CMC said...cRAZY Canuk said...CMC said...
I have worked with and for Aussie and International shapers for my whole career. In the past year I have volunteered countless hours of my own time to working with ASCIA developing a formal trade qualification for Aussie shapers to help fill the labour and skills shortages that are quite simply starving the industry of innovation and seeing boards like Firewire, Future flex and Ultra flex take hold of the market in a big way because of it.
I have always ridden local custom shapes and have many friends that I hold in the highest regard.
Here's the twist, a couple of months ago I was offered the career opportunity of my life so far and now I am sitting in Thailand working for the largest surfboard (and watersports) manufacturer on the planet. I have seen technology and manufacturing techniques here that are so far beyond the normal it leaves me wondering what I think anymore.
Local shapers need to run their businesses as business or let it be a glorified hobby or lifestyle choice. Focus on their customer and grow some confidence in their ability and the prices they charge. The Gold Coast has the cheapest boards on the planet, good ones as well. Great for the consumer BUT the whole business is going broke. Before you jump here, the real reason is that local shapers have undercut each other for so long and especially now with the inability to export due to high $. They can blame imports but I will tell you now, the boards from Thailand are more expensive (China is a different story) than a local board, it's why they sell very few there. Good you might say but as day after day businesses go broke and close and shapers get truck licences and head to work in the mines there was an obvious problem with the situation.
In conclusion, as doggie said. Ride what makes you happy, the board you feel comfortable buying for whatever reason your purchase decision is fulfilled so you feel stoked with parting with the money.
I'm going to assume that's - (removed the name, CMC can post it if he desires), yeah, Impressive set-up would be an understatement. Having said that all that technique is in Aus and available, just a lot of it isn't used by board builders. Think Doggie had a link of a carbon and wood Skateboard company in Sydney, guys is/was a boat builder (worked for McConaghy might still) fantastic looking boards.
Thing is for all their tech and glam, what if I want that board with a diamond tail? or 5 fins boxes, or a 50/50 rail on that outline, or a bit of volume taken out/added or a tint, and any other number of other things. So the "pop out" has it limitations
If you want the same thing your mate and the guy down the street are riding and it works awsome. If you want something that's tailored to you that is made by a "Craftsman" (quotations because there are some shapers that aren't) who surfs and understands than I think you should be willing to part with a little extra money.
The Grill Team (MMM) was talking about Coles (?) putting in an Aussie made section where everything in it was aussie made a produced and if your willing to pay a bit extra for it. Well
In the end of the day both can co-exsist it just means that some people with have to adapt.
No need to convince me, I am in admiration of the craftsman of our passion. If you want to play with fine detail your option is custom. I love it, I love making my own average boards even more.
Custom and production are 2 different things and it is rare that any form of new or level of technology is matched with custom. Katana here has it, DMS, Diverse, Josh Dowling and a few others in Oz. It's the way to differentiate on price and how great is it to have the best of both worlds.A lot of boards made up here are for people with very successful domestic custom business and they compliment each other, it's high end stuff and only high level brands are accepted as customers. If the custom industry dies things stop progressing.
You've hit the nail on the head there CMC and the point I've been trying to get across on here is that it's guys like Dave (Katana), JD et al that are at the forefront of board design in Australia and the world for that matter.
As I'm sure you're aware a good modern compsand board is far removed from what was being produced 10 years ago and the way they surf in comparison to a standard PU is chalk and cheese. They can take a bit of getting used to but once you adjust it's a whole new world. The more you push them the more they push back and you find find yourself making turns and sections that just don't seem right.
The secret to a good compsand is getting the right balance of flex and return. Too much carbon and they're too stiff and get skittish when pushed, but if you get it right they load up like a compound bow and just fire out of turns. Much like a Crozier Flextail or Greenough spoon without the weight. Yes I'm a cripple.
Design wise Dave and I may still have a way to go before I end up with the perfect board (and that's due to the fact that Dave is a stand up surfer and kneelos are a whole different kettle of fish) but as far as the technology goes I'm as happy as a pig in $hit.
I have to say that the best board he's shaped me thus far was the one I gave him free rein on. I've had to adjust my style to suit but geez it goes well. Although, in saying that I dropped in to see him this arvo to sort fin placement on my latest and I reckon this one might just be the ducks nuts.
His boards might not be quite as pretty as JD's but they're far from ugly either. Here's one I pinched from Katana's facebook page...
Bamboo deck, carbon railed quad, custom compsand for well under a grand? Should be half that again.
As previously stated no affiliation other than a stoked customer.
Go on thumb away for the infomercial!
Not directed at you personally CMC and I've gotta say it's nice to see you giving kudos to your peers, thumbs up from me
