Believe they are made in Asia, their pu customs are all shaped and made on the Goldie - 4 week + lead time. their hi fi and carbon builds offshore from what I’ve been told, makes sense with a 14-16 plus week lead time. I’m sure they would probably do their pro and r&d boards in house. I haven’t ridden the hi fi tech but people who ride them say it’s a heavier and more damped feel than most eps/epoxy builds and closer to pu feel. I love the look of the Xero gravity but it’s got a really low entry rocker which puts me off.
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Darks Arts EPS and Carbon Fiber Surfboards
- Thread starter bluengreen
- Start date
Did you handle those Kevlar boards? If so was there a weight difference compared to normal DA?
cobra make the JS carbons, the ones i felt up definitely were heavier than the DA that was on the racks, DA was a touch squishier though.
the futures boxes on the JS carbon looked like they were set in after lam without a carbon patch over them like the DA, obviously they must have some clear glass over them but wasn't particularly visible.
i could see where the DA price came from over the lower price point of JS.
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Anyone know where Sharp Eye is making their C1 carbon boards?
Stock boards are 1K. Seems difficult to make them in the US at the price point. Customs are a bit more so maybe made here?
Fit an finish are excellent on the one I just got, which is kind of what you’d expect honestly from a board made in Asia these days.
It’s heavier than the DAs I‘ve had in the past but not by much. Hard to justify an additional $500 unless you’re getting something cool like the carbon boards 760 glassing is making.
Stock boards are 1K. Seems difficult to make them in the US at the price point. Customs are a bit more so maybe made here?
Fit an finish are excellent on the one I just got, which is kind of what you’d expect honestly from a board made in Asia these days.
It’s heavier than the DAs I‘ve had in the past but not by much. Hard to justify an additional $500 unless you’re getting something cool like the carbon boards 760 glassing is making.
According to the guy I talked to at Sharpeye the stock ones are made in Asia and the customs are made here.
If Cobra is making the JS carbotune my guess would be that they are making the Sharpeye C1 as well. This is just a guess. I have no inside info. If anyone does, please share.
I haven't weighed my C1 Cheatcode but it feels pretty comparable to a Darkarts. Fit and finish is great and I really like the way it surfs.
The sig/dims lam is your answer. If not written in pencil, then it’s made overseas.
I did fondle them a bit. I dont remember feeling a weight difference in them. If there was, it was minimal because I did not notice it at all.
I have an email into Tony at DA about the weight comparison of theses two builds.
I’m mulling over ordering a board and was hoping to get DA with I little extra weight. I had them make me a Ghost with extra layer of cloth/glass. It was fine but made the board less flexy and not that much heavier.
My DA Alpha Omega is PU blank with a regular stringer and Dark Arts laminate. Still light and strong but not super duper retarded light like normal DA. It’s noticeably less light. It’s perfect for that design. I like some boards super light (Plasmic) but for what I have in mind I think a little extra weight, but still light, will be the call.
The DA guys don’t seem super excited about making other boards with the PU/stringer build.
To be continued…
I have a box waiting for me with some alternative lamination layups. It will be a few weeks before I have time to pick them up, and will be even longer before I can actually ride them as life is extremely busy.
I have been told my AO is a varial core and definitely looks like a DA bagged lamination, it feels maybe a tad heavier and damper than the standard EPS builds, but with Varial out for now not a repeatable build.
I have also asked about PU builds and I imagine the hesitation is strength/bond during their lamination/bagging process. Although now that AO's are available in poly I'm not sure why it may be an issue with other shapes.
I have been told my AO is a varial core and definitely looks like a DA bagged lamination, it feels maybe a tad heavier and damper than the standard EPS builds, but with Varial out for now not a repeatable build.
I have also asked about PU builds and I imagine the hesitation is strength/bond during their lamination/bagging process. Although now that AO's are available in poly I'm not sure why it may be an issue with other shapes.
Justin says that a PU stringered blank combined with carbon is too stiff. He says that he's tested all sorts of carbon layups and blank layups and feels that a wood stringer with carbon is too stiff.
Yet they made the AO pu/stringer. Doesn’t add up to me.
Give the people what they want, Tony!
When I picked up the AO I asked them if they were going to do more boards with that build and Tony said that this model was a one off and they didn’t have any plans to do more.
Tony did ask for feedback on the build which I never gave him directly. I know he lurks here so he probably knows my opinion on the AO.
I’ll probably get an email from him tomorrow about the carbon/kevlar question and I’ll Ask about stringered PU builds.
My AO is stiff but the one I had before - @oeste858 has it now - was heavily glassed PU/PE with a gloss coat so it stiff and heavy.
I personally like the PU DA AO build.
Anyway, thinking about a Bom Dia in dark arts but wanted it to ride closer to PU/PE.
Maybe just get one in….
….PU/PE
Well @Sharky might know but my guess is that Malcom would only shape them on regular PU blanks.
What about a stringerless PU Dark Sharts build?My AO is stiff but the one I had before - @oeste858 has it now - was heavily glassed PU/PE with a gloss coat so it stiff and heavy.
I personally like the PU DA AO build.
Anyway, thinking about a Bom Dia in dark arts but wanted it to ride closer to PU/PE.
Maybe just get one in….
….PU/PE
Would they do something like that for you?
They have a carbon/kevlar build, pu blank with eps stringer. I haven’t touched one yet.
To be clear they haven’t said “no”. They did make the Alpha Omega in only stringered pu and to my knowledge everyone who got one loves it. And btw I base that on direct experience of having one, @santacruzin has one and loves it, I met another recently who loved his and I’ve yet to see one for sale on the used market.
All I know about whether or not they’d do it is what I said above, that when I asked (kind of in passing) they said they “no plans” of doing it with other boards.
I expect to be in commission with DA this week, I will ask them about it and fill you guys in. Maybe their PU with eps stringer is a better build and there’s no reason to go with a wood stringer.
Btw, the standard dark arts build is pretty fucking awesome.