Surfboard Builder Story

Industry Talk
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Well I hope this rambling inspires some builders to take a good look at what they are doing and then do better.

Well it all started back in 1988 I was 18 years old surfed daily here in Florida broke boards on a regular basis. Well I had the brilliant idea of building my own boards. Being a 3rd generation craftsman with access to my dads machine shop I built myself some tooling to make my own blanks and did tons of research on shapes hydrodynamics talked with engineers about material ect. Well after 6 months I had a board made. It was cool it had a aluminum stringer EPS foam epoxy resin and I came up with the name Alumalite surfboards. The worlds first alumnium stringered board. So I thought. Well come 1991 I had my own factory and was in light production and found at that time surfers were not as acceptive to new ideas, shapes as they are now. Well I bought my 1st Clark blanks in 1990 and had reinforced them with aluminum and then in 1991 I left the aluminum idea out of the production boards. By 1998 I was doing 500+ boards a year most by myself cause we all know the workforce in the industry is a joke. I also did glassing on about 10 lables in my factory. I was a animal I would work 16+ hour days and still surf, I worked weekends and all the time basically.

Well in 1999 I developed an alergy a sensitivity to Clark Foam as I did epoxy resin many years before. I got neumonia 4 times that year. I shut down the factory I could not get close to the foam without a protective suit and freshair respirator on. If the foam touched my bare skin I instantly developed welts and got real dizzy. I then went to building aircraft, patterns, and plugs, and molds with prepreg materials. It made me sick also so after a year or so of that I had to make a huge life change or just die.

Everything that defined me as a man, innovator and craftsman was gone… I was lost I had no money, had no other interests except surfing and surfing related activities and loved and imbraced the whole surfing/shaping lifestyle. I had one other like which is now my new love I liked boats and fishing.

Well in september 01 I got my 1st captains license and started fishing inshore. Then I got into delivering boats for some brokers. Scored a high paying job captaining boats for one of the worlds elite. Have since traveled the world and been paid for it. I have my own very high dollar offshore boat now I paid cash for and I charter it out of NSB Florida when I am not working on the big boats.

I am very happy with my lifes direction at this time. But life has a sense of irony, because in 2001 I broke my steurnum surfing outfront and unfortunitly I can no longer lay on a surf board to paddle with out being in extreme pain and the threat of breaking it agian and a piece of it going into my heart. Which the thought of not surfing anymore brings a saddness over me you could not imagine.

So to me ClarkFoam went out of business years ago.

One door closes several more open.

Unfortunitly surfers are not the best businessmen in the world. I could barely pay my bills when I was in full swing, let alone a good health insurance plan and retirement. After the last 5 years standing behind and listening to the worlds best businessmen while taking them to the islands in their huge boat. I learned all the mistakes I made then and how to fix them.

I look forward to the day I get to surf again when I finaly build myself a board with a trench on the deck to fit my protruded steurnum.

I look at Clark closing down as a +++++ now is the time to be innovative, now is the time to bring new materials into the lineup and finaly now is the time to move out of a 50 year stagnation of the same materials and processes. But unfortunitly many see a profit in overseas product which as always in surfboards a cheap price is initially sweeter than the sting of a inferior product. Buy American…

Peace,

Capt.Ron Neff

Formerly

AlumaLite surfboards

Neff Surfboards

“Now” www.AbsoluteTrip.com

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http://www.paddleair.com/ hey maybe this can help? It’s an air bubble thing that supports your chest . . . Or maybe the foam top surfboards?

Thank you for the story. It’s cool to hear what others go through . . . helps keep hope alive, inspiration. . . what biz lessons you learned or for competitive reasons, you can’t post it, its ok . . . maybe post for request for legit US surfbiz guys like Rich Harbour, Greg L etc . . . to get PM’s on the knowledge. If you’re willing to hand that out . . . Could help US surfboard shapers be able to beat out the imports.

I’m thinking myself . . . man sometimes I hate taking risks . . . most of the time they’ve blown up in my face . . . but you have to risk though . . . Hope it goes well for you.

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Bro thanks for teh link I ordered one of those things. Thats awesome…

On a funny note I got my Clarkfoam letter in the mail yesterday.

What I would attempt to do knowing now what I know.

Problem… A huge piece of the surf market share is held by only a few major companies. And the rest of the pie by small companies. The small companies individually hold a such a small piece of pie they lack the capital to grow, expand, advertise, upgrade tooling ect.

This is in need of change…

UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL…

Small manufacturers need to combine their market share and power, but still retain their individual identity to aleaviate the chance of becoming a monopoly.

How? creat a consortium or large Corporation made up of the smaller companies. Run it like a multibillion dollar business…

Why? Taking the rest of the market pie and market share combine it into one piece. When this is done capital will be obtainable, Buying power of these combined companies would be unbelievable. The benefits would be stability, Capital, advertising power, buying power. Big money people would take notice pretty quick.

Face it any one small company won’t have the capital to buy a air scrubber and enclosed glassing house and pay the EPA, OSHA compliancy fees and safety products. I remember in a letter I got years ago, open mold laminating would no longer be allowed as of 2006.

What guy who does 500-1000 boards a year would be able to or even consider buying 1/4 million dollar air scrubber and paint booth? That would probably be obsolete by new EPA rules come 3 years later.

The possiblities would be endless if all the boys got together.

They were all United under Clark Foam anyway so why not benefit each other? The big boy’s ran to china F’em…

Combine… Surfing is Business… So put the Business back in surfing. or let china rule the lineup…

Peace and good luck guys,

Capt. Ron

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Hey man- I was just thinking you could knee paddle on a longboard also. Sorry to hear about your injury. -Carl

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Ron,

I remeber you and your boards. You were such an innovator I always wondered where you’d gone. I figured the surfboard industry just ground you down for having forsight. Glad to hear things worked out for you. Your right about this oppritunity we all have. For the first time surfboard builders have the chance to be innovative and to actually make money. Hope others see the light you saw long ago.

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Was surching for ispiration and just found this old thred.  Thanks for your story and sorry about yor stuernumun, that is a real batch wen you kint get out and surf anymore. I have a different problem but still kepps me frum doing what I like to do which is SUP, I used to paddled real hard into triple overheads with fluttery sticks and broke so many I can't count, but this one breaks right in my hands one time and flexes so hard when it snapped one end hit my right nut like a Tiger Woods 9 iron on a golf ball.  It's just a good thing I didn't loose the nut, but now every time I get in SUP stance the nut swell and feels a painful boiled egg bein crushed against my leg.  I tried goofy and regular but the nut don't care.  So I had to give up the SUP and we all no what thats like if you ever give up anything you ever loved so much.  Funny, like you I took a different direction and become a certified golf caddy.  Now I carry the 9-irons and get free investment advice from me clients.  So far my Ameritrade account is swelling like my nut, so I'm an investor too and it all worked out.  One of these days I'll get the nut looked at and maybe shrunk down under a hot lamp or a lazer and I'll SUP one day again.  I'm all looking farwod to it and its good to see other people have overcome their problems like you and turned a lemon into lemon juice.  Whatever happend to you?  Wood like to no the end of your story.  For me I still caddy and love the greens.  Gone back to school for busniz, sense I made some money investing in the Google and I kin go full time sense I dont really have to caddy full time.  Thanks again for the great story and hope it all works out far you.

 

peace OUT

Ben