Somewhere buried in these forum pages I posted that if ever I came out the other side of COVID with my job intact I would buy a local custom board. We did not reach the other side and despite being on a 20% COVID pay cut I decided to go ahead. This was back in June. I had spent the last 2 years surfing just 2 second hand Chilli boards and had got the new board itch.
The story started from before then - I had moved to regional Vic and I asked the local team rider if I could take a look at his board and he suggested I get a custom and recommended that particular model as a baseline design. I had some doubts about how well that would work out (although I did not voice them). He said that the boards were cut by machines and fine scaling of measurments possible which was reassuring.
A custom consultation was booked and I took in my old Chilli HPSB as a reference point. I explained that rail volume is really important to me - too thin and the board accidentally sinks rails and is difficult to use. Too chunky and I can't bury it in a hard driving turn. Shaper said that he could measure points at intervals along the rail and produce something similar. I said that is not necessary, I was not looking for a board that is exactly the same as what I got - after a different feeling which is the whole point of getting a new design. I suggested just measure the mid-point and I am sure that the rest of the rails would come within my comfort zone and that I did not want to detract from the original design.
So my Chilli was placed on the stands and examined - the Grom plus model - HPSB for small people. Shaper did the Maurice Cole trick of diagonally placing a long ruler across the rear of the hull and showed how it lay flat and remarked it was a very straight flow path. Long ruler on an example of the proposed local design showed that the model I was ordering had more tail rocker. The shaper also remarked that the rear rails of the Grom plus were quite tall and boxy - I emphatically said that I do like them like that. They do not cause the tail end to skip out with me and I like the way they can keep me going fast over the surface when I need that sort of "easy speed". I said that I was not necessarily requiring rails to be replicated along the full length and happy to keep the original design intent. Nevertheless the shaper used calipers (high precision tool) to take measurements at 3 points along the rear half. The points are where he puts 3 slices in the computer shape. They use AKU and although I had a self design which was not perfect but got the rail thickness right, it was in Shape3D, so could not be used as reference. Nose rocker and rails forward of mid point were not discussed, but the understanding was that I would be getting a board the same dimensions and volume, but with a "bit more performance" which I attributed to the extra tail rocker.
We went into the computer room because some customers like to see how the software looks on the screen and the shaper dug out from the archives an example of the model I had ordered. It was one he had put together for his son who was not too far away from my size I believe. This would be the starting point for my board he explained. Wait time would be 4 weeks - "is that ok? we are quite busy" he added "everyone is surfing". I ordered one of their standard simple coloured rail schemes. Shaper said that if the board is not exactly what is wanted then they can sometimes put it in the rack to sell, but the colour and size I was ordering could make that a little difficult. It is an indication that things don't always go right with custom.
4 weeks is alright with me, 6 would be my happiness limit. Former custom builder and all round expert Josh Dowling told me that 6 weeks is about as long as the new board itch excitement lasts in a customer before enthusiasm wanes and some of that new board experience is lost. Three weeks later I got a call, board was finished. Upon examining it in the shop I knew I was going to be happy with it, I could tell that the rail volume was right in my comfort zone and the tall boxy tail rails like the Chilli had been produced. I had faith in the basic design - rocker etc due to the local company having a reasonable amount of team riders, some of who were on that design.
Board is great, a bit more performance as discussed. Catches waves a bit better too. Dimensions on paper the same, but volume up a little - I did say that I was an aging weekend warrior who had only acquired my current surf schedule of up to 8 sessions a week since COVID, so maybe he thought I needed it. Magic board. I am surfing it all the time, needed no dialing in.
The story started from before then - I had moved to regional Vic and I asked the local team rider if I could take a look at his board and he suggested I get a custom and recommended that particular model as a baseline design. I had some doubts about how well that would work out (although I did not voice them). He said that the boards were cut by machines and fine scaling of measurments possible which was reassuring.
A custom consultation was booked and I took in my old Chilli HPSB as a reference point. I explained that rail volume is really important to me - too thin and the board accidentally sinks rails and is difficult to use. Too chunky and I can't bury it in a hard driving turn. Shaper said that he could measure points at intervals along the rail and produce something similar. I said that is not necessary, I was not looking for a board that is exactly the same as what I got - after a different feeling which is the whole point of getting a new design. I suggested just measure the mid-point and I am sure that the rest of the rails would come within my comfort zone and that I did not want to detract from the original design.
So my Chilli was placed on the stands and examined - the Grom plus model - HPSB for small people. Shaper did the Maurice Cole trick of diagonally placing a long ruler across the rear of the hull and showed how it lay flat and remarked it was a very straight flow path. Long ruler on an example of the proposed local design showed that the model I was ordering had more tail rocker. The shaper also remarked that the rear rails of the Grom plus were quite tall and boxy - I emphatically said that I do like them like that. They do not cause the tail end to skip out with me and I like the way they can keep me going fast over the surface when I need that sort of "easy speed". I said that I was not necessarily requiring rails to be replicated along the full length and happy to keep the original design intent. Nevertheless the shaper used calipers (high precision tool) to take measurements at 3 points along the rear half. The points are where he puts 3 slices in the computer shape. They use AKU and although I had a self design which was not perfect but got the rail thickness right, it was in Shape3D, so could not be used as reference. Nose rocker and rails forward of mid point were not discussed, but the understanding was that I would be getting a board the same dimensions and volume, but with a "bit more performance" which I attributed to the extra tail rocker.
We went into the computer room because some customers like to see how the software looks on the screen and the shaper dug out from the archives an example of the model I had ordered. It was one he had put together for his son who was not too far away from my size I believe. This would be the starting point for my board he explained. Wait time would be 4 weeks - "is that ok? we are quite busy" he added "everyone is surfing". I ordered one of their standard simple coloured rail schemes. Shaper said that if the board is not exactly what is wanted then they can sometimes put it in the rack to sell, but the colour and size I was ordering could make that a little difficult. It is an indication that things don't always go right with custom.
4 weeks is alright with me, 6 would be my happiness limit. Former custom builder and all round expert Josh Dowling told me that 6 weeks is about as long as the new board itch excitement lasts in a customer before enthusiasm wanes and some of that new board experience is lost. Three weeks later I got a call, board was finished. Upon examining it in the shop I knew I was going to be happy with it, I could tell that the rail volume was right in my comfort zone and the tall boxy tail rails like the Chilli had been produced. I had faith in the basic design - rocker etc due to the local company having a reasonable amount of team riders, some of who were on that design.
Board is great, a bit more performance as discussed. Catches waves a bit better too. Dimensions on paper the same, but volume up a little - I did say that I was an aging weekend warrior who had only acquired my current surf schedule of up to 8 sessions a week since COVID, so maybe he thought I needed it. Magic board. I am surfing it all the time, needed no dialing in.
