Perhaps i'm biased but i don't think anyone is making surfboards in the UK that are any better shaped or finished than Gulfstream. Maybe there are a couple of people that are comparable, but sadly i don't think there ar man people even trying to match the care and craftsmanship that most US logging labels strive for.
That said, i have an order in with Squire, the label run by John Isaac and made by Seabase. Given John's eye for detail i'm sure it will live up to expectation.
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Hi Chris, Love my GS Boards, check Slide 65 surfboards. I have two now and Rob Wright Just keeps getting better. The James parry model is amazing, the shaping and the finshing are both excellent. Saying that does anyhting compare with Cali quality? Hope all is well, Russ
i really don't understand this sentiment....
one minute your praising a mass producer for using technology that is maybe 10 years old, then you slam the other UK manufacturers for quality. What gives?
Nothing against John, but his Squires are made at Seabase, along with other UK and US labels. They can build it as good as the US if you're willing to (fairly) pay the same for it. Attention to detail comes with more time, and therefore more money...
The US guys are just like us, and not all of them care as much as you all think. Check Stewarts for instance, worst glassing rep on the west coast. And there's more, if you stop and really look, ask, and know what to look for. These days it varies more from brand to brand that country to country.
But whatever...if you continually say you're not good enough, you will eventually be right...
Hey Royal
You know me- opinionated and enjoy stirring up some debate!
It wasn't directed at you, quite the opposite in fact, maybe s little hastily written and misconstrued as a result......... I'll see if I can explain & u see if it makes sense!
I think it's about effort and desire.
Tiki are aiming at a specific mass market that is pretty much dominated by overseas companies. I'd rather the people who are going to buy that sort of board anyway got it from them than surftech cos they are a local company that employ my friends. That way those people are still sort of supporting the local industry here.......Plus they bought me beer!:-)
I agree not all that glitters Californian is gold. I've seen a couple of dodgy model ts and my gato was hardly the best executed board was it? I was thinking more if tylers or stuff glassed by moonlight.
I'm was trying to say that there are quite a few uk labels churning out dodgy retro fishes and slightly oddly shaped traditional longboards all duly tinted, because that's what they think they need to do to ell boards in the summer, not because thats what they surf or because they truly care as deeply as u or Jools or John for that matter do about the shapes. That they work properly that they are glassed to that top standard. That they stand up well to the top level from abroad
Plenty of others (sure you can think of a few) don't care about that type of board or finish but still produce them, maybe even charge the same.
I agree there is a commercial reality aspect to this too, but it's about desire....
On the positive side i agree there are SOME interesting things happening in europe and i agree it's good that the other side of the pond is starting to appreciate that
Does that make sense?
Incidentally the squire order is to try and salvage something good out of the gato debacle and the only two boards I've ever had from seabase in the past both had pretty major issues so I'm hoping John has his finger on the pulse for this one!
hey CP,
I didn't take it personally. Quite the opposite really. I just couldn't figure out where you were coming from with those two seemingly contradictory posts...
I agree with you on most of that now. But, to add a spin to it, most board builders will only build what the public will buy. If the public want/accepts the same old same old in terms of shape and color, then it's a real conundrum. If they won't pay for someone to put the effort in, most people wouldn't bother. It's no different than any other industry. If you only pay your mechanic to use cheap parts, you replace them sooner...
I think John through Revolver has a good position to change some of that, should he decide it is worth the effort. The Squires are well made, with attention to detail, and I'm sure he could do more if he wanted to. He seems to be an honest fellow, even if we don't see eye to eye all the time.
The difference between the US and the UK is that the Americans are proud of their products and the UK tends to beat themselves down. There's just as many hacks on both sides - maybe me too!
This debate could go on for ages, and probably has.
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