TOUGH SUBJECT TO TALK ABOUT AS THE SURF INDUSTRY IS NOTORIOUSLY BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF SMOKE, MIRRORS, HALF TRUTHS AND “TAKE EM TO YOU GRAVE” SECRETS.

ALTHOUGH I’VE SHAPED, LAMINATED AND SANDED ( LET’S CALL THAT “BUILT”) SURFBOARDS FOR 8 YEARS UNDER THE GOSC LABEL, I’VE SPENT THE LAST 3 YEARS BUILDING BOARDS FOR THE WORLD’S BIGGEST LABELS.

WHY?

I WANT TO SEE WHERE I SIT ON A WORLD SCALE, NZ SCALE? NO POINT BEING THE BEST IF THE STANDARD IS ORDINARY JUST BECAUSE YOU SHARE AN ISLAND AND A PASSPORT.

BUILDING SURFBOARDS IS EASY, BUILDING THEM TO A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I’VE ALWAYS PRIDED MYSELF ON MY CRAFTSMANSHIP, MY CONSTANT SELF EDUCATION OF WHERE BOARD SHAPES ARE HEADING, MY ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND MY UNCOMPROMISING ATTITUDE TO OFFERING A NZ BUILT BOARD BRAND THAT IS EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN THE BIG BOYS IN THE SURF WORLD.

HOW?

SOCIAL MEDIA, KINDA GROSS RIGHT? BUT TRUTH BE TOLD I OWE MY SUCCESS TO INSTAGRAM.

I WAS TOILING AWAY IN WELLINGTON BUILDING BOARDS AND JUST KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON. NEW MONEY CAME IN AND OLD DEBTS WERE PAID, NOT A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL. BUT THE STRENGTH OF MY WORK GOT TO THE POINT WHERE IT WAS, DARE I SAY… UNDENIABLE? IDOLS OF MINE ALL HAVE TWO THINGS IN COMMON, THEY ARE KIWI AND THEY LEFT NZ. AL BYRNE, DALE WILSON, DAN MACDONALD, ROD DALHBERG AND PLENTY MORE. I BOOKED TICKETS BACK TO AUSTRALIA AND HAD 3 OR 4 OF THE BIG FACTORYS KEEN TO HIRE ME. I’D LIVED AND SHAPED BOARDS IN BYRON BAY FOR A DECADE PREVIOUSY SO I HAD ROOTS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY ESTABLISHED ALREADY. WE STAYED AT BROKEN HEAD FOR 10 DAYS AND BY THE TIME WE FLEW HOME TO WELLYS, WE KNEW IT WAS A MERE TURNAROUND, PACK UP THE FACTORY, THE HOUSE AND FLY BACK………6 WEEKS LATER!

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THE SURFBOARD INDUSTRY IS THE AMOUNT OF BOARDS ORDERED PER WEEK IS MORE THAN WHAT CAN BE BUILT PER WEEK. YOU SEE, A HIGHLY SKILLED LAMINATOR CAN REALISTICALLY LAMINATE 35-45 BOARDS PER WEEK, SIMILAR FOR A PRO SANDER. IF YOU’VE GOT 5 OF THESE GUYS IN YOUR FACTORY, FIRST OFF YOU’RE EXTREMELY LUCKY, AND SECOND OF ALL, THEY ARE ALL WORKING TO MAXIMUM CAPACITY BUT AS A FACTORY YOU’RE 50 BOARDS SHORT OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. 50 AINT MUCH? 50 BOARDS X 52 WEEKS IS 2600 BOARS PER ANNUM SHORT OF WHERE YOU NEED TO BE, TROUBLE.

“HIRE MORE LAMINATORS!”

NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS. WHEN I LEFT WELLINGTON I HAD ABOUT 500 GLASS JOBS UNDER MY BELT. MEANING I’D BUILT ABOUT 500 BOARDS, THAT’S ABOUT 400 MORE THAN THE LAST KIWI “SHAPER” YOU BOUGHT A BOARD OFF. SO I’D SHAPED, PLUG INSTALLED, LAMINATED, SANDED THE LOT. START TO FINISH ALL BY MYSELF. I WAS PRETTY CONFIDENT IN MY WORK, MY LEVEL…..FUCK ME I WAS DEAD WRONG.

I GOT A QUICK DOSE OF REALITY ON MY FIRST DAY OF WORK AT THE GLASS LAB IN TWEED HEADS SOUTH. CHANNEL ISLANDS/AL MERRICK, SIMON ANDERSON, DHD, STACEY, PYZELS, LOST, SHARPEYE…MY HEADS WAS SPINNING! MY FIRST FEW DAYS I WAS JUST WALKING AROUND AND MEETING THE CREW, GREAT BLOKES EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. AS I WALKED AROUND I LOOKED OVER EVERY SINGLE BOARD, I’M PRETTY OCD AND EXTREMELY OBSERVANT SO TO ME, LOOKING OVER OTHER PEOPLES WORK IS SECOND NATURE. PROBLEM WAS I COULDN’T FAULT ANY OF THE BOARDS. I KNEW RIGHT THERE AND THEN I WAS PLAYING ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

THERE’S LEVELS TO THIS SHIT

LIKE I SAID, BUILDING SURFBOARDS IS EASY, BUILDING THEM TO A WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL STANDARD IS EXTREMELY HARD. I WAS AWARE OF THE STANDARD OF NZ BUILT SURFBOARDS, AWARE BUT NOT HAPPY OF ITS STANDARD, EVEN TO THIS DAY THE STANDARD ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH. I WON’T SIT HERE AND BAG OUT NZ SURFBOARD LABELS, SOME OF THEM ARE GREAT, MOST OF THEM ARE NOT.

MY OPINION, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT’S ALL IT IS, IS THAT THE BEST BOARDS IN THE WORLD ARE BUILT IN AUSTRALIA. QUITE EASILY AND SECOND PLACE IS A BLOODY LONG WAY BACK. DURING MY TIME IN AUS I’VE MET WITH THE BIGGEST LABELS AND THE MOST FAMOUS SHAPERS YOU COULD NAME. THEY ALWAYS BRING A SAMPLE BOARD WITH THEM FOR THE MEETING BUILT IN WHATEVER COUNTRY (SOMETIMES THAT IS ANOTHER STATE OF AUS) THEY HAIL FROM. NOW IF YOU YOU WERE TRAVELING FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD AND WERE BRINGING ONE BOARD WITH YOU, YOU’D AGONISE AND SCRUTINISE OVER THAT BOARD FOR WEEKS IF NOT MONTHS LEADING UP TO THAT MEETING RIGHT? SO TIME AFTER TIME, BRAND AFTER BRAND I’D SEE THESE SAMPLE BOARDS AND LITERALLY HOLD BACK LAUGHTER AS THEY PRESENTED THE BOARDS. IMAGINE THE MOST FAMOUS SHAPER IN THE WORLD, A GUY WHO OWNS THE BIGGEST LABEL IN THE WORLD HANDING YOU A BOARD AND SAYING “BUILD ALL OF MY MODELS EXACTLY LIKE THIS AND TO THIS STANDARD”. AND A LITTLE 5 FOOT 5 CHUBBY, RED HEADED KIWI BLOKE WITH A BUSHY REDNECK ORANGE BEARD REPLYING……. “YEAH NO WORRIES, SO I’LL LEAVE BUBBLES ALL THROUGH THE TAIL, SAND THROUGHS AND WEAVE ALL OVER THE RAILS AND I’LL MAKE ONE EDGE LONGER THAN THE OTHER, NO WORRIES MATE” TO THIS DAY THE GLASS LAB BUILDS THE BEST BOARDS I’VE EVER SEEN ON A CONSISTANT BASIS, AND I’M SAYING THAT AND I DON’T EVEN WORK THERE ANY LONGER. I OWE THEM EVERYTHING AND WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR THE EXPERIENCE THEY AFFORDED ME.