Turning surf knowledge into money.

I can understand about the 'greed' thing tho, as a  younger man I was happy just to go with the flow as long as I had a board,a car and a wave. You know , I bought into the Woodstock dream, but like a lot of that generation, as time wore on I realised I didnt want to surf every day, and, as it turns out, I physically cant handle it every day and now I feel the need to look after my future, to provide for a slightly more comfortable time ahead. Age and squalor shouldnt necessarily go together, even if I did ignore all the signs, advice, reality.

 Its much easier to keep the Woodstock 'feel' if you can afford to do it in comfort and also choose to do something else, and you need money to have choices. Thats the only thing Ive learnt about money, you need it to make choices. Without it , youre not going anywhere different or doing anything different, apart from looking, from outside the fence.

Im not greedy now  but I can see that I need to provide for myself and family in a way that is not dependant on me physically doing 9 to 5 in an office or factory, to make a passive income, and a commercial business is a way to go.

 Make a product that has a market, that is different, thats reasonably priced and that performs.

If youve got that worked out ,youre probably ahead of a lot of crap already on the market. And with any luck and some marketing nous, from that one product will grow an income.

 With the likelihood of trickle down economics ever occuring or the old age pension being a reasonable amount, my desire to make money from surfing knowledge is not about greed but a necessity to look after myself.

 

Surffoils…please don’t misunderstand my post…wasn’t about you. I always applaud great entrepeneurial spirits.

I’m on board with $ being necessary and best when used as a vehicle to secure the necessary, provide peace of mind, and enjoy life.

Passive income is ideal. I pursued and attained a small degree of that I appreciate it to this day.

My bag now is to practice lean manufacturing, be my own boss, and deliver a good quality and affordable product that people enjoy and want again when the time comes.

Yeah, I reread my own post and it sounds a bit pissy, sorry.

How are you creating 'lean manufacturing', is it just a matter of cutting staff or retraining people so they can do more ? Or is it everything from sourcing cheaper suppliers to measuring waste ?

 Funny thing in Australia, business people say that they are doing it tough , but just try to get them to come and do a quote ! I had 3 quotes to lay 15m of gas pipe, $1500, $950 and $250. And it took the guy just over an hour.

 Imagine making $1500 an hour, forget telling the kids to go to university and getting a degree, be a plumber !!

But getting an education is old school thinking about making money.

Did you know that stateside we had always heard they always needed plumbers in Oz? This has been the story since the 60’s. Guess getting 3 bids really is a smart thing to do!

Hey, I almost took a picture at the newly opened dog park the other day. The project director happened to be there and he pointed out this big non descript rock, “that’s a $500 rock” he said. Purely ornamental.

I thought "gee I coulda banged out a FGRC (fiberglass reinforced concrete) boulder in an hour that would shame this one, for less money and no need for a forklift to set it in place. A deal @ $350 for $30 materials.

Yet another example of turning surf knowledge into money.

I like that idea of making rocks ! I used to work in a place that made concrete rectangles that looked like sandstone, just conctete witha bit of river sand mixed in, about $150 sq m retail for $10 materials.

 

 Now Im down to the last part before I pass the final prototype onto the factory.

 Ive got 3 boards that have made the short list...

 Ones a thickish rounded board, lots of float but its a bit awkward with a domed deck and chubby rails....[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/foilround001.jpg[/IMG]

The next ones a thinner, concaved deck board that doesnt float too well, but its responsive and feels like its a part of you...[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/foilthin007.jpg[/IMG]

And the last one is somewhere in between, thinner rails and enough bouyancy for the average joe to enjoy....[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/foilblend007.jpg[/IMG]

So the question is, which board do I send to the factory?  Do I send to the factory the board that best represents the advancements that Ive gleaned from years of shaping and ruminating over the variables ? Which also is the most technical to ride.

Or the board that is easiest to ride ?

 Or the board that people like the look of, the 'pretty' board?

 Whats the 'best' board to send off for manufacture ?

 

Heres the final shape.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/SURFFOILS044.jpg[/IMG]

Some of the test riders didnt like the angles or the overly foiled nose on the earlier prototypes so some things have been changed.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/SURFFOILS051.jpg[/IMG]

Overall its a lot more pleasing to look at with smoother lines and an almost 'surfboard' look from some angles. 

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/SURFFOILS041.jpg[/IMG]

I kept the square bottom edge to the rails, its just all release. 

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/SURFFOILS038.jpg[/IMG]

 The outline has changed with the WP coming up 2 inches and the nose width going out 1.5 because the riders said it was too sensitive to turn and a bit twitchy on choppy waves.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/SURFFOILS055.jpg[/IMG]

 I kept the deck scoop but its only a subtle concave now.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/SURFFOILS043.jpg[/IMG]

 The board will go to the factory and I'll get 6 finished boards to test before they go ahead with a full run.

 One of the finished boards is going to Hawaii where a couple of guys are happy to do some pics for me in exchange for the board. Thanks guys.

 

 

 

And heres some of the full colour full deck graphics that are going on the Surffoils. 

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics006Purpleswirl1.jpg[/IMG]

 Funky purple, slightly out of focus 3-D swirl, looks great in the flesh.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics007prrpleswirl2.jpg[/IMG]

They can be any size , shape or colour and can be put on both sides of the board.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics009checkswirl1.jpg[/IMG]

They are a thin vinyl film that has UV stable colours and come off a large commercial printer.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics010freeform1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics011freeform2.jpg[/IMG]

Close up detail.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics012freeform3.jpg[/IMG]

There are thousands of images to choose from as well as stuff that the customer can upload for custom jobs.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/graphics013lightning1.jpg[/IMG]

They are floated on, get a single clear coat spray, and thats it. 

 These pics dont show the crispness and the brilliance of the colours, each boards a work of art.

Nice, huh ?

 The guys at SCIENCE bodyboards have been touting a similar option on their boards so it might be the same process or something similar.