Can anyone else see this happening? Did the same thing not happen to the sailboard industry when they veered away from customs to models instead? Who orders a custom sailboard nowadays anyway?
Custom sailboards are still made. Where I surf in belgium approximately 10-15% of the boards are custom made (but it’s not a beginners spot ;)).
It’s not much compared to the percentage of custom surfboards. But who would buy a custom sailboard if you can buy a board of the same quality for 600bucks less!
I don’t think you can compare the surf and sailboard market. In windsurfing the weight vs strength is much more important! PU boards weren’t performant enough. When the sandwich construction came, the mass production commenced! And the quality of a mass produced or a custom sandwichboard if almost the same. Why would anyone pay 600bucks more for the same quality?
PU is performant enough for surfing and because surfboards are thinner, sandwichboards are not that much lighter for surfboards (difference is much bigger for windsurfboards, PU boards are really heavy). And because tuflite is more expensive than the PU or EPS boards I think more people will keep buying the customs.
Who doesn’t want a board that is made to his needs? In windsurfing it is just not affordable.
There will always… yes, always… be a niche for custom boards. What “the market” wants, the market gets. But there will always be people who want a custom board.
It’s like the cabinet business. Sure, you can go to HD or Lowes and get cabinets that work just fine and you can afford. But there are still tons of cabinet makers out there making a living doing what they do.
So most people will ride models because they’re affordable and decent quality. But a good cabinet maker, like a good board builder, will always have a following.
Totally agree nj. The custom market is going to go the way of the shaping shed and handshapes will be for the guy / girl who knows what they want.
NJ-------------Having been around many a cabinet shop; I would say that your comparison is the most accurate I have heard. Lowel
Deanbo, I think everyone saw the tsunami of popouts that flooded the market, then sold phenomenonly but now languish in their droves, slowly being discounted, but going nowhere.
And at the same time sales of quality boards have suffered and will continue to until the backlog of old popouts sell.
And because now lots of people from big guys like CI to non-surf promoters are importing boards from overseas it will mean that the market will undergo savage discounting in order to move any boards as the market is already flooded with rubbish.
The home grown specialised surfboard manufacturing industry cant compete on price, I think we all agree on that, and we cant just stand around proclaiming ourselves the last bastion of real design ( but we bloody well are !! ) because that doesnt sell boards, but it is gratifying.
One of the few things we can do is to look at the opposition, look for their foibles and flaws and take advantage of what they cant do. They’re not so smart really.
1/. F’rinstance, cars are all the same, 4 wheels and an engine, but cars are purchased on their perceived benefits i.e. " Will I get laid in this car? " “Will the look of the car enhance my life, real or imagined .”
So looks are a big deal even if you’re spending $100,000. But have a look at a lot of modern boards, white spray? little logos? Boring. What appeal is being made to the consumer? What emotional ploy is being unleashed here ? A fantastic piece of functional art just left the building and its totally blank, or in the eye of the average consumer it is.
Have a look at popouts, they’re just as boring, and I think that its because they cant compete in this area. Their exterior sprays are poor, rough, unimaginative or non existant.
A beautiful board is easier to sell because the consumer can see the, or at least a difference.
Visual appeal is king in all consumer products and big, bold, bright sells. If the bar is lifted in this area, they cant compete.
2/. Whats ‘the name’ associated with Quicksilver ? And now whats the name behind XYZ popouts?
And now whats the name behind any local surfboard label?
Point is that the bigger companies have made stars of their people and local companies can do the same. Albeit in a smaller capacity. Consumers love to know whos the man in charge, see a face and drop a name. XYZ cant do it unless its being done by CI or similar. But if you become an identity within your area, you become a recognised quantity. Your products then take on your life, and what you achieve and believe are what your boards stand for. Put your face and name everywhere you can.
Its all well and good to play it cool and let your shaping do the talking for you, but thats how we got here in the first place.
3/. Community contact.
4/. Design progression/ evolution/ adaption for local conditions.
5/. Environmental involvement.
Theres a lot that can be done to run rings around the overseas competition and I in no way wish to offend any manufacturers, but there are lots of ways to stomp on their boards but it requires thoughtful consideration of their flaws and then action to capitalise on the advantages that are available to us.
All they’ve got is a cheap price and if that was really the KING of sales then we would all be driving 3 cylinder YUGO’s made in the Ukraine.
SF.
Looks it is then.
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. " Will I get laid in this car? " Ummm, not in the bloody shitboxes I drive.
Yeah, I agree with all of that SF. There’s some pretty good examples of that round here.
Bloke in Byron name of Dain Thomas shaping under the SEA label is doing a good job of marketing .
Lot of blokes I know with salt in their veins would probably rather eat a freshly laid dog turd than start heavily promoting themselves and their boards but I think that survival will dictate that or else it will go super underground.
Thats fine with me but I’m not making a living shaping boards.
One thing about the Internet is it has ceratinly opened up the doors for low cost effective marketing for savvy operators.
Look at the hull thing.
Maybe shapers need to expand their skill set a little and get the word out without selling out.
Steve
I’m hearing you boys, and I’m not up for eating, or smelling for that matter, turds, some dirty prick had dropped one some where near the beach today, kept getting that unmistakeable smell, problem I have, they taught me how to fight, for that self promotion, the boys already reckon, whinging or boasting, keep plugging, be nice, H.
Steve, I’m in Sydney and Ive grown up with the grumpy, quiet, hungover local shaper style of promotion…
and that was fine while they were all doing the stoned, tired,ambivalent attitude thing.
But now with the big players throwing big money to cheap manufacturers and swamping the global market theres a need for the local guys to see that the opposition is out to kill them, not just slow them down but to starve them and their families out for good. The big guns need big numbers and constant turnover forever onward and the hard working dinosaurs are in their sights.
The quickest way to the consumer is just outside the shaping room door, to engage with the community and get noticed. I know thats a pretty horrid thought for a lot of people in any profession but its sink or swim time, otherwise boards numbers drop, staff do less hours, the rent cant be met and then the doors close.
Smart operators engage in solid self-promotion, marketing, low cost advertising, pound the pavement with flyers, do talks at schools, engaging the market where it lives, so by the time a board purchase is considered theres no question of who they will go to, the local ties become so strong that one brand becomes the law in the area.
Its the way it was for Aloha here on the Northern Beaches in the 80’s, you just didnt see any other brand, Greg Clough had the local hotties signed, the best crew doing the glassing, an open door policy, a happy face and a positive attitude. Nothing seemed beyond the man himself and I think he’s still got a worldwide network for his efforts, but he seems quite the average guy.
I agree that the majority of local guys who dont embrace the creeping reality of whats happening will just go under, either quietly or not, they’ll just be starved out. Popouts companies are no different from any other business, if they can make you leave the arena, they win and you can go fick yourself for all they care.
And thats just how business works the world over, its absolutely ruthless and any surviving opposition is their failure.
Big companies have very big plans/ projections/ budgets and the carnage on the local boardbuilding industry is only beneficial to their cause and the damage to employment and social structure is of no concern to them at all. As long as you can afford their boards and clothes.
Because in the end there will be no or precious few local shapers to service the market and the easiest option for consumers will be to buy whats available, and that’ll be high volume, cost effective crap from the big guys.
Somewhere an ex-shaper walked into a surf shop and all he saw was row upon row of imported plastic…
Its not a pretty scenario, but its realistic based on posts coming from everywhere.
SF.
Absolutely no offence intended to the hard working guys and gals in local employment, its just my opinion.
Ive refused to buy anything from QuikVanRipBong since 76’ because its been the smart community choice and I urge everyone to do the same.
I totally agree, and what happen to new guy in town, who spent a lot of money to buy real estate on the beach. Why would he cares for folks building surfboards when he can buy a surfboard for half price at his local Target store…
Because he doesn’t share the same surf culture, but he wanna look good on the dance floor.
I actually think like you guys that it’s the end of golden era for local industry and only few will survive and go underground.
On the other hand, after years riding his ugly pop out crap, and when he will learn a bit more about surfboards, he will want a good looking board made from an expert. The thing is, the expert wouldn’t compete on price, and the guy will pay more or go screw himself.
And actually, i don’t buy big name brand too, it’s consistency, so i buy less. and it works for everything that comes from mass production, like meat, veggies, fruit, etc…
I agree I don’t really like things that are massproduced or expensive just because they are branded or have a certain logo and that goes for most things.
I perfer to buy with quality in mind and prefer more inderpendant/indifidual items that some actually takes a pride in producing. I buy less as the things I do buy are a bit more expencive than mass produced items but have more value because there are less of them in the world.
If there is a down turn in business then every one will suffer not just the little guy, will all the crafts men making custome boards give up? no they’ll go underground maybe but they won’t ever stop making boards or experimenting with design, they can’t because they love it too much.
What i’m seeing here in the face of mass production is a move more towards high end stuff. If anything I’ve been more busy last year than ever before and the other workshops are expanding too. Maybe you right and all the people who bought popout on the cheap 2 yrs ago now want custom?
Cheap popouts a sad scenario. I think that every one who is serious about surfing should shape and glass at least one board, then they would see what goes into making a custome board, and relize what a deal they are really getting.
"If there is a down turn in business then every one will suffer not just the little guy, will all the crafts men making custome boards give up? no they’ll go underground maybe but they won’t ever stop making boards or experimenting with design, they can’t because they love it too much. "
Good Point Woody. The true underground will stay commited as ever.
How many shapers will be able to cut a clean outline, rough out with a power planer and finish clean by hand in twenty years?
The art and craft of handshaping surfboards should be preserved for future generations I.M.H.O.
Making a living building boards is much different than being a " hobbiest". Most of the popout guys and other cheap labor seekers are longtime builders who feel a sense of entitlement.
Staying pure in the face of big money can test almost anyones metal. Now that surfing is corporate and mainstream it’s just going to get worse. Market saturation combined with a declining economy will weed out more than just a few.
Love your family, friends and boards. Never give up.
Hello Screwfoot, that’s the name the older surfers used to call us goofies, I could’nt agree with you more, only you can’t just bring back the past, once it’s gone. One of the things I’ve done in the last few years, whilst trying to reinvent myself, was a training course, to teach people. Got my builder brother to put a large window in my bay, had a mate , who runs the local back packers,who was gonna send his tourist surfers down, with a deal like this, one on one, I’ll make sure the guy/girl is safe, and that they get a decent board, all custom,and the stoke that goes with it for about the same price as a normal board, professionally glassed and to learn how to hand shape, albeit a little. Or the young guy, maybe with a bigger company[clothing whatever] who wanted to have a planer in his hand, maybe to take it further. I completed the course and then as hard as I tried, I could not get insurance, I now have a Tony Montana poster on that window, who do I trust, I trust me. I find it hard to believe about the insurance, especially considering a young carpenter is going to have all sorts of weapons in his hands in a dangerous environment. You have a situation now, where the shapers can’t use a saw, the glassers can’t tape up and the sanders can’t foil a fin, maybe it does’nt matter, we’ve got China. It’s more than a shame, H.
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Yeah, I agree with all of that SF. There’s some pretty good examples of that round here.
Bloke in Byron name of Dain Thomas shaping under the SEA label is doing a good job of marketing .
Lot of blokes I know with salt in their veins would probably rather eat a freshly laid dog turd than start heavily promoting themselves and their boards but I think that survival will dictate that or else it will go super underground.
Thats fine with me but I’m not making a living shaping boards.
One thing about the Internet is it has ceratinly opened up the doors for low cost effective marketing for savvy operators.
Look at the hull thing.
Maybe shapers need to expand their skill set a little and get the word out without selling out.
Steve
Some great post being posted. I keep pounding the point that there is little difference between most boards in surf shops today done by hand shapers in shape or quality because the true craftsmen of the past and of the future are now going to have to do a better job. They have allowed their art to become a comodity and they have unfortunately had a large percentage of bad service and ego towards the customer. Those days are gone. The future belongs to those craftsmen who can make a good product, take good care of their customers and articulate why they are different from the pack …as individuals and craftsmen.
I have to harp on Mccoy because the guy has never done things the way of the pack. Skip Fry and a few others are the same. Matt Calvani is producing beautiful boards in the old ways and has plenty of customers because he is not status quo. The future is actually bright because the public is only looking for something different. It’s up to some to be the ones to provide it.
I love Fidel Castro’s old line: “A Revolution is a fight to the death between the future and the past.” Obama echoed this in his speech tonight with refernce to politics. It’s true of the surfing industry. Who will be the new leaders of an individual based surf industry rather than an industry of sheep following the herd master with the loudest bell as it is right now?
I remember two or three years ago Steve Jobs (Apple) saying that we are going to innovate are way out of the slump the tech industry was in. And they did. iPhone, iPod etc. Just a new spin on something that already existed. Except now you can download your music instead of buying it from the record store and whatever the iPhone does that is different from every other mobile phone out there. I think what this industry needs is just that. Some innovation. Isn’t everyone getting tired of the same old shape and materials just with different graphics?