Anyone know anything about Sovereign surfboards, a fairly new shaper in VB area? Ridden or own one of their designs? Their prices seem competitive, just wondering how well they'd compare to a well shaped custom out there or your average WRV/Seasoned board?
I have seen pics of the Sorveign guysboards and shaping area its a garage type of thing. The pictures of the boards I have seen are a bit rough. The outlines not to clean, just overall not too impressed. If your looking for a cheaper "custom" in the VB area check out 757 surfboards, their outlines and board choices seem better to me. Granted I maybe way off on Soverign but looking at photos they will be getting their shaping early experience "trials and errors" on your money. If it was up to me, and it was several months ago when I looked into these soverign guys boards that i saw on craigslist, I would rather spend $500 on a good board by a great shaper than save $150 by a non proven shaper. Also depends on what you want. If your looking for a groveler to play around on in knee high slop, sort of a longboard alternative or whatever and its a basic egg shape or something with little to no concave and fin placement isnt all that critical you just want a new surfboard to float around on, then maybe go to Soverign. IF you want a board that you can count on really working, foiled out correctly, concaves even on both side the stringer etc.... then go with a proven shaper. Soverign boards may be sick I am not knocking them beacuse i havent seen anything recently from them, but from the pics i saw of these guys and boards they had made about 8 months ago I wouldnt spend my money with them. If you can hold out for awhile Tommy Moore (ex WRV shaper and currently a ...lost ghost shaper) is supposesdly moving back east and will be doing boards back in this area again. I have been on Tommy Moore boards for a long time now, in fact just got two sicks one this past fall and one coming hoepfully next week, his boards are sick and he can probably do a poly a little cheaper than what you can get at WRV. I highly recommend trying a local shaper then if you like what you got the first time go back to him for another board telling him what ya liked about the board you have and what you dont like, its amazing how good your boards can get if ya stay with a shaper long enough, if they keep good notes/ files on their customers.
Bushwood, thanks for the info. I was already leaning that way before, but your post kinda reinforced that. I don't know anyone that has one personally, so yeah, they could be good boards. But the lack of experience is a big factor here. And I'm not looking for something to just float on right now, looking for something that will perform fairly well in our waves, with a little extra material to get into waves easy. But obviously done right. I thought maybe that if there was a chance I could get a steal with them, I'd try, but so much of boards being "done right" comes with that invaluable experience. Thanks for the name, I can probably hold out a little longer. Still looking around at this point.
Look into Bill Frierson in VB. He was one of the original partners at WRV. http://www.friersondesigns.com/
+ one on friarson, and dont forget about Tim Nolte on the way down to OBX. Home of the $450 custom board, and he has been at it for decades.
HEy what are you VB guys riding (well Sandbridge guy too since Lee's here, haha) I'm sort of a board design ho so was wondering what you guys are riding. Right now my quiver consist of : Tommy Moore Round Nose Fish- much like the orignal ...lost round nose fish basically a high performance fish shape ITs gota single to double concave witha bit of ve thru the fins, low entry and exit rocker love this board! . 5'-5 x 19 1/4" x 2 3/8"(5 fin set up usually run Al merrick fcs up front and a mini trailer int he back, or if we get some faster walled up surf i like the fcs K.2 quads) Tommy Moore Tweaker- Dumpster Diver/Rocket type board, short stubby shortboard. Its a straight single concave all the way thru. Low entry rocker witha good amount of tail rocker right at the fins. This board is super fast and rips off the tail, but the sweet spot due to the tail rocker is small, back foot has to be all the way back to get this thing to fly. Harder to bury the rail due to a really wide diamond tail 5'-9" x 19 1/4" x 2 1/4" (thruster with fcs K.2s up front mini trailer in back to loosen up that wide tail) Tommy Moore SLop Rod my groveler design (which should be herein a week or so i hope) Similar to an Album surfboards Sub or a lost plank. Round full nose, short wide but right at the front fins a nice bump wing to reduce the tail area. It has a slight single conave thru the front foot area and vee thru the fins right around the little bump wing area to allow rail to rail transitions a little more easily. Board is flat, really flat deck low entry and exit rocker. Its a total Groveler, my friend has a lost plank and it was the funnest thing i have ever ridden in waves thigh high and under. ITs also going to my daughters learning board, hoping the Epoxy construction will keep their nobby knees and elbows from dinging the board too much. Problem is it maybe hard to get Dad off of this thing when its knee high. 5'-6" x 20 3/4" x 2-3/8" EPS construction. (Quad with Future Controller Quads) I hope to ordering a actual high performcae short board soon, mine is shot and I will need one this fall. Last year I rode my 5'-5' fish in hurricane surf this past fall and granted it was super fun but the bottom turn on anything overhead got a little sketchy.
yo Hey guys, i'm the guy behind the Sovereign label you may have been reading about and I figured i'd just throw out there my perspective on the whole deal. i'm definitely an amateur shaper, i've only been making traditional foam and fiberglass boards for about a year and a half and i'm sure the boards i'm making are definitely not super nice, but i'm getting better and i'm working with a professional glasser this summer so theres no doubt in my mind that my boards are reaching a much higher level of quality. Bushwood, sorry to hear about what you have to say and i totally respect it, i need to know all the criticism possible if i want to get better, and i think alot of the pictures you see are from earlier in my "career" and i'll definitely try and do a better job of keeping updated. The guys at 757 Surfboards definitely have it figured out, i'm definitely glad to see other up and coming shapers in this area.. check them out for sure. Bottom line is, for anyone thinking about ordering one from me, i think i can make you a solid board, definitely not a high-caliber stick from a shop or a professional shaper, but that's not what you're paying for. And like bushwood says, the longer you stay with a shaper the better, and i definitely don't plan on quitting anytime soon. The boards i've sold all have received positive feedback, and this summer working with a pro will definitely improve the quality of each and every one, so i figure the sky's the limit. Thanks for the feedback!
Don't forget Austin, a local in va beach http://www.austinsurfboards.com/. I just picked up a custom rocket fish from him a month ago and the thing is amazing. Actually bought 2 boards that day but the fish has been so much fun that I haven't even thought about riding the other one.
Sjserpe, Im glad you came on and got started shaping. Everyone starts somewhere man and yeah your not going to be a great shaper the first time you pick up a planer. Shaping sticks is an art form, so yes it takes years to develope your craft. Good luck to you, and like i said I wasnt trying todown your boards in anyway just wanted to make sure that a fellow VB surfer is getting what he was looking for in way of boards. Im a a board design ho, love the way a few tweaks to concave or vee can take a board from ok to amazing. I do CAD work for a living so I am drawing up new board outlines all the time for myself and my friends when they need boards. I have a pretty good feel for what works for me and by watching my friends and the way they surf I have been able to get them on some boards they fit their surfing also. Keep mowing foam SJ the only way to get better. Did you "apprentice" under anyone or just pick up the planer and start mowing foam?
6'0 round nose quad fish, a 6'6 round pin rhino chaser for travel, a bunch of 6'4's (a flat thick one, a thin one with lots of rocker, and a bumped tail SD copy). All of my boards were shaped by my old man & I and glassed by future fibreglass. They do great glass work, worth every penny.
Lee whats a regular shortboard glass jb run? any idea wit themputting in the FCS fusion plugs? Just curious
Thanks for saying so man, and yeah i did 2 boards with Ron Mellot at first, but boards 3-19 were pretty much just me so it was alot of trial and error, but i think now that i'm working with Ed Townes who really knows glassing technique i figure they can only get better. And thats awesome that you do CAD, i wish i had more patience for advanced design aspects, i still think i have alot to learn as far as that field goes. Anyway, much respect. Oh btw, cost of a glass job ranges from $150-$300 depending on Poly/Epoxy, but probably around $200 for your standard shortie with FCS plugs and 4+6/4 cloth with Poly resin.
A couple of old round pin 8'4 longboards that I learned on, but always keep around for our average VB 1-2ft mush and good learning boards for teaching others, 7'0 hybrid type (not sure best way to describe it) more fish shaped swallow tail w/shallow crack and little bump wing tail (paddles into anything easy) and 6'4 more traditional thruster w/very shallow narrow swallow tail.
