I spoke with Steve today after he just finished shaping and finishing a quad for my shop done with Rhino foam from Brazil. The pricing and such is not completely worked out yet, but that will follow.
Steve told me his first impression is very positive.
Quality: First class, as good or better than Clark and the weight is good. Stringers are exellent and thicker.
Shaping impression: Steve mentioned that the blanks shapes could give some shapers who are spoiled on Clark’s easy to shape and already domed blanks problems. The blanks have flat decks. This is good for those shapers who grew up prior to the easy to shape blanks done by Clark and know how to carve a board out of pretty much anything. The older shapers are going to have a distinct advantage here. With the flat decks, it’s actually easier to get a good rail volume and help those shapers who want more control over how much dome they want to put on a board. The foam shapes as good or better than Clark. Another minor negative with the two blanks Steve shaped, is that the tails are a bit narrow.
There is still much to be learned and this is simply a first impression. It appears that if Rhino Foam from Brazil can produce for some of the top shapers like Forstall, that the foam crisis will only be a crisis for the begining shaper, the shaper without the contacts or the unskilled shaper. Steve seems to be really exited about working with these guys and says the dealer is a really good guy who has his act together. Forstall seems to make it a habit to be on the cutting edge of whats happening in surfboard production. It’s not a bad lesson to learn to be vigilant and observant. Like others on the board have said, the shapers who are creative and willing to try new things will find a whole new exiting world out there. Not worse than the past and possibly better.
Take a look at this quad beauty Shaped by Steve and see for yourself.
