Fair Price For Surfboards

i have no problem or qualms about dropping upwards of $700 for a custom board w/ full resin tint & gloss & polish. more if there are a lot of little fiddly details that require a good eye & good hand-eye coordination.
$900-$1000 for a log w/ the above
for a plain white, sanded finish board w/ a fin system, i think $500 is a fair custom price.

sure, i'd like to pay less, but i know what goes into them, how much the material costs, etc...i like my shaper in business. my $$$ keeps him there. i'm not looking for a "bro-deal" or whatever.

 

boards under 9ft. 500-700 dollars full color with heavy glassing

Boards over 9ft 800 to 1500 with all the works color glassing gloss finish

whitboards with sanded finish would a be a cpl hundred less depending on fin setups and size

 

The more specific a shape I demand, the higher the price I should expect to pay, even for a clear board. Somebody who says, "I want a 6'0 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/8... squash tail, single concave" should expect to pay toward the low end of that $500-$700 range. But if somebody brings a board and says, "I want a new one of these... but with a bit thinner rail and another 1/4 inch less rocker throughout" he should expect to pay more toward the middle or even the upper end of that range, even in clear. Creating a replica takes a lot of skill by itself, and tweaking beyond that, even more so. A handshaper deserves to be compensated for his skills, let alone giving the customer the ability to even make such specific requests. If he's "your shaper," and you need his expertise, expect to pay him for that. Otherwise, ship off your board to somebody who can scan and machine it.

Custom resin color work? You're automatically at the top of that range, even on a 6'0, 'cause that means gloss and polish on top of getting the color and cutlap right. No excuses.

Six channel bottom? Multiple stringers? Single, double or even triple pinlines? Deck inlays? Tail block? All extras.

As for glass bill... no problem. Whatever you want in flat weave E glass. Same with fin systems. Minimal if any extra cost. Volan? Custom weave requests? Expect to pay more.

There should be no argument laying down $1,000 for a longboard with triple stringer, resin tint, and tail block from a local custom shaper... without pinlines - just a pro cutlap.

 

+1. Also go ahead and take a stab at shaping your own board and glassing it. You will quickly gain appreciation for the cost and time it takes.

 

I think $450 to $500 for a PU board with a shpaer that you always use, i do believe you should get a bit of a diso**** using the same shaper all the time.
I think $550 to $600 for a good expoxy build is reasonable

These price include an airbrush if you want a color etc.

Granted you buy a ....lost, Channel Island, JS, etc youw ill pay more but there designs are proven using the best riders in the world, their research and developement budget is much higher so the extra cost in these boards is understood, but the quality of many of these builds are less than what they should be, the shapes are great but a quick hurry up get it out glass/sand job is not acceptable for a board at this price range.

 

PU will almost always be a bit cheaper.... 'cause their cheaper to build, easier and faster to shape and glass... and you know they'll be coming back soon to get another one! Ha!

 

My thoughts exactly.
I just had a 9'6'' shaped w/ resin tint bottom & rails, pin lines, gloss & polish, tail patch, & tail block for $820.

 

Costs

Last board I bought (a 6'10" Quad) was $750 out the door. Seems the longboards I like are $1000 and up. By the time it's all done (board, travel bag, skegs, etc...) target $1000 for Short; $1500 for Long.

 

I would estimate around 500$ but i just recently got a new custom shape, 6'3" quad shortboard fish hybrid standard white sanded PU board. And my shaper only charged me $250 for the board.. and he gave me a set of stretch quads as well.. not the glassflex one but the standard future quads.. but im a lucky ass lol. so if you really search or make friends you can get it pretty cheap...

 

man, did he even cover his material cost?

I remember ordering custom Byrne's w/ art as a grom for $350 each shipped from cali to manasquan, nj

Now I wouldn't even consider a board off the rack at a local shop. I go to craigslist and recently got one on whiskey for $300 shipped.

I always thought as a kid, "oh man, just wait until I have a career, I will be able to buy any board I want."

Then the mortgage came... and the family... I was riding nicer boards back then than I am now.

I just can't drop $750 and up on a board...

 

there have only been 2 options for me. Buy a used board, which is either a friend getting rid of something and not looking to make any $$ or I find some board on Craigslist or a forum and lowball the **** of the guy and if he goes for it, great, if not who cares. Option 2 is I buy boards custom-shaped by locally Northern Monmouth County shapers. I have had a couple of custom shaped boards by guys a bit south of me, like Manasquan area. I quite frankly do not see why anyone would buy off-the-rack or even a "custom" shape by a shaper who has never seen you in person, let alone surfed with you. I'm not even that good of a surfer. I'm almost 40, I have vertigo, and I'm goofy foot, in an area where its all steep drops/rights but trust me I get way more than my fair share of waves -- because I have the proper gear.

 

I'd say if you know what you want, and you have very specific dimensions, you should expect pay more. If you have general numbers, and let the shaper fill in the blanks, you're relying more on the design skills of the shaper and giving him the freedom to shape a board he's confident will work FOR YOU. You can expect to pay less for this board because the shaper's on autopilot. He knows what works and what doesn't, and he's done it a zillion times. If he's gotta stop and measure and compare throughout the entire process, it will take longer and cost more. And the kicker is, it might be ALL WRONG in terms of his design theory and experience! I remember reading in one of the major mags a while back a quote: "Numbers are just a suggestion." There's some truth to that. Sometimes it's better to just let the shaper do his thing.

That's where selecting a shaper becomes YOUR job. It's so important to see a shaper's work, talk to him, and as Dave said, even surf with the guy if you can, to see if there's a good chance his boards will be magic for... you or not. People get off on saying, "My shaper..." Really? How well do you know "your shaper" and his work? What kind of relationship do you have?

What's a good price worth for giving a guy a shot? Your first board could be the one you pay the most for. If you're satisfied with his product, you'll be back, and the relationship goes on from there.

Also... shapers like feedback. Some will even call you a few months later just to get some. That's the beauty of it...

 

i have no clue man, he's just a really cool guy.. im trying to get him to get up here and try to sell some of his boards who knows.. yea life sucks haha