Heart of glass

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Surfpolitik

Disruption has become a new age buzzword. A catch-all descriptor of how digital technology is altering how we do business, and the surfboard industry ain't exempt. The shaping machine caused dramatic change to the industry, but other factors have also played their part.

Swellnet recently visited the Glass Hut in Wollongong, a laminating factory that's typical of the new workflow arrangement.

 

When the surfboard industry started in Australia each factory was its own self-contained unit. Under the one roof was a shaper, glasser, sander, and a dusty crew of dogsbodies. It didn’t matter whether the factory was located in Brookvale, Gold Coast, Torquay, or here in Wollongong, the setup was largely the same - each step in the process was completed in house.

In time the system slowly began to change: a backyarder might rent a shaping bay, a smaller company may get their boards glassed at a bigger factory. The surfboard industry became a classic cottage industry accommodating operations of all sizes. Some resources were shared, ideas too.

In the last twenty years the restructuring has only sped up to the point where stand alone factories are the exceptions rather than the norm. Increasingly common is the factory that’s shared by a number of labels and there’s a variety of reasons for that.

Firstly, soaring coastal property prices mean it’s cheaper to pool the rent rather than shell out for your own space. Secondly, the shaping machine has changed how the work is done. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, glassers are becoming a rare breed. The Glass Hut is a response to all three changes. 

The owner of the Glass Hut, Corey Waters, greets me eagerly at the front door and points out all the work that he's done to fit out the factory, including safety precautions. Just days earlier the Pukas factory in Europe went up in a fireball so there's a hint of anxiety in the air. It doesn't last, however, because the first stop on the tour is the beating heart of his factory - a flash new AKU Shaper shaping machine.

It’s stating the bleeding obvious to say computer shaping has increased surfboard production, but less noticeable is how it shifted the industry. In response to computer shaping, hub and spoke operations were established where a region would be serviced by one machine with all the cutting work flowing through the factory that housed it. Not everyone, you see, could afford the $100K plus for a shaping machine.

Corey rattles off the stats to his AKU shaper sounding every bit the proud new owner of a sports car. I nod my head in naive agreement - it sounds impressive but I’m no numbers guy. I ask what makes this piece of kit so good.

“It’s far more accurate than any other machine out there,” says Corey enthusiastically. “And it flips and matches the sides with ease. And it’s fast.” It’s even painted red.

Each point is noted with a deliberate nod of the head by Corey’s offsider, Dennis Wright. “We call him Yoda,” says Corey. “Dennis knows this machine as good as anyone, even the guys who made it.”

Slightly built with a sage-like bearing, Dennis is the cool yang to Corey’s hot yin. He’s worked in board factories all his life, he can shape, glass, and sand, but Dennis’ forte is his otherworldly knowledge of the AKU shaper. He’s the part man/part machine that makes this factory sing.

Dennis also runs his own label which operates out of the Glass Hut - as do five or six other shapers. The shaping bays are located upstairs on the mezzanine level. There’s a series of them in a row, then next to them is the spray room, and across the corridor the laminating space, followed by the board racks. It’s all very streamlined and efficient. Squint and you could be in an Ikea store...maybe.

“We’re only doing about thirty boards a week at the moment,” says Corey. “But that’ll soon be fifty, and after that….” he hesitates not wanting to be bold.  “Well...we’d like to be doing a hundred boards a week eventually.” The ambition is on show. And why not? A similar operation has worked for the Glass Lab up on the Gold Coast.

A not insignificant factor in the success of the Glass Hut works is that Corey is responsible for the workflow of other shapers. If the demand for each shaper goes up it still has to be run through the one shaping machine and the one laminating room. Is there a risk of bottlenecks?

“Well there’s four more gears in that shaping machine,” says Corey again sounding like a man jangling the keys to a new sports car. Dennis nods to show it’s possible. “And we’re gonna extend the laminating room back to there,” he indicates a point halfway across the mezzanine level that would double the size of the glassing space.

(Photo Jordan Moran)

Dylan Perese runs DP Surfboards out of the Glass Hut. He’s got his own shaping bay in there. “This setup is a bit of a change for me,” says DP.  “I’ve always made my own boards in factories or sheds that I’ve built myself.”

“Down here though, I simply shape the blank and put it on the rack [to be glassed]. I don’t have to order cloth, fin plugs, whatever...I shape the blank and pay for the result.” The difference now, besides being in someone else’s factory, is that DP has more time to talk to customers or increase his output. He can grow his business without taking on more employees.

As DP explains how the Glass Hut works I flash on the similarities between it and my own work space. I share an office with eight other people. We all work for various companies yet we pool the rent and share the services - kitchen, toilet, printer etc. I hesitate to call it a creative hub but it is a fertile little environment; ideas are often bounced around the room, daft opinions are quickly weeded out.

According to DP, a factory full of shapers has similar advantages. “I’m like a hawk when it comes to boards,” says DP. “I can’t walk down the beach without picking up someone’s board and checking it out.” Working under the same roof as other shapers puts him in close contact with what others are doing. “I can’t say it changes what I’m doing but it’s great checking boards, talking design, even telling stories. I love it. It’s inspiring.”

(Photo Jordan Moran)

Just as the advent of shaping machines changed the makeup of the industry, so to has the shortage of glassers. It’s no coincidence that the Glass Hut, and the Glass Lab too for that matter, spruik the laminating process. Glassers are rare these days, and when something becomes rare it becomes valuable.

The reason for the scarcity is that although the work is skilled, the lack of formal qualifications has deterred young workers from picking up the squeegee. The same dynamics that kept the cottage industry fluid and adaptable, such as a lack of regulations, also served to drive young people away. As one old hand recently told me: "The surfboard industry is getting old and skills aren't getting passed onto the young."

The shortfall of skilled workers is being rectified with a nationally recognised trade certificate for glassers and factory workers. In fact, Darcy De Clouett, the very first apprentice to go through the NSW system works here in the Glass Hut. Yet renewing the ranks is a slow process and until the numbers swell operations such as the Glass Hut will remain vital cogs in the industry.

(Photo Jordan Moran)

The smell of polyester resin pervades the Glass Hut, a not wholly unpleasant aroma as it carries the memories of visiting shaping factories when I was young. However, this too is prone to change as the dominance of PU/polyester boards yields to EPS/epoxy. Unofficial stats put current estimates of non-PU surfboards at 30% of the worldwide total and that number is growing.

Of concern to manufacturers is that it’s difficult to run both polyester and epoxy laminating out of the one factory. Acetone, for example, is ubiquitous in a factory laminating with polyester but it can’t be used with epoxy resin, and it’s straight up kryptonite on EPS blanks. Glassing and curing times are also vastly different which would negate any workflow efficiency.

I ask Corey about the increasing use of epoxies and what it means for the Glass Hut. He smiles and points out the front door and across the carpark. Next door is a Muay Thai kickboxing gym and beyond that are a few more units the same size as the Glass Hut. Each appears empty.

“I want to take a lease out on one of those units and replicate all this - shaping bays, laminating room, the lot - except it’ll be for epoxy surfboards,” says Corey. “You’ve gotta move with the times.”

//STU NETTLE with additional help from JORDAN MORAN

Comments

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 2:45pm

Great article , Stu.

So good to read about people taking life Head on and being proactive about change in the world , rather than reactive.

We've been pretty lucky as surfers to have such a hub as the Shapers factories as part of our culture . Not too many other sports where the average participant gets to meet the crafter of his equipment and develop the love of such an iconic place.

Swellnet is really replicating the holistic approach to surfing that was once the bedrock of early days print magazines. An approach that is currently lacking and that i, for one , miss.

Nice work.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 2:36pm

"We've been pretty lucky as surfers to have such a hub as the Shapers factories as part of our culture . Not too many other sports where the average participant gets to meet the crafter of his equipment and develop the love of such an iconic place."

Amen.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 2:59pm

How are glassers paid - per board.. per foot.. hourly rate ..day rate ...weekly wage ?

helmet-not-hose's picture
helmet-not-hose's picture
helmet-not-hose Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 3:01pm

"How are glassers paid"

Per board and by the ounce.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 11:44pm

Ha ha- nice!

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 3:02pm

How's the amount of foam on the ground around the shaping machine?Also the film on the wall
Can't be to good for you ........

abc-od's picture
abc-od's picture
abc-od Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 3:44pm

I still spin out that we're glassing boards the way we do and don't have some mass produced way of doimng it. Even the big guys, CI, Cobra, have glassers on the floor working the same as the guy in the pic above.

I guess this is because customs are still so popular, and maybe because models keep changing and must be made in a variety of sizes, so there's no standardisation, but it's a really slow way of working.

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 4:39pm

I agree that working with a shaper to produce the boards you ride is a great and unique experience. The experience of ordering, waiting for and picking up your new stick is a time honoured tradition full of anticipation. Is there a better smell and tactile response in your body than the first whiff and feel of your new board?
However, I'm not connected in any way to these mass production factories. I understand it's just a necessity in life these days but I'm more stoked to see smaller craftsmen hand making boards from start to finish. Check out Bryan Bates and his start to finish process...just stunning boards and glassing!

MRsinglefin's picture
MRsinglefin's picture
MRsinglefin Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 5:56pm

Totally agree. I'm picking up my new Jye Byrnes Bonzer (Newcastle) first week in September. Another surfer/ shaper who is a start to finish craftsman. Just like Corey Graham at Torquay

Billyw's picture
Billyw's picture
Billyw Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 7:29pm

Totally agree. Nice article and well done to them but this line breaks ya heart "He can grow his business without taking on more employees". Sweeping the factory floor was a time honoured gateway into the world for grommets

Billyw's picture
Billyw's picture
Billyw Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 7:29pm

Totally agree. Nice article and well done to them but this line breaks ya heart "He can grow his business without taking on more employees". Sweeping the factory floor was a time honoured gateway into the world for grommets

gillos's picture
gillos's picture
gillos Thursday, 17 Aug 2017 at 10:51am

Hey crg, my shaper works out of there [CRS Chad Ryan Shapes] but he hand shapes. He says he hasn't any desire to use a machine. It's worth going in and checking the place out, Corey is usually up for a chat.

amb's picture
amb's picture
amb Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 4:47pm

Stupid question , but does getting a color add much weight to your board?. the last board i got a color and its definetly heavier than i expected.

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 6:18pm

No.

amb's picture
amb's picture
amb Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 6:24pm

so is weight dif all in the glass job?, is it corrrect to assume all PU blanks are the same weight. ?

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 6:41pm

Not necessarily blank weights can vary even between blanks of same density, could be a combination of foam and glass job or possibly a different density blank than the board you previously got made.

Definitely nothing to do with paint that would have close to no effect on weight.

mibs-oner's picture
mibs-oner's picture
mibs-oner Thursday, 17 Aug 2017 at 10:55pm

what time of the year did you get it? resin isnt as runny in winter and can give you a heavier board apparently

amb's picture
amb's picture
amb Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 9:06am

yep in winter, but ts from QLD so wouldnt think that cold.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 9:10am

Considering boards are so light these days even small differences are noticeable.

When I was at the Glass Hut Corey pointed out a few black bands wrapped around open resin drums. They were electric warmers that keep the resin at a constant 23.5°. He even has a laser thermometer to keep check on the them precisely because small changes in temp affect the outcome.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 9:18am

Also the man on the squeegee ...every laminator puts a diff amount of resin in the cloth
and blanks all absorb resin differently.

mibs-oner's picture
mibs-oner's picture
mibs-oner Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 10:20am

Stu I'm surprised Corey was off his phone long enough to do an interview hahaha.

amb's picture
amb's picture
amb Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 10:25am

yeah must be the resin, mate of mine got pretty much same board make:model but his his noticeily lighter, only visisble dif is mine has a color.

bigtreeman's picture
bigtreeman's picture
bigtreeman Saturday, 19 Aug 2017 at 8:41pm

yep, makes a big difference, I use a microwave to warm resin & hardener before mixing. At Boatcraft Pacific (suppliers) they have a heating pad to preheat resin. Can tell when it's warm enough by the viscosity. It's helped cut my board weight.

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 5:23pm

Good read.

I think lack of glassers these days comes down more to the fact, it's extremely bad for your health and doubt they would pay enough to make up for the risk to your health and for how much it would suck dealing with that shite everyday.

BTW. Acetone can still be used to clean up epoxy resin i remember we used it when i did a stint building epoxy boats on the Goldie, just doesn't work as good as it does with polyester resin.

Watty's picture
Watty's picture
Watty Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 5:43pm

Interesting article. But the thing that I don't get and nobody has been able to adequately justify is why, with all the automation have board prices not got cheaper? I'm mainly talking about the Cobra produced stuff from O/S. The shaping is done by machine, the labour is going to be dirt cheap comparatively, so why are some of these pop-outs still approaching $1000?? I get my boards from one of the few hand-shapers left in WA and they are cheaper than a machine shaped foreign glassed pop-out. I understand that local machine shaped boards may not be much cheaper due to rents and paying to use someones machine etc and perhaps the fact that the price of local boards may not have risen as much as they would have without technological advances. But to me, these foreign boards should be heaps cheaper. It seems people are just paying for a recognised label on them.

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 6:22pm

It's not the price of production that sets the price, it's what people are willing to pay that sets the price or what others are selling their boards for.

IMO it's good thing if boards that are made offshore are not sold cheaper as it would undercut local shapers. (although there is many boards made overseas that are sold cheaper)

surfstarved's picture
surfstarved's picture
surfstarved Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 7:31pm

Further to Indo's response, it's also because boards have been seriously underpriced - relative to the associated materials and labour costs - for decades. If we were to accurately factor in the labour costs of making a board start to finish, we'd be paying closer to $2000 for a custom order.

I saw a meme on Instagram the other day that sums it up well - How do you become a millionaire in the surfboard industry? Start out as a billionaire...

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 8:10pm

Simple answer. The sole purpose of mass production is to make more money. Period. Streamlining and economising production is to increase margin and not to decrease retail price.

Gazman82's picture
Gazman82's picture
Gazman82 Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 11:28am

There's probably a few more of us here in WA than you realise, handshaping now.
I know of 4 straight off the top of my head.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 5:56pm

Simon Anderson now getting boards machined and glassed in Bali.

smithyg's picture
smithyg's picture
smithyg Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 10:19pm

Don't care what you say but board production that is based on CNC router and old time glassing techniques is not efficient or state of the art. The surfboard industry at this level is not good for the earth or sustainable. I understand the obsession with craft and artistry but with the numbers of people trying to ride waves these boards have a limited niche application. Shifting production to cheap less regulated locations is a profitable cop out. We need to maintain the art with sustainable materials that satisfy demand. Good luck with that, the current reliance on plastics is not good. I speak from a life time as a surfer and manager technician in the fiberglass/composites industry. GS.

velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 1:10pm

Agree. Glassing (and sanding: not mentioned here, messy, requires skill) seems to be a very 1950's bottleneck right next to the latest machines, which are still hand-finished.

Perhaps try timber and bioresins to highlight both the sustainability and craftsmanship - higher price for raw material, more physical effort involved in shaping compared to foam, added step of pulling apart and chambering, but ultimately builds a far, far more durable board.

Plus, epoxy appears to be kryptonite to gingers.

sharkman's picture
sharkman's picture
sharkman Tuesday, 15 Aug 2017 at 10:46pm

The surfboard industry is in an interesting phase right now , where so called new technologies are being manufactured in Asia , China/Thailand/Bali , sold at high prices , and much bigger margins , been a small gold mine for some brands!
With brands mass marketing their new products, the customers have been convinced to buy these surfboards as the newest ,latest , greatest surfboards on the market , but , already there has been a rejection of a lot of these boards in the USA and Australia , as being overhyped , and certainly do not surf any better than traditional boards, in fact a lot surf much worse so a certain cynicism has come into the market and there has been a big swing back to custom boards , which are manufactured locally and some of the big brands are in serious trouble with declining market share and credibility.
The good news for local manufacturers/shapers is that as a lot of the Asian Tech boards are very expensive and have lifted the prices where local manufacturers are now more viable and have a better product , and can service customers much better , so big change coming , already started , at the end of the day the customer will be much better off!

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Thursday, 17 Aug 2017 at 8:13am

I don't think much of that is true.

I ride all kinds of board tech including firewire and standard PU/PE performance wise i wouldn't say any are better they are just slightly different in feel, but end of the day a good shape is a good board, and what might be a magic board for one could be average board for another and vice versa.

In regard to firewire i think they hyped things up performance wise in the early years, when really the selling point should have been durability, i think their tech has also improved since the early days, early day FST looked cheap with the air release plug, and rapid fire bamboo decks were no where as durable and IMO very ugly they have scrapped that tech, but all their current techs, FST, Helium & Timbertek apart from the ugly logos look good and are about three times more durable than a standard PU/PE board and performance wise although feel slightly different to traditional PU/PE IMHO go just as good.

LFT is really aimed at a different market it less about durability similar in durability to a standard PU/PE board but a bit lighter, its also IMO has the almost exact feel as a PU/PE board with a centre stringer. Ive seen all kinds of guys now riding LFT tech boards including local rippers, i do think many people could buy these boards expecting durability and be disappointed though and think other FW techs are similar in durability, but i expect FW just wanted a more traditional board in their range in both feel and looks and without a composite construction the pay off is durability.

As for the tech it's not really new, but as far as surfboards go it is not that old, and it is very different tech not just the fact they use EPS foam and epoxy resin but in some techs using composite construction and vacuum bagging to reduce resin/weight (strength comes from cloth not the resin) also the different stringers parabolic etc

I don't think we will see any shift away from producing boards offshore either, especially Bali, the stigma has always been with making boards in countries where there is no surf and not made by surfers, but Bali is obviously different having some of the best waves in the world and surfers which takes away that stigma but still allows boards to be made cheaper.

Al that said i do think we will see a resurgence in local made customs though more in the older surfer market as i think people are starting to appreciate things that are more boutique made by hand and personalised, and i think slowly we are seeing many people willing to pay a bit more for this (not enough though for Jim banks though), in effect because brands like FW or even CI etc have reset the worth of a board plus the late 80s 90s generation when surfing became quite popular now have a lot more money to spend and grew up with PU/PE customs and a starting to appreciate that personalised aspect again, rather than just grab a board of the rack that became more popular in the 2000+ era.

sharkman's picture
sharkman's picture
sharkman Thursday, 17 Aug 2017 at 8:57pm

Interesting to see you say that because Bali has surf this makes it different ,to say China and Thailand , where both have surf , but all countries use their local workforce as it's so much cheaper than western countries , and that's the only difference , how much labour costs in a board .

there is already serious negative feedback in the USA from so called Tech composite boards made in Asia, for very cheap prices , now being rejected by the market place and the brands that have pushed this tech with their shapes are now really struggling as the consumer can now get locally made boards for less that the retail price of so called new Tech , Asian popouts. In fact it now being called a crisis in the USA , where some of the major brands are down 60-70% on 2 years ago .

The fact that FW does consignment to all shops in the USA and Australia , has flooded the market their with Timberteck , and their different technologies , but what has there been in design development , and not just S/bd skins? They like all the big Surf Co's are really struggling , and it is not going to change as the demographic of surfers is now much older , and they are more savvy to the hype , now there is a boom going on in locally made customs .

I se small Co's with Vaccum bagging , hand laminating the new Bio-epoxies , really booming as does the good local shaper who doesn't have the hype of alternative advertising , (BS) lower overheads , and as the market is getting older , like a personal touch of getting a custom , and not just a stocky!

Rumor running around SOCal that FW/Slater designs are thinking of manufacturing in the USA as they have copped a lot shit for being an Asian based cheap Co!

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 10:08am

Thats true about China and Thailand having waves but as far as i know where boards are made is far from waves and not made by surfers, Bali is different where boards are made is not far from the waves and many involved on the more hands on side of things are surfers, to some this is important, its more just a surfboard industry being built around a surfing culture like the gold coast or Hawaii etc

The very cheap surfboards that you are talking about are not really a serious part of the surfboard market, they are more aimed at the summer holiday surfer or beginners.

Firewire already have shaping bays in USA for team riders, however I've been told from a very good source that FW are considering expanding into an option of full custom boards most likely this is why they would set up commercial operations in USA. (however it was a few months ago, they were talking about this and still crunching the figures ect and not a certainty)

You can be certain the majority of their boards will always be made in Asia though, unless one day production cost become similar between Asia and USA or Aust, but thats highly doubtful, they actually started making boards in Australia but moved offshore to ensure a better profit margin.

My view of the future is similar to current trends.

Yeah sure the market for older surfers after a high quality custom product will increase, but that will always be a niche market and people will need to pay top dollar for the product, and well if Jim Banks can't do it, then we still might be some way away.

But for everyday PU/PE disposable type surfboards unless they are big operations with a strong brand name and can pump out high volume of boards, its going to get harder hence why guys are getting creative like this article.

We sure won't be seeing less boards made in Asia like most things we will see greater acceptance and more boards made offshore, especially as shaping machines get better and the only real difference is the location the board is made at.

sharkman's picture
sharkman's picture
sharkman Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 4:30pm

Just because the owners are "hands on" , and use cheaper local labour , does not mean more credibility of being mad near a surf culture .
The same can be said of all the western Co's who source in Asia , and good luck to them , as nearly all Surf Industry product is now made there.
What I am saying there is quantum shift in the market right now and a rejection of branding and marketing as a key driver of sales.
As labour prices go up in Asia , which has happened over the last few years , locally produced boards are now more competive , and shapers who are doing direct custom sales to the customer are now more competitive with Asian made boards as there is less logistical costs and don't need huge amounts of capital to finance containers of boards or the very expensive airfreight option.
There is very well know brand exporting boards from Bali to the USA by air Freight , and actually landing the boards there paying the taxes its about $25 cheaper to manufacture in the USA now , as none of the glass shops are busy you can easily get 2 week turnarounds because the big brands are down to possibly unsustainable levels , FW included.
So it seems pretty obvious to me that as the big clothing brands keep losing money hand over fist and the same can be said for the surfboard brands , in 2 years the surf industry will be very different and more and more Co's are abandoning expensive marketing and PR , and selling really good home made products , will be interesting in 10 years to see a Skate type industry , where there are just small makers everywhere , and the volume is done in the big super markets.

sanded's picture
sanded's picture
sanded Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017 at 2:23pm

Good article Stu and very interesting for us as we are setting up a fully operational Epoxy factory for customers to hire out at the moment and we are about 1 month away from opening. The funny thing is we thought it would be backyardies doing one or 2 boards a year but over 70% of interest so far is from small board manufacturers, guys looking to get out of leases and come rent out space when needed.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017 at 3:55pm

Whereabouts on the Cenny Coast is it located, Sanded?

sanded's picture
sanded's picture
sanded Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017 at 4:06pm

At Long Jetty near The Entrance. The Showroom is open, but still building out the back the factory area for Hire, I'll let you know when we are fully open, then come up and check it out.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017 at 4:12pm

Yeah beauty, drop me a line when you're open.

[email protected]

sanded's picture
sanded's picture
sanded Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017 at 4:41pm

No worries will do! Cheers

sanded's picture
sanded's picture
sanded Wednesday, 29 Nov 2017 at 2:44pm

Hey Stu
We are open! Interesting and fun time with getting all boxes ticked! I sent you an email.
Cheers

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017 at 2:58pm

Yes Stu you have probably heard my banging on about this for a few years now. I have always got my boards (since late 70's) from Balin and they are cheaper now than they were back then. So whoever whinges about price just think of that. They fact we all have multiple boards now and even old farts like me are surfing better than ever is due to the improvement in design and manufacturing. Down here there is a sort of a hub the blanks are blown and the boards cut in the same factory in Dromana, then various shapers finish them off and glass them. I agree with all above that the smell of the resin and a new board picked up from the factory is one of the real joys of life. It almost seems something you gave birth to from initial discussions on size, volume, rails, bottom shape, outline, fins, spray, etc..dropping in to see how it was going to the final pick up. Does it get any better? I just love looking and holding them let alone surfing them. Works of art they are. Getting something stock off a shelf with a name brand leaves me cold.

velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Friday, 18 Aug 2017 at 1:15pm

One further point, if there had not been artificially low interest rates, free flows of real estate purchases by anyone globally or the whole negative gearing policy post '84, and less ramped population - then each of these shapers might find that lower coastal land prices would see them have their own factory. I imagine it might look like Brookvale in the glory days.

chook's picture
chook's picture
chook Monday, 21 Aug 2017 at 4:26pm

Dylan seems to have a pretty loyal following in the region. you stand out like a sore thumb at thirroul you're not riding a DP.