I really enjoy my full balsa channeled longboard at about 30 lbs. glides like hot knife in butter.
Pompano that sound’s like a good weight to me for a 6fter…when they get down under 5lb , they lose a heap of drive…that’s the feedback. The balsa coming out of PNG this year has been featherweight - but it drinks a lot of resin when you prime it.
Not much surf in Texas…maybe a few good headhigh or better days per year…
Surfthis is behind most of the innovations in board building here…he’s not afraid to go outside the “box”, and motivates others to do the same…
hey reverb , unfortunately there was someone here in Thailand making fake Sunova’s , we tried to take legal action but we have a seriously flawed legal system … i have heard he is not making them anymore , but did so for about 18 months maybe 2 years , even signing my name to them …
a number made there there way to Japan , as far as i know maybe around 200 boards or more were made …
with the majority going to Japan…
we had people complaining about quality , weight and shape who purchased the boards either direct from him on Craigs list or via 3rd parties , who just had no idea they were fakes and contacted our web site later to complain …
these are guesstimates , from info ive gathered from people who have enquired about the boards he was selling and dealing with 3rd party purchasers who ultimately found they way back to us … around 100 to Japan, 40 to the US… 20 to Oz and another 40 sold locally and on Craigs list, i heard a few made there way to Bali…
really pissed me off, that something like this could burn your reputation… but thats life …
attached a pic , sent to me from our guy in Japan showing originals next to fakes … the 2 on the left and the one on the far right are fakes … fat out of shape rails , thick noses , stumpier outlines , at a distance they look almost the same , but pick one up and they are heavy … the one to tell for sure is the logo , its slightly angled or slanted…
regards
BERT
…alright bert Burger; could be possible; The sheets of good were light color not the darker ones. I can send the address of a surf shop that have some of yours or the fake ones, if you like.
this is a 6-6, just under 7#
My comment was tongue in cheek.
I surfed the TX coast from Surfside to Port Isabel over a 20 year period. Getting nice waves was about the right time of year, knowing the right weather patterns, timing and knowing the right spots.
true dat…gotta know the weather and where to go…we have crossed paths if you surfed here for that length of time…Ive been here off and on since the 70’s
Got my first surfboard in 1968 at Locked In Sports on Katy Freeway in Houston. Left TX in 1989.
Never cared much for Galveston – if it was rideable in Galveston it was always better at Surfside. The Surfside area breaks were my main stomping grounds over the years. In the early 80s, I surfed Matagorda on and off. Had a brief stay in the Corpus area in the mid 70s, visited a few times in later years – Fish Pass (filled with sand years ago) was my favorite. Traveled further south when I got the opportunity.
Best hurricane surf I ever got was at Quintanna. Best early spring waves I ever got were at the Freeport Jetties. Octagon House (long gone) was a fun place to play on a small day. The Surfside Pier (sadly long gone)…
sent you a PM
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Got my first surfboard in 1968 at Locked In Sports on Katy Freeway in Houston. Left TX in 1989.
Never cared much for Galveston – if it was rideable in Galveston it was always better at Surfside. The Surfside area breaks were my main stomping grounds over the years. In the early 80s, I surfed Matagorda on and off. Had a brief stay in the Corpus area in the mid 70s, visited a few times in later years – Fish Pass (filled with sand years ago) was my favorite. Traveled further south when I got the opportunity.
Best hurricane surf I ever got was at Quintanna. Best early spring waves I ever got were at the Freeport Jetties. Octagon House (long gone) was a fun place to play on a small day. The Surfside Pier (sadly long gone)…
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Hi Bert are these also fake Sunova’s? Bamboo and carbon fiber, unlike any of your boards, being sold in Australia.
Strenght to weight is an important factor since you could glass an EPS blank with one layer of 4oz top and bottom and it would snap doing your first floater.
I’ve got a Sunova, its 6’3’’ x 18 3/4’’ x 2 1/4’’ The Professional. It was 2.8kg on the scales before tail pad and wax. It doesn’t feel light but you’d have a hard time snapping it at G-Land I reckon.
Firewire’s feel light but they break.
Carbon fiber rail boards are light (and corky) but they break.
Hey marsh … these are perfectly legitimate Sunova’s made right here in our factory …
just ran out the back to take a pic of one geting ready for shipping …
developed a variation of these for Liquid Force back in 2010 as a price point board , higher density core , bamboo skins and full digital graphics … we first introduced them into Japan under the Sunova label in 2013 featuring a titanium rail , but after about a year we decided that we didnt want to brand them solely as a Sunova product and that the Sunova brand would focus only on the high end Balsa construction…
so we offered these ones with the carbon rails for co branding , we still have the Sunova name on them to give them the stamp of authenticity and to help sell them…
ive been dealing with Natural Necessity for over 20 years now and would consider them to be our most dedicated primary retailer , so we were fine co branding with them , these are also sold to Hawaii under the brand Luxe designed by Ian Ponting , featuring a titanium fabric rail , these dont carry the Sunova label … plus we also do the same construction in SUP…
also reverb , there was a company in Japan called SUMR , who initially brought in the fakes and sold them on to a few retailers , since then we now deal direct with these retailers via an interpreter so we know who they are…
regards
BERT
Hey marsh , that 6-3 Pro sounds like its at the upper end for weight on one of our boards…
normally it should weigh around 2.6 in a standard glass job , we do however get up to 10% variation in weight based on balsa weight and density … i suspect that board is numbered somewhere between 3500 and 4500 , in recent years we have implemented more stricter QC on our timber density and placment…
but some heavier ones still sneak through…
that being said , when the weight and density come up , so does the strength , so i suspect your board would also be extremely solid …
we have built that same model at 2.1 kg as a team glass job …
also to keep things in perspecive , just a few weeks ago i weighed a brand new Channel Islands Bunny Chow model 5-11 x 19 , P/U with an all 4 oz glass job … obviously something that would not last long at 2.9 kg …
so your board in reality is a comparitive weight to what a Pro would ride in P/U , but will last so much longer…
plus as you say , its about strength to weight ratio … in general we can beat P/U by 25 to 40% in weight depending on the size of the board , yet still be more durable and last longer …
regards
BERT
The thing most forget is how they surf. I have 2 boards from josh, with no.3 in the works. Yes, they are light and strong but they surf crazy good as well. It’s a win win win situation
