The sudden shut down of Clark Foam left many shapers and surfers wondering where their next blanks and surfboards would come from. The Clark monopoly made everyone comfortable, shapers and surfers alike riding traditional polyurethane (PU) boards and same basic design elements since the introduction of the three fin design in the early 80’s. Since Clark closed shop, there has been a serious push to take board design to the next level with new composite materials. Finally, shapers have broken out of their old ways and are now thinking progressively.

Surfing Magazine recently released statistics on the types of surfboards surfers have been ordering/buying. While traditional (PU) blanks are still the staple of many shapers, statistics show that non-traditional surfboards (sandwich molded, epoxy, composite, etc) are making their inroads into surfing. The breakdown is as follows:

P/U: 69.26% - While most shapers previously bought all of their foam from Clark, today, shapers are buying blanks from many different companies including US Blanks, Walker, Just Foam, etc. It seems as though a new foam company pops up every other month claiming their foam is top dog. PU blanks account for the large majority of surfboard due in large part to habit. Shapers have been working with PU for years and are comfortable working with it. That may all change in the future as materials are developed to perform and last better than standard polyurethane.

Sandwich Molded: 22.49% (Surftech, NSP, Placebo, etc) - Surftech’s Tuflite technology is the reigning king of sandwich molded pop-out boards due in large part to its efficient manufacturing plant and iconic shapers that produce pop-out epoxy versions of their top designs. These boards last a lot longer than epoxy and PU boards but lack the flex and springy feeling of traditional PU.

Epoxy: 6.1% (EPS, XTR) -  Epoxy surfboards didn’t catch on as fast as some shapers had hoped for after the shutdown of Clark. However, a few big name shapers in the likes of Rusty, Al Merrick, and Matt Biolos of …Lost are still pushing for epoxy’s future. While these boards float much better than PU boards but don’t hold up like sandwich molded boards, the jury is still out on this one.

Composite: 1.35% (Firewire, TL2, Aviso) - While this segment owns the smallest part of the surfboard market, the future of surfing is in high-end composites. Shapers have begun to unlock variable flexing patterns which were previously missing in composites. Materials are now providing a lot more flex to suit high performance surfing. For surfing to progress with the “New Millennials” surfing of Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith, their surfboard designs and materials will need to progress with their ballistic styles.

Most of us would like to think that our favorite pro surfer rides a particular board label (ala Al Merrick, Rusty, Firewire) because it gives he or she the best opportunity to win contests and surf at their optimal level. Put another way, pros only ride the best boards out there. Not so in the case of South Africa’s future World Champion Jordy Smith. The 6′2 200 lb surfing phenom has been seen surfing boards from some of the largest board manufacturers including Firewire, JS, and Al Merrick. Currently sponsorless, both clothing and board, (he’s waiting to see how much money he can get), Jordy has openly admitted that sponsorships are strictly business and who ever offers the largest contract will get the rights to this incredible talent. When he does decide on a board sponsor, you can be rest assured that he chose that particular board manufacturer because they have the biggest wallet.

I guess it’s quite naive for me to think that pros only ride the best surfboards available to them. Then again, if Costco offered me $1 million to ride their boards, I’d do it in a heart beat.

For all those surfers out there who have a keen interest in surfboard design, you’ll definitely want to get the January 2008 issue of Surfing Magazine. Regarded as 2008’s Surfboard Design Issue, this particular issue goes off on the future of shaping two years after Clark’s infamous closure. The magazine also sheds some light on exactly what types of surfboard materials surfers are actually buying, the pros of twin fins, an interview with shaper of the year Rusty Preisendorfer, and a sneak peek inside the Channel Islands/Burton secret surfboard lab. In my opinion this is one of the best board design issues I’ve read…go get one for yourself and see why.

While Hawaii is known for powerful gnarly surf during its winter months, most locals surf the weaker waves of Oahu’s south shore, which breaks consistently year round. Because the surf on the south shore is typically much weaker and smaller, I’ve realized that having fun on high performance shortboards (ala 5′11 x 18″ 3/16 x 2″ 3/16) is pretty much futile. On days when the surf is halfway decent, surf spots are normally clogged with a mixture of beginners and above average surfers, shortboarders and longboarders, and more increasingly SUPs (stand up paddle boards).

Lucky for us the retro revolution made fishes cool again and for this I am grateful. For the most part, I exclusively ride fish surfboards in all types of surf and conditions. On really tiny days, I take out a retro twin fin fish which features a flat rocker, thick rails, and wide tail. The extra width and thickness combined with flat rocker helps you push through the mush and soft/non-existent sections.

When the surf gets better, I ride a hybrid fish that’s slightly thicker and wider than my standard shortboard. Similar to the retro fish surfboard, this hybrid fish also features a flat rocker for improved wave catching ability. Add quad fins to that mix and you have a speed demon that can catch a million waves but still perform like a shortboard.

If you’ve been reluctant to ride a fish but have noticed a drop in your wave count or poor speed and wave catching ability at your� home break, I highly recommend you try one. Fish surfboards are normally shorter than your standard board which allows them to fit in the pocket quite nicely yet paddle better due to its flatter rocker. They generally perform the best in less than perfect conditions and can make bad days extremely fun.

I decided to listen to my own advice and try a 5 fin surfboard. I have been riding my TORE Rocket Fish (thruster setup) for a while now and have gotten very used to the board. It has performed well in a variety of conditions both weak and crumbly to overhead and sucking. I have noticed however, that in weaker mushier surf, the thruster had a tendency to bog on turns. It was as if the board used all its speed to complete a simple turn. After having a discussion with Kent Senatore of TORE Surfboards, I decided to try the quad. He absolutely loves his quad and the big difference he feels is how much faster the board works in weaker surf.

I was set to order a quad but one thing pondered in my head. Theoretically, I wouldn’t really have an even playing field for my thruster vs quad test if I got two different boards. All things being equal, no two boards is exactly the same no matter whether it is hand shaped or even machine cut. So I decide to have rear quad fins plugged into my current Rocket Fish.

I surf the board as a thruster for a while to get a good feel for its performance. On very small days it bogged and felt somewhat slow. However, when the waves picked up, it worked great, as would most performance boards in smaller crappier surf. We then had a run of small surf which I decided was the perfect time to test the quad out. I surfed it several sessions straight in less than idea conditions and was instantly hooked. This particular quad had its rear set of fins set slightly farther back than the standard quad Rocket Fish. This made it slightly less loose feeling but still required a bit of getting used to. On several occasions, I could feel the board slipping a little down the line and off the bottom, most likely due to my comfort with thrusters. However, once I got used to the board and it’s loose feeling, the board came alive with a lot more speed in smaller waves. I did a few snaps in waist high surf along with connecting round house cutbacks.

The end result? The quad is definitely faster in smaller surf and it responds faster on turns. In my opinion, as the waves get bigger, you’ll find that the thruster comes alive and performs just as well. When waves a bigger and faster, almost any surfboard will pick up speed. However, it’s in the small gutless waves where the quad shines and gives you an extra quick burst to make it around a section.

The other day I was at the book store reading the current issue of Transword Surf magazine (I think it was Transworld) when I stumbled upon an intriguing article on the new trend of routing 5 boxes in your new board. The article wasn’t talking about some weird 5 fin bonzer or experimental surfboard. It was referring to a board with a thruster setup. And Quad fins. The recent popularity of quad fins surfboards has created a large movement of open eyed surfers who have added an extra fin and gotten rid of the one in the middle for way more speed and quicker turns and snaps. However, the majority of hardcore thruster setup enthusiasts are still somewhat apprehensive to fully embrace the four fin setup. A number of these ‘on the fence’ quad adopters have experimented with 5 fin boxes which allow you to ride your board both with a quad or thruster fin setup. For those that have been stubornly downplaying the advantages of four fins, the 5 fin box allows you to put the quad setup to the test. Go ahead and ride your thruster first and then switch them out with a quad fin set (Future quad fins seem to be the most popular here in Hawaii). And remember, give your quad setup several sessions for you to acclimate yourself to the increase in down the line speed and much more responsive turns. Like the not so old adage goes, “don’t knock it till you try it”.

Besides getting hardcore thruster believers to try quad setups, the 5 fin box is also providing new school surfers with a much versatile board. You can use your quad in quick beach break surf and go back to your trusty old thruster setup when you need a little more drive and not as much speed (what idiot doesn’t need more speed besides Mick Fanning). The aspect I really like about this versatility is that your board stays the same. Same rocker, outline, thickness, foil, rails, and every other minute detail. You don’t have to re-adjust to the actual board when switching between quad or thruster. In essence, you only need to get used to the different fin setup characteristics and feel. The only slight downside to having 5 boxes is that it may make your board slightly tail heavy (depending on the size of your board and glass job) but I personally don’t think most surfers will even feel the difference in weight. In my opinion, the extra weight is definitely worth the versatility and fun that you’ll achieve.

Stand up paddle boards are in high demand right now and the supply of quality stand up boards is still playing catch up. Here in Hawaii, stand up paddle (SUP) board shapers who have been shaping boards from traditional fiberglass materials have become so overwhelmed with demand that the average wait time for a SUP has ballooned to six months. The SUP demand has been so high that surf shops specializing in stand up paddle boards have popped up, most notably Wet Feet in the Aina Haina Shopping Center. The company claims to be the world’s first SUP surf shop and offers a variety of stand up epoxy surfboards, stand up paddles, and other SUP accessories.

Wet Feet Surf Shop - Aina Haina - Specializing in Stand up Paddle Boards & Accessories

So why has stand up paddle surfing generated so much attention in such a short time span? The sport of SUP surfing has been around since the early days of Duke Kahanamoku and the Waikiki Beachboys. It saw a recent surge in popularity after many of the big wave surfers began using SUP as a way to train in the off season. Stand up paddle surfing requires a heightened sense of balance and a strong core which helps stabilize the board and maneuver it. You’ll often see a number of surfers on the North Shore paddling their SUPs in the summer time when the waves are small as a way to stay fit and in shape before the North Pacific re-awakens. Many SUP surfers have noted fat loss and tone bodies as a result of consistent stand up paddling and surfing and there are even SUP surfers in the Midwest paddling their boards in lakes! Stand up paddle surfing has shown the most explosive growth rate since wind surfing and has caught on in Hawaii, California, East Coast, Australia, and Europe.

A key to having fun stand up paddle surfing is choosing the proper board. Stand up paddle boards usually start from 10′ depending on the size of the surfer with typical width being 26″+ wide and 4″+ inches thick. The typical stand up paddle boards I’ve seen on the South Shore of Oahu are around 11′0 x 28″ x 4.75″. While I’m not the biggest fan of epoxy surfboards, I feel that stand up paddle boards actually benefit from epoxy technology making the SUPs much lighter and more ding resistant. Can you imagine carrying an 11′ fiberglass paddle board over your head every time you surf?

Every surfer should at least try stand up paddle surfing at least once and see how much core strength they develop and how much fat you start burning. You’ll also notice that your surfing will begin to improve. I’m a constant fan of experimenting, learning, and riding a variety of different surfboards.

Stand Up Paddle Shapers and Shops - Oahu

Wet Feet Surf Shop Hawaii

Kimo Greene Surfboards

Tropical Blends Surf Shop

The June 2007 issue of Surfer Magazine has shed light on one of the negative points of Clark Foam’s closure. While Clark’s closure has opened the doors for a variety of foam producers and pushed experimentation with new composite materials, old barriers are now gone and imported surfboards have an easier entry into the U.S. surfing market. Costco has been selling cheapo beginner type surfboards in California and Hawaii since 2001.  The Realm  established itself as a cheap Costco brand after selling out by mass-distributing their boards throughout various Costco warehouses and even Gordan & Smith boards have made it through the aisles.

Costco predicts that it will sell between 7,000-8000 surfboards this summer and sheds an even greater problem in the surfboard industry; the invasion of cheaply made Chinese surfboards. China, which was once the ‘Sleeping Giant’ has obviously awakened with their economy growing at full steam. The Chinese have taken notice of surfing’s recent popularity explosion and there are now more than 60 Chinese shapers in the communist country. These shapers are currently being trained by some of the best surfboard production names and while none of the 60 Chinese shapers have ever surfed before let alone seen an ocean before, all of their shaping is done by hand. It seems as though the quality of their shapes is getting better and even Rusty Preisendorfer was impressed by what he saw.

It would be hard for surf shops to reject these cheap Chinese imports because they have the potential to finally give shops greater margins on surfboard sales. On the flip side, these cheaply made import boards take away business from local surfboard shapers and manufacturers who form the backbone of the surfboard industry as a whole.

I can see how these cheap imports help beginner or budget surfers by providing them with a functional board that doesn’t break their pocket. But I also know how difficult it is for surfboard  shapers and glassers who work off of razor thin margins. There will always be a need for custom surfboards and if you’re thinking of spending a few dollars on a Costco board, think twice, because it would really suck to see a line-up littered with surfboards sporting ‘Made in China’ stickers. Support your local shaper, you’ll be happy you did:

Hawaii Shapers

California Shapers

Rest of Shapers 

This is by no means a recent trend, but the growing popularity of surfing has lead to the introduction of a various surfboards specifically designed for beginner type surfers made with softer and more forgiving materials. One of the companies producing beginner surfboards is Liquid Shredder, a company based in Peru, where their soft tops are both manufactured and tested.

The unique part about this company is that they claim their boards have entry level prices with professional performance. Their soft top surfboards feature Peruvian hard wood stringers to help stabilize the board and a soft (but not spongy soft) deck to minimize injuries.

The company also claims that their soft tops look and perform like a traditional fiberglass board. That may be an overstatement but with a starting price of only $129, these boards may be good for kids and rank beginners on a tight budget who are looking to get into surfing.

Because the thruster has been most surfers’ “go to” board for quite some time, it isn’t uncommon to see hot-dogging shortboarders riding their 5′10 potato chip in all types of wave conditions including 2 foot slop. I always see these shortboarders struggling to catch waves on days like this and when they get lucky enough to catch one, the lack of foam causes their board to bog and after a weak turn their wave is over.

The retro revival has shown many of us how functional and exceptionally fun old throw back boards can be. The twin fin fish is arguably the most popular retro board out in the line-ups and if you watch good surfers on these things, the first thing you’ll notice is how insanely fast they can go in weak and pathetic waves.

While the hot dogging younger crowd is obsessed with riding their Kelly Slater shortie, the smarter surfers are riding twin fins, quad fin fishes, single fins, eggs, and longboards. These surfers are not only catching more waves than surfers riding potato chips, but they’re also learning about lines and curves and different positioning and feel required to surf each type of board.

Take it from Rasta and Rob Machado who both believe that expanding your quiver and riding a variety of different shapes will improve your surfing tremendously. Longboarders will find that learning how to ride shortboards drastically improves their ability to pump and turn those huge planks around and shortboarders will find that riding a longboard for a few sessions will smooth out their surfing and help them draw better lines.

Check out TORE Surfboards if you need help or advice with expanding your quiver.