Blue boards

[smw1]

Now I know the whole tuf-lite debate is a sticky subject and seems to provoke a lot of emotional reactions, but I just wanted to add my thoughts. I also know there's a lot of people out there who are interested in these boards, so hopefully this post will be interesting/useful.

I bought my first one about 4 weeks ago, a Surftech Randy French fish. So far I've found it to be awesome - nice and loose, easy to paddle, buoyant and the rails grip really well. So far I've managed not to ding it at all, despite quite heavy use.

The only main difference I've noticed is I leave my take-offs a little later, which I put down to the fact that it weighs quite a bit less than my fibreglass boards, but it could easily be a technique thing though, and the fact I'm still getting used to the board.

I understand that there are real concerns about the impact tuf-lites may have on the local board industry. That said, for people like me - average surfers who want a board that does everything they ask of it, and be rugged enough to cope with a couple of years use and being chucked on planes and car roofs, there is obviously a case for going tuf-lite.

And in anticipation of copping some heat for this post, my other boards are by local shapers, and I reckon I won't be going tuf-lite only for the forseeable future. The jury's still out on that.

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experiences with tuf-lites.

SMW

[fro]

G,day, i had a tufflite webber,about three months old,last weekend snaped in half in two foot waves.It was a good board but i wont be buying another one.

[collnarra]

just to clarify: the blue boards are the salomon designs. The tuflite/surftechs use a different form of construction.

personally, I don't get the surftech thing at all. Why would I pay MORE for a mass produced board when I can get one personally hand made?

I surfed a surftech a couple of times up the coast last weekend. It didn't feel as lively as my 6'2" Simon Anderson, but that's neither here nor there. What I did realise was that you can't change a surftech. If, like me, you like to ride a slightly thicker board, surftech can't help you.

I'll be sticking with conventional foam for now. Wouldn't mind having a go of the salomon... again, up the coast, overheard a guy who was riding one. His mate also had one.

dude 1: "I've creased this one again,"
dude 2: "ahh, they're just toys anyway."

me: $1200 toys, mang.

[tootr]

IMO the way to go is;

1- get a shaper to make wot suits you. give feedback over time and refine wot u like

2 - to last longer get a decent glass job (with a deck patch, and full rail laps) on them. many off the racks boards i have fondled are crazy light - is this for performance or to get u back to buy another in 3 months??

[Beanpole]

I think the arguement for why tuflites cost so much goes like this: the costs of tooling up to make them, more labour intensive construction methods, internationally famous designs and the fact that you have a virtually ding free board that will retain its resale value.
I bought one second hand a few years back that looked like new and I had some great waves on it. Great for travelling.

However, don't expect to be real happy about repair costs if you snap one. Mine never felt the same after the repairs but it looked the same Just like new almost. Beware second hand tuflites. I think the lightness and bouyancy of tuflites can make them surf funny.
Pro and con I think they have a serious place in surfing. In particular surfboard rentals and travelling. I think they're a bit like macdonalds, you know what your getting anywhere in the world.

I don't know if I'd buy another tuflite but not because of dubious ethical issues. Surfboards are all plastic. As a bit of an old dinasour I think its criminal the quality of construction methods used in most boards these days. Shortboards seem to be practically disposable. The manufacturers then turn around and ask everyone to consider the polluting effects of rival technology.
Quality construction only comes from experience and quality control.

[smw1]

Interesting views, thanks everybody.

On the issue of why they are more expensive, I don't know the business model of course, but I would guess that the higher costs are reflective of investment in new technology, tooling, one-off start-up costs, royalties to shapers etc. Presumably the makers won't be able to pass through any savings from economies of scale until they actually achieve a critical mass of customers and sales. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months.

As for the points about "popouts", this doesn't necessarily put me off them. I snowboard whenever I can and all that gear comes straight off the production line. I haven't researched it but I would guess that there was some resistance from the ski makers (which was a cottage industry crafting in wood) when new construction and materials arrived on the scene.

I agree obviously that tufflites don't give you the one-to-one shaper type relationship, and the ability to ask for tweaks to your next board. I wonder though, how many average surfers work like this anyway?

As for repairs to surftechs, I haven't had to deal with the problem yet, so I can't really comment. But if you snap one, I'm not surprised that it doesn't feel the same after repairs. I think the same would probably be true for traditional fibreglass as well though.

Anyway, I think the jury's still out on this one. I'll feed back any interesting happenings with my surftech over the next few weeks.

SMW

[collnarra]

I think technological change in surfboards is good - kind of. There's something ineffable about having a hand-made, custom designed surfboard. I KNOW that I'd never get a tuflite or salomon that worked just for me, and that's mainly coz I have very definite ideas about what I want (and need) in an all-round surfboard.

I also think that there's a danger that all the newbies coming into surfing ( I was gonna say "the sport", but it's more than that) won't know or understand where things have come from. They won't know that they can get a better surfboard (at a fraction of the price) custom made for them.

It's a little like this internet exposure of less-exposed spots. In the day that sort of knowledge was handed down, father to son (well, almost). Now, it's available on the inter-ma-net. And I don't think that's a good thing.

Basically, if we think we've seen the homogenisation of surfing over the last couple of years, that's nothing compared to what's gonna happen over the next few years.

I'll post more on this later.

C.O.L

[bro]

I have ridden a few, TC's, Webbers early prototypes and Randy's fish. I consider myself an average surfer and I don't like them. I never thought they paddled well ( which every one seems to think they do) due to their corkyness I thought they rolled with each stroke if you know what I mean.

Never tried a salomon yet but will soon.

Interesting that in ALL the board surveys done in the mags neither come out on top of traditional boards and none of the pro's rate them.

[dpb]

I've recently (couple of months ago, my second board) bought a JC Tuflite and find it to be very good. Although I can't really compare it to a traditionaly made board of similar size as I moved down a foot in size from my previous board. Funny thing about my purchase of this was that I went looking for a new board from the place that custom built my first board and they straight away talked up the tuflite. I used a demo a couple of times and went with it as I was really keen on the lightness and durability.
I have dinged it a couple of times (nothing too bad) and was surprised that it dinged considering I don't think I really did anything too bad, specially considering how strong they are supposed to be.
But for me, overall I'm very happy with the board, but probably would have been just as happy with a foam board the same size.

Just a few thoughts on my experience anyway.
Off to Fiji for a week in 12 days, so everything is looking rosy!

[oldman]

ineffable

Beautiful word Collnarra!

A couple of years ago I was thinking that I would get a tuflite as my next board. Now I'm not so sure. My next board still looks a long way off at the moment.

Surprised to hear a few people saying they dinged them in pretty light conditions though. Durability is a big issue if you won't be able to afford your next board for 3 or 4 years.

When I can start thinking about buying a new board I'll definitely be looking at tuflites, but I may go back to traditional fibreglass. It would have to be a custom made though, not off the rack.

[shitusername]

ive never ridden one so im only talking from a spectators point of view, but a couple of guys from my local started riding them recently, both incredibly talented very smooth surfers but i notice when they are riding their tufflites their style becomes very whippy erratic and snappy like a kid riding a skateboard.
Dont know why.
Has anyone ridden one and noticed this?

[collnarra]

wanto:

Death Valley 69


'nuff said.

Col.

[philw]

sister/daydream nation

i've had a couple of tufflites - a matt kechelle 5'10 stub fish and currently a 5'8 xanadu shortboard. both were easier to ding than the publicity suggests - and much harder to fix than normal boards. i'm an average surfer and i'd say the difference is that the compared to my normal boards they turn faster and allow tighter more radical (for me anyway!) moves in the lip. however, they don't seem to have the same flow down the line and will lose speed very quickly in a flat section. but keep an open mind and they're really enjoyable. i love riding the xanadu in speedy 2-3ft close out sort of surf (ie: what we get a lot of). also tried a tufflite longboard in the states a few years ago and hated it. just didn't feel like a longboard - horrible thing.

shane dorian is riding a tufflite in indo in stab magazine this month. but most pros probably don't want to take that kind of risk. i can't see why a lighter, more bouyant (and therefore shorter) surfboard can't be refined to better standards - maybe they need bigger fins or thinner rails to feel more like standard boards?

[Hawkeye]

In the end it comes down to personal preference.

I’m sick of paying 600+ for a board by someone reputable only to see it get loved to death in a few months by my bony knees and bum.

My tuflite barely shows damage from this after a year’s use, even tho’ I surf 4-5 times a week, and I still get comments on how it looks almost like new. I’ve had several offers to buy it. So for about $100 more than a polyester, they look like excellent value to me. Both my 6’4 and 6’8” JC go great.

However, if you have an expectation your tuflite board will never break, you are setting yourself up for disappontment. No board can be indestructible.

Now in my mid 40s, I will never be in the pros’ league, so what they ride or rate is hardly relevant to me.

Tuflites are more rigid because of their strength, and this may account for some of the feeling of corkiness. Most of it though, is in the shape. If a board is more bouyant you have to compensate with a thinner rail, so I think it is more about shapers adapting to the new medium than a flaw in the medium itself.

I agree the major downside is being confined to buying off the rack. On the other hand, if you find something you like you can be sure of being able to go back and getting exactly the same as the board you had or test-rode.

[Laurie McGinness]

I find my standard construction boards last very well. My small wave board which gets a pretty heavy work out is over a year old and still in good condition, a couple of minor dents but no real dings. My usual gun is two years old and needs a little maintenance but is still structurally sound and good for many more years I’d think. My Indo gun is actually 7 years old and still in the prime of its life. I even have a small wave back up that is around the same age that I surfed solidly for four years before putting it aside, I surf it from time to time just to keep a feel and it still goes fine. Looking back over that period I have broken two boards and sold a few but the ones I sold were all still in reasonable condition. So from my perspective standard boards still represent value for money. Oh and all from the Aloha factory, Alohas and early G Styles.

I do try and take reasonable care of my boards and I make sure that the glass job is not super light weight when I order them . I also get them out of the sun ASAP when not in use and don’t leave them to bake in the back of hot cars. I have also trained myself not to use my knee when duck diving and to avoid gripping the nose rails too hard.

The tuflites I have seen all have bulky rails and I’m starting to suspect, though I could easily be wrong, that this is a limitation of the construction method. I have seen them surfed well and there are a couple of designs that I suppose I might surf but most of them look like they might bark if you got too close!



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