response to rick avant- rick- you just laid out in a nutshell what SURFBOARD MAGAZINE could be all about- this endless eqivicating about the ‘industy’- come on!- look- all major clothing companies and the surftech company advertise with full page or dual page ads- and the rest of the boardbuilders cannot even compete- that was part of the inception of this mag i would love to produce- if the ads in SURFBOARD MAGAZINE are derived soley from the surfboard manufacturers, then i am sure that a reasonable price could be offered to these boardbuilders so that it would be worth it to advertise. ALSO REMEMBER- THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS IN THIS INDUSRTY GARNER LESS THAn 25% OF ALL BOARD SALES(or blank sales for that matter)- just because rf at st has some financial backers and their ads make them appear SUPER HUGE to the readers does not mean they are going to take over. the reason the people are frustrated with their 500.00 brand x is beacause there is a SERIOUS lack of education goin on- similar to one of the current problems the US faces- the baby boomer generation has now come full circle with their educational backgrouds- we also have a generation coming up to maturity that seem to just not care- and as we all know, lack of understanding/caring is (in my opinion) a lack of good education(i’ m still talking about boards here- and trying to tie it in with something a little broader) how many people out there would absolutely shit themselves knowing a major board manufacturer used SUPERLIGHT foam for their models- hey the PRO boys were ther ones originally wanting/needing lighter and lighter boards for COMPETION- the average weekend warrior doesnt need that- the reason we took up surfing in the first place was because it was fun. average surfer joes are not competion surfers. when the first sand finish boards started to hit retail racks everyone was stoked. and since then, the major manufactures have continued to shave off weight for the purpose of profit margin- and all laymen followed suit- because it was the ‘new’ thing- well if everyperson has done that thinking they are getting the newest/technologically advanced eqipment- well, they all got fooled. and you know what pt barnum said- ‘there’s a fool born every minute’. now if that major brand x used say supergreen foam and a 5/32’’ spruce strip and glassed the board with all 4oz. AND a gloss coat, how many people would be stoked to know that the manufaturer went to wits end to offer a product that was relatively light and held up just fine under normal use? SURFBAORD MAGAZINE could offer this to the consumer- an educational tool for enlightening others- of course this site does a great job of that and i appreciate it being here- as others are. there are alternative glassing materials available- have been - and the refernece to the example i gave does in fact utilize conventional materials- but that one little detail of trying your best to offer something that suits the needs of weekend warrior nation would not go unappreciated. to secure the relationship with a customer all that is needed is honesty- and a willingness to spend that 1/2 hr to stop and talk to them rather than just selling them one off the rack makes all the difference- put yourself in their shoes- would you want some raving maniacle shaper coming out of his bay, extolling the virtues of the latest techy-thing-a-ma-jigger only for you to fall under the spell and then get completely bummed because it was so light it fell apart in your hands? lets get those customers back to the surfboard factories so they can go home stoked out of their gourds at the fact they got to go inside willy wonka’s factory and taste all the candy…
The younger generation sees busting boards as a badge of courage? and most of them would be just as satisfied with a mass produced board as anything else. The ability to see and know what makes a custom board or any other board is beyond MOST consumers. Hey dude, nice shape, way rad color, can you bust big airs? Will it look good on my Suburban along with my mountain bike? 98% of surfers don’t have a clue about boards. even if they claim to!
Why does everyone think that r&d is too expensive for the surfboard industry? The investment is primarilly time. Without the investment we are just fish in a bowl waiting to be picked off.
I completely agree with you Jim. Any chance we could begin to educate any of that 95% plus or should we even bother to try. It seems like most information one tries to pass along falls on deaf ears anyway doesn’t it. I thank God for the few exceptions that are out there, those are the ones with a significant future. For me learning is one of the best parts of surf culture. New tricks seem to line up endlessly whether in the fabrication process on in the line-up. The tee shirt might say !SWAYLOCKS ROCKS! Good-on-ya, Rich
well how could we get this surfboards only magazine running?.. would the featured artisans be the ones who take out the double page ads or the real innovators working in thier back yards… most majors(board labels) are just refiners of ideas that unknown experimentalists have produced… a couple of years ago i spent all i had on advertising in big surf mags in oz as in 10 full page color ads in a year… all it did was give people impressions that i was much bigger volume than i was… my sales still crept up slowly ever increasing from the same old word of mouth…the labels who are supported by thier clothing sponsors(high profile team riders) increase quickly in volume while they are supported by the labels. then fade quickly as they dont have the backbone of customer referrals…and real CUSTOM customer service… who would read the mag… most crew would just look at the ads and the pictures. especially the ones with girls in them…then go back to thier ill concieved perceptions and peer groups… http://www.feraldave.com
jim- i am not trying to pick an argument here- the reason 98% of people know dick about a surfboard is directly related to the lack of education- when those little kids grow up and realize they most likley will not be riding leaves in 2 ft slop- what is gonna happen when these dudes grow up uneducated and are buying molded brands because they got fooled by some marketing aces? that is really what it is all about- then we will all be sitting on the curb with a piss warm 40oz. crying about it- all because we didnt go that extra mile in enlightening our customers- hey i get people coming into our shop asking exactly what the differences are btween surftech and conventional boards- the main focus of opposition to these molded boards is the fact that there is no customization whatsoever- and these people thank us endlessly because we took the time to explain it to them. the other main opposition to these molded boards is from us- the guys in the industry- because the product is made overseas- was it on this site that a guy here in the states is making surftech style boards that are custom?
Have we all lost site of what shaping a surfboard is or what it is meant to be? I say this from the perspective of the upcoming generation of surfers (being one of them). They all look at the label on nose of a board. If it says Al Merrick it must be a wonderful board. Don’t get me wrong Al Merrick is a wonderful shaper and designer, but what I am trying to get at is the fact that half of these kids just walk into a shop grab a mass production board and head out for a session. Most of the time these boards they buy aren’t appropriate for their style of surfing. They think that the fact that their weight and height fit this board on the chart on the wall it is right for them. They have no idea what a difference a concave, tail shape, rail shape, etc. can make. It is unfortunate that these mass production companies are “taking over the industry.” What happened to a young surfer walking into a small shop, sitting down with a shaper and discussing what he wants in a board? Boards are no longer personalized to a persons ability and wants. In fact most of the young surfers don’t understand what they need in a surfboard; whatever the rep in the surf shop tells them is right is what they go with. Most of the time these young kids working in the surf shops don’t have a clue. I just think it is kind of sad that the small shaper can’t afford to compete with these larger companies (especially in advertising costs). Shaping a surfboard is an art and a true talent, and I aspire to be a great shaper one day. My only hope is that these young surfers will become educated about the boards they are using and appreciate what has gone into the design of them. And lastly; here is to the Swaylock’s community and the priceless education it has brought me. Thank you. Brett Baldwin
brett- the educational power lies within you- learn every and any thing posssible about surfboards/history- it will pay off in the end.
To Shaper, Thank you for taking the time to read and understand what I was stating and not replying with a sales pitch. You are right about education and ways of achieving it. Question where are you located, I would like to talk to you about the mag idea and also some other ideas that I have been bouncing around in my brain. Contact me at my company website. Stay Soul, Rick http://www.ancientartsurfboards.com