I just had one of my longwinded rants on that exact topic on that other thread as well.

I tell you one thing the overseas brands do have that the Aussies don't........... Information.

I have to be critical here but if you go to any of the websites, facebook pages whatever for any of these brands you will find somewhere between not much and not a lot.

No model info, race results, pics, R+D projects, videos, nothin. Lahui Kai for example has a blog. Last update May after the Salt race. In that time Billy won the Excel, Jamie came 4th at BOP Hawaii, 1st at Naish Race and 1st for the 9th time straight at Molokai. There's a lot to talk about yet the silence is deafening.

MickV said...

Thanks Lacey
That's what I wanted to see. I'm not looking to buy from overseas, just wanted to see where you guys were at in development. I've no doubt that Dale's boards are as good as anyone's and I'll be speaking to him soon.
Wish I was up at Winders Park right now, it's bloody freezing down here.

Cheers
Mick

mick, i'm really satisified with this board. fast as, faster then the 17' and really stable with the flatness and edges in the tail. boards always seem stable when you paddle around. my spot to check a board out for stability is to paddle around in front of the alley rocks south and come back in close again. a lot of backwash comes back at you from the rocks and this board handles it well
cheers

MickV said...

Do the rails have any chines, it's hard to tell from the photo's.

yeah, very slight. dale used to hand shape them up harder, but now they are being left as they come of the machine. no where like what you would have seen when you were up here. we believe they help with board speed, so overall there would be a slight rolled look about the bottom from nose to behind mid board. i pushed dale to give me some flatness of the tail section with edges to give some more stability and a more solid platform to step back onto. that's been a major plus in my books. it something that is making it's way into the boards now. alain had the travis bop board done close to this, so i'm keen to get on it. the 16' sure hasn't lost any speed with everyone saying how much speed and glide it's got with not a lot of effort needed
cheers

JonathanC said...

Glad you posted those photos Lacey, that board looks really nice. Would be great if you could get some video of it in action. Can't work out why people give you a hard time posting photos...what is their problem???

Are the boards vacuum bagged? Any idea of weight?

Have to agree with CMC about the info though, I'm sure it would be worth getting some local graphic design/computer person to do half a day a week putting new stuff up on the website. Not saying the boards aren't professional but without info and a good site it 'feels' backyardish. Most of the big companies aren't actually that good at updating information, if someone like Dale could put up fresh info regularly it would be better than the big guys seem to be able to manage.

hi, weights about 14.5 kilo's, not super light, but doesn't show up when you are on the board. this board is just expoxy glass, with 2 carbon strips in the bottom and a composite membrane in the scoop area that is now vaccum bagged giving it a high compression strenght. this gives the board a real stiffness which means it doesn't shutter and shake. gets on with the business of going forward which means more speed- works unreal in another words. i prefer epoxy glass, has a better feel to it then full carbon, well thats my take on it.
your right, people wont to know all about what they are getting before they make any contact these days- the www rules
cheers
ps this board hasn't been paint much, i like the look of tint

Do the rails have any chines.

I have never heard of this term, What are chines?

I have noticed in the sup world that its hard to find any info/pics on the rails of sup boards. Its like getting married without seeing the package.

Do any of the DC range make it to Victoria. I would be keen as I am sure would be others if we get a paddle on them.

Maybe at the next DEMO day in melbourne(hopefully soon) a few DC boards may show up
Cheers Scott

Waterhorse said...

Do any of the DC range make it to Victoria. I would be keen as I am sure would be others if we get a paddle on them.

Maybe at the next DEMO day in melbourne(hopefully soon) a few DC boards may show up
Cheers Scott

actually i was talking to dale today on the phone and i said lets get our asses down to the mambo. he will probably bring a 16, 14 and a 12'6 as well as his 17' and i'll bring my 16. should be fun
cheers

JonathanC said...

Glad you posted those photos Lacey, that board looks really nice. Would be great if you could get some video of it in action. Can't work out why people give you a hard time posting photos...what is their problem???

Hi Jonathan, I am one of those that gives Lacey a bit of a hard time when he puts pictures up that are too revealing. My problem with it is that it takes a huge amount of time, money and effort to develop this R&D. When this R&D is revealed on the internet everyone else gets it in an instant and its free.

I am one of those that has been helping Dale with this R&D over the years. I pay for all of my boards and freely give up my time and ideas to assist Dale. What I don't like to see, however, is for everyone else out there to have all of this R&D - at our expense.

Hopefully more people start supporting what he and the other local producers are doing a whole lot more. This will take away some of the pressures on them trying to survive out there.

mikeman said...

JonathanC said...

Glad you posted those photos Lacey, that board looks really nice. Would be great if you could get some video of it in action. Can't work out why people give you a hard time posting photos...what is their problem???

Hi Jonathan, I am one of those that gives Lacey a bit of a hard time when he puts pictures up that are too revealing. My problem with it is that it takes a huge amount of time, money and effort to develop this R&D. When this R&D is revealed on the internet everyone else gets it in an instant and its free.

I am one of those that has been helping Dale with this R&D over the years. I pay for all of my boards and freely give up my time and ideas to assist Dale. What I don't like to see, however, is for everyone else out there to have all of this R&D - at our expense.

Hopefully more people start supporting what he and the other local producers are doing a whole lot more. This will take away some of the pressures on them trying to survive out there.

hi mike, i know what you mean. i do check up first. it's a tuff one. the boards need to get out there and people like to see what's happening. boards do have to sell at the end of the day

as inregards to coping it, i was more referring to the glow of red thumbs that usually follow along with a couple of hardcore knockers

ps. sure i get the boards a bit cheaper, but i also help out with the steering gear on most boards for free. i'm in it because i like it

Understand your concern about R&D Mikeman but at some stage a manufacturing design business just has to have enough confidence in its reputation and market position to not worry about that. There is far more than just a 'shape' that makes people buy a board, quality of construction, manufacturer back-up etc etc

Always a fine line between promotion and the risk of copying but there is so much subtlety in board shaping that people may be able to copy a concept but that is a long way from a board design that has been refined over and over.

IMO if you don't get the designs 'out there' you will never appeal to the wider ozzie market let alone the international market.

Look at SIC, they constantly show details of the board shapes through videos and promotion, I'm sure people pick up design elements from them but they always try to be at the cutting edge, constantly innovating as does Dale, the difference is that the world knows what they offer.

Riding Dales own DC17 in Rotto in January I thought it was a very impressive world class board, trouble is unless I had had that opportunity I wouldn't even know what I was missing. Maybe three or four standard models with the specs defined and a description of the ideal conditions and riders weight etc for that board would give people somewhere to start.

Just my thoughts and observations, not trying to tell Dale how to suck eggs in any way shape or form, I wish him all the luck in the world.

Gorgo said...

mikeman said...
.... When this R&D is revealed on the internet everyone else gets it in an instant and its free.

...

You're joking aren't you? The only thing you get from those pictures is of something long with a pointy nose and a squarish tail. You don't get dimensions or curves or angles or anything useful.

I bought a locally shaped board purely because of the pictures and reports I saw on Seabreeze. As far as I am concerned it is free advertising and one of the reaons we look at the forum.

it's not what you can see, but what other board makers can see.

but enough of that of that stuff
the main thing is , yes i put the photo's up and generally it's been good and i like chewing the fat about em- any dw board actually. the other thing that has come through is, well the local crew need to shape up with their web sites- models, info, some r and d stuff, results vids, boards in stock, blogs etc.

i'm sure it has been noted.
thx's every one

Oh the irony.

So we should buy aussie and not copy aussie manu's boards?

And the person's board we shouldn't copy has copied the design from somewhere else.

Not to mention DC making a mould off a rudder from a hawaii brand.

i am all for buying local and supporting local, but the local go needs to do the right thing as well.

meerkat said...

Oh the irony.

So we should buy aussie and not copy aussie manu's boards?

And the person's board we shouldn't copy has copied the design from somewhere else.

Not to mention DC making a mould off a rudder from a hawaii brand.

i am all for buying local and supporting local, but the local go needs to do the right thing as well.

hi, i don't know the whole story about the rudder system, which versions of now pop up everywhere- what else could be done in lou. scs's have been around for donkeys

how ever, the only copying/ inspiration done on dale boards was from a dick van straalen paddle board that is sitting in the factory with the man himself having an imput with the dw sup designs. dick also gets some of his shortboards glassed by dale. i can tell you dale is not interested in anyone else designs, he is too busy refining his designs. geez i can't even get a start on a big conditions board yet
cheers

meerkat said...

CMC said...

meerkat said...

Don't have time for another english lesson to another seabreeze poster.

Here's a shortcut that will help you out.

www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=irony+definition&aq=1&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=irony&gs_rfai=&gws_rd=ssl

And you basically agree with me that everybody copies everbody else? confused?

RE my name: Sorry buddy not doing internet dating at the moment. Will PM you my number when I fancy a drink.

Fair enough. Perhaps we misunderstood each other.

Shame about the date though, never made a Meerkat purrrrr.

The competion and race results speak for themselves.

Enough said

Phill