I actually feel sick to my stomach. I’m killing time on the computer, scooting around between sways and places like surfermag.com and I come across an article telling me that Merrick sold Channel Islands to Burton. Big deal right? I dunno… Am I a lame, nerdy retro-ista for feeling a bit freaked out by this sort of thing, or “Surftech” and “BIC” re-heating old technologies and and telling me it’s brand new?
The expression “don’t piss on me and tell me it’s raining” comes to mind.
I know that there are a lot of guys on here very into the epoxy trip, and I don’t want this to be about that at all as I have no beef with it. But rather, this for me is about the homogenization of OUR TRIP! It feels like the things we have worked so hard to create are going to be co-opted by guys with more money and a unquenchable desire for even more.
Jake Burton makes snowboards. I like snowboarding. It’s fun! But a snowboard is a big, wide ski. Nobody ever picks it up in the middle of the building process and runs his fingers down the rail. Or stares down the stringer to check for any bumps or to get it just right for the guy who asked him to build it. They have machines to do that for them. So why does Burton want a surfboard company? To ensure that each and every custom-er (interesting word huh?) gets exactly what will serve them best? To safeguard the future of the surfboard industry? Or do they want more money? I know, I know… we live in a material world. Too late now right?
I’m heartened to see guys like John Mellor and others on this site, who are not afraid to stray from the accepted face of “Retro” and utilise valid and very interesting ideas in their building. Dave Parmenter can be a bit militant, but he’s dead right about one thing; without custom surfboards for a discerning surfer, this way of life that we enjoy will be “Wal-marted” in no time flat. I have friends who have been surfing for over a decade, but went out without hesitation or qualm and bought Surftech boards. They are good surfers! Don’t they know how those boards are made? Won’t they feel weird when they come across some guy with the exact same board? What about when the majority of guys in the water at any given spot are on them? Is that alright? Should I worry about that?
I know two people who recently had bought surftech boards. #1 tells me “they’re worth the price $700 because they hardly ever get dinged.” Couple of sessions later I see two repairs on his nose.
#2 guy, who is an excellent surfer, was at first way happy, I think cause he paid big bucks (psycological kind of thing). Couple of weeks later he’s riding a poly board so I ask him why. “I dinged it on the reef. Paid $700 and three weeks later it’s worth $300. Besides, I didn’t really like the feel of it.”
Actually saw another guy riding a surftech the other day-a longboard. So I asked him if he liked it. “It’s ok, but it doesn’t ride like my old heavier poly board.” Meaning he liked his old board better.
I think that for those who have been riding for a while, you just have an idea of how you would like to change whatever it is that you have now. Like more narrow, wider tail, less rocker, etc… Only a custom board can get you what you want.
Not quite sure what you’re refering to "should I be worried?
About a week or so ago I was out in small surf at a not so secret NorCal spot. I was on my Neumatic. There were only 3 other people out. All 3 were on various all machine made, oriental import, long boards with famous name logos on deck. I think the future is already here. ULP! Mats catch waves pretty early but in inconsistent surf against 9+ foot super floaty plastics it was no contest. I finally paddled in.
When I ask “should I be worried?” I guess I mean are we going to be the next snowboarding? A fashion-first, machine produced and controlled, cookie-cutter sport?
Can we (people like the fine men and women who frequent this site for example) hold onto the core idea of surfing and protect it until the tidal wave of CNC-machined blands… er, I mean blanks, logo adorned clothes, Pop outs (let’s call them what they really are) and imports passes us by?
Didn’t snowboarding become a “fashion-first, machine produced and controlled, cookie-cutter sport” because of all the chronic legend super surfer dudes who decided that while its unacceptable in the surfing world to rock up to a break and drop in, snake, give stink eye and have no control over yourself or equipment, if your on a mountain you can do what you like? The same guys who wouldn’t be seen with a popout in the surf are the same guys on the mountain who wouldn’t be seen without their Burton! lol
Just like you said, old technology being sold as new, we’ve seen this before. Popouts aren’t some recently invented idea. Neither are the people that buy into it. Granted, surfing is way more acceptable to the masses now, more than ever, and with the population continuing to soar, well, it doesn’t look good.
As individuals we need to keep on the path that brought us here in the first place. Hold on to that, create your own and don’t read the mags. Repetative pollution is bad for you.
Hopefully, these clone lovers will either burn out or figure it out, or just quit and move on to something else.
Maybe that’s the answer, come up with something they can relate to, guide them off the path…something “new”.
A year or so ago I was looking for a guys shop when I accidentally walked into a glass shop that had a bunch of CI boards on the racks. I’m not saying CI is, or was, some super groovy soul-surf company, but they’re not surftech.
I mean that shop was a small local business with local guys glassing. In that sense, there’s not much diff’ between CI and any other local brand.
How that addresses what you said about CI and Burton, I have no idea. Well, I guess there’s a difference on the manufacturing end. But yah, super commercial otherwise. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
But anyone with an annual advertising budget of a millon $+ (including team riders) … well, that’s just a whole different deal than what I could call local.
A necessary evil, I’m sure. And I do appreciate the jobs it protects…but at that level, its such a business that anyone working one of those jobs should have seen this coming a mile away.
Its like working for Arthur Anderson instead of Joe’s Accounting Co…more money, sure, and a great big company…but when pink slip season comes, the banks & CEO’s & shareholders call the shots and I would never want to be in the firing line.
Sympathy on a personal level, yes. But grief for the passing of CI, Inc? Not even a minute.
Let em do what they want in the industry, and you can do what YOU want in your garage.
That is what separates us from those other sports, you have the tools and the knowledge in these pages of sways to make whatever you want. There is no huge monetary restriction to keep you from sculpting foam, and as long as there are guys like us who care about the state of surfing (and I think there always will be) there will always be the chance for custom equipment if you want it.
I DON’T drive a Hummer. I DON’T surf a CI. I DON’T ride a Burton. I DON’T have any bling. If you do that’s cool. If you look down on me because of it that’s fine too, I think you’re a jack@$$ anyways. See you in the water (maybe), watch how many waves I let you get snobby punk b. I’ll let you play “king of the parking lot” but expect the same treatment when you paddle out into the ocean. Buy the latest lightweight Salomantech surfmachine, if you suck at surfing it’s not going to make you any better.
…on the flipside of that, let me just say that anybody with a good attitude wanting to share waves with others and have a good time, you are a welcomed part of my surfing experience. When I’m away from home this is what I try to bring to others’ lineups.
Some people are ruled by the fashion of snowboarding/surfing, but I seriously doubt that snowboarding/surfing will ever be entirely ruled by fashion. As long as there are guys sharing waves with their friends on a Sunday afternoon or guys hiking to big mountain back country lines STRICTLY for the trip down, purely for enjoyment, then all is not lost. The innocence still remains.
What bums me out more is little groms making big money at a young age. Kids should be getting pushed around, sweeping surf shop floors and surfing ALL summer long.
I took my superwide barge, the ‘Giant Banana’ to a beach in Cornwall this summer, just so happened Surftech were having a demo day there. All the posse on their superlight boards trying to catch 3’ glassy peelers. Those on the shortboards were getting short rides, doing a few airs etc, looked pretty impressive. Then along comes this guy with an old Resin8 6’ 2, surfs the hell out of the waves! meanwhile I had been right out the back, 50 yards further out than all these dudes on their surftech longboards, catching waves long before them, getting lovely long rides all the way into the beach…on a heavy log. I tried one, a 9’6, very light sure, but could I catch waves, man I sweated for 30 mins, then went back and got my log. I did notice that all the long boards were dinged to hell, the gell coat was peeling off the nose on some of them, some had cracks across them. Man it sure made me feel good that I didn’t have a Surftech.
As for Bics, haven’t seen one yet that hasn’t started to split on the seam and started to suck water in…and I out surf them all on the bore, all the time!
So, yes you might be depressed the likes if the marketeers are doing their job doing the ‘lifestyle’ bit, tieing the clothes, the shoes, the gear altogether, but that’s what they get paid to do. I wouldn’t be afraid though, so long as you have a custom board tailored to your needs, you will outsurf, outfun, outdo, outcool the mediocrity who have followed the mass market. Go custom and stand out from the rest!!
i am riding my small wave longboard, the piggie, which is the old clark 9’3 madden blank with a wider tail and hips than usual, a bottom roll, extra kick in the tail and up rails in the last 18", etc…and quite thick, and of course, catching a bunch of small well shaped little waves.
some guy on a ronjon pop out or a surftech is also out. and unable to do much more than flounder into the white water.
eventually they notice that i am riding while they are floundering, and the most astutue will paddle over and ask me why. now i am an old fat short troll, so it is not my surfing ability they are admiring. i tell them…your first problem is that piece of crap you’re riding. or something maybe a bit more gentle, but basically the same information. then i show them my board and how it differs from their board. then i let them ride it. of course they can catch and stand up and ride instead of flounder. and they really like it.
then i advise them that for 500.00 i will build them the same board (i know i can’t get the clark blank anymore, but VI has a 10 footer that will work), less the dings and have it glassed at the local pro glass shop instead of using my poor talents for that.
usual response is a look of horror and a lame disclaimer like: well i only come over and surf a few days a month, or, but i just paid 750 for my surftech. one guy even asked me to go down to longboard house and help him pick out a surftech that was like my board. this happens all the time. i’m going to start a consulting firm for helping people that won’t buy a custom board (from me or anyone else). sure, i’ll help you with your surftech selection. 25.00 an hour for consultation…50.00 minimum.
but really. i hope people keep buying those little splinter ronjon popouts that don’t float or the hi performance surftechs that can’t catch small waves, or those nsp’s that weigh 14lbs for a 5’10. i hope they do…and get discouraged…and quit surfing…go do street luge or whatever the next hot new action sport is.
My favorite all time board ever came out of this blank. I’d almost give my left nut to get my hands on one again. Maybe we can start a petition and send it to US Blanks.
VI has a 10 footer that will work
Who is vi and how can I get a hold of them? Actually, I have the stringer from that old board and was going to try to find a company cutting custom eps to duplicate the blank. Perferably in Hawaii. Any help on this?
Quite honestly, Channel Islands was doing things the hard way and lacked the capital to do it right. At their capacity, it made sense to invest a half million in production, license the brand to Asian Pu/Pe makers, and get rid of ghost shapers by getting the nicest shaping machines available. But CI lacked either the capital or the guts to do it on loan or both.
Burton stepped in, backed those investments. As a result, you will see a step up in their domestic production, and other large players will have a hard time competing, because the shaping machine investment will knock $100 off the retail prices! The Anacapa Asian Pu/Pe line will be sharp and even cheaper but not customizable.
The invention of better shaping machines is the strongest force ever driving the consolidation of the incredibly fragmented surfboard market. Channel Islands was first, expect the other big players, those who have market share so that the investment makes sense, to be next. And each of them will begin offering the same quality at $100 less in the market, and the small custom shaper will find himself priced higher and higher relative to the big players.
Its a natural business trend, the only thing that stopped it in surfing for so long was the lack of truly high caliber shaping machines - ones that do not require a skilled shaper to finish the board. We are just getting there, and the business shake-up is starting.
O.k. you might be cribbing this onto a post from somewhere else to explain things. But I don’t see any quotation marks. So if this is not your opinion, I apologise in advance.
I assume you mean “natural business trend” as in the way that America has outsourced, downsized or otherwise removed the human element from 90% of the rest of it’s industry. I’m so glad that those Anacapa’s look “sharp”! I’ll be sure and e-mail that kid who finished it for $3 a day, he’ll be stoked that his North American consumer can knock another $100 or so off his pleasure pursuits. And it’s even cooler that we’ve finally found that “nice” shaping machine to replace those actual humans that once fed themselves and their family with the dollars that are so much better appreciated by Joe Offtherack.
All of this has a nice “automotive industry/nike sweatshop” vibe. Ugh.
I know that sarcasm is the lowest form of humor, but what we have come to refer to as “business” really sticks in my craw. No offence intended, you might feel just as bad about this as me.
I remember the same sentiment in the late 70’s and early 80’s with the auto workers in detroit when those nasty automotive sweat shops opened in Canada.
You know the ones that removed the human element as in crappy workmanship and half arsed tightened bolts. I would have e-maied the robot that finished it for free but Al Gore had not invented the internet yet.
This is an apocolypse to you???
I think it’s very novel idea to ride a symetricle board.
Can’t wait for the glassing and sanding machine also.
It’s a cyclical. The popout trend will burn out when people figure out they want boards that don’t look like everbody else’s.
The quality of these boards are quesionable because over time ALL plastics break down. UV damages both PU and epoxy in the same way.
I do like the prices of these boards because at $700 it does keep more people out of the water.
When the overseas companies finally flood the market wit their CI/ Rusty ripoffs at $300 then we will have a problem because at every break there will be so many boards in the water that no one will be able to get a wave.
Hey, it’s your economy. Canada is in the same boat exactly. There are more and more people in North America every year. More immigrants, more children born and the grandparents live longer now. They’ll need some work!
I just see the board industry as a microcosm of the larger picture. That’s the apocolypse. I just find it amazing that we as a culture are o.k. with rich men shipping the jobs we used to do to a third world country so they can make more money. When we stopped buying American-made toys for our kids and were offered third-world ones for cheaper, did the price drop match the drop in the cost of production? Or did Mr. CEO sit there and think “Awesome! I can knock a few bucks of the price, Joe Offtherack will be pacified, and the rest will line my pocket.” This is one of the foremost ways in which the gap between rich and poor grows every day. Impose more tariffs you say?
Tariffs are weird too. America will tariff softwood from a first-world country, where there isn’t room in the margin to take it and it will almost kill an industry. But that same tariff doesn’t mean as much on a product with a profit margin that dwarfs the cost of production. They’ll just suck it up, or pass the cost onto the consumer. Whose pockets are the law-makers who decide on these tariffs in? Yours? Mine? No, it’s that pesky CEO again. Gotta love lobby groups.
The Chinese are about to release a car that retails at about $2200. And for now maybe it won’t end up here because of safety regs and whatnot, but it’s coming. So many industries have followed the outsourcing trend and have gotten away with it because we’re too slow to realise one thing…
Its’ only “Free Trade” to the CEO’s and their ilk who see the benefits. We might see a lower price, but it won’t matter if we’re unemployed.
Hmm… When I read this back I sound a bit communist. Heh heh. That one didn’t work either eh? Man leads man to his injury I guess.
I love the Al gore one. I laughed so hard I nearly spilt my tea. Laughter is the best medicine! Good on ya OTAY.
puna: well…misplaced my vi catalog, but they are carried here by fiber glass florida (info@fiberglassflorida.com) and they should be able to give you the info on these blanks as well as who may be carrying them closer to hawaii than rockledge, florida. the 10 footer is labeled at 4" thick, but it looks to be that thick at the rails. i believe the rockers and stringers can be customized. i’ve got one of their 9’6s on the shaping rack right now, preparing to put out a 9’4 hiperformance type. haven’t cut the foam yet, but it looks and feels just like a clark superblue blank. let you know how that goes in a day or so if you want.