Listening to the problems over the hears of mass produced boards and surfboard craftsmen being driven out of business or underground, I’ve often thought that shapers ahould have a unified approach towards selling hand-crafted surfboards (something like the 4 C’s of diamonds, now almost universally used as a way to educate consumers about what to look for- see http://www.diasource.com/fourcs.htm, for instance)
Having just read another book on decision making (Highlights - to make a person like a board more - charge them more; to make a brand more valuable, make it scarce and expensive; use an ultra-expensive model as a way to drive people to the premium model you actually want to sell, etc.), I thought it time to jot down the bits and pieces of ideas I’ve put together over the years so that you could hone it, adapt it and adopt it: I was trying for the 7 S’s of surfboards, but I couldn’t get the alphabet to cooperate, so I settled for:
The Seven steps towards surfing like a pro:
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Shaper: Experienced shapers have the knowledge and ability to tailor materials to your needs. They work with the dimensions of boards to get what will work best for you (say a deeper concave if you’re stocky and pwerful; or a thinner tail if you like to surf forward). A hand shaper will spend time cutting each board to the close tolenrances that pros demand in their boards.
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Blank: Not all blanks are created equal. Apart from the variety of material available and the variations within the material, there are considerations about water absorption, ability to maintain flexible and resistance to sun. How do you know that your polyeurathane blank has not been deep cut from a thick blank, thus removing the crust where all the strength resides - leading you with all the weight of PU but none of the strength? How can you tell if the Expanded Polystyrene is 1lb/cu ft or 2 lb. Each has it’s place, but the core density needs to be considered when the board is skinned. Blanks can twist after they are cut, leaving the finished board with a twist and strange characteristics. Can you pick this under shop lights?
3.Stringer: Stringers are not simply a strip of ply down the middle of a board. They can have different thicknesses, be of different quality, or not even be wood or down the middle. Reputable shapers have spent years selecting their stringer technology to match their shapes, cores and skins.
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Cloth: You can get 4oz cloth that costs $300 a roll or one that costs $600 a roll. They are not equal. You are paying for coatings that allow the cloth to integrate better with the resin; for individual threads that might be longer or shorted, or for fibres that are woven in formats intended to to promote strength in the most important direction. Cloth widths may be different. Narrower cloth is cheaper, but it might not be wide enough to provide full laps. Has your board been built with laps that meet midrail, compromising strength, or do they overlap top and bottom?
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Resin: Polyester or epoxy. Seems like a simple choice, doesn’t it? Now consider the hundreds or thousands of vareties of each and the wide range of prices. Where is performance/value optimal? Would you prefer to speak to a shaper about the quality resin he uses or believe that your discount board maker just got an incredible deal on a batch of resin?
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Construction: Hand or machine shaped? Hand laminated or infused? Conventional or composite? Are the shape, core, cloth and glass optimal or has a light glass job been used to provide flex to a thick, domed board? Sure the wood looks cool, but is it a fabric print or real wood? Is the wood too thick to let the board flex where it needs to? How were the fins (fin system) seated? Just a hole in the board with a bit or resin or are they keyed to the top deck or onto a reinforced layer in the bottom deck or foam inserts in the core All of these are complex questions best answered by an expert.
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Finish: The board looks fantastic under shop lights. Is that a gloss rub back or a spray on finish? How long will those colours last in sunlight? Why is the board sprayed in (urethane) car paint - is it to hide defects in the glass job or filler in dents? Measure the board rail to rail. Is it even or is one side wider than the other? Are the rails the same all around the board?
Largely you get what you pay for. When you buy a discount board the producer is saving time or money somewhere. Are you prepared to find out where when you are in the tube of your life or do you want to fly out of it like a champion?
Don’t risk it - work with a craftsman who stands behind his work. Shapers are surfboard experts who can help you surf more like a pro.
… Or something
Not too attached to it, so lay into it. Add, subtract, divide (and all the food groups)
