The surf industry is at a crossroads. Surf culture, in all of its iterations, is no longer purely about the “stoke”. In the 21st century, it’s all about the Benjamins. This is what happens when a sport is co-opted by Corporate America. Money is mistaken for culture. The ubiquitousness of Billabong and Quiksilver bear this out. Those who once believed surfing would be immune from the taint of money and all that’s required in its pursuit are now fearful of what the future holds for what were once considered the backbone of American surf culture: the local shaper and the local surf shop.
Central to any discussion about the growing pains the surf industry is experiencing is the topic of “pop-out” surfboards. These surfboards are made from a mold rather than being hand-shaped by a human being. More specifically, these boards are mass-produced in China and other Asian countries rather than being hand-shaped by local shapers in this country. Think of it as surfing’s version of outsourcing. Corporate America wants to see a return on its investment in surfing. What better way to capitalize on the recent popularity of surfing than to flood the market with low-cost surfboards made by cheap labor in countries whose environmental standards are non-existent as compared to those in the U.S.? A flooded market equates to finding surfboards for sale in the most unexpected places. Costco now sells boards. Will Wal-Mart be next?
Shapers and local surf shop owners are some of the most vocal opponents of the pop-out surfboards. Their livelihoods are at stake. Mark Brög, shaper/owner of Soul Performance Surfboards in Redondo Beach, laments the spread of this “cancer in our beloved surf society.” His disillusionment with what has become of the surf industry and surf culture is palpable:
“We have now come full circle from the reverence of master shaper and master shaper/surfer to corporate surf companies trying to control the uncontrollable playing field of surfing. The disparity and pain for me come from the quick disconnect we have had over the past 10 years. Surfers now don’t understand what I and many other U.S. manufacturers have gone through to create a barely sustainable living.”
The pop-out debate is, in truth, a double-edged sword. Some small shops sell both pop-outs and hand-shaped boards, knowing that the price point of the pop-outs attracts newer surfers. Traditionally, the profit margin on surfboards is thin and shops sometimes stand to gain more profits from pop-outs than from hand-shaped boards (although it is often the case that the pop-outs are more expensive than the hand-shaped boards). However, local shops are also well aware of the fact that more experienced surfers prefer boards with designs which fit their needs. Surfer A may want a 5’10” thruster (i.e., a board with three fins) with a squash tail while Surfer B might prefer a stubby quad (i.e., a board with four fins) in the same length. In a world populated by pop-outs, these surfers would be forced to settle for whatever they could find. In the end, they would be riding identical boards even though their surf styles and needs differ greatly.
The pop-out debate transcends discussions about money and multi-national surf corporations. Perhaps the best way to approach the issue is to think of the questions it brings up for surfers, shapers and surf shops. Are we willing to be participants in the outsourcing of surf culture? Is saving a few dollars on an arguably inferior product worth the probable loss of local shops and the mentoring they provide for all surfers, especially those who are new to the sport? Who stands to gain the most from the proliferation of pop-outs and why? I wonder if Costco can tell me what board works best at the breaks I surf? Where can I buy a “Support Your Local Shaper” sticker?
Photo by Who’s Your Daddy
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16 responses so far ↓
1 Guy Incognito // Feb 22, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Dude, Costco’s been selling surfboards sporadically for some years now (Google says since 2001). They stock them once in awhile, and it’s somewhat seasonal, but it’s not new.
2 Will // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Odd, my earlier comment disappeared.
Anywho, Costco’s been selling them sporadically instore for years. As early as 2001, according to google. Costco website offers Gordon & Smith brand surfboards (G&S website claims to be made in America). Do the instore surfboards actually say they’re made in China?
3 Mary M // Feb 23, 2008 at 7:52 am
Never said it was new thing.
The point is to look at what we’re losing as we move toward a world populated more by pop-out surfboards then handmade shapes.
4 Mahatma Kane Jeeves // Feb 23, 2008 at 10:11 am
Oh yes. We have the same problem in India, where during the pre-monsoon season off the Bay of Bengal, the waves can achieve truly gnarly proportions of up to 8 feet! In India we have suffered a proliferation of Chinese mass produced surfboards, which are patently inferior to our Indian mass produced surfboards (India being the much more civilised culture). But as the author points from California, I and my surfing associates still prefer to patronize our local surf shaper and ocean meditational yogi: Victor Banarjee, of Banarjee Surf and Billabong Shop. Keep it for locals! Namaste.
5 Matt // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:24 pm
A true surfer would never by a board at Costco. As long as the internet is around, shapers and original surf shops should be able to survive. After the current buzz dies down surfing will return to its grass roots. Those who are new to it just need to be educated about what actually goes into making a board and how unique a personalized one can be.
6 Daniel // Feb 23, 2008 at 2:07 pm
An interesting article, but it would have been a lot more interesting if you given some price information on the what the Costco boards are selling for.
7 Rambo Goddam // Feb 23, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Great article - I think that with the wave of interest in all things local - food-energy sources-etc and the huge hype on unique hand made products - will help the homegrown surf industry survive.
The real tragedy is, like you mentioned, the lack of environmental standards in making a product for a subculture who typically keep the environment in high regards. Ironic isn’t it?
8 chris // Feb 23, 2008 at 6:53 pm
The re’s just one major factual problem with this story, and that is that Costco’s boards aren’t “pop-outs”. Each one is hand shaped by Chinese shapers who’ve learned from Amercians setting up shop over there.
The “pop outs” she’s referring to are the composite technology Surftech boards that don’t sell in Costco, but in virtually every surf shop up and down the coast. These boards have multiple layers of foam and resin sandwiched together to create a more durable product, thus their success at retail.
Plus, most shapers in the U.S. today aren’t shaping boards by hand, but merely “scraping foam” compared to how they used to shape, because they’re using computers that do 95% of the work. In fact, their boards are far more of a “pop out” than the Chinese ones. Each board takes roughly 15 minutes. Commodities aren’t pieces of art. That’s the problem. Guys trying to say they’re doing anything unique by making a surfboard are fooling only themselves.
Of course, the best hand shapers (and glassers) are doing true pieces of art, charging much more, but doing them in fewer numbers. As commodification has risen, some are harkening back to the true art form, using old tools and methods to create more long-lasting works of art. That’s the only future real domestic surfboard shapers have.
9 Mary M // Feb 24, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Chris, the pop-out definition you give is what I first understood pop-outs to be years ago. Of late, people use the term to refer to any of the boards, hand-shaped or not, flooding the market from China. It seems to be a blanket term for “those boards with no soul that we don’t like because they’re killing us.”
10 g.e. // Feb 25, 2008 at 8:33 am
I guess one can start out on a “toy” surfboard but if you truly call yourself a surfer, only the best will do. China? can’t we make anything in America anymore?!!
11 Emberly Modine // Feb 25, 2008 at 7:45 pm
We can make love…
12 Young Summers // Feb 25, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Mary, I don’t surf and know very little about the boards you talked about, but your article impressed me with your insight and concern for the surfing industry. You taught me something new today. Excellent writing!
13 Paul // Mar 22, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Well, here’s my input. I have been a loyal follower of the “soul” shaper out here in the islands for years. I can sum up my experience from many custom boards made for me as inconsistent, some were great, others not so much so. I recently was very dissapppointed by a custom design from a shaper who previously made me a perfect board. This one has fat and soft rails and almost no foiling of the thickness out to the edges, no good for the north shore!
So I was in Costco yesterday and noticed a Counter Cuture that I swear was better shaped than many custom boards for less than half the price. Of coarse they won’t have specialized bigger wave semi-guns, but I believe they are a viable option.
Let’s face it, when a master shaper puts the time into making a custom board, you can’t beat it, but you will pay for it. Many locals who do not use machines spend more time surfing than refining the details of your custom board and the quality is all over the place.
I’m learning to appreciated the machine shaped boards and might even try out a CC for my small wave board and maybe start paying the big bucks for the machine shaped models of the bigger named guys for my step-up boards.
14 Bob // May 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm
hmmm…….$250 or $700. That’s an easy decision. I’m no pro surfer but I can shred as well as most. Costco boards are being sold in the US by US employees. Why not?
15 SLO County Surf Spots | Sidetracked // Jul 2, 2008 at 2:52 pm
[...] by corporations offering the same products for less. For instance, Costco sells boards, which, some have pointed out, are made in [...]
16 JOE SURF // Jul 8, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I SELL BOTH KINDS OF SURFBOARDS IN MY SURF SHOP. I HAVE BEEN IN THE SURF SHOP BUSINESS AND SURFING FOR 47 YEARS, AND THE REASON WE HAVE CHINESE SURFBOARDS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE FOOLED THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. I KNOW SURFBOARDS AND HOW THEY ARE MADE AND ALSO THE MATERIAL USED TO MAKE A SURFBOARD. I REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN NEARLY EVERYONE USED CLARK FOAM, DION RESIN AND SELINE OR VOLAN CLOTH. THE BRAND TRIED TO TELL ME THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR SURFBOARDS BECAUSE THE PRICE WAS A HUNDRED DOLLARS HIGHER THAN ANOTHER BRAND, WHAT A JOKE. ANOTHER RIPOFF. CHINESE BOARDS USE DION RESIN AUSTRALIAN FOAM F.C.S FINS AND THE SAME GLASS AS AMERICAN MADE SURF BRANDS. QUIT RIPING OFF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, AND THEN MAYBE AMERICAN MADE BOARDS CAN MAKE COME BACK. NAME IS ANONYMOUS TO PROTECT THE TRUTHFUL.
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