Interested in your recommendations and comments on a longboard from a SC shaper to be shipped and surfed on the the East Coast. Haut, Sweet, Mel, Junod, Pearson, Miller (Bay Area)? Others? Which is best quality - which is best value-priced in your view. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best board for the money John Mell. Most surfed boards in Santa Cruz, Junod, and Pearson. Best high performance board Haut. Board most likly to find a girl on Johnny Rice. Pearson has many shapers, and shapes. If you don’t know who is shaping your board then it is kinda up in the air, Carl Olson is one of the better shaper in Pearson shop, tho there are others. Junod will build you any board that you ask for, so you eather really know what you want or you just let him make what he wants. Haut is going to make what he wants no matter what you ask for, but it is going to surf good fast waves like a dream. Why are you looking for a board out of Santa Cruz if you live on the east coast?
I meant to originally inquire about Johnny Rice, not Dave Sweet. Thanks for the reply.
“Why are you looking for a board out of Santa Cruz if you live on the east coast?”
Quality, tradition, history - all the great board builders are in California - you guys have it good. Open to any recommendations for longboard shapers on the EC but why bother? Thanks
Johnny is not doing real well. He has had a lot of work done on his body. Heart, vains, and back. I saw him in the water last week, can’t get to his feet but on every 3ed or so wave. He is still making boards though. I for one do not like his rails, and he tends to put too much nose rocker in his boards. Maybe that is why the girls like them so much? Who knows, to each his own. I surf Lance Carsons, they really work for me in Santa Cruz.
Johnxyz,
I’ve been in Santa Cruz since ‘68 there are many great shapers here. I concur that Junod is a top man. But for small longboard surfing on the east coast I have to say that. John Mel’s boards (Freeline) are hard to beat (I agree with Bagman about quality and price) because they are a great combination of the old and new and all of his glass work goes through New Beginnings Glass Works and it one of the top glass shops in town. Other top choices are Doug Schreodel, Bob Pearson & Doug Haut. These 5 are at the top of my list when I comes to the best in longboard perfromance shapes in these parts. Everyone one of them builds a board that performs quite well. I know Doug Schroedle and John Mel will ship you a board. However I don’t know about the other 3, though I can check for you easily. If you want to discuss details about how you want your new board to perform on this thread (either forum) or you want to email me at go for it. Glad to help ~
I have a Junod and Freeline a photo of each is attached, they both rip!
Mahalo, Rich
I hate to say this (I work for Arrow) but if you are looking for “the best in longboard performance shapes in these parts.” Then call up Bob Pearson. When it comes to performance longboards, he has everyone schooled. Working with guys like Josh Mohr, Tanner Beckett and CJ Nelson, he has perfected his performance longboard shapes way beond anyone else in town. But thats only my opinion! 
-Carl
I’m not saying that the others wouldn’t give you a good board but for long boards, I would suggest Pearson - and you want to do the interview and do it with him. Get him on the phone and talk to him.