It seems everyone is down on surftechs. I’ve been riding them for a year and I can’t believe how much better they ride. what could someone say that is “the truth” bad about them? Theres some photos of me riding them at surfingrealsurfing.com I want to hear from a critic with a factual flaw in these boaeds. http://www.surfingrealsurfing.com
It seems everyone is down on surftechs. I’ve been riding them for a year > and I can’t believe how much better they ride. what could someone say that > is “the truth” bad about them?>>> Theres some photos of me riding them at surfingrealsurfing.com>>> I want to hear from a critic with a factual flaw in these boaeds. …I haven’t ridden a shorty yet,I would like to try one,but the longboards I tried were sluggish,they lacked forward drive.Herb
There’s no middle ground on these. I’ll offer my 2 cents, friends: My only issue is an epoxy Yater Spoon. As a stepdeck, isn’t it supposed to flex? Of course! But, as I uderstand things, epoxy boards have very little to zero flex. It just seems to be self contratictory. Good friends of mine swear by them, they’re cool, but not for me. Hey, ride what you like, like what you ride, I say. But if you want to get a shaper going, ask his or her opion about epoxy boards. As for me, this is going to sound really dumb, but I really love the looks & color of a foam & basswood setup. That said, I have a 30 lb. Tyler, which I love, but after 3 hrs, a corky lite board sure looks good. Before long, the flex/weight issue will be solved, but at what price? When you think of the man hours that go into an old school board (long or short), even a primo Jacobs, Tyler, Merrick, or Takayama (long or short) is a good buy. Think about that, my friends when you price a snowboard, sea kayak, or even golf clubs. Aloha, John H.
There souless pop outs made in Thiland by people that don’t surf at a days pay that wouldn’t buy you a latte at starbucks… Supported by those looking for a easy buck and those to old to give a shit about surfing future… Ask anyone of those high dollor shaping masters is that surftech model of theres a better board then what they could make for you custom??? Which do you think he would say?? They do ding, they do break, they do suck ( water that is ) and there harder to repair… there Epoxy and that is more toxic to work with then poly… You post on a forum full of Craftsman who have spent there lives building surfboard cause it’s there passion. They live, eat and shit surfboards… The biggest fact is show me the soul in a pop out Pool Toy please show me cause i can’t find it and i’ve lived it for 40 years… You asked… All Facts just the facts… PS Will you buy them if Randy moves his factory to Iraq… I hear they have cheap labor there to… PSS these facts are just my personal views and in no way reflect the views of all on this site but most here i’m sure feel the same. If your a true Craftsman you pass it on not sell it out… Rob Brown PSSS Nice pics but i bet a nice new hand shaped custom crafted board would feel better then that pool toy… PSSSS you asked??? > There’s no middle ground on these. I’ll offer my 2 cents, friends:>>> My only issue is an epoxy Yater Spoon. As a stepdeck, isn’t it supposed to > flex? Of course! But, as I uderstand things, epoxy boards have very little > to zero flex. It just seems to be self contratictory.>>> Good friends of mine swear by them, they’re cool, but not for me. Hey, > ride what you like, like what you ride, I say. But if you want to get a > shaper going, ask his or her opion about epoxy boards.>>> As for me, this is going to sound really dumb, but I really love the looks > & color of a foam & basswood setup. That said, I have a 30 lb. > Tyler, which I love, but after 3 hrs, a corky lite board sure looks good.>>> Before long, the flex/weight issue will be solved, but at what price? When > you think of the man hours that go into an old school board (long or > short), even a primo Jacobs, Tyler, Merrick, or Takayama (long or short) > is a good buy.>>> Think about that, my friends when you price a snowboard, sea kayak, or > even golf clubs.>>> Aloha,>>> John H. http://surfnwsc.com
there Epoxy and that is more toxic to work with then > poly… I don’t know where you get this information. Epoxy may cause severe alergic reactions after repeated exposure or to sensitive people. Some impurities found in some epoxies is possibly carcinogenic. Polyester is considered toxic by inhalation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that styrene is possibly carcinogenic to humans. Several studies of workers have shown that breathing styrene may increase the risk of leukemia. Polyester can contain as much as 40% VOCs. How this equates to epoxy being more toxic then poly is beyond me. If you don’t wear protection you’re fucked either way.>>> The biggest fact is show me the soul in a pop out Pool Toy please show me > cause i can’t find it and i’ve lived it for 40 years… There is no soul in a piece of plastic. I really don’t understand why there is supposed to be more soul in polyurethane then poystyrene or more in polyester then in epoxy. Just make a better product. regards, Håvard
There is no soul in a piece of plastic. I really don’t understand why > there is supposed to be more soul in polyurethane then poystyrene or more > in polyester then in epoxy. My feeling is that the soul is in the shaper’s mind eye, when he or she creates in someway, something that matches his or her vision. For me the technology is irrelevant - Don’t get me wrong I have the greatest respect for the craftsmen who build boards by hand and I can see that a lot of accumulated knowlege and skill is required to make their vision real. To acheive that vision of perfection, humans use tools. Lately we are using the tools of mass production to make surfboards - so we see the vision reproduced many times. Is mass production de-humanising? maybe, but it’s meant scope of human vision has broadened so much. I wonder what Ferdinand Porsche thought when he saw a VW Beetle going down the street or Leo Fender when he saw a Stratocaster being played? I think there is soul in surftechs (it’s just spread pretty thin, that’s all)
My feeling is that the soul is in the shaper’s mind eye, when he or she > creates in someway, something that matches his or her vision. For me the > technology is irrelevant - Don’t get me wrong I have the greatest respect > for the craftsmen who build boards by hand and I can see that a lot of > accumulated knowlege and skill is required to make their vision real. To > acheive that vision of perfection, humans use tools. Lately we are using > the tools of mass production to make surfboards - so we see the vision > reproduced many times.>>> Is mass production de-humanising? maybe, but it’s meant scope of human > vision has broadened so much. I wonder what Ferdinand Porsche thought when > he saw a VW Beetle going down the street or Leo Fender when he saw a > Stratocaster being played? I think there is soul in surftechs (it’s just > spread pretty thin, that’s all) For me it’s pretty simple – would you rather have a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci – or a Xerox of it? they are both “functional” but even if Da Vinci had invented the Xerox he wouldn’t have put down his paint brush… And ask any decent guitar player which Stratocaster he prefers, the one built in America or the ones built in Mexico or Korea. I guarantee you, 100% will say the former, and its due to craftsmanship, not just patriotism.
The fact is, if Surftech came all the way to see you and ask you to do your model for them , your ego would pop. Imagine the buzz here at Swaylocks? The Rob Brown Model , I don’t think so. All of the Surf tech shapers have paid there dues with a lifetime of committed shaping. I hear they are going to make the Ford Explorer in Iraq just as soon as the bombing stops.>>> There souless pop outs made in Thiland by people that don’t surf at a days > pay that wouldn’t buy you a latte at starbucks… Supported by those > looking for a easy buck and those to old to give a shit about surfing > future…>>> Ask anyone of those high dollor shaping masters is that surftech model of > theres a better board then what they could make for you custom??? Which do > you think he would say??>>> They do ding, they do break, they do suck ( water that is ) and there > harder to repair… there Epoxy and that is more toxic to work with then > poly…>>> You post on a forum full of Craftsman who have spent there lives building > surfboard cause it’s there passion. They live, eat and shit surfboards…>>> The biggest fact is show me the soul in a pop out Pool Toy please show me > cause i can’t find it and i’ve lived it for 40 years…>>> You asked… All Facts just the facts…>>> PS Will you buy them if Randy moves his factory to Iraq… I hear they > have cheap labor there to…>>> PSS these facts are just my personal views and in no way reflect the views > of all on this site but most here i’m sure feel the same. If your a true > Craftsman you pass it on not sell it out… Rob Brown>>> PSSS Nice pics but i bet a nice new hand shaped custom crafted board would > feel better then that pool toy…>>> PSSSS you asked???
I wonder what Ferdinand Porsche thought when > he saw a VW Beetle going down the street Probably how glorious the Third Reich was, what a great guy Hitler was, and how much fun it was to gas Jews, Catholics and gays. Great analogy for Surftek!!!
I have read or heard the car/motorcycle to surfboard analogy several times. Usually it goes something like this: offshore production cars and bikes are the state of the art, therefore surfboards are as well. The problem is the analogy is not taken far enough. Ask any car enthuiast or racer what what he thinks of production models, even the high priced so called state of the art ones. The answer is most often something along the lines of…“well if you re-design X and rebuild Y and redo Z it might be useful as a pace car!” The reality is production cars and bikes are still years behind their custom relatives. Features developed by the custom bike builders twenty years ago are only now appearing. Similarily, the pop out surfboards were state of the art forty or more years ago. The computer shaped production models are more up to date but even these are aimed at some number crunched ideal customer. Why then are they being built? Well it seems to me the reason lies in day dreams. People have a vision themselves being admired as they cruise down the road or wave on their big name bike or surfboard. Is this wrong? No, but lets not pretend these boards are state of the art. They are nothing more than new copies of old designs. I think what irritates many builders is that some surfers can’t tell the difference. The shaper sees them as gallery goers who can’t appreciate the difference between the Cezanne still life and the lunch counter. Will this situation change? Well if enough people explore swaylocks…perhaps!
The one thing i pride myself with is lack of ego… I just surf and like building boards. Like my dad who built boats by hand i build boards… Would my ego pop??? maybe a little but would i sign??? No I wouldn’t sorry even if it paid me more then could make by hand… I love what i do and wouldn’t sell out that easy… I drive a $500 car and live hand to mouth. The one thing i love is the feeling i get watching my friends smile when they finish a surf and come by just to tell me how stoked they are?? I’m just wanting to get my new flex done and ride it… Then work on another and another and another…>>> The fact is, if Surftech came all the way to see you and ask you to do > your model for them , your ego would pop. Imagine the buzz here at > Swaylocks? The Rob Brown Model , I don’t think so. All of the Surf tech > shapers have paid there dues with a lifetime of committed shaping.>>> I hear they are going to make the Ford Explorer in Iraq just as soon as > the bombing stops. http://surfnwsc.com
The presumption by a lot of surfers that shaping is an ego trip is pretty widespread. Maybe it’s the name on the label. If they only knew all the humiliating years it takes to rise to the level of just being shitty…
Havard it’s more the alergic reactions that i’m talking about… Yes polys are bad for ya but i haven’t heard over the years of anyone really having any real alergic reactions to poly…>>>How this equates to epoxy being more toxic then poly is beyond me. If you > don’t wear protection you’re fucked either way. >>>> True but i can feel safe working with it more so then EPOXY!!! The clear coat and paint they use is even worse… then the epoxy it self… you ever walked into a spray booth where they spray clear urethane??? My point about Soul is more where and how there built then with what!! The soul that we all talk about is within us and to build in a third world country from molds has none…>>> I don’t know where you get this information. Epoxy may cause severe > alergic reactions after repeated exposure or to sensitive people. Some > impurities found in some epoxies is possibly carcinogenic. Polyester is > considered toxic by inhalation. The International Agency for Research on > Cancer (IARC) has determined that styrene is possibly carcinogenic to > humans. Several studies of workers have shown that breathing styrene may > increase the risk of leukemia. Polyester can contain as much as 40% VOCs.>>> How this equates to epoxy being more toxic then poly is beyond me. If you > don’t wear protection you’re fucked either way.>>> There is no soul in a piece of plastic. I really don’t understand why > there is supposed to be more soul in polyurethane then poystyrene or more > in polyester then in epoxy.>>> Just make a better product.>>> regards,>>> Håvard http://surfnwsc.com
For me it’s pretty simple – would you rather have a painting by Leonardo > Da Vinci – or a Xerox of it? they are both “functional” but > even if Da Vinci had invented the Xerox he wouldn’t have put down his > paint brush… And ask any decent guitar player which Stratocaster he > prefers, the one built in America or the ones built in Mexico or Korea. I > guarantee you, 100% will say the former, and its due to craftsmanship, not > just patriotism. That’s a good point about the strat - the ones built pre '64 (I think) were considered to be the best becuase Leo Fender was running the show and the whole operation was more steeped in the traditions of guitar building.
The one thing i pride myself with is lack of ego… I just surf and like > building boards. Like my dad who built boats by hand i build boards…>>> Would my ego pop??? maybe a little but would i sign??? No I wouldn’t sorry > even if it paid me more then could make by hand…>>> I love what i do and wouldn’t sell out that easy… I drive a $500 car and > live hand to mouth. The one thing i love is the feeling i get watching my > friends smile when they finish a surf and come by just to tell me how > stoked they are??>>> I’m just wanting to get my new flex done and ride it… Then work on > another and another and another… – Geeez, Rob… such good words. Here I am innocently taking a few minutes’ break, peeking at Swaylocks… WOW! This “soul” thread should come with its own box of Kleenex tissue! It
s just so great to feel the heartfelt stoke, the devoted passion for craftsmanship, the focused energy that emanates from this website... webgod Michaels got hinmself a rare www phenomenon, for sure.
I have heard through a reliable source that one big name shaper has declined to go another round (contract) with surftech, than was in a round about way was under threat of legal action. Sounds like someone at surftech is a real hardnose.
I have heard through a reliable source that one big name shaper has > declined to go another round (contract) with surftech, than was in a round > about way was under threat of legal action. Sounds like someone at > surftech is a real hardnose. I heard the same thing, Chris. No name, though.
I heard the same thing, Chris. No name, though. Metal molds are not cheap!!! Must get return on the investment!!!
Rob, how many boards do you shape for the show room or for other shops’ show rooms. How many “production” models do Rusty or Stewart put out a year. Do these boards have any more or less “soul” than your customs? My guess is that a ghost shaped or ruffle sanded KKL production stick has no more soul than a Surftech. Like my alter ego has said before, Surftech is not going to kill anyone’s custom business but it’s going to really hurt the board-off-the-rack business. If that’s where you make your margin, you may be fucked. It’s time to start thinking about the $1,500+ custom board. Its about time you guys get paid for the experience you have. If you don’t, Surftech or something like it will roll you over in the next few years…Don’t let it happen, please!