Let’s say that there is a Domestic Company that can produce a “Surftech” type board…
Now let’s suppose there’s a computer program, that is enough user friendly that it allows Joe Surfer to design, whatever…
Finally, the Domestic Company can take the design of Joe Surfer, produce a macine shaped blank, then glass it just like a “Surftech”…
Joe Surfer gets the satisfaction of designing his own board, and gets for better or worse the board of his dreams…
Hmmm…???..
Where’s the fun in that???
What about buying the ingredients, dreaming of the finished product, drawing out the template, cutting the wood and foam, the blood, sweat and tears, the comeradery of fellow board builders, the wisdom of others, brilliant flashes of ideation, signing your own name on the blank.
The suspense of waxing it up and then riding it no matter how it performs.
Sounds all too boring Paul…
thats it Im changing my name to joe.
design my own board and not get my weejuns dusty…
no question
I’m there. …joe…
Ambrose, Weejuns??
Please explain…
Hicksy
Bearing in mind that Joe Surfer will add winger-stinger-thinger whatsits, concaves, convexes, more fins than a school of pollock and 57 channels with nothing on- because Joe Surfer as a general rule hasn’t got Clue 1 about what makes a board work…
It’s a lead in for the custom shaper who doesn’t mind putting up with Joe and talking him out of his inane ideas.
Buddy of mine put it well -
"Whenever I specify length, widths, thickness, rails, all of the board…it doesn’t work for $#it. And when I tell him how tall I am, how much I weigh, how tall I am, what I surf in and how, the board works great. I have concluded that I know nothing about shaping and should leave it to those who do. "
And this is a guy who has surfed for 30+ years.
Oh, and Hicksey - http://www.shoes.com/stores/bass/product.asp?p=5017216%7E&sc=BASS%5FHOME&variant_id=46007
comfy little devils, but foam dust gets into the penny slot…
doc…
When you refer to Joe Surfer you’re nearly always talkin’ about a guy that doesn’t have a clue about what makes a surfboard work nor what it takes to create one. Specific composite construction and chip technology aside this sort of thing is the corner stone of developement the surfboard industry board because the uneducated continue to want junk that looks to them like treasure. As long as there is an uneducated public out there ready to spend money on a whim new things will continue to happen because the one creating the product will have enough money for product development and thus be able to create things that unlike Joe’s Junk are truely progressive. There will be huge mistakes, happy accidents and a few well concieved products.
The progress of surfboard design will always be facilitated
by new technologies. There’s no getting around it. The bottom line is somebody has to build things regardless of how the details are generated or what the construction schedule is. We live in more of a world market every day and domestic products struggle to compete with those made overseas. I wonder what the surfboard industry will look like in 30 years?
For now I’m very committed to surfcraft research and development. I’m a hands on guy so part of the whole experience is learning from others like me. The local shapers here in Santa Cruz are contracted to build some pretty strange customs I assure you. Joe’s alive and well but is seldom someone I have much in common with except to share the stoke unless he is genuinely interested in learning about how surfboards work. The only two I know Joe Dihl of Davenport Surf~Sai, innovator in Sailboard rigs and sails for over 20 years and Joey Thomas, long time highly respected shaper here in Santa Cruz. They’re both something special so Joe Surfer can just as easily be an exceptional fellow.
Mahalo, Rich
weejuns are what my wife from ohio calles those shoes that the fraternaty guys in college wear that hold a penny in the front, some called em penny loafers, the badge of the nautical clueless and woorrkkshopp aversion therapy graduates…
ALOHA hiksy me lad
…ambrose…
a tounge in cheek from the scarcastic club
I confess I am a “Joe Surfer”…
But That’s why I come here,…to be a “Joe Shaper” 
While I agree that ‘Joe Surfer’ might design a piece of crap of a board, I also think there would be a nice market for that board.
Face it, we all know people with a lot more money than sense.
I can see 20% of the surfers (non-shaping ones) I know signing on, clicking in their $750 Pay Pal, and plotting out the board of their dreams.
Of course, when it arrives 30 days later it would be one of two things:
A bland, predictable clone of one of the ‘stock shapes’ already in the online catalog, the only original part of which was the credit card number entered to pay for it and the name on the custom “Hand Built By ___ ____” lam that’s installed on every machine-made board from a continent away.
A piece of crap that doesn’t surf at all but was worth the money to the guy because of the conversation-piece factor. “Yeah, I shape. I just usually don’t beacuse I’d rather spend my time _____.”
I bet it’ll happen within 5 years. Look for the full-page ad in Longboard Magazine at a newsstand near you!
is that any different to whats been happening for the last 40 years …
joes come in and ask for certain curves and styles , board makers build them …
even if technology got to the point that a complete board came out of an automated production , where a design was punched in and a finished board poped out , one important thing still remains the same , the designer …
that person , who discusses , where you surf , the size range , what specific waves you favour , the problems and limitations with your last board , if there is any manouvers you would like to focus on , or waves you would like to surf better , the guy who presents you with a variety of different surfing scenarios until hes confident he has a clear picture of the ability of his customer …
then based on all the information and his years of experience , he designs a board to suit that person …
you could be the finest craftsmen , but if the board doesnt perform , no guarantee your customer will return …
like wise i know a guy who i would say does shocking work , rough shapes , the worst glassing and sanding youve ever seen , but his shapes and designs are real good , and the boards work real well …
the secret to a good board is good design tailored to the surfer , so whether it was carved by handtools , a planer , or even a fully automated machine in which no human made contact with the board till finished …
custom boards will always need designers , and regardless of the technology , the shaper/designer will be the most important element …
a big percentage of people who make there own boards , gain a lot of respect for board designers once they realise how hard it is …
if joe designs a board and its a dog , chances are he will seek out a qualified designer for the next one …
of the thousands of boards ive built no two have been the same , because my customers arent clones and all have different tastes and needs …
so the concept of the surftech clone is about as far removed from progressive board design as you can get …
on the other hand if the technology is available to machine a design and finish it like a surftech and its locally produced and quality …
sign me up … sounds like a great idea …
that is just what ive been looking for …
the chance to have more people ride my designs and the ability to be able to produce enough boards …
is this a real thing ?? or an idea someone is playing with ??
im more than interested if its the real thing …
regards
SHAPER JOE …
BERT
Scanning a design is one thing, but building an expensive mold for a “one off” board is another. Sorry friend, it’ll never happen, that is if we’re talking molded surftech type boards as you say.
a big percentage of people who make there own boards , gain a lot of respect for board designers once they realise how hard it is …
if joe designs a board and its a dog , chances are he will seek out a qualified designer for the next one …
Bert’s on it…the aquired knowledge and understanding which come from making, or designing, a first board dramatically increase appreciation for experienced and talented craftspeople.
That said, it’s really fun to freak out and hack away or get off the wall with design…easier to do if it can be done on the cheap. Limited room for both. Once upon a time it was about having fun.
Dayjahvuu
Here daddio, this copy of “Photoshop” will dramatically increase appreciation for experienced and talented craftspeople.
Pay no attention to the filters and adjustments and manipulations that will be recorded so the six axis cnc machine will, are you still listening? You’re excused. Go have some fun…
Just another excuse to develop the developers hand to wallet coordination.
If there was a machine in your area, that would allow someone with your shaping experience, to computer shape boards of various materials, would you utilize it?
I don’t think that a board with obvious design defects would pass by the programmer/shaper without tweaks or modifications, that would just create a disaster for return business.