Now for something way off topic…
With all the talk of financial chaos, banks on the verge of belly-up’ness and consumer confidence at a ll time post-9/11 low… what are your experiences?
Are you doing less business than expected, is your workplace suffering a downturn?
Are surfers less prone to order that all new composite, batt-tailed bonzer you showed em last week?
A surfer/surfboardbuilders guide to the economy?
I just recently tried to sell two Clark blanks on Ebay, the reserve wasn’t set very high, and the highest bid didn’t even reach what I had paid for them. I still have the blanks.
Hi Dave,
My experience is to recognize this stuff always goes in cycles, ingore most of it because most of it is pre-election banter to hopefully scare and sway us to somebodies prefered candidate. I don’t sell surfboards, but I do notice our unemployment is among the lowest in the world in spite of millions of illegal workers entering the US and production jobs continually being outsourced, inflation has been relatively stable, interest rates remain low, movie theaters are packed, new cars everywhere, and nobody I know surfs on old beaters anymore because they cannot afford a new board. Things have been good economically for so long(about 1994 until present with one little dip) there is a whole generation of kids that think making financial sacrifices is waiting for the after Christmas sells for the latest video game. The guys I know in the trades are so busy they have a waiting list longer than the waiting list for the latest Pavel quad. Am I a polyanna? Mike
the economy normally dips right before elections. 2000 for instance, the economy also typically fluctuates in rough 10 year cycles
In surfing …
1958 surfing booms
1968 surfing busts
1978 surfing booms
1988 surfing busts
1998 surfing booms
2008 ???
Yes, a ten year cycle is upon us. A couple bad years are ahead but after that it should level out.
More disturbing is that the Loony just passed the US dollar.
The Aussie dollar is at .89. A year ago it was .69.
We may not have to worry about those imports for long. Big problem is that inflation may take hold. It already has but because of some finaggling by the US congress back in the 70’s and 80’s the consumer price index no longer really reflects what goods cost.
This was fun.
Can we talk about surfboards now?
Hey! I like fun…here’s some more…
collateralized bebt obligations…
YEHAAAAW!
This was fun.
Can we talk about surfboards now?
LOL!
Sure, why heck, I’ve gone long on the euro and short on the dollar, but now it’s weekend so let the planer holler!!!
whip out the saw, sharpen the pencil
template that blank, it’s just a big stencil
Howzit Greg, Just read that the U.S. dollar and the Canadian Dollar are now even.Aloha,Kokua
Hehehe
My friends and I don’t mind that bit so much. MY surf specific materials are cheaper, and it also means that our surf trips to the New England are costing us less. (…if mother nature would send up some of those tropical storms, things would be even better!) 
I am still waiting for the price of consumer goods (all those from US companies) to reflect that fact. There is still a marked difference between the price of goods in Canada and in the US. Who is really benefiting from free trade?
As for the implications on the economy in general… I’m not so sure. Could be bad… could be just business as usual.
shrug
I heard that the Chineeesees just bought the Super Ferry and are going to start running over protesting capitalist american pig surfers.
As long as we’re talking about the economy…
I found this at once amusing and alarming…