Look out for decals like this.... A pretty sure indication on Hand Made in Aus.



Bells

I've been thinking a bit more about this and I think I've worked out why I don't get many custom boards. Even though I've been surfing about 30 years, I reckon I've only had about 5 customs. The process generally goes something like this:

1. Talk to shaper and thrash out the board I want/need.
2. Order board, pay deposit get told board will be ready in 3-4 weeks.
3. Wait 3-4 agonisingly slow weeks
4. Ring shaper after 3-4 weeks and get told board is "nearly" ready, should be another week.
5. Wait another agonisingly slow week
6. Pick up and pay for board, usually never speak to shaper again.

It's at point 3 the process goes stale for me and it wouldn't be too hard, in this day and age to make it a lot better. How about a weekly email telling me how the boards going with a few photos of the progress? Thats pretty much all it would take to get me back into the custom boards, a bit more communication. If you send me an email a month or so after I've picked up the board, ask me how it's going, you've probably just guaranteed i'll get my next board from you and recommend you to others.
So my big tip to all the custom shapers out there is communicate more with your customers. Email makes it easy.

Th0m0,
Fair call, but you need some more patience. You can get some great stuff off the rack (I'm talking hand made custom rack stuff (not SUP)). I usually expect to wait 8-16 week from the guys I want a board from. Even Computer Merricks are 6 weeks.

PS - Lacey, move back to Gibraltar, at least there are plenty of good waterways around there! (Swaziland!? Stop toying with us! )

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AFL - GO CATS !! Who's on top of the ladder !!??

Bnaccas said...

laceys lane said...

[

As for quality, I'm not really talking breakages, more like rail cracks from paddle hits, cracks/splits around the nose and tail, fin plugs cracking around the outside of the plug taking water etc.





gee, i'm glad you didn't make a board for me

Not my boards (they all snapped, but other wise were pretty tough) but I'm talking customs, all ordered from interstate.
I prefer to call my boards "home made" rather than customs!

well, i've barely had a problem on my boards. i don't have to use rail tape because my rails don't chip. my board isn't being held together with 2pac paint.

2pac paint - where would they be without it

my blue board was one very lightly glassed- hardly a depression in 9 months.
my boards are all now tint jobs- so there's nothing to hide.i've seen the extra work that goes into the nose and tails to make them stronger. lets see a pop out tint job- it would never happen

to suggest there is no problems with pop outs is not true. actually my only real board issue was a pop out. i had to press hard for anything to be done and waited over 3 months for a replacement. i felt like i was a pest because my board had depressions, pin holes all over it and had taken water. the shop was good about it, but there was only so much they could do.

and thommo i got the old another two weeks routine about 4 times in a row, heaps of chasing up with shop visits and phone calls. i had to get an in between board just so i could surf something. it was a frustrating and worrying time for me. i never really knew if i was actually going to get anything done.i also had a board where a side fin was way out of position- nothing was going to be done about it

local guy would have started on the problem straight away

i've seen heaps of near new pops in repairs with problems

there is good and bad on both sides. please don't make out pop outs are problem free heaven.
i'm no suggesting local is perfect either.i just like to be able to go straight to the source and not have to go through the who's fault and problem it is and take photos and do an accident report where the evidence can and will be used against etc
cheers