Designer surfboards???

[dreadhead]

It's Laguna Beach, that should tell you something about price, I mean that's where the Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships are.

There are car dealerships like that outside DC and in NJ. Bing, Cooperfish, Christenson, and Kookbox have a sweet shapes and are glassed really well. I would much rather have one of these dream boards then shell out money for a China board. And Matt is right, you get what you pay for. Not to say that you can't find a good board for cheap off a used rack, but don't knock a board because its too expensive for your taste.

[njsurfer42]

Looking at the website Ando & Friends, I checked out the surfboards section, and was shocked at some of the prices... Generally between 600 and 1000, and not for longboards (a 5'6" Swift for $1,050). Are these shapers like buying chic, designer clothes, paying for the name? I've never heard of most of these and been surfing 20 years: Swift Surfboards, Tyler Warren, Orange Surfboards, Kookbox,

i personally think there is an element of "boutique-iness" & paying for the name going on w/ those shapers, but if you've ever taken a good, hard look at a properly shaped Simmons or mini-Simmons (& the guy behind swift, richard kenvin, is prob. the best at them right now), there is a hell of a lot going on. step-decks, hull-like belly &roll blending into a pretty deep single concave out the back between the glassed-on marine ply keels...these are not easy boards to shape, even if they are being machine cut & finish shaped.
would i pay that sort of $$$? no, not likely. but these are not really my style of surfboards.

[GrEgApHeR]

It's Laguna Beach, that should tell you something about price, I mean that's where the Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships are.

Check out Mitch's http://www.mitchssurfshop.com/fly.as...d=69&menuid=55 for pricy hand shaped boards. Pretty sure all of these shapers are more old school / reputable....

I agree - You get what you pay for! Except maybe in this case (LOL!!) http://store.ferrari.com/en/sport/sk...ia-spider.html

[420]

I think those prices are pretty fare for both of them boards . That Mini simons is pretty sweet. I have been actually wantin one of those for a while but a little bigger than 4'11

definalty you get what u pay for . CNC board from china glassed my someone who dont even know what surfing is for 400 dollars equals a crap board compared to a hand shapped and glassed board from someone who surf and knows what they are doing.

Thank You!

[420]

MDSurfer he has a good point. Bottom line though. if you have the money would you rather buy a ford or a ferrari. Sure ford makes a good vehicle but it isnt a ferrari. Ford builds their vehicles off an assembly line and computers and machines are the real "craftsmen" much like the cnc cut boards. The difference is Ferrari makes their cars in a showroom and it is done by the designers. Its a big difference. The involvement you get from designer to product with a ferrari is what i wish i could afford. But i will drive my ford until i can afford it. Cnc cut boards are good yes but less time required from the designer. So what are you paying for with those boards? You are paying for somebodys house.

[chuck white]

It may be a top quality board just like a Ferrari. How many of your friends drive Ferrari's & are willing to take a chance with them parking in crowded parking lots & not get a ding...Same reason as why you don't see any of your friends taking a $ 800-$ 1,000 board to the surf beach to bang around with with the guys who drove to the beach in a car with 4 different colors of paint & the bumpers beaten nearly off. That price is still unrealistic to most surfers & if they shelled out that kind of money for a board, it would be rarely used or a "collector" board.

[Ray F.]

i personally think there is an element of "boutique-iness" & paying for the name going on w/ those shapers.

I totally agree with you, brother.

...but if you've ever taken a good, hard look at a properly shaped Simmons or mini-Simmons (& the guy behind swift, richard kenvin, is prob. the best at them right now), there is a hell of a lot going on. step-decks, hull-like belly & roll blending into a pretty deep single concave out the back between the glassed-on marine ply keels...these are not easy boards to shape

I've seen a ton of posts saying that on Swaylocks...then I got one. I have to say that after seeing the kids on youtube take a flat blank, cut off the nose (square), chamfer the bottom front edge and then go surf what is essentially a flat rectangle, all of the stuff "going on" isn't neccessary and 90% of us wouldn't know if the the shaper didn't succeed in what he's attempting. The 2 design features that I find most interesting are the concave (Bob Simmons only did this on a very few boards) and belly roll (his belly roll consisted of whatever was left after rounding the corners at the rail of a flat bottom). I can understand the scoop deck on the original 9' wood boards, but at less than 6 feet, it's novelty.

I'm just saying that the "boutique-iness" goes beyond the art or finish and often shows up in design. If charging extra for time spent on details that are beyond a practical means (to that specific rider) is the issue, there's a lot of overpriced designer boards in the water....and I have a couple!!! I guess I should buy a Surftech.

[MATT JOHNSON]

It may be a top quality board just like a Ferrari. How many of your friends drive Ferrari's & are willing to take a chance with them parking in crowded parking lots & not get a ding...Same reason as why you don't see any of your friends taking a $ 800-$ 1,000 board to the surf beach to bang around with with the guys who drove to the beach in a car with 4 different colors of paint & the bumpers beaten nearly off. That price is still unrealistic to most surfers & if they shelled out that kind of money for a board, it would be rarely used or a "collector" board.

I see what u are saying but if a person cant afford a higher priced hand shape board and can only afford a 400-500 pop out i think they are gonna still worry about dinging a cheaper board just as much as a expencive board even more so if its there only board.
I try not to take my newer stuff out on crowded days and it I do I just go down the beach a bit to a less crowded area. But I really never have anyproblem with crowds and my boards getting dinged. Most of my boards are no the type you wana get in a collision with

[wallysurfr]

http://www.thaliasurf.com/jotusu.html

check out the 4/3 kookboxx wetsuit for $625... lol.

I'll stick to O'neill, billabong and quicksilver and craigslist for my boards (lol). IMO their stuff looks like overpriced trash.

[banxsurfer]

Just thought I would drop a little info for anyone wanting high-end shapes at reasonable prices. surfboardbuilders.com has awesome shapers and ship to your door. . I have been riding Hank Warner shapes for a long while now. Met him while living in San Diego. He is a real shaper and a good dude. He shapes the Kookbox label and he and Skip Frye shaped together in Pacific Beach, both shaping forever. He doesn't have the Skip Frye price but all the skills. Hank puts out some of the best Longboards/Fish in the world...sans Skip!