Ask Carroll

[Davros]

want to name him?

[tootr]

Some fair points re shapers remuneration....

I'll haggle like the proverbial on an off the racks board, which is not often, but I'm happy to pay up for a custom direct from a rolls royce guy

[swvic]

Yeah, Matty, they are definitely worth more than the price. I have a mate who's after a board for a specific beachie known to get heavy and hollow. Been encouraging him to talk to JD, but the cost is preventing that. He can't grasp the situation properly

Good example of the fragility of surfboards was me surfing with a guy at Meanos (near Hatchy's patch). Very 1st wave on a brand new board and he tries a no paddle take off under the lip. Didn't make it and the front half of the board flew at least 10m into the air. He was pissed off with the guy who made the board
, I'd have been surprised if it didn't break

[MrMik]

Same - except my JD's are a couple of years old. I hit a rock quite solidly with a fin on a bottom turn and the fin rotated on the back plug, just managed to push into the outer surface but didn't poke through. No depressions, no other dings. Been in some heavy surf, broken leg ropes, washed up on rocks, even been hit a few times by other guys. I reckon they are easily worth twice what Josh charges but how do you convince a first time customer to spend that much when an off the rack board goes for around $500, even though the JD is going to last 10 times as long.

So how much are the JD boards (roughly)?

[swvic]

I got art (primarily) because the board was a 50th b'day pressie from Mrs swvic. Think the art added about 100. Total cost $1150. Yep, 1150 and I'm left with nothing but recommendation to all. Moreso, considering the fragility of some $700+ boards I've had in recent yrs

I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. Primarily, it comes down to the board. Art was secondary, but fcuk me, the man's very good at that too

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[Nick Carroll]

Thoughts on JJF's cutback style? I used to not like it, the double arm anti-rotation semi-layback. Kerrzy's got a variation of it too. But JJF won me (and obviously the judges) over yesterday (or was it the day before) with that super critical one. I still think they're uglier than a normal roundhouse or regular one-arm layback but they're growing on me.

The double arm semi layback cuttie style has been around for a long time, it has a couple of style strands, one being Qld pointbreak (MP and numerous acolytes) and the other being classic Hawaiian power surfing (Billy Hamilton, Eddie, and others)

JJF has it sorta built in to his surfing almost via DNA thanks to those influences and he is moving fluidly enough to pull it off at great speed, adjusting it as he goes. It's functional style yet it's also pretty showy and takes way more confidence and timing than standard cutties. Obviously this is being recognised by the panel so youse all better get used to it as you watch Johnny win at Keramas.

[aaronn]

acolytes

[el rancho]

dave rastavich is another purveyor of the double-arm layback cuttie, except now that's his default cuttie.

[channels]

Watched the failure of the Bruce Irons wildcard heats at Keramas (rumour and innuendo aside)...the last reasonably succesful wildcard I can remember was the Vicco local at Bells a few years back. Most of them get eliminated at the first opportunity; any reason they still bother to persist or is it just a concession to the sponsors?

[Nick Carroll]

Watched the failure of the Bruce Irons wildcard heats at Keramas (rumour and innuendo aside)...the last reasonably succesful wildcard I can remember was the Vicco local at Bells a few years back. Most of them get eliminated at the first opportunity; any reason they still bother to persist or is it just a concession to the sponsors?

Bruce would have to be the worst wildcard at a WCT. He respects the competitors too much. The last thing he'd want to do would be knock someone out of the event.

Wildcards have won major events -- notably at Pipe and Teahupo'o -- on a number of occasions; they usually exit at round three or before. Very rarely does one come fifth. Consistency isn't a wildcard's long suit.

Currently there are four wildcard slots at each WCT event. Two are automatically filled by injury-afflicted surfers from the year before; these injury wildcards are often hotly contested and provide a fall back position for a pro who's had an appalling year. To me these surfers aren't really wildcards at all, just normal pros who got in the door a slightly different way. The other two wildcards are filled by the event franchisee and can be elected in a number of ways, often via a trials system, other times by direct selection out of the franchisee's team roster. Further wildcards, in case of injury to a current touring surfer, default first to the ASP rankings, and second to the franchisee.

Wildcards serve a range of purposes in WCT world. They can allow a modicum of local interest in an event as is happening in Bali with the local grommet knocking off Simpo to the cheers of the multitudes etc. They give those poor injured pros a way back in after cruel Fate denies them the chance to qualify (watch O go for that option at the end of 2013). And yeah, they give the franchisee a chance to perhaps blood some superkid at this level of competition, or otherwise help out their team presence at the event.

And every now and then they serve the far more valuable (to my mind) purpose of scaring the shit out of the top 32.

It's hard competition at those events to be sure. But the top pro ranks are like a little club. They hang out at events, talk shit, compare boards, bag each other behind their backs, etc etc. But underneath it they think of themselves as a special breed; they're cashing the prizemoney cheques, they're putting on the jerseys, they're the stars of the show, and in that sense they're just a little bit more special than anyone else, win lose or draw.

They need disruption occasionally or they just disappear into the club room and shut the door.

[crabmeat thompson]

Well said NC. Nailed my feelings too.

Watching Joel sweat in his against Oney is only good for the sport.

[Lucky Al]

can a pro surfer actually walk into a bank and cash a dinghy sail-size check nick or does the sponsor give him one of normal size too?

[Grooter]

Yeah, Matty, they are definitely worth more than the price. I have a mate who's after a board for a specific beachie known to get heavy and hollow. Been encouraging him to talk to JD, but the cost is preventing that. He can't grasp the situation properly

Good example of the fragility of surfboards was me surfing with a guy at Meanos (near Hatchy's patch). Very 1st wave on a brand new board and he tries a no paddle take off under the lip. Didn't make it and the front half of the board flew at least 10m into the air. He was pissed off with the guy who made the board
, I'd have been surprised if it didn't break

Yeah that wave can get very heavy, only surfed it a few times, the drop is mental, but I prefer Cyrils if I've packed the shorter board

+1 for you get what you pay for. My two Grant Miller boards have held up exceptionally well, despite last weeks discrepancy with the shallow reef, deck depressions are small and I ain't no lightweight either.

josh's boards look fantastic, I've wanted a quad (about 6'8") for a while, mainly for the lower-tide steeper waves, but with the car rebuilding and a bit of work to do round the home it'll have to wait till next year I think

[alakaboo]

can a pro surfer actually walk into a bank and cash a dinghy sail-size check nick or does the sponsor give him one of normal size too?

They normally make the routing numbers something different on the big ones so they aren't legal tender.

[Beanpole]

You need to have an equally big bank card or accept equally big notes

[Nick Carroll]

can a pro surfer actually walk into a bank and cash a dinghy sail-size check nick or does the sponsor give him one of normal size too?

nah Al it's all bullshit. There's no money involved at all. Just one big show-and-go farce; a literally and spiritually bankrupt pursuit, fit only for the egotists and the damned, who dance their foolish dance at the whim of the forces of Darkness. Dance on, my pretties! Dance while you can! For the day is surely coming when the Darkness will tire of its petty game and cast you aside like bones from an empty feast.

Wait hang on that's rugby league.

[Beanpole]

I liked it how on the footie show Tim Cahill made them up the prize money for him to kick a field goal for that punter. Considering how much money sportsbet are gouging out of the punters they can afford to be a bit more generous.