what do u people do for a living. wax dryl aruka etc?

Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
3,041
4,550
113
Innzid
A question: When you guys say "I don't drink", what does that mean? Drinking lots and lots? Going out drinking? Did drinking become a big financial burden?

I drink, but I don't 'Drink'. If I quit, it definitely wouldn't all of a sudden allow me to go nuts moneywise.

Just curious.
 

urchined

Nep status
Jul 20, 2019
763
1,384
93
NCSD, CA
Four kids - mortgage - fulltime job. Honestly, for a while, planning and buying boards was the only reason to get up in the morning, especially when you got the opportunity to surf and it was generally crap. But lately buying boards has been a pain in the a%%. Selling off boards and dealing with tyre kickers, juggling money to fund a probable addiction; communicating with shapers who say the board will be ready in 4 weeks and it takes 3 months; getting the board and realising it's not that great ... it just takes the fun out of it. All i've learnt over years of board whoring is this: when you get a really good board, saviour it - ride it until it's dead. If you have 3-4 boards like that in the mix, that's all you need. Recently, I've spent more time focusing on my kids' surfing so that eventually I can just surf with them. Like all hard work - it isn't much fun, but eventually, it will pay off.

And I don't begrudge the dudes on here that have epic quivers and put time and energy into them - I feel stoked for them.
Your surf time with the kids will come. I did the same. Now I surf all the time with my 14yr old. Took her to mainland mex this year. Mom couldn’t say sh!t on that surf trip. Doing it for the kid!
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
113
California/Hawaii
A question: When you guys say "I don't drink", what does that mean? Drinking lots and lots? Going out drinking? Did drinking become a big financial burden?

I drink, but I don't 'Drink'. If I quit, it definitely wouldn't all of a sudden allow me to go nuts moneywise.

Just curious.
Drinking costs a lot when you drink a lot. Doesn't matter if it was at home or out somewhere.
 

waxfoot

Michael Peterson status
Apr 21, 2018
2,081
4,002
113
Making durable, long lasting boards would basically work them out of a job.
Couldn't disagree more with this.

If boards lasted longer, you'd be more inclined to try more and different boards from the same shaper, instead of just re-ordering the same one when it eventually shits the bed.
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,920
14,980
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
A question: When you guys say "I don't drink", what does that mean? Drinking lots and lots? Going out drinking? Did drinking become a big financial burden?

I drink, but I don't 'Drink'. If I quit, it definitely wouldn't all of a sudden allow me to go nuts moneywise.

Just curious.
I used to drink 2-3 beers a night, sometimes 6, regardless of where we ate. If we ate out, obviously it'd cost more ($6+ beers). I didn't used to drink cheap stuff at home, always a microbrew. Then if I went to a sporting event or out with friends I'd have 3-6 drinks, that would be like 2-3 times per month. I added it all up, it was north of $200 a month. I figured every 2-4 months I'd have saved enough for a new board. Not going nuts moneywise and not a financial burden, but over a few months you'd have a new custom.

I still drink, but only on vacation and just a couple beers before dinner.
I enjoy it, but don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. No beer belly into my 40s.
 
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Senor Sopa

Billy Hamilton status
Mar 11, 2015
1,366
2,176
113
Ponto
There's too much great stuff to comment on all of it.
I agree with 000's assessment, this was going on way before COVID.
I'm currently riding an 8 year old board. All my newer ones suck. If you call a week in Cabo a trip, then I take one of those. I got a mortgage, kids are done. Work in embedded type software, currently for a diagnostic company (yes, we have a covid test). I try to surf when it's good, sometimes that means missing weeks at a time.

I'm also curious how peeps are storing so much equipment.
 

oneula

Miki Dora status
Jun 3, 2004
4,363
2,710
113
in my 20s-30s I smoked daily and drink a bottle of a favorite italian red a night just to pass out from work. Did all the fake yuppie sht in the 80's and luckily did all the drugs I could get my hands on before I left high school.Eventually you grow out of all that of that stuff. You realize the best weed, nicest car, nicest house, best stereo system, designer clothes, latest tech or kitchen knife collection is just all a loser's game. Life is allot simpler now, just work/teach. do your chores, play when you can and rest. No need to impress anyone anymore male or female, I guess that comes with old age.

In the old days you saved up for a while and bought a big board, well made and heavily glassed to last you a life time, maybe pass it down to your kids. But then money came in to play and like everything else it became more about volume than quality. Every great shaper will tell you the same, the bro deal, the shop pressures, the cutting corners to pump out product. It took over the business like every other business producing a commodity. So now you have production producers and you have your "arteests". If I see something interesting I buy and try it. It either lives up to its promise and works or it doesn't. But you are constantly learning with each adventure.

I store 2 dozen in a variety of racks at home and another little over a dozen or so in cold storage with the rest of my crap. Specialty boards especially epoxies in cold storage, daily drivers at home. I usually take 3-4 boards with me when I head out. Never know what the conditions/crowd will be until you get there. Start short and work my way up in length as the day goes on and my arms peter out from each session. Go home depleted but happy.
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,253
19,081
113
Jacksonville Beach
I feel like craigslist has kind of slowed down, and I guess people are elsewhere, but while I don't think Firewire flooding the zone was good for domestic production, it's had an outstanding effect on the price of destructo-thrusters on craigslist and used racks.

Weed and surfboards don't seem that inflation-affected compared to other things. Fishing lures are getting more expensive, but fancier sh!t is making its way onto cheaper reels now.

The graphine body Penn Spinfishers I had in the 80s/90s were pretty solid reels, and even I could do minor servicing. But the Spinfisher VI and Stradics etc. BTFO those things, as do PowerPro and Nanofil.

Same with boars. I think the polys today last longer, and the new builds are mental for small wave stuff.
 

Northern_Shores

Miki Dora status
Mar 30, 2009
4,487
4,403
113
What about collecting and practicing wild shreds instead of being a board-buying clown?

Need maybe 2 boards. One for the crappy waves and one for the good ones.
 

paunch23

Billy Hamilton status
Jun 27, 2011
1,720
1,016
113
Rep. of Panama, La Barqueta, David, Chiriquí
i think the new bird hauffman could be among us!!!

Well, thanks to covid everyones been drinking a more around here. I'm eating less (lost some weight) and drinking more. By more i mean 1-2 beers a few days a week. here at home. quite light.
never got into weed and the other stuff.

But some of my friends drink almost everyday. hard liquor too. but they mix it with coke. sometimes those fckers go on for 2-3 days like its carnival week.
 

Yewstreet

Legend (inyourownmind)
Nov 8, 2019
422
760
93
Late 20s - Recently moved to SF - Not in a tech job

I used to buy only one new board a year and take a ton of trips (Indo & hawaii annually, + a few other ones)
Moving to SF has doubled my income and all my expenses have went down since I'm just working out of my apartment.
Rent is high (I rented a bigger place so I could have an office), but other than that I'm saving quite a bit.

I've already bought 2 boards since I've got here :foreheadslap: