I'm heading there soon for a holiday. With the Aussie dollar so high, is there a significant cost benefit in doing so? I'm flying air Hawaii and I understand they allow stacks of luggage.

oliver said...

I'm heading there soon for a holiday. With the Aussie dollar so high, is there a significant cost benefit in doing so? I'm flying air Hawaii and I understand they allow stacks of luggage.

Go for it ..... as long as it's 12,6 under .... 14ft and above your have to freight.

What board are you getting ?

Also beaware on how your going to get it to the airport if it's a 12ft 6 ,I was fine with my 9ft 6 longboard the airport shuttle van had straps to put it on the roof.

Boylos

You lucky bugga Oliver.. Just watch out for the locals there..

DJ

Piros said...


plus the range is mainly bigger boards probably because in 2 weeks I only saw 2 people on sub 10 Sup's boards so nothing caught my eye.

By contrast I was there for 3 weeks in April north and south shore stays and saw predominantly sub 10' boards. Generally the only big boards were the hire boards. Only saw one Naish and 1 Starboard the whole time. Still kicking myself for not bringing back a Jay Richardson board

ummm interesting discussion point this one. I would get one Oliver if I had the chance - I was over in the States a few months back and could not believe some of the prices. Sadly was not able to bring one back.

I also see that there is another large SUP shop opening this weekend on the edge of the northern beaches. 2 in 2 weeks. Maybe some competition and a high currency will bring things back into line a little!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha ha

So what sort of saving are we looking at?

less than 10%
20 - 30%
30 - 50%

and are there any problems freighting the board between islands?

Supporting local suppliers is the way to go for all the reasons AA menisions and more.
but with the dollar so strong, the local suppliers should be able to pass on some savings with the dollars strength.

the US econ. isn't getting better any time soon, so fare call on current stock but time regarding the strength of the AUS dollar is on our side even with long periods between orders regardless of it being US dollar or Euro.

also i am of the opinion that up to 80% of euro trade contracts are still done in US dollars, witch is also a minor factor as to why the greenback is still a strong currency.

both euro and US need to stop browwing off China to buy products from china and start investing in production in there own countrys and Australia needs to open there eyes to this downward spiral of mass dept.

so to move back towards SUP's if local shops dont play ball in the near future with the mass production OS board company's, do the most moral thing and buy direct from our own local shapers, who many are proving have the goods over mass production, just not mass marketing.

I've already got two Australian custom boards, and I'm thinking of selling them at a fraction of what I paid for them. Custom is great, except when it comes to resale.

I'll want a board to use while I'm over there, so it probably makes sense to buy one there, even if the cost is roughly the same, and then bring it back home.

Besides, Australia's economy is doing just fine. Think of it as not taking a sale away from us, but rather as giving our struggling brothers in the US a bit of a hand.

oliver said...

I've already got two Australian custom boards, and I'm thinking of selling them at a fraction of what I paid for them. Custom is great, except when it comes to resale.

I'll want a board to use while I'm over there, so it probably makes sense to buy one there, even if the cost is roughly the same, and then bring it back home.

Besides, Australia's economy is doing just fine. Think of it as not taking a sale away from us, but rather as giving our struggling brothers in the US a bit of a hand.

You go for it Oliver Local board factory here just gone into recevership so things not that good here . I hate to think what a custom SUP would be worth here, if it makes the knockers any feel better I buy boards in AUS and bring them back . Go for it .

I do organise these events and can tell you that the Sydney Paddle Surfing Club (for one) would never have got up and running if it weren't for retailers like WindSurfnSnow, Balmoral Boards, Suplove, Walk on Water and East Coast SUP. These guys put up some solid cash to fund the club.

..and as a committee member for the newly formed SUP Central (Central Coast Paddleboarding Club) we are in the process of setting up and looking for sponsors to help out. I say, "Support the sponsors who support you". I don't have a problem buying gear from the people who show up to support our club and its activities.

At our recent weekend away to kick things off we had reps from two local SUP retailers (ESS Boardstore at Erina and The Paddle Shack at Davistown) bring gear along to try out, Aidan from Naish brought up a whole van load of boards and paddles to borrow (I ended up buying the new Naish kevlar paddle after trying one out) and we had a couple of our local retailers donate prizes for our unofficial comp.

Without these individuals, companies and retailers getting behind us the weekend would not have been as successful.

Naish should be cheaper in Australia because we are nearer to where they are manufactured.

OG SUP said...

Casso said...

theDoctor said...

the chirp of 'support the local industry' is a bit of a cop out to try and guilt you into believing events like mambo or local boardriders wouldn't happen if not for sup retailers is an insult to those who organise and participate in the events...

I do organise these events and can tell you that the Sydney Paddle Surfing Club (for one) would never have got up and running if it weren't for retailers like WindSurfnSnow, Balmoral Boards, Suplove, Walk on Water and East Coast SUP. These guys put up some solid cash to fund the club.

I agree with Casso,

Without the support of Strapper, Kialoa, SHQ, Sup Bus, RPS, Balmoral Boards, Windgenuity etc we simply wouldnt have any surf or racing events in Vicco. They throw serious time, manpower and cash at events.

Phill

Clearly those benefiting from local industry support should show conviction and buy local.

One person buying a board in Hawaii isn't going to make a lot of differance to local industry ,if anything the US Economy could do with all the help it can get . The value of the Aus dollaris @ record high . All the who ha about sponsership your just supporting Thailand.
Buy two Oliver

oliver said...



Been eyeing off those PSH bamboo numbers - they look sweet. Not sure if they are even available here. Are they?

Been out since July got the 10 6 gun. Very nice boards

reckon that photo on the site is a bit misleading as they have painted rails the photo is of the custom wood veneers which I got over there they are rare as hens teeth.

Oh I see. Retailers buy products manufactured overseas in Australia and pay a middle person to import them. Big big difference.

It's now obvious that with me going OS and buying ONE board there, will cut out this Aussie middle person, and his poor family will starve as result.

I can now understand why this is such a passionate topic.... By even suggesting that it may be cheaper to do this. I can see that soon thousands like me will also do the same forcing struggling Aussie retailers into certain bankruptcy, which will of course be the end of all the events.

That's a big difference.