I rode a beautiful, original Nuuihua Lightweight for almost half a decade. In all sizes and kinds of surf, from 1’ to 3X overhead+. When it was nearly worn out, I took it to a local shaper and aked him to copy it. Unfortunately he never came close to the original shape. I bought the board anyway and started saving my money for another attempt.
Five years later, after much research, I phoned a big name shaper in California and told him exactly what I wanted. The guy specializes in replicating vintage Bings, and he said “no problem”. Those of you familiar with this board design will recognize its graceful low rocker. The thin egg rails and softly rolled bottom allow you to really glide and carve. It’s hard to describe the acceleration and momentum which this board developed all on its own once it was slotted into trim speed.
Well, the board finally arrived. But surprise! The shipping was $100 more than the shaper told me it would be! Never mind also that there’s a hole in the shipping container and that there’s a spidery ding on the rail, stretching onto the deck. Oh well, that can be fixed-- after all, it’s a new Bing! It even has the original 1968 logo! I take it home and place it next to my beloved original (from which I have painstakingly peeled off the aged Volan glass).
Uh Oh. What’s this? More tail rocker? The nose is a bit tweaked too! And the fin box is in the wrong place! I can’t put the fin in the same place as I could in the original. And wait a minute: he cut into the stringers, when I specifically asked him to position the box between the stringers. This isn’t the board we agreed upon!
What do I do now? Foolishly signing for the board, I’m out the $180 shipping charges. He’s already cashed my check. The one time I talk to him on the phone, he tells me, “I don’t need this shit.” That’s the last I heard from him. He won’t answer my letters and emails, I`m never able to reach him by telephone.
It’s not so much I feel cheated as I have trouble comprehending the fact that someone so talented can be so indifferent. I`d hate to see anyone else go through a similar experience with this guy. Wise insights and suggestions please.
I’m sorry about your situation. But you haven’t mentioned if you’ve surfed it yet. Take it out for a surf. If it works, great, problems forgotten. If it isn’t right, go back to him with some constructive feedback and see if he acts different.
Hell, its a classic Bing shape & logo - you can probably sell it for very close to what you paid, to someone who isn’t trying to match something else.
And then start working with someone you can talk to in person.
It sucks when things go bad. I do understand. But there are ways to resolve it without just butting heads.
I hate hearing stories like this. That shaper should remember arrogance and dishonesty have a price, too. There’s plenty of people around would’d break a guy’s legs for less than $200.
Sorry to hear of your dilemma. I don’t consider myself wise but I’ll take a stab.
Re: Damage - did you (or shaper) pay for shipping insurance? It a pain to file, document, get estimates, coordinate with inspector, etc. For your damage, you’ll have to decide if it’s worth filing vs just fixing it.
There are lots of models that have been shaped by different shapers. I had always thought for instance that Phil edwards did all the Hobie PE models - apparently not so. Certainly “Da Cat” Greg Noll boards were done by a number of different guys. My point being that even boards of a specific model name have been shaped by different guys with individual touches that perhaps unintentionally resulted in some degree of variation throughout the product line. The Bings were probably no different in this regard.
A little tail rocker variation or nose tweak may have been found even among the originals. From what I understand, even some of todays pro riders are forever searching for that “magic” board their shaper turned out - once. Unless your guy had your board in the shaping room for reference, he can’t really be expected to replicate it very close. Even with your board as a reference, the new one would be different.
The fin box placement and stringer thing is a different story - seems to me that should have been done right if that’s what you guys agreed upon. Fin box between the stringers seems pretty easy to understand.
Bummer the guy won’t even talk to you about it. I’m sure most of us would agree that a discount of some kind would be appropriate. Crummy packaging, shipping damage, shape and fin box variations from order… sounds like you have a good argument. “I don’t need this shit” doesn’t sound like a very professional reply to a problem.
If your shaper is who I think he is, he’s supposedly working from authentic and authorized patterns. Have you tired contacting Bing Copeland direct? He might have some input - I’m pretty sure he’d like to see it all work out. His email is on classicbing website. http://www.classicbingsurfboards.com/pages/1/index.htm
As a last resort, I’d fix the ding and give it a ride. If it’s a dog even after fin adjustments, sell it and try again… maybe with a different manufacturer. Two brands that feature Bing style shapes come to mind - Cooperfish and Joel Tudor.
Your comment, Parker, was hitting too close. I wrote the shaper a two page letter, asking for a $200 discount on another board. I included even more detailed specifications, including a self-addressed, stamped envelope for his reply. The guy didn’t bother to answer.
A buddy of mine,a longshoreman, hearing the story, said he had a cousin in that area, and would be glad to pay him a visit.
When he asked for the address… well, that stuff plays well in the movies. I’m not gonna go there.
Good insight there! What you said made me realize I had a special blank. I brought it in by the woodstove (tonight’s temperature is 28 degrees), and mixed up some GitRot to revitalize a decayed stringer. I’ve almost filled all the blank’s foam cavities with microspheres and cabosil. A good glass job, and I’ll be ready for another decade with a true original.
After reading all the posts on this one, I have this to say, I didn’t shape it, but if I had, it would have had the same rocker, profile, widths and measurements. The stringer would have been what asked for, this is CUSTOM board building and I have refunded $ or shaped a new one when the customer wasn’t satisfied.
The other side is, I see a large percentage of FAMOUS NAME shapers that in all reality can’t shape their way out of a wet paper bag or build what could be concidered a custom
surfboard. The famous name has often had the luck to have been in the right places at the right time with the right surfers.
I once surfed in a St. Augustine longboard club contest at A street, I borrowed a Nu’uhiwa light weight pintail from a board collector pal of mine. I had never ridden the board before and headed out in my first heat of classic board division, I had Tory Strange and George Taylor in my heat, both younger than me and former East Coast Champions. When I took off on the first wave and felt how the piched rails bit into the wave, I knew that was how it needed to be surferd, hard on rail. I smoked all those youngsters that day and walked away with a first place trophy. One fine riding board that was!!!