Matt Biolos Shaper's Corner Article

General Discussion
1

I don’t have the article in front of me, so much of it is from memory, but has anyone read this article?

He makes some interesting points about marking boards that they were made in taiwan, etc. However, he goes on to state that he’s spent a good deal of time building up his reputation and that he should be allowed to make money off his brand and that it’s not really about building a good product, but rather about names and image.

So, this brings me to a point. Why is it that a major board maker feels they should be able to stand on their “brand” rather then their product? This is in essence defeating the point of the argument no? That one should be able to provide a superior product that is labeled accordingly, so that the consumer knows just what they are getting.

Now, you could potentially take this to a number of levels though… for instance.

China boards use a resin that isn’t available here in the states, it’s also a harder resin.

Lost boards are typically glassed with four ounce glass and dent like a son of a bitch…

Their paint designer are known to sometimes react poorly with the resin…

these are just two quick extremes, but, the bottom line is, that his argument was that people are

  1. uneducated about what it is they are buying

  2. That they should pay for a brand and image rather than construction and quality.

Pehaps I’m a bit cynical at this point, however, this relying on “brand” rather then “construction” is the very reason pop-out’s are selling so well. Surftech is doing a better job with their “Brand” then most other companies.

Thoughts?

2

Commercialism.

There are many good reasons to build and understand your own board, or at least have some sort of personal relationship with your boardmaker.

3

I read what he said another way. Perhaps he was commenting on how a lot of it all comes down to name brand these days; this is true. Then he also says that, having established Lost as a quality brand (which is debateable), he should be able to profit from the name. The trend that might hurt surfing helps Matt Biolos, so why should he try to stop the name-brand-obsession that goes on these days if it is making him millions?

4

Absolutely, but that’s not really the point he was making. He’s not interested in making any relationships with people, he just seems bitter that he isn’t profiting like the rest of people.

He used the costco thing going on right now with Realm. For those who don’t know, Realm is a company, oddly enough sponsoring Tom Curren, who is selling to a mass market through chains like Costco and what not.

Biolos argues that they are undercutting the market while not informing people of what it is they are buying. While I agree that to a certain extent they are undercutting the market, it’s the industry’s job to eductate the consumer about more than just the brand and where the board was made.

People have more money then ever before and most would be willing to spend it on a superior product. Hell I would argue that even right now, times are calling for big spree of patriotism when it comes to supporting USA made products, however, relying on you “Name” isn’t enough.

That’s kind of my question, is the name entitiing one to profit purely based off of public image? Is this right? Isn’t this what’s wrong with the industry or any industry?

5

Ever talk to a shop owner about the quality of this product? Resale value on used ones are nil because they are usually so thrashed that they are not worth much when put up for resale. By the way, they show up with about 200 boards each year at Surf Expo and fire sale every one for cheap by the end of the show. Obviously they can’t make this many boards to give away and care about craftsmanship. Why don’t they care about the quality of the work vs. the $$ made off of the “Brand”? Because there never was any quality of the product to begin with. These boards sell because of what’s painted on them, not what goes into them…

6

Because it will ultimately kill him as well. He openly admits that he will eventually move towards this mass production in the article I believe.

He should merely support his cause I guess is what I’m saying. Brand is everything and people are loyal to brands until they fail them, then they typically never go back. So a “brand” has a certain responsibility to maintain it’s customer base with more then just a cool sticker.

7

I haven’t read the article but I don’t think Matt Biolos deserves to complain. He could be banned from selling surfboards forever, but he’ll still be laughing all the way to the bank because of the thousands of kids who bought a Lost shirt without ever stepping foot on a board of any kind.

His story is one of those great examples of the blue collar American dream types (from what I’ve heard) so he should be thankful for everything the surf culture has given him, because I don’t think Lost gives very much back.

8

The Lost Phenomenon is just plain old USA Style marketing.The boards were junk but the advertising blitz in the Mags was top notch.Even an old geezer like me got a kick out if the "Randall"character and all of the irreverant ads.The 12 to 18 year old kids sucked it on up and they (or their parents) buy most of the boards.The guy is making tons of money in the clothing racket so the boards are now nothing but a come-on for other things.I saw a deal where Matt B. showed up in New Smyrna Florida and did a guest shaping spot in one of the local factories.The kids were all over it and he shaped the boards with a friggin grinder…true craftsman.The Chinese boards are probably an improvement.Things never change.I can remember back in the sixties when Greg Noll Surfboards did an ad blitz on the Mickey Dora “Da Cat” model.They were some of the worst pieces of crap to hit the planet but sold like hotcakes.Speaking of that…I heard that Dora never rode one unless he had to.Classic eh?

9

There are a lot of guys like from what I hear, take the guy who makes woosters. They are fantastic boards and extremely well made and designed. Dean Randazzo just signed onto lost, however, he is having wooster do the shaping.

Take the Pavel Fish with the merrick sticker on it…

Contracts dictact a lot and in the end it’s just a sticker, but this guy bitching must be one of the bigger hypocracies I’ves seen. Hand over fist this guy’s making money, yet he’s complaining about board quality from China…just hit a nerve.

I try and always think of this sport as a kind of sacred animal, however I guess that’s naive of me. I go to school for photography but resist digital for the same reasons, I love the hand process, the old process, when you had to be perfect or else you lost your shot. Same with surfboard making, I enjoy and respect a crafstmen and refuse to buy boards like these but will spend 1500 on a Tyler, call me crazy I don’t know.

I

10

Oh by the way, I forgot to comment on why they complain about the Chinese boards - Because they are competing in the same market at the same level of quality but the Chinese can make cheaper boards. Serves 'em right - live by the sword, die by the sword (or gun, should I say in this case).

11

Every time I think that someone in China could be shaping one of my boards (if I bought major label boards), it makes me so happy to be shaping my own boards. Either shape your own boards or work with your local shaper!!!

GMAN

12
Quote:

However, he goes on to state that he’s spent a good deal of time building up his reputation and that he should be allowed to make money off his brand and that it’s not really about building a good product, but rather about names and image.

This is because Matt Biolos was never a world class shaper, but a guy who simply used hype to promote his image. He and his company are really the prime example of image over product. Whey shouldn’t he feel that way. Those surfboards of his are for the most part popular junk with a fancy label. Sounds to me like he is setting up his customers to get ready for the day we have Lost in China. Not that I think bad of Matt or that his boards are any worse than the rest of the light glass toothpicks on the market today, but him acting like he hates seeing something he helped create (image over product) kind of smells a bit. Also his give Simon Anderson a dollar per board routine was almost laughable. Prime example of why the true masters of the the art of boardbuilding will never be the driving force behind the hype. At leat not if they take pride in their work. The masters make what works the promoters copy and rip it off and reap most of the reward. Of course they may mention the master in Surfers Journal somewhere down the road and call it even.

13

I feel for and understand everyones point of view. But this sort of energy is wasted in a forum like this.

The best thing for everyone here is to give good energy.

The best thing to do with this subject is to give it no energy at all. Forget about it.

Don’t you have something better to do?

14

Can somebody please post the article so that I can read what he said. Thanks in advance. (or at least let me know where and when it was published)

15

Wildy,

it was keeping with the subject and not a cut on Biolos current shaping ability, but when you put him next to some other shapers of the world I simply cannot call his shapes world class. The boards look like most other modern thrusters and such. This is a shaping forum, Boards being made in china, glassed lightly, jobs going overseas, and a major surfboard builder who helped create the current trend towards trendy cheaply built surfboards at a high price trying to claim to be concerned about the very thing he helped create are all part of todays surf industry. I have been a part of that industry and still have a part in it. Forums are a place for an exchange of ideas. You don’t have to agree with any of them. I have nothing against Biolos personally. I don’t like the image of his company and I feel his boards are overpriced and cheaply made like most production surfboards. I also think the form of hype used in Lost ads as well as many other companies is part of the problem with the industry not the future of progression or quality.

On a positive note you still have guys like Fry, Philips, Mccoy, cooper, Bushman, and other masters still making nice well crafted functional works of art.

16

no matter how much you put in to marketing if your boards dont work you will not become sucessful! i think there is to much effort put into bagging people in this topic. we all have different approaches as regards marketing. some are sucsessful with the mainstream (“read” financial return) some are personally satisfied to a high level of craftspersonship eg pauls wooden boards. if you analyse your motives for making boards and your happy with what you do… enjoy it and dont judge others on there sucsess or different approach to yours. CREATE, CRAFT & CARE

17
Quote:

Can somebody please post the article so that I can read what he said. Thanks in advance. (or at least let me know where and when it was published)

the article is in the latest issue of surfing. try checking surfingthemag.com. i didn’t find it there, but they’ll probably post it soon.

18

Actually, I don’t think that’s totally true about the boards working. How many people come into a shop really knowing what it is they are looking for? The reality is, most boards out there aren’t working for people but they wouldn’t know differently.

Case in point…

This guy comes into a shop this weekend with his daughter. She’s maybe 4’8 or so, barely 80lbs, super tiny girl couldn’t be over the age of 12. He says she’s been surfing for 2 years but doesn’t get out a ton and is looking for a new board.

So I show them, some shorter short boards with good volume, a funshape or two, just some nice all around boards for NJ’s mushy summer surf.

Well, kid and father are hell bent on performance shortboard in the 6’2 or 6’3 neighborhood. Couldn’t be a worse board for the girl, however it’s got “Flames”. There wasn’t a person on this planet that could have steered them differently, so they bought it.

Yeah it’ll float her, maybe catch a wave or two, but is it “working”? If the definition of working is to merely catch waves and allow those to stand up, then anything with bouyancy works.

I do get what you are saying however about the different approaches, however, I just had a problem with the fact that he was critizing an approach that is fundamentally the same as his. While he pushes label the other’s are pushing value, but both are absent of quality, so where is the argument?

For those that want the article, I’m going to look online today as it’s in my car which is getting repaired ($720 and counting, arghhh) however, if not I’ll post it later this week.

19

I don’t get it, all i read from these threads is people bashing the quality of the boards. I think his point is being missed, I read the article and took it as, him trying to help the american board builders from getting all their jobs shipped off overseas to sweat shops, for the profit of companies that really don’t give a rat’s ass about surfing or the industry.

And the whole label thing he is talking about, is based on fair representation of a product. Since a Hot Wheel car is made in China, on the product, Made in China is of equal size of the Hot Wheel brand name on the car. Look at the bottom of a Hot Wheel car to see what he is talking about. All the foreign boards I have seen have no Made In… laminate, it should be a permanant fixture to the board, not a sticker that can be taken off. And he talks that there should be a stigma surrounding these people who buy these boards, I agree, sadly image is everything, so what better way to protect YOUR business and income but to put in the consumers minds that when you buy a pop out from Thailand that you are not helping an industry that is helping you. And yes Lost does give back, they put on free contests and sponsor more kids than any other company out there.

Also country of origin is very important in trade, therefore, no one should be able to say, example, USA Surfboards as a brand name but the boards are made in

China. You can’t do that.

Do I buy Lost clothes or boards, no. But I think that him being an American and standing up for one of the last American industries to not be completely taken over with manufacturing going overseas is enough for people to stand behind him and get the laws that are out there enforced properly.

20

i agree with that, the law is there …it applies to other industries .so why not surfboards…???how would you feel about your new surftech if the made in taiwan sticker was as big as the logo…

that would be kool…

the problem is the surfboard industry has no one to stand up and tackle the problem …who will do it ? whos gonna pay them??? who do you want to represent you???

most industries have regulatory bodies which come at a cost to those industries…

union fees ,memberships ,registrations, qualifications and so on ,

a long way to go yet …do we have the time

or will the industry perish before it can be saved ???

the only ones who are currently suffering is the big production houses ,the small quality producer is safer than ever…people will always want high quality custom boards…

most of the guys wingeing about the industry are the ones trying to push up there productions with budget boards …dont know many guys complaining who do well priced quality boards…

regards

BERT