Here in MA I just custom ordered a schaper from the local shop and its going to be around 575, and thats what most of the boards around here retail for unless they are cheap like a bic or something. After what was stated above 650 does not seem too bad. When I shaped my board it took me about 2 months in the Summer, I couldnt tell you how many hours it took. Granted I was using handtools while most use planers, the guy making the board has to get rewarded for putting in all the hours, no matter who shapes your board. Its hard work.
Oh, definitely, I wasn't referring to you and I'll apologise now if I gave that impression. I was refering to the 'dozen a month' guys who are working off the books, under the radar. Maybe dumping their solvents out back and all that.
I'm curious - how close was I with some of my guesstimates?
Best regards
doc...
Doc,
No offense taken! I know the Phlem Flam that goes on. It's easy to get stereo typed in this business.
You were close. I have a lean set up in order to stay alive in today's enviroment.
Kind regards,
Surfding
No matter how you slice it, 650 is not pocket change. My beef is that money doesn’t go as far as it used to. Too often I have seen name brand, high priced boards get snapped in half in head high beachbreak that’s not exactly powerful. (East Coast USA). While the profit margin on a board is decidedly slim, a typical off-the-rack poly/poly board disintegrates in a year under normal use. Never mind the snapped ones, how about the fact that most boards will have major deck dents within two months of purchase/use as a precursor to serious delamination? If I spend $650 of my hard-earned money on something, I want it to last more than a year.
If you want your shortboard to last more than a year don't use it.
I have to put forth a comment here, and I’m not on Rusty’s payroll. I just picked up a new off the rack board down at the Rusty shop in La Jolla and paid $650 for it. I have 3 Rustys of which two are custom, different boards for different applications, and they are all excellent. I probably should not mention this, but I had an EPS/epoxy shaped by Rusty that was soft enough to show dents the first time out and even if you were to push on the deck with your thumb. I called them about this and they admitted there had been a problem with some blanks. They shaped me another one and shipped it to me free of charge. I gave the other one to a friend in need. This is a company for whom the words ‘customer service’ are a way of doing business.
My point, exactly. Something that costs over $500 should last more than one year. It was not that long ago when a short board would yield three or four years of use, at least. it’s no wonder that Surftech and similar brands have grabbed so much of the market.
Rusty's are well design and they are a good company!
My point, exactly. Something that costs over $500 should last more than one year. It was not that long ago when a short board would yield three or four years of use, at least. it's no wonder that Surftech and similar brands have grabbed so much of the market.
If you surf a lot $500 divided by 20 sessions $25 a session divided by 10 waves that's $2.50 per ride.
New board every 3 months is a $1,000 per year.
I think that's pretty cheap and well worth it!
The $650.00 Surfboard made by a famous shaper like Rusty, Stretch, Al Merick, Brewer, Linden and so on is like a ROLEX!
Sure there are customs by some good shapers out there for less. And most of them deserve $500 or more even thought they will settle for much less.
I have guys who know how to surf that say, "If the deck doesn't conform to their feet then the board builder is a "KOOK"!
Light boards that fall apart are great. Just make a new one ever 3 weeks! It's good for the economy!
Sammy there are some good Surf Tech Models that will give you the year your looking for.
The hell it is!!
Bad analogy.
How long does a Rolex last?
And, I don’t like Surftechs. I was simply stating why some people prefer them. They don’t fall apart as fast.
In 1978 I paid 140 for a brand new Tony Staples egg. I rode it 80% of the time as it was well suited to the average waves where I live. It was my daily driver for 8 years. if I wanted to repair the large delam in the tail it would still be usable. Today’s shortboards are nearly disposable. In that sense they are way over-priced.
Sammy, I am 110% with you. The lack of durability in modern shortboards if effing shameful. But then, they are built to a market composed of kiddies for whom this is "normal" and the fall-apart nature just shows how heavily these immature little shitz are shralping. NOT.
That's one of several reasons why I've never had a board I didn't make myself. Gotta discount my first 9'6" that my grandfather made, but I suspect the down-the-street ex-pro glasser that finished it, cleaned it up a little. I've gone down that road a few times for friends.
Make 'em yourself, a little heavier, and they'll last longer. The effort you spend will have you taking better care of the board so as to preserve your effort. Yes they will be a little heavier and no you won't have a new one every three months like the little scumsucker down the street. But it'll be yours, and to some of us, that's priceless.
Sway's is here to help all of us in exactly that journey - to make our own boards, better, faster, stronger and all. IMUA!
Sammy your right "Bad analogy"! Sorry got carried away.
Back in the 70’s the glassing standard was 6 oz with tail and fin patches. A 10 pound board was the norm. It isn’t that boards are worse today as a failure of the manufacturer, but instead the manufacturer is filling the demand of the buyer.
Most of today’s surfers prefer the trade off of weight over strength.
I still have a board from the 80’s that is in almost perfect condition, but it is heavier, so it doesn’t ride as well. If it doesn’t ride as well, I’m not having as much fun, so what’s the point? I’ll accept the trade off for a lighter board.
i'm with Sammy... i guess the disposable board with the hot name brand is what the market is demanding...
some builders are exceding the norm though, first to mind:
The new board's are made just as the mass's want them,,,, Lite, thin and nimble
the same ones the pro's ride
so the mass producers give them what they want
and charge accordingly
I sure as hell aint giving away any boards that I make
its a lot of work and time
and I am getting pretty good at it
but I am humble (I still have a lot to learn and skills to aquire)
Complete Logical statement.
Saltbush your figures intrigued me, so I did a CPI (consumer price index) aka inflation comparison.
My thoughts before doing it were that to compare against just property wasn’t meaningful due to the stupid house prices that we have in Oz - the IMF (International Monetary Fund) considers us overvalued. This is due to too high demand (from immigration not reproduction - aussies don’t produce enough kids to replenish the population) and insufficient supply - not enough building to meet the population expansion. I think a certain amount of stupidity too - doesn’t make sense to spend all ones wages on a mortgage.
so I first did it on the price of Australian milk since 1995 (milk was deregulated in about 2000 which would skew things a bit but looking at the graph the effect wasn’t huge)
http://www.xcheque.com/data/charts/aus-annual-milk-price.html
1995 Milk $3.58
2009 $3.91
just %9 increase in milk.
so surfboards have gone up more in comparison
taking a bigger basket of goods is the CPI which uses:
Food
Alcohol and tobacco
Clothing and footwear
Housing
Household contents and services
Health
Transportation
Communication
Recreation
Education
Financial and insurance services
our stupid housing situation would skew things a bit but this is an interesting comparison. Running the Reserve Bank of Aus calculator on a $600 good in 1995 and projecting forward to 2009 produces a
$852 surfboard CPI is up 42% for that period
However I don’t think Oz has a realistic CPI due to housing costs. So taking the milk example as well I think if anything the surfboard has held or even increased its price, particularly as there has been a technology improvement in production efficiency - the CNC - this should bring the price down.
However just coz the surfboard has held its price well doesn’t mean its selling at price which reflects the huge amount of labour that goes in - no technology shifts in glassing or sanding. Surfboard builders have been making a pittance for a long time in an environment hazardous to health. What this tells me is that perhaps the board building industry is getting a bit more sensible with some of those on a pittance leaving the industry to do something more fruitful.
it looks to me that the industry is best for those who have built up a sufficient reputation to command a large fee to wield the planer and sign it personally or for the entrepreneurs with organised firms. I suppose the part timers with day jobs can treat it as a semi-hobby, but thats not making a living from it.
Ray, whats the demand for ding repairs like in your part of California?
mr j work this comparision out last week i needed a new power point in my workshop
& i had waited 3 weeks to get it done bill $200 plumber $60 for a f##kin washer on a tap
when i built my house the plumbers work was shit so after inspection ha’’ i went round & redone it to my satisfaction. my point is these cnuts want & get $80+ an hour and expect me to go in my shaping room
and work for $10 i can do there job can they do mine not f####Kin likely.
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anyone know how many CNC machine it takes to make 300 boards a week?