i wanted to order a longboard from harbour today. i knew what i wanted, ive been surfing for a long time, and know what i like. i wanted the board to be 3 inches thick, they insisted that 3 inches was too thick for a 9 footer, so i told them i would call them back. second time another person helped me, and said the same thing. they wouldnt make the board i wanted 3 inches thick because i was too light. i weight 150 lbs, wanted the HP1. i like my logs a lil more hp orientated, but a little thicker so they retain traditional longboard characteristics as well. i even like my shortboards corky.
so i went to walden, told them what i wanted, they said sounds great, and it will be done in 3 weeks for 200 dollars less then what harbour wanted. a simple airbrush, solid color, 150 bucks. at walden it was 65 or something, for the whole board, not just the deck or the bottom.
so, please shapers, dont concern yourself with how much i weigh. i know what works for me.
When one calls the Harbour surfshop, they will be talking to a dealer of Harbour surfboards, not the shaper. The surfboard business and retail shop business were separated years ago. Anyway…Tim Stamps is the shaper now but he is in Indo at the moment. Rich, however, is in town and can be reached through his website forum nearly everyday or by email.
People, including me, tend to love their Harbours - at the specs that Rich recommends. But they will, and do, create custom boards to the specs that surfers want. I don’t know why the retail shop wouldn’t take your order and pass it along as you wanted it. Rich Harbour has posted on Swaylocks before and maybe he’ll see this thread. Or you could post on his website forum for an answer. But in your haste, you’ve already ordered another board and I’m sure you’ll like it fine. Prices for color/glassing are set by Waterman’s and they do beautiful work. I don’t know who glasses for Walden. Good luck with the board. All surfboards are fun!
Some of us surfboard people have such huge ego’s… seems like the ones that won’t listen to the person that’s going to use the board are the most … IGNOREnt… an interesting word isn’t it?..there are some really good shapers out there that don’t ignore people that they make boards for… it’s good that you find some that will listen! God bless… danny
Howzit Kokua?!? Stop giving it away. Time for a price adjustment-up. “Expertise costs extra”. Looks like I’m moving back to Wainiha, at least for a while. Easier for me to stop by for talk story sessions. See you soon. Aloha…RH
Aloha! “It ain’t my board”. That’s my theory. Doesn’t do much for custom shaping if you don’t listen to the customer. My process is: meet the rider when they bring the required deposit- I can suss- out the surfer’s size and vibe to make the right choice for the blank. Invite the custom-er for the outlining ceremony, that way I can get a sense of just what they’re looking for. Invite the custom-er to check the finished shape to get the okey-dokey before it’s off to the glue factory (also to cash-out the shaper at that point). Even when I shape for people that I’ve made lots of boards for, I still use the same process. I like to get the custom-er involved in their surfing future, plus “it ain’t my board”. Now, “my board” is another story entirely. If all my custom-ers were as picky as me, I’d have been doing something else long ago! Aloha…RH
I remember a “MAGIC” board Dickie Delong made for me years ago. It was sooo awesome after it was all dinged up and I started surfing other boards I gave it to a friend who said it was magic to! Eventually the board got more hammered etc and he gave it to his brother who fell in love with it… Somebody ended up stealing it all brown and old!!! It had Mana…
Anyway, before it got ripped off I took it to a shaper who I will not mention his name and told him to make one as close as possible. Dickie Delong was not shaping at the time. I made sure this other shaper agreed to copy it as best he can paying close attention to the rocker, thickness foil, and just make the template out of the outline… Just trace the darn thing!!! So he agreed and off he went assuring me a great board was coming back…
When I got the board back he said, “Here’s your baby!” As soon as I looked at it I could tell it was not the same. He then said with pure confidence, “I made some adjustments to make it even better then what you had…” I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! He kept assuring me that more rocker was needed, a slightly wider tail, blah, blah, blah… Of course the board was not even close… I ended up buying it anyway as a back up board because it had my custom airbrush I ordered on it…
Right then and there I learned about some shapers egos… This is another perfect example of why I shape my own boards!!! Buwahahahahaha!!!
one of my “shark country hero’s” along with butch perreira, chris nead, isaac tanaka and caveman.
some went on to help build Surfline others became legend undergrounders in the country and elsewhere.
Still remember watching those guys from the inside shoulder backsiding into 6’ inside double up screamers.
good 30-40 year old memories… thanks carvenalu
always wondered if anyone knew who those guys were.
We’ve always had some good board makers and surfers coming out of the “old” Ewa Beach days…
Glad you had the opportunity to share in his handiwork…
and you’re right most butt-head boardmakers absolutely suck in regards to customer sevice.
if people in the surf business especially shops had to pay the price for their ineptitudes like other businesses do when they screw customers i,e, lawsuits, government investigations regulation , action line and possible prison time maybe we’d actually have a viable industry instead of an underground cottage one.
It’s so refreshing to actually find one who cares about his customer as much as his next buck…
Hmm, “Magic” board story #1. I’m pretty cynical about the concept of “magic” boards, IMHO it’s usually just a blend of aspects that fit a particular person. But there was this particular board that I made 7 years or so ago that was just blessed. Every person that rode it, raved and raved about it. But for some reason I never made a direct copy- I naively always thought I could do it one better to no avail… It still gets brought up occasionally to this day. (Tanner I know you’re reading this: You know what I’m talking about…) I remember looking at it years later- and thinking- crap what an ugly shape- what was it about this board? Truly one board that got ridden to death, it finally disappeared somewhere down in Goleta (UCSB college town) I heard rumors about it being turned into a coffee table or something… of course the original owner wanted a copy of it years later, all I had was an old receipt with some cryptic dimensions scribbled on the back… nothing to actually replicate a board in any sort of way… Shooot! Hell, If any of you kids in Goleta, Ca. reading this forum knows what ever happened to Tanner Beckett’s “Cosmic Pig” -it had a muddy brown and orange resin swirl on the bottom, twin fins, a blue Hawaiian cloth inlay, with a dark orange Pin, Red “Carl Olsen” decal on the deck… I’d love to know! -Carl
I used to take down all the measurements from customers that had to have this nose, that tail, this rocker and this thickness. Now I pretty much send them to the big box shops and let them deal with them. Most of my customers trust the shapers to shape whats best for them with few picky details. Customs are fine, if your shaper likes that game, but many shapers I know have figured out what they do best and what works best for their shapes and simply shape that or send the customers to another shaper.
I go to a shaper and tell him the tail, nose and width and give him the freedom to use his knowledge to make it look right and go from there. Most surfers don’t have a clue what makes their boards work anyway, they just had one that did and assumed it was all of the measurements of that board. Funny how when you have it copied, in many cases it does not ride the same.
like someone wanting to try an M.R. twin Fin and then telling M.R. how to shape it or etc.
Howzit Rick, Jim (LokBox) has been trying to get in touch with you and he said he left a message on your phone, so please get back to him. Why are are you moving back to Wainiha, doesn't that make going to your shop a long trip. It'll will be good to have you back in the area. Lately Mark and Ian have been doing the airbrush work so I guess I didn't realize the prices of board painting had gone up so much. I was under the impression that $ 30 for a full 1 color job was the going price. Jim and I are supposed to get together Sat and talk. Aloha,Kokua
Howzit Wildog?!? Talked to Jimmy yesterday. Got to move out of where I’ve been staying, and out of where I’ve been working too (same place). Been super busy with all that, and trying to finish whatever jobs I’ve got going. Setting up a new shop, but it’s going to take a while. Hope to be “Backdooring” it for a while. Plus, I can keep an eye on all the “designer shapers” in your neighborhood. Everyone needs to keep the price up there. “For the rich guy, a ‘special’ price”. Aloha…RH
Howzit Rick, Is your new shop going to be in the valley? I’m with you on the rich guy thing since anybody who can afford to buy a house here these days can afford to pay for our work at any cost. Aloha,Kokua
i completely agree solosurfer. as a surfer, not a shaper, i dont know every single detal and aspect i to go into my new board. what i do know is that i have had LOTS of surfboards, so all i did was tell the guy what i liked. I said i like my nose 18 inches, and i wanted it 3 inches thick and 9 feet long. i didnt give him tail specs, mid specs, concave specs, rocker specs, or anything, as i was ordering the hp1, a board already designed and mastered.
i agree. as a customer, i trust whoever is shaping my board to design a lot of it in his own hands, what he thinks will work best. if i knew, id be shaping it myself! I wasnt being picky! I just like my boards a little thicker then the average person. whats the big deal?
I don’t think a shaper should quip about thickness. Most of them I know, like thicker boards,because it makes for happier customers and more waves. I was just commenting on the picky surfers who must have their own measurments to the tee.
I just like my boards a little thicker then the average person. whats the big deal?
Wild guess: It’s possible that since that board is a regular model, that the custom rocker blank used for a 9’0" simply doesn’t have enough thickness to give you 3’ thick.
However, I have read Rich post back and forth with customers about all sorts of custom boards for people where they had to order custom blanks with different stringers and all kinds of stuff so it is unfair of you to give people here the impression that Harbour won’t accomodate the wishes of surfers. It’s a mystery why the surfshop didn’t want to take your order at the size you wanted. But I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that it had anything to do with the shaper.
The first mal I had shaped , I sat there and saw the whole process, as I gave him the dimensions he said " now how do you want to ride this". makes sense now after 120 punters and listening to half drunk grommets at 10pm telling me they want what slater rides but lighter.
A lot of the feedback and input is lost from the shop to the shaper.
Go with the local bloke sometimes smaller is better.