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Firewires and Surftech<3 will easily last that longI could probably surf for another decade or more without the need to buy another board.
I've heard from very reliable sources on the materials end of things things are bad, bad, bad and that was months ago.
I can't imagine it's getting any better.
I mentioned this was coming a while back, and it all ties in to the silly "Why aren't surfboards more expensive?" line of questions.
And I'll repeat the same old song:
Surfboard prices at current levels are simply not sustainable, mostly because the surfboard market is composed of males ages 16-30yr old.
Simply, the demographics of surfing have always limited the rise in prices. Inflation doesn't help.
It doesn't matter if the shaper should be paid more. That's simply not the way it works. Consumers set the prices.
The reason why guys like P Byrne are cheaper than the flavor of the week I think are twofold:
1) The old guys who have been in the game decades know the demographics of surfing limit the rise in prices.
2) The guys with big production operations have big debt payments, big rent payments, and a bunch of employees to pay, hence the more expensive price tag that is difficult to reduce
As for me, I'm not even considering new surfboard purchases. I'm riding great boards and there hasn't been enough surf to beat my current boards up. For 90% of surfers in CA you should be covered with 2 or 3 boards: A groveler, a daily driver, and a good waves board.
So let's do the math. The average surfer in CA gets the most use out of their groveler or DD, the good waves board doesn't factor in as it rarely gets used as the waves are rarely good. Let's say he typically replaces each of those every year. He probably doesn't need a new board, but two crispies have always been a luxury he's willing allow himself about once a year.
Now he faces new pricing:
Plopping down $1200 bucks/yr for two surfboards is one thing.
Plopping down $1200 bucks/yr for one surfboard is another.
He's gonna start stretching his purchases and maybe skipping purchases entirely. $2400/yr on boards is a lot of money. My wife and I bring home good income with no kids and that number is hard to justify. And our COL is far lower than most.
I have ample time to surf and make plenty of use of that time, much more water time than the average joe...and for the average joe who maybe gets in the water once every week or two current prices look even less appealing.
This can only mean guys are going to drop prices, close up shop, or move their business elsewhere.
This is not the shithole. Never been better. Maybe 2006-2007 right before the crash was better, but life for Americans is great.economy in the shithole
speakin to Cacas doom fantasiesThis is not the shithole. Never been better. Maybe 2006-2007 right before the crash was better, but life for Americans is great.
He’s riding a front door with fins.Doom fantasies?
If North Shore's quiver is any representation...Mad Max is already a reality:
View attachment 167892
Happened upon a Volcom pop-up store last weekend while shopping for a fancy bath faucet. In the back of the room, no tags. Sigh, I didn't inquire...He's the surfboard variation of Supreme/GX1000 etc model of pricing.
Also, the guys here with more boards than they can ever actually dial seem to be his most likely customers and are not representative of the market.
It's funny that you'd pay that much for the sh1ttiest construction available, with no flex and a dead feeling and covered by a thick amount of resin...I would never pay more for a surfboard. They are just floaty skateboards. Maybe I would buy a Lib Tech Puddle Jumper 5'11 for $700, but not a PU.
Says someone who sells not only Firewire but NSP and SUP's.It's funny that you'd pay that much for the sh1ttiest construction available, with no flex and a dead feeling and covered by a thick amount of resin...
I've never seen an average / good surfer happy with a Lib Tech, and hate them myself. The only happy owners I see are windsurfers who surf occasionally and want a tough board and germans who like a board that can throw into a plane and make it safe even if it surfs like sh1t...
Flex and "dead feeling" is relevant to maybe the 100 best surfers in the world. The rest of us are not able to apply enough force onto the board for any of that stuff to matter. The flex debate died many years ago after people realized a spongy material like a surfboard is not like a spring.no flex and a dead feeling
That's mewindsurfers who surf occasionally
It's funny that you'd pay that much for the sh1ttiest construction available, with no flex and a dead feeling and covered by a thick amount of resin...
I've never seen an average / good surfer happy with a Lib Tech, and hate them myself. The only happy owners I see are windsurfers who surf occasionally and want a tough board and germans who like a board that can throw into a plane and make it safe even if it surfs like sh1t...
It feels different to me. I don't see very many kids in the water anymore but that's totally anecdotal and the stats are the stats.
Speaking of stats. I found this SIMA tidbit interesting.
Maybe a good chunk of the surfing population can afford a $1,200 board.
I don't think Drew has any association with Lib tech. He does c4, black dart and other pretty rad stuff https://instagram.com/inspiredshaper?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==FWIW I've known som decent surfers that dig the Drew Baggett construction. Not sure if it's the Libtech or just something similar coming out of the same factory.
Unless you are Claw Slater this is all in your head. As you say yourself "whether I like the flex or not.". If you could blind test the boards, there is no way you could differentiate between constructions of otherwise identical boards.I'll definitely agree that lib tech feels like sh!t. Heavy, dead feeling. Priobably okay for a midlength though. @Northern_Shores you really don't feel a difference? I'm a pretty average surfer but can tell instantly whether a board is poly or eps and whether I like the flex or not.
I don't think Drew has any association with Lib tech. He does c4, black dart and other pretty rad stuff https://instagram.com/inspiredshaper?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
I'll definitely agree that lib tech feels like sh!t. Heavy, dead feeling. Priobably okay for a midlength though. @Northern_Shores you really don't feel a difference? I'm a pretty average surfer but can tell instantly whether a board is poly or eps and whether I like the flex or not.
Claw slater, I like that idea....minus the baldness though please.Unless you are Claw Slater this is all in your head. As you say yourself "whether I like the flex or not.". If you could blind test the boards, there is no way you could differentiate between constructions of otherwise identical boards.
If you are an average surfer you are not applying enough force to the boards for them to even twist a millimeter. You are basically going straight compared to Medina or Kelly. How could flex come into play at the recreational level?