We're killing the craftsmen

Marketing I suppose.

 

if i remember correctly you used to be able get a custom board from those major brands . They domost of the shaping with the cnc machine then tweak and fine tune by hand . But you need to know the template , rail , nose / tail rocker , contour , shave here , shave little there , etc . With a local shaper you can be educated on the vessel we call a surf board . They can work with you to find all those hidden subtle tweaks that make that board feel like magic . the changes on contour to the bottom , fade on rails , rocker nose and tail , tail shape , is it more foam forward , is the pivot point under front foot or forward of , etc , etc ,etc . Get to know them over the years . Fine tune each new board , watch how your quiver broadens your knowledge and ability . But it is nice to find an off the shelf board that works , for reasonable prince but 700 beans is too much . I just put an order in for a custom , surf / kite surf board . Apprently its like kevlar , i added a few extras like foot strap inserts and asked to make as indestructible as he could with some compromise . Have not heard back with the quote , its really going to hurt

 

Did you know that CI is owned by the Burton Snowboards Conglomerate? Al Merrick is just a cog in the massive machine.

Ew

 

A production shaper can accurately rough out a shortboard MUCH faster than a machine can. You just don't have to pay the machine. After the machine is paid off, the machine will pay for itself several times over, as long as there's a demand for boards it's cutting.

Glassing and sanding both involve a considerable amount of craftsmanship. What it's not is creative, especially doing clear boards. Doing color is lots of fun, though. But a glasser or sander can easily ruin a board if they don't have the skills. Out of all the steps in building a board, sanding and polishing is the hardest for me.

 

machines are taking over the job market,everything from surfboards to cars.its really nothing new.it saves the company a lot of money,its done at high precision,and u don't have to worry about injuries(don't know if shaping is a dangerous job lol)

but I prefer handshaped boards.i never owned a merrick or lost or any other board that's over $600.if u got the doe then godspeed do it ur way lol.but for me that's too much money,and u can take an $800 merrick out on a solid day and snap it on ur first wave.thats why those boards are for pros,because they don't buy them and get a boatload for free.

 

My point is that you are no better than what you whine about.

 

Grain of sand is being silly . I have a bunch of CNC made boards and actually have 2 from legendary machine DF123zr who is now out of service and prints T shirts on Hampton beach . Btw would you happen to be part of the hipster wood machine grain surfboards pushing their silly sustainable agenda again ? Go back to VT

 

Well I can say this... as far as resale goes, IMO you are better off buying a non shaped board. Now I know I will catch **** for this but think about it. When ever I look at a board from someone for sale that has been hand shaped, it was custom made for THAT PERSON in some shape or form according to what that individual is looking for. That is the whole idea of getting a handshaped board now isnt it? Of course you will say the quality is better and I would agree BUT the main reason is to fine tune it to YOU.. Now when you go to sell that board how do you know how well its gonna work for someone else? You dont, which is why the value is not there to another person when reselling it. Merrick, Lost, Firewire, etc... mass produce boards to fit a set of requirements covering a range of things. When reselling it, they all hold their value pretty darn good and to the masses out there, they can click on a website and read every aspect about the board that they want and make their decision from that...

Again I am all about supporting local shapers, in fact both of my boards are handshaped, BUT they are handshaped with MY FRAME, STYLE, WEIGHT, AND SKILL(or lack of it) all weighted into the design... but I know if I ever sell either of them, I am gonna take a beating on the price....

 

Do people really buy boards thinking about the resale value? Is that a factor? I would think you're trying to buy the best board... for you... that you can afford, not about what it's worth when you're done with it. I'm out of the loop on that, because I don't buy boards. I would assume that you'll hold on to a custom a lot longer than a board off the rack? Again... I'm out of the loop on this sort of thing.

 

No, I think you will do same on a resale. Most buyers buy length and width. Your board will have a buyer as well. Condition of the board will rule.

 

when I was buying a lot of hand-shaped boards from my friend (he was shaping for a while and I was getting them at cost of materials), the only reason I would sell them is if they didn't work. So, whenever I see a mint/unknown shaper board for sale (that has the traction placed correctly), my first thought is it's probably a dog. Of course, there can be other factors motivating one to sell their new stick, but, if it was a custom, you can probably rule out that it was just the wrong size.

got to agree, my used Lost boards went pretty quick and for a good price. You rarely see any reasonably priced used CI, Lost, etc for sale that aren't pretty beat up...and it's not just because the glass is weak. The shapes are so good, people ride them as long as they can.

 

I can't tell what your issue is...

You're not interested in shapers using the best tools available. Rather, they should "do it the old fashion way"...because there is more "soul" in it right?! I mean...not many true pop-outs still exists outside of NSP, etc...you realize that right? The reason your shaper is using a planer is because that particular form of technology improved consistency...smh.

Next, you think all production boards are one size fits all...and your shaper doesn't do the same thing for your board.....riiiiiggghhhttt.

 

It's evolution, baby! Give me a board that works, and I'll ride it. I don't care if Johnny 5 shaped the god damned thing.

 

For new/custom boards, for me, never. But i have bought many used boards with resale value in mind. I've bought beat up Rusty Dwarts, Lost Round Fish's, did the ding repairs/cleaned up the grime, rode them a few times, sold them for $50 more than i paid for them, and felt like I learned something at the same time (loved the RNF, hated the Dwart).

That wouldn't work with a small-name custom probably, because they are SO much harder to flip once your done with them.

 

Ha. I've done the exact same thing like 4 times. It's great to make a few bucks flipping a board.

 

i bet a lot of people dont know who/what this is

 

My computer just short circuited...

 

Only morons would care.

 

nowadays, when I buy custom, it's more for size, materials and colors.

Whenever I've asked for certain design features ("fine-tune it to me") on a custom, it's always been a disaster. Now, I let the shaper make the decisions...wait for him to tell me what size I should be on and what features are tweakable within his designs (don't recommend trying to make a shaper shape your design).

When I go to sell them, I know they work...it's basically just a matter of the buyer's weight and, to a lesser extent, height and the conditions they're gonna ride it in.

 

Words of wisdomme right there. Better to tell the shaper what you have and what it doesn't do that you want it to do, and let him decide on how to tweak the design.