Shaping a life less ordinary: Hayden Cox's New Wave Vision

Anthony Pancia
Talking Heads

nwv_book_hs_0.jpgThere’s something supremely freeing about loafing around an airport departure lounge bookstore, free of obligation and expectation to browse the latest print offerings. Thus it was how I found myself several chapters deep into Hayden Cox’s new book, New Wave Vision, at Perth Domestic last week.

Hayden Cox, he of Hypto Krypto fame and flash new retail store, has a book you say?

Oh yes he does and nor should it surprise you. One does not create “One of the most in demand and best-selling surfboards globally” or forge a partnership with Google by chance. But as I continued to peruse the book I would eventually buy, I found myself with a couple of burning questions.

Two days later, I was able to put them to the man himself and because Hayden is not one to dodge such matters, he answered...

Swellnet: When Simon Anderson developed the thruster it was validated by 97% of his fellow competitors who were soon riding three fins. In contrast, your boards have enjoyed an unprecedented level of success yet they're not under the feet of anyone on the WSL. How do you respond to the perception that your boards are a stroke of marketing genius rather than a design breakthrough?
Hayden Cox: If you listen back to that question - and it is a valid question because it is often asked - it’s actually a contradiction. The best marketing in the world for surfboard sales is WCT riders winning world titles and contests on certain models which, like you said, ‘validates’ them.

Historically, this is what has made models successful and what many surfboard brands rely on. The Hypto Krypto has no WCT surfers, nor does the Haydenshapes brand. Our team are free surfers, and I can count them on one hand.

We don’t buy Hypto Krypto ads, banners, or billboards because we don’t have budgets for that – the majority of surfboard brands don’t. So how is the success a result of just marketing genius alone if there is very little traditional surfboard marketing taking place?

The Hypto Krypto created its own success because the product speaks for itself. Craig Anderson rides this model better than anyone, they are the perfect complement to one another. Yes, this contributes, but it is not in any way the only reason why it has been so popular. Craig actually rides our shortboard models more than any other model, but riding the Hypto Krypto has made him stand out and he has gotten some of his most important magazine covers and video moments riding it.

The Hypto Krypto validates itself based on the design and technology. How many board models have done that mostly on their own? Some people can’t accept that because it hasn’t ever been done before at that same level. That’s why it is still a best seller. It isn’t the marketing, it’s the product. It would be impossible otherwise and would have come and gone ages ago. It only keeps building.

In your book, you describe the feeling of reading criticism leveled at you by a shaper you respect [Rusty Preisendorfer]. What was your reaction to reading that and have you ever had the chance to discuss it with him?
Like I mentioned in the book, more than anything, it made me consider what I would do if I was ever in a position that influenced others and how I’d handle myself. I don’t plan on throwing insults at someone for doing well anytime in the near future – and my intention of mentioning that in the book wasn’t to dig at Rusty for calling me a ‘one hit wonder’ on social media.

It’s just a reality of what happens in business when you are taking risks and creating something. Maybe it is part of it. I’ve also had a jealous competitor hold an event and take a chainsaw to a copy of one of my boards. That was heavy, but critics only motivate me. Is Rusty still a hero of mine? No. Do I respect him and what he has done, regardless of his views about me? Yes. People can make their own decisions on how they choose to compete. For me, it’s about making a great product.

Moving on to marketing: you've hit upon an idea that is quite foreign to surfing by collaborating with individuals outside of surfing, both in the design process and marketing of your brand. What have you learned from those outside of surfing and what could surfing learn by embracing more of that?
There is definitely a traditional formula to surfboard marketing: chasing WCT riders, discounting, collaborating with surf brands, having an enormous team of surfers or ambassadors. Yes, that can be valuable, but it can also be challenging to have a point of difference if everyone is doing to same thing. I don’t believe in discounting a great product either, which makes your life hard as a shaper. I got to a point where I was going backwards, I was a young guy in an industry built on ‘legacy’ and it was silly for me to get caught up in the mouse wheel of a method that I just wasn’t passionate about.

I talk about that in more detail in the book because many people reach that point within their lives whether it be in business or career. Our marketing stems from our brand DNA: technology, design, performance, and aesthetics. We have freedom to do anything and work with anyone and any brand, so as long as it’s true to what the brands stands for.

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Back to boards then, the initial decision to experiment with different techniques and materials for your boards...where did that come from and how much of it was driven by perhaps what you felt as a shortfall with the then status quo when it came to board design?
Personally, I just love experimenting with new materials and design concepts and always knew that I wanted to build my boards differently. I wanted to create a unique flex and experience for surfers from a performance aspect. It wasn’t just for the sake of being different, keeping up with market trends, or for aesthetics alone.

FutureFlex turns ten next year and it took a long time to gain market acceptance for outside performance technologies which traditionally have come and gone and not really stuck. What FutureFlex has done for the big picture of technology in surfboards is more important than just sales alone - it has proven that the market wants technology beyond the typical PU stringered board.

It’s really opened doors for progression and technology in general which we’ve seen with other brands who in the last year have gone out and launched new technologies. It’s been a great thing for the surfboard industry. Technology is something we’ve championed from day one and it was worth the risk in order to help drive our industry forward.

What was the eureka moment in that process, what was it and how did it feel?
Tom Carroll actually rode the first ever FutureFlex prototype [FiberFlex at the time]. I rode the second. As one of the world’s best surfers who is able to articulate the feeling of a surfboard better than anyone I know, it was crucial to have feedback that wasn’t clouded by bias. I was very close to it, obviously. It still needed work, but the underlying ‘wow’ feeling was there and I knew was onto something. That’s what I felt when I rode it, instantly.

You have to be your toughest critic, and I was. I spent the time needed to make it better, improve and customize the materials – nothing was off the racks, it was all designed specifically for me for the tech. FutureFlex can’t be replicated accurately by anyone else for this reason. There was so much engineering that went into the technology that many don’t realise, but I feel that’s what has made it the world's best in my opinion. There was nothing rushed about it.

What did you hope to achieve with this book? It's unlike anything I've read even tangentially related to surfing. 
The book is about sharing what you know based on your experiences, rather than it being used as any type of guide. It is riddled with stories about where I have failed, in big ways and what I have learned from those situations to try and turn it around.

In this day and age, it is so valuable to share what you know because young people are taking risks and starting businesses more than ever. In addition to my own voice, New Wave Vision also includes first hand insight on building from the ground up from skater Tony Hawk, fashion designer Karen Walker, the co-founder of Google Maps, and the founders of Oakley, Red Digital Cinema, Aesop, and Vissla. These people have innovated and changed industries and having them contribute and be so candid was incredible. It’s not just about surfing, it’s about creating in general and the realities you face in the process. It doesn’t put myself or anyone else on a pedestal. It actually shows the human side that people don’t see all that often and the moments that nearly break you. Personally, I have learned a lot from listening to the experiences of others. Maybe the book will do that for people? 

//ANTHONY PANCIA

Comments

wildenstein8's picture
wildenstein8's picture
wildenstein8 Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 10:13am

Visionary shaper and inventor.

MickS's picture
MickS's picture
MickS Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 10:54am

Very inspiring read. Risk is not necessarily its own reward, so nice to see people giving it a crack, and succeeding.

savanova's picture
savanova's picture
savanova Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 11:17am

Rusty sold out when he put his name on Tuff Light boards The piranha rides like a dead fish

abc-od's picture
abc-od's picture
abc-od Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 11:26am

Rusty called Hayden a one hit wonder yet he licensed Fibreflex for a while.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/watermans-bay/surfing/surfboard-rusty-6-4...

He who laughs last laughs loudest.

The Shaper's picture
The Shaper's picture
The Shaper Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 1:18pm

when my wife, who was not from surfing circles, first encountered this industry she commented on the jealousy that pervades it. She said the shapers often behaved like children. Its refreshing to see comments like this -: "Do I respect him and what he has done, regardless of his views about me? Yes. " Whether you like what Hayden has developed or not, he has made a success of it and you have to respect that. I was recently referred to by another shaper as a colleague. Refreshingly professional!

OHV500's picture
OHV500's picture
OHV500 Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 1:41pm

Exactly shaper - a great attitude you have.
I agree with your wife - the surf industry in many aspects can be very child like.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 6:33pm

Good article and really interesting guy but those Hypto boards up close look like you should be doing the ironing on them. I couldn't believe how much of a log they were, in fact I asked my shaper what it was as I thought it was a dog with fleas and he told me it was one of those. I think Craig could ride an ironing board.

innatube's picture
innatube's picture
innatube Monday, 17 Oct 2016 at 9:35pm

Looking at a Hypto it does look weird.

Riding a Hypto is anything but.

I sold my 3 other boards and only ride the 5'8 in everything up to 6ft.

You'll never know if you don't give it a go.

Free your mind.

amb's picture
amb's picture
amb Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 3:14pm

i reckon there a bit sluggish in bumpy waves, not a big fan on my backhand & quick step take-offs. Apart from that love them.

batfink's picture
batfink's picture
batfink Sunday, 8 Oct 2023 at 4:04pm

I had one for about 3 months. I just didn’t like it.

Not built for me, but seemed to be good for lots of people. I probably went too short with a 5’8”, but that was their recommendation for my weight.

MP's picture
MP's picture
MP Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 9:25am

I feel the whole point of why Hayden raised the ire of prominent and respected shapers around the world is ignored. It certainly wasn't because he was successful although I agree on some of the comments regarding the tall poppy syndrome in the surfing industry in general. Drum roll........the real reason was because he copyrighted a technology that had already been invented some 20 years before by many around the planet and then used that copyright to prevent others doing what they had already been doing before he copyrighted it. Simon Anderson is highly respected as a surfer and shaper but also as a great human being because when he unleashed the "Thruster" design he didn't copyright it. He realised that many others before him and at the same time had working versions very similar to his and that it would be a transgression on his part if he went down that route. To skirt around this issue as the writer has done is not to his credit.

tootr's picture
tootr's picture
tootr Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 10:03am

i never realised there was a patent.

http://www.haydenshapes.com/pages/futureflex-technology

Remember reading about parabolic stringers etc on swaylocks years ago.

bigtreeman's picture
bigtreeman's picture
bigtreeman Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 6:19pm

trademark and one of his patents is lapsed.
You could be an arse and stick his logo all over your boards.
Trade Mark : 1435893
Word: FF FUTUREFLEX
Image: CURVED & HORIZONTAL STRIPES FORM LTRS FF
Lodgement Date: 15-JUL-2011
Lapsing Advertised: 22-NOV-2012
Class/es: 28
Status: Lapsed/Not Protected

1 2007202298 Surfboard and method of construction Hayden Cox Pty Limited Cox, Hayden Charles 2007-05-22 GRANTED

2 2007100389 Parabolic Carbon Rail Surfboard Hayden Cox Pty Limited Cox, Hayden 2007-05-15 EXPIRED

I'm astounded his patent is for construction including carbon fiber rails when I can commonly purchase (e.g. Carbon Fibre Rail Uni Directional Tape ) which are obviously for the same construction method, also used in other industries.

The basis of the patent seems to be "a peripheral carbon fiber frame"
"preferably parabolic" or "substantially parabolic" won't give him any claim to parabolic rail shape.

Pre-gluing with a few tacks of a quick glue to support a joint while glue dries is standard procedure. Glass over carbon fiber is also obvious.

I would say anyone could make surfboards with carbon fiber rails (and see Hayden in court) and make a claim of prior art/standard construction method.

If you really want to put your name on something, do it for the community and put it out on Creative Commons.
https://creativecommons.org/

SurferSam's picture
SurferSam's picture
SurferSam Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 1:57pm

Good to see a young fella having a crack. Got to say I hated the hypto though when I tried it. Very polarising board people seem to say it's their best board ever or absolutely hate it.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 2:31pm

I've got zero beef with Hayden and wish him nothing but the best; good on him for smashing the Hypto out of the park.

But to say this has nothing to do with marketing is just plain silly. The combination of Hypto and Craig Anderson, a quik sponnoed rider for most of that ascendancy of the Hypto has been one of the most exposed and publicised unions in history.
Surf movies, ads, endless editorial and video exposure.

No, Craig was never a CT surfer but Hayden would be very well aware that he has been one of the most covered and publicised surfers in recent history.

That combination proved to be a potent marketing brew, attracting particularly beginner/intermediates who found in Craig a very seductive soul/style guru and in the Hypto a shortboard they could actually catch a wave on, and still maintain a cachet of cool as they walked down the beach with the thing under their arm.
Does the product stand for itself? From most of the vantage points I've seen and heard of if you watched most people surfing a Hypto you'd never touch one with a pike pole.
Under the feet of capable surfers they did and do the business but the success of the Hypto hasn't come about through massive sales to capable surfers. Thats obvious when you look at any given lineup on the east coast of Aus, and California too.

He found a very rich vein and mined it well but to suggest marketing wasn't a part of it is bizarre.

amb's picture
amb's picture
amb Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 3:08pm

Plenty being ridden in Bali

belly's picture
belly's picture
belly Wednesday, 19 Oct 2016 at 12:52pm

I agree re your marketing comments, but you need to take his comments from his own point of reference. 'Many' just take marketing to equal advertising, but really true marketing, well at least the text book version I learnt 20+ years ago, is the full combination of the 4 P's of Price, Product, Promotion, Placement. Therefore yes, the end-to-end marketing story for the Hypto has come together amazingly well, whether planned or not, from craig through to the mass production and distribution channels.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 19 Oct 2016 at 8:19pm

What about early to bed early to rise work hard and advertise!

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 19 Oct 2016 at 8:21pm

Yeah and the quality of finish looked very average.

SurferSam's picture
SurferSam's picture
SurferSam Tuesday, 18 Oct 2016 at 11:21pm

dms / lost carbon wrap also patented I believe

Pecka's picture
Pecka's picture
Pecka Wednesday, 19 Oct 2016 at 11:59am

Hayden has worked with Craig Anderson since Craig was a kid, way before Craig became a well known surfer. Hayden is a smart shrewd business man and sure he has had some luck on the way but he has also worked hard to get where he is.
If you have ever surfed with him you will know he is pretty painful in the water. Loves to snake and hog waves to increase his own wave count. Maybe that's what he has been like in business? I still have a lot of respect for him and anyone else who succeeds in business like he has. Jealousy comes with being successful in Australia.
I personally find Craig Anderson totally over rated as a surfer, but he has been a healthy addition when marketing to the cool hipster crowd who buy boards like the Hypto. That's smart marketing that has worked. Not sure if it was intended to work out that way or not?

MRsinglefin's picture
MRsinglefin's picture
MRsinglefin Thursday, 20 Oct 2016 at 7:51am

Currently reading the book as I have purchased and kept every surf related book since Nat's Nat and Thats That.
Its a good inspiring read.

"You can't do today's job
With yesterday's methods
And be in business tomorrow"

PCS PeterPan's picture
PCS PeterPan's picture
PCS PeterPan Thursday, 20 Oct 2016 at 2:48pm

Does that blank Hayden is holding in the 'image' have a stringer , just like the one leaning on the wall ? . . . . surely not !

sharkman's picture
sharkman's picture
sharkman Friday, 21 Oct 2016 at 8:07pm

very interesting article ,and hats off to Hayden for being outside the "industry" of WCT surfers and Big Brand collaborations .

I think a lot of shapers envy his success of being at the right place at the right time , with a product, that the market actually wanted and needed as the Hipster influence increased and there was a move away from the traditional WCT branded Pro influence as there has been little progress in design and materials in the last couple of decades, just more model names on similar designs.

You can see now that all the major brands have tried to jump in on HK's DNA , stringerless EPS with carbon , in some form or another. So now we have a market saturated by Asian Hi-Tek popouts or stock boards!

Will be interesting to see what comes next as a lot of shapers are going away from EPS , as its shit to shape , and with the arrival of Kelly's so called sustainable surfboards in Bio-Sap resins , are we now looking for more"sustainable" surfboards , which is a surfboard that won't break , but not in Carbon as the Carbon footprint is too high?

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Saturday, 7 Oct 2023 at 6:41pm

The HS factory and showroom looks to have gone up in flames, Fire still out of control this evening :(

tip-top1's picture
tip-top1's picture
tip-top1 Sunday, 8 Oct 2023 at 8:11am

interesting, i like the 1on1 interviews you guys do, gives a little perspective on how the person ticks.
good or bad you can't knock the guy for having a go, if it's at the expense of people before you that's when the tall poppies come out IMO.