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GDog
Surfing has grown tremendously in the last decade or more. A very large portion of those now surfing are beginners or fairly new to surfing. I recall a recent survey that showed, if I remember right, beginners were nearly 50% of those surfing and were primarily what was fueling the growth.
Most manufacturers who are exclusively Hand shaping and using in house glassing are smaller volume producers. Consequentially, they have been a lot less effective at meeting this growing consumer demand for surfboards and SUPs, compared to the higher production operations that are using shaping machines and large outside glassing facilities. Asian mass producers, often molding their products, have been even more successful in gaining a large share of these new customers. Hand Shapers, as you have noted, “seem” to be missing out.
But if volume is not the sole measuring tool, then many of these smaller manufacturers are doing quite well, thank you. Some have discovered that smaller volumes, delivered with unique personality and higher prices is also a viable business model. Some might call this more “soulful” and are willing to pay a little bit more to have it.
“Levelness” of the playing field? Seriously! Do you really want to have that discussion. 99% of backyard surfboard builders, who are selling their boards, are likely operating illegally. Should we even discuss whether or not the incomes generated are declared and appropriate taxes paid? Many smaller mfgs, while operating in proper industrial zoned facilities, quite likely wouldn’t meet proper building or use codes, let alone health and safety requirements. Additionally, very few abide by the laws pertaining to employees as most are paid as subcontractors rather then employees. All these illegal activities create a distinctly UNlevel playing field that significantly reduces the costs of operations and therefore improves profitability or allows lower retail prices further tilting the playing field.
On the other hand, most large operations have to meet these requirements as they are inpected regularily to insure that they do and the liability risks of operating illegally just isn’t worth it.
Lastly and probably more important to your question and also to the problem you seem to think exists…
There is a maturing of the product in the surf industry. There are very few real product differences in contemporary boards that can or do distinctly define them. Most all, perform well, look nice and are constructed reasonably well. With a lack of significant technical differences to espouse, sales are generated via shrewd marketing. Larger producers do so by spending more money on advertising and promotional activities. Smaller producers market mostly via bro deals, lower pricing due to their lower costs from illegal operations and can provide more personal attention to customers.
This same maturing of product, happened in the mid 60s when boards evolved into being all the same as they were primarily designed to nose ride, as that is what the contests and surf media machine was promoting. So while most of the industry was heading in one sole direction, there was a powerful wind of change blowing, that soon erupted in what is now known as the “short board revolution.”
Today, while there is more willingness in the media to expose and entertain us with different kinds of boards, the Pro Contest Scene, like it or not, is still the major force in defining what a “cool” surfboard is. And while that product may be a bit thinner, narrower and have concave bottoms, it has been essentially the same for nearly 30 years. This kind of product maturity or stagnation, becomes hugely attractive to mass producers, especially those who mold boards or need long lead times to manufacturer like Asian mfgs do.
Hand shapers don’t face competition because they don’t have access to a “rocker data base on Swaylocks”. They face competition because their product is boring old news and too easy to replicate in high volumes in China!
Like going out and buying a Fork to eat with… Are there enough significant differences in Forks these days, to bother with extensive shopping effortrs or paying vast differences in prices. Does it really matter what country in the world your fork is made in? Don’t they all perform well, not rust out and last a lifetime at a cheap price? What more could an average consumer of forks need? That is a matured product. Of course, if you are trying to impress yourself or someone else, then you may go out and buy forks from the most famous silverware manufacture that will ring your bells. Did you learn about it in “Forker” magazine? :-) But what percentage of consumers have these “Fork” conserns from reading Forker Mag! At some point it becomes clear that there just isn’t as much need for small speciality Fork makers anymore. And unless the media and industry finds a way to create a need for these speciality Forks as improvement over the mass produced ones, there probably won’t be. And even then, the consumer need will be driven 99% by marketing and not by real product diferentiation or functional features.
Forks are a matured product. So is the contemporary surfboard. Zillions of small (hand shaper) silversmiths likely went out of business in the last few hundred years as forks matured and the manufacturing techniques to make them improved to the point where they were able to be made, faster, cheaper and with plenty of function and quality for most consumers.
Do you see another design revolution on the horizon that might save the day? Cause a rocker database on Swaylocks won’t.
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Stick a fork in it, because its done. Bill your insights are the best. On a side note; whatever happened to the Oneida corporation, an interesting study if you care to research its founding.
