7S Superfish Feedback

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Morgan The Moon
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Morgan The Moon » Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:04 am

steve shearer wrote:I agree with that but I'm not sure that's how the market prices things.

More like how flavour of the month the shaper is or how many pro's he has riding the boards.
True enough, and if a shaper finds himself in that position then it's a golden ticket.

I'm fast approaching 40 and I've never really cared about which pro rides what, but I'm interested in certain shapes and I'll head to someone who's got experience and an obvious passion in that area.

Like I wanted a single so I went to McCoy. if I wanted a quad then I'd check out Van Straalen and also Pridmore who's obviously nuts deep with the whole quad setup. If I need another longboard, then I'd be looking at Haydn Lewis and also be asking RV about that board he made for Wands.

As for how the market prices things...ultimately its our decision whether we think something is worth the asking price.

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Trev
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Trev » Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:14 pm

oldman wrote: Does anyone think that $80 or $90 is a reasonable price for a long armed rash vest? Not a 1 mm vest or anything like that, just normal rash vest?

oldman, I just bought two long sleeved "Golden Breed" rashies for $12.95 each from Trade Secret. They fit well, stretch properly. A nice, pretty blue. :wink:
That'll keep me happy for a summer or 3. :lol:
Beanpole
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Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by oldman » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:35 pm

TrevG wrote:I just bought two long sleeved "Golden Breed" rashies for $12.95 each from Trade Secret.
That'll do me. There's one local.
Lucky Al wrote:You could call your elbows borogoves, and your knees bandersnatches, and go whiffling through the tulgey woods north of narrabeen, burbling as you came.

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Trev
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Trev » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:26 pm

oldman wrote:
TrevG wrote:I just bought two long sleeved "Golden Breed" rashies for $12.95 each from Trade Secret.
That'll do me. There's one local.
Happy to help. 8)
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.

Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by sean-- » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:19 pm

ric_vidal wrote:
sean-- wrote:Grant Miller who also has no team riders but who handshapes great boards with good service...
Not too sure about the ‘hand’ bit anymore, Sean. Grant is apparently clever in more ways than one and has carved out a good point of difference including excellent customer service. Have had it said to me he is more concerned with the quality of others work than apparently his own. :? There be that appearance thing again.

I have no doubt Grant is clever in his approach and am not too sure if he has a machine or not. He is a pretty good salesman and after having had 3 boards off him can say they go good and are made really well.What I like about them is that they are good boards for the other 95% of us. As far as his concern with others boards goes I've never heard him bag any other shaper which is pretty unusual.He bags the shit out of the imports a lot though.

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by pridmore » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:28 pm

also Pridmore who's obviously nuts deep with the whole quad setup.....

I do like em but dont wanna be thought of as a shaper who only does quads...but they are really going well so it is hard to shape something that you dont believe in will work as well for the customer...
although I do have a few new things up my sleeve ( quick, better make them not quaddies ) nah, just running with what is performing the best and what customers are asking for...but like I said, I dont want to only be thought of as only shaping quaddies coz thats definitely not the case....... :roll:
Last edited by pridmore on Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

JET01
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by JET01 » Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:06 pm

There's a buzz getting around that people call you Quadmore... :wink:

Care to dispell any rumours? :roll: :roll: :roll:

Now that i think of it... if you put out a signature model, that'd probably be a good name for it...

So no need to hold the naming competition, just cut to the chase and send me the custom board i've won :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


Wasn't this thread about 7S superfish?
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Trev
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Trev » Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:30 pm

^^^^^^ :lol: :lol: :lol:
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.

Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

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eMpowered
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by eMpowered » Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:15 pm

sean-- wrote:The imports are going to continue but most serious surfers will always go for the custom or local board.
That's all well and good Sean, But how many of the Surfing Population do you think are "Serious Surfer's".

At the end of the day Shapers are in business for whatever reason, Some have a family, mortgage etc. It would be great to get all romantic and say, I don't shape for punter's.

But the fact of the matter nowaday's is (especially in a city like Sydney) that the percentage of business you might gain from "Serious Surfers" might equate to around 15% of your business if your really lucky.

Not getting personal, Or saying that I know more than someone else, But if China/Thailand can make a board so much cheaper than average Aussie Joe, I would'nt be so narrow minded (For want of a better decription).


You reallly have to be thick skinned nowaday's to make a living out of shaping. Good marketing or not.

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by ric_vidal » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:46 am

sean-- wrote:What I like about them is that they are good boards for the other 95% of us. As far as his concern with others boards goes I've never heard him bag any other shaper which is pretty unusual.He bags the shit out of the imports a lot though.
Agree with that Sean... apparently there is one decidedly unpopular boardmaker on the northern beaches who Grant has quite passionately ridiculed in the surf... on all accounts the guy deserves it.

Something to be said for the market some of the overseas boards attract. :?

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by sean-- » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:08 am

eMpowered wrote:
sean-- wrote:The imports are going to continue but most serious surfers will always go for the custom or local board.
That's all well and good Sean, But how many of the Surfing Population do you think are "Serious Surfer's".

At the end of the day Shapers are in business for whatever reason, Some have a family, mortgage etc. It would be great to get all romantic and say, I don't shape for punter's.

But the fact of the matter nowaday's is (especially in a city like Sydney) that the percentage of business you might gain from "Serious Surfers" might equate to around 15% of your business if your really lucky.

Not getting personal, Or saying that I know more than someone else, But if China/Thailand can make a board so much cheaper than average Aussie Joe, I would'nt be so narrow minded (For want of a better decription).


You reallly have to be thick skinned nowaday's to make a living out of shaping. Good marketing or not.
I'm really only going on what I see around here ( southern Illawarra ) that on the good days most are riding local boards. I havent surfed in Sydney for a long time so I cant really comment on what most people ride up there.
I think the pretty established shapers and local brands would still be doing OK.
I understand the argument against the imports but there are a number of reasons why surfers ride Surftech's ect. I'll put my hand up and say I rode Surftech longboards for a few years and in my experience I liked the durability factor because I wasn't getting the heel dents and the resale value as well. Many who also ride these boards would agree with that. I know the distributer and he used to let me swap boards around and try out different models but at the end of it all I came to the conclusion that these boards were inferior to glass because they wouldnt noseride as well, handle bumps , wind or run as well so I went back to glass. I must have tried out over 30 different models and there was really only one or two that I found to be pretty good.
I didnt like the shorter boards at all really for pretty much the same reason. The mark up on these boards was another thing as well which explains why a lot of shop owners try and push them.
Theres a store down this way that stocks nothing but imports which is pretty sad.
I think its always been tough for a shaper starting out or an established one because surfers are fickle and often want to try something new or get a board off a another shaper.
The biggest thing I missed while riding tufflites was the anticipation of waiting for a custom and the buzz you get when you get it out there and it works for you. I can live with heel dents.
I just picked up a custom 9 footer off Mark Rabbidge and its the best 9 I've had in years and cheaper than a Surftech. I like his "not made in China " sticker.
Whats happening with surfboards is no different to whats happening in every other industry. People are losing jobs in manufacturing beacause it can be done cheaper offshore.
I still reckon that with surfboards there will always be a market for the local product.

JET01
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by JET01 » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:20 am

Maybe we need a name and shame thread.. Keep the bastards honest i reckon.

I'm in the market for a new 6'3 or 6'4 shorty so it would be nice if someone could PM me so i don't go there.
:shock:
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Yuke Hunt » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:56 am

ah yes the 7S ... thats the little puppy with the 45 degree retaining wall above the rail holding back all that excess foam ... ugly little mother focker that it is.
Are they not also one of the most heavily promoted (advertised) products in the surf media ... :?:
These guys run multiple ads in most if not all surfing magazines ... and appear constantly on the majority of surf orientated internet sites.
For the amount of media saturation the product receives its amazing that we don't see thousands of them out at the super wank every weekend ... the fact is that surfers by and large are fashion conscious and the aforementioned product is conceived to be unfashionable and dwelling in the realm of kookdome. (although I have seen some good surfers tearing it up on them)
On any given day at any lineup in Australia ... if you have a look around ... the vast majority of surfers will be riding locally shaped polyester based surfboards ... why ... they are reasonably priced ... they have proven performance ... and they have a logo that is acceptable to the screaming horde.

ah yes the 7S
the one with the crazy rail
purchased from another land
along the ho chi minh trail
see the ad ... the price is right
oh it has a swallow tail
when the man sold it
he said it was the best
he didn't mean in performance
it made better profit than the rest


:roll:
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Beanpole » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:52 am

I like the idea of supporting local shapers but what if you are concerned for their health?
Encouraging them to keep working with all those nasty chemicals so they can feed their creative obsessions is cruel. :D
Put your big boy pants on
I mean, tastebuds? WGAF?

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Beerfan » Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:50 am

Just a hypothetical. You see one of the local bokes down the beach, He's raving about his new board. You try it, its the greatest board you've ever surfed, unreal, your surfings gone up two notches, you're surfing like your fave surfer and just all round ripping. You get out and and ask him where he got it, and what model. You find out its made overseas in a big factory. Do you

A) Huff n puff and say " i support aussie board makers, no way im buying one now"

B) Go and get one, shrug your shoulders and think of all the filthy carves/slashes/aerials/noserides you'll be doing.

Im guessing the majority ( even the most hardcore hippy "save the whale" freaks ) are gunna go with B.

I know i'd go with B.

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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by pridmore » Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:53 am

fair question BF. Maybe there should be a 'C' option here though...maybe it could read like this -
C- after riding it and realizing it makes you surf better and enjoy your time in the water alot more, you suss out the design and learn why it is working so well for you so you can include the design features into your next board from an Aussie shaper .... :roll:




As a shaper, I just wanna say that all the Asian imports arent bothering me that much anymore, they have done me a favour because alot of surfers who have bought 1 or 2 have learnt of the poor quality and or poor performance so it has helped me in many ways, people have been educated and now realize that a Aussie made board is the way to go. Especially considering that my prices are better in some cases and they can get a totally custom board and be involved in the entire process, so dont even care too much bout the Asian thing anymore....I still hope surfers support Aussie shapers but in a funny way, the Asian imports have done me a favour..I do feel for others who have been seriously affected by them though.... the poor quality of the Asian boards is also good for my ding repair service, so I make a few bucks there too, then get the chance to explain the quality of the particular board..... :|

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Morgan The Moon
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by Morgan The Moon » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:59 am

The Superfish was originally designed by Wiztix here on the Central Coast, so it was a proven design before they picked it up.
I hope they made it worth his while when he sold GSI the rights.

^^ ^ Gotta love a happy ending Pridmore...glad to hear not everyone is affected, but it's not too hard to imagine that your average joe will now have less craftmen to discuss their custom board with, cos of the fallout of the cheap import.

It the not too distant future I imagine the punter will have to pay a premium for the custom board cos there'll be less guys able to build 'em.

Buy Aussie made customs, if not for you, then for your kids.

Geez, I sound a bit like a conspiracy theorist eh......

sean--
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Re: 7S Superfish Feedback

Post by sean-- » Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:04 pm

I've never picked up or seen one of the 7s boards up close. So are the glass jobs really bad on them or is it the blanks?
If so it makes you wonder why people buy them. I know a guy around here that was raving about his imported Webber but I guess time will tell. As I said earlier I've had a few tufflite mals and what I liked about them was that the decks held up really well but they didnt really perform the way a longboard should because they were too light. Some that I rode would have been unreal in PU. I've heard that there is some real rubbish on ebay being passed off as surfboards as well like those M8R8 things. I've got a 10 foot single fin coming off Rabbidge in the next few weeks courtesy of a 20 years service bonus. Chocolate brown pintail with a yellow deck with 6x6x6. cant wait for that one :)

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