Washington Recommended Shops/Sources?

[ill-advised strategy]

My old, beat 10' Hydrohull is no more. I have to buy another board.

I am challenged with being ~240 lbs and mostly surfing small powerless waves so finding the right board is not easy. That 10'X23X3.5 was pretty good for me. It doesn't help that I'm on a tight-ish budget and not really up for the ~$1000 that a new board of that size seems to run.

I was actually somewhat tempted by an 8'6" Infinity Secret Weapon on CL the other day, but so much of my surfing time is making the most of almost nonexistent waves that anything that's not a real glider is going to be worthless for most of my days.
(I will be stoked to get some kind of a quiver going eventually, but money is a factor)


Frustratingly, there appears to be a wealth of affordable used logs 1300 miles away in southern california, but AFAIK zero in firing range of the olypen.

Any shops you like? Any sources beyond the obvious? Anything kicking around your buddy's garage? Anybody willing to consider helping me with some kind of shipping from SoCal?

It's been 2 days since I snapped the Stewart, found out my backup was apparently stolen from my buddy's garage, and I'm already losing my mind here.

Thanks,
YM

[Bud]

no need to spend $1000 for a new log..... and since you're not exactly tiny, i wouldn't recommend buying an off-the-rack board anyways...the standard glass job on a board probably isn't durable enough to keep you from dealing with lots o pressure dents.

craigslist can yield some good options, but you're into the wrong time of year to find that unwanted 10'er that someone wants to part with for cheap....

There are many good shapers in Oregon that can make you a board for less than you'd expect. I had a 7'6" hybrid made by Lanny Shuler about three years ago for $650...its held up very well and though its peppered with dents, theres been no cracking on the deck and haven't needed to do any repairs. Either Shuler didn't like me or he's a big flake though...took my money and said it would be three weeks for a board...took three months for him to make the damn thing...so I wouldn't recommend him and I won't be buying a board from him again.
Last board I had made was about a year ago from Rob Russo in Lincoln City, OR... $600 (i think) for a clone of a 10' Robert August What I Ride...the board was completed right on time and its perfect...really durable too.
Also, if you're ever in Portland, check out Gorge Performance...they have a pretty decent used board selection.
Good luck!

...also just curious... if money is tight...why not repair the snapped board? it'll be heavy and won't be that pretty, but its amazing what a skilled repairman can do with some wood dowels and fiberglass.

[ill-advised strategy]

Thanks, that's just the kind of info I'm looking for.

re: repair...
the snapped board may be repaired and given to my buddy. It was rotten and hammered before I bought it cheap and used. It became progressively more hammered and rotten as I kept banging it around learning and exploring. It's a boardworks to begin with, so my thinking is that I'm not, like, letting go of somebody's craftsmanship here.

At this stage I think I now understand the implications of pop-out a little better, and am in possession of some more skill to appreciate a little more subtle craftsmanship.

[Bud]

well if the foam is waterlogged and rotten, then yeah, probably not worth saving.

also- for what its worth, it looked like Snowboard Connection in Seattle has/had some of their surboards on a pretty decent sale last time I was in there...if you opt to get an off-the-rack board, you might wanna check their prices (though i still think getting a custom is a best way to go)

[hop]

Have Scott Rowley make you something. NW surf designs... based in Glacier, WA.

Here's a list of OR/WA/BC people. You're just across the strait from Victoria so don't forget about the Cdn. options such as www.sitkasurfboards.com

http://www.surfwa.org/Resources-Surf-WA-OR-BC.html

[ill-advised strategy]

wow. thanks for that link hop. that's outstanding.

[BS720]

This probably isn't going to work, but I'll offer anyway. I'm in SF, and I frequently drive north and south. If you find anything in the area you are interested in, it wouldn't be too difficult for me to meet around the CA/OR border. We would obviously have to get on the same page as far as what you want in a board. I drive a vehicle that can handle a 10' board, so let me know. This comes to mind...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/spo/1714408443.html

[ill-advised strategy]

hmmm....this is also intriguing.

excellent.

[hop]

I will also be driving from SF to WA sometime in the next two-three weeks if you find something that needs transporting.

[Hugh Conway]

what - had to refill the trust fund in Marin?

coworker had someone custom make them a longboard in S. Seattle - found the guy on craigslist. I'll try and dig out the contact info.

I can't offer transport, but I'd be willing to broker and handoff a tanker if you find something in the santa cruz area

[hop]

what - had to refill the trust fund in Marin?

I'm literally in the middle of the ocean, working for you and getting paid by your tax dollars right now.

You do pay taxes on your trust fund, right?

[Hugh Conway]

as someone who's spent time in both CA and WA, CA has better boards for better prices.

I'm literally in the middle of the ocean, working for you and getting paid by your tax dollars right now.

You do pay taxes on your trust fund, right?

OH! ITS WHIT FROM HOP! STOP THE PRESSES!

go suck bossasses dick for some dumb cliches

[hop]

as someone who's spent time in both CA and WA, CA has better boards for better prices.



OH! ITS WHIT FROM HOP! STOP THE PRESSES!

go suck bossasses dick for some dumb cliches

A few points:

YetiMan is in WA and (I'm just guessing here) is probably not going to be heading down to CA save a hundy on a longboard. Unless he can find something that BS or I can drive up north, he's pretty much looking locally.

You mean "wit". "Whit" would refer to your ability to avoid being a smug douche with every post. You did make progress with your two TRs today. Keep it up.

You exhibit enough dumb cliches for everyone so there's no need to go anywhere near Bossass' genitalia.

[Hugh Conway]

I post, you hump my leg

[hop]

Whitty.

[Sphinx]

Damn, and I've got a 10' x 23 x 3 log that I'm looking to move.

One repaired ding on the deck, beautiful shape, fin, leash, and bag included. $350 if you can figure out how to get it from San Diego to Washington.

[hop]

YetiMan:

Check out this link http://chronicsurfboards.com/stock_surfboards.htm they've got a 10x23x3 for $525 shipped to an airport.

I had one of their quads and it was one of my favorite boards of all time. I know SuPu has had a few of them too with no complaints. In fact, I may pick up one tomorrow when I get to HNL...

[BS720]

Yeti, are you at all considering epoxy? I think poly is a great choice for people that live near shapers and have constant access to new boards. In your case, though, if you find a shape you like, it could ensure that you surf it for a bit longer.

I'll be in San Diego several times over the next Summer/Fall/Winter. I have a brother going into BUD/S in 4 weeks.

[Bud]

Yeti, are you at all considering epoxy? I think poly is a great choice for people that live near shapers and have constant access to new boards. In your case, though, if you find a shape you like, it could ensure that you surf it for a bit longer.

just curious...are you talking about a 'surftech' type construction or regular ol' foam and fiberglass (but with an epoxy schedule instead of poly resin)?

quite a few pacific northwest shapers have switched to epoxy construction or are at least offering it as an option... Bates (Seven surfboards), Goin, Shuler, and Russo all do epoxy construction now.

[BS720]

MY preference is an EPS blank(Marko!!) and epoxy glassing(like the ...Lost Rocket that's on the way!!). I think a sandwich board would be better than poly, but my favorite layup is the above. I've recently run into several dislikes with sammie boards, be it Surftech or Santa Cruz's Powerlite. Also, a longboard of those dimmensions, in that construction, with heavy wind, is a real bitch.

[ill-advised strategy]

OK...

1) Thanks thanks thanks for all the good help here.

2) This whole process has forced me to think about having multiple boards, especially given the duality of surfing the strait and the coast here on the north olypen.

3) Too much hard thinking has resulted in my buying a turnier, yet still pretty buoyant 9X22.5X3.25 Lance Collins with a lot of rocker and harder rails:


...and I'm going to have the local zen master fix the log so hopefully in a few weeks I have both a cruiser and a turner. It seems possible that the added weight of a fix could actually improve that boardworks Stewart.

I had a dialogue with Mike Ewaliko about building a massive glider for the strait, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that I really would like a better option for the stronger days and the west coast...so buying the used wavetools and getting the log fixed seemed like a better way to cover that....and for relatively cheap.

Thanks again for all the solid advice.

[Bud]

Glad you've got a board....looks like some mellow, log-friendly conditions coming this weekend. Btw, what's the fin setup on that lance collins? Interesting tail for a longboard... Let us know how ya like it.

[ill-advised strategy]

Glad you've got a board....looks like some mellow, log-friendly conditions coming this weekend. Btw, what's the fin setup on that lance collins?

it's got a single ~8" turbo tunnel on it now. Going to probably try and go 2 + 1 here, depending on how it feels.

[ill-advised strategy]

[Bud]

I still highly recommend getting a custom board someday.... i'll never go back to off-the-rack shapes. When you find a shaper that you get along really well with, its a lot of fun to talk with them about exactly what you want out of your new board and then have them sculpt something specifically for you.