I’m going to order a new custom longboard and am having trouble deciding which way to go: Jim Phillips or Hank Byzak. They both have a lot of experience and make great boards. Any qualified opinions would help.
If I had more money, I’d buy one of each!
One vote for Phillips!
Surfy Surfy in Leucadia has a nice looking Byzak:
http://www.surfysurfy.net/2014/12/97-byzak-classic-cruiser.html
**if all questions on here were this easy
how sweet it would be.
jim phillips**
cheers huie
Since both Jim and Hank are my friends, it would be hard to decide which of these great shapers to get a board from. I love them both as people and as shapers, and both are extremely talented. Funny thing would be to ask each of them why they should get a board from them and not the other guy- that would be fun to film. May both of them prosper.
I worked for Hank way back in dark ages when he had a tiny shop and factory at the north end of Leucadia. I like Hank he’s a good guy wearing cranky mask. I would go with Hank but what can I say I have a fundness for the guy. So this has nothing to do with the quality of the work. Both a excellent shapers. Can’t go wrong with either. Come to think of it Hank may owe me money so yeah go with Hank He might pay me back with his profits.
…to resolve it is very simple: what shop will do the glass work? then the name of the glasser and sander.
Tough choice.
Both are terrific craftsmen.
And both my friends.
I’m staying neutral.
You won’t be unhappy with either.
Phillips.
huie sums it up perfectly.
I have had two of Jim’s boards, 9’2", the other 9’8". They have / had both been fantastic boards. the 9’8" is called the “unfair advantage” by family and friends. Single fin, fancy stringer, It catches waves like a 10’2" and turns like a 8’6". Been surfed sooo much it’s on the verge of breaking. It’s old…It’s got a lime green Da Haloe Guy lam on it. Maybe I shouldn’t have try to do head stands on it? Maybe I shouldn’t have let the kid surf it…But it’s way too much fun. I think I need to have Jim shape me another one, before it dies?..Any way I digress…
I have never had or surfed one of Hanks boards so I can’t comment on them, but I’d assume they are top quality and shape.
I can comment on Jims craftmanship…err… hummm… the other board 9’2"…I broke the 9’2" doing things you should not do with a 9"2"…and I took calipers to both sides of the outer rails ,mid rails, and center section etc… Jims rails are within 1/32 of each other.
To put this in perspective…I did the same thing with a (who shall not be named) but extremely famous, talented, and very well respected shaper from Hawaii. His rails were off by over 1/2 inch. Maybe it was a bad day, maybe a Friday…or got in a rush.
…hey Resinhead; the curves are the important thing; even J Phillips could tell this.
3 hours ago I was dealing with a blank with 4 stringers; 3 are somewhat crooked and the blank is twisted…I ordered the blank with a custom rocker and the stringers in a given place; well, they sent it (this and a full container from Mexico to way down South) with a stock rocker but even wrong dims regarding that stock rocker…stringers in other place and all that twisted stuff; so I had to shaped it (today) dealing with all these things in mind and try to follow the customer intentions and the dims wanted; so I try to say that sometimes you just “accommodate” the lines to have the right flow. I do not saying that what you say is wrong; but there s a % of what I say in the boards out there; mainly due to the crappy work in the blanks factories.
Saying that I tell ya that I know when is that or shapers error…machine in reality.
Reverb,
That is just a example of the quality foam from Mexico.
So little foam experience/ cheap labor = poor quality.
That’s why many of us here do not use that foam.
They are littorally right down the street.
US Blanks is 75% of the old Clark Foam crew.
That would all be fine except it was a board from the 90’s…hand shaped, custom Clark blank rocker and stringers. It was a top notch custom board. So if it was a crappy blank I would have hoped the individual would have sent it back to blankland and got a proper one, and if it was what i mentioned above…then shame on them for getting top dollar for sub par work. I’m not talking about some 6’2" pump and squirt short board here.
I’ll leave it at that…I know Hank and Jim would not stand for that kind of work. They both are true craftsmans, with high standards in there work…And I know Jims work is spot on.
Hi Resinhead - I have 1 board by Jim Phillips (a 9’6" SWT2)- an absolute masterpiece - I am curious about that 9’8", do you have a picture of it (even though it is getting old) I am curious if it is something I could ask him to make me now?
Thanks Jimi