loco ,if you were Hulk Hogan and Poor Relative was Jake " the snake " Roberts , Jake has just applied his famous "sleeper hold" and is preparing to get his python out of the sack at ringside. Only an incredible manoeuvre can get you out of this one( but you are hulk hogan).

As a relatively newbie to SUPing here's my 2 cents worth.

I originally was looking at Walden, Starboard and Naish. I joined this site hoping to get advice on what board would suit my style of surfing.

I quickly learnt what would work, what wouldn't, known production defects, back up service (or lack thereof), pimping etc.

What really impressed me was the help I received on this site and from one SUPer in particular. This person has owned and ridden many brands and went out of his way to guide me through the selection process, offered to teach me, trial his boards, and after I purchased a SUP offered me to lend me different sets of fins to trial.

Maybe if I had read positive reports on other brands I might have went that way. However I didn't want boards where the wood veneer and deck grip lifted, had slots for mast tracks...WTF...I don't want to windsurf or ride a board that's been converted. I wanted a board designed to surf, pure and simple.

So yes, I am the happy owner of 2 PSH SUPs with another on the way.

As for price difference...what price difference??? The only gripe I had was why an 11' with grip was $100- cheaper than a 9'6" without grip (new pricing has the shorter one $250 cheaper).

I can't thank OG SUP, AA, BC, and Session enough for the advice and time they have given me. That's more than I can say for the other major brands and retailers I have dealt with.

If that makes me a PSH pimp so be it. By the way I have no affiliation whatsoever with any brand or the surf industry.

At least I know where I stand should something go wrong.

I enjoy this forum and the fact that people can post their opinions and reviews.

Pete

Here's my disclosure. I do work in the 'surfing' (not to be confused with 'surf') industry and have done for many years. I sell products to manufacturers, not SUP either.........

Good on PSH for closing the loop on customer service. A great shaper said to me once that most surfboard manufacturers operated like a chair with 2 legs, with the two being for product and ability the missing two being for service and customer focus.

As for product and where its made. I sat down with my shaper and designed my own SUP on the Aku shaper program with him and we talked about it and designed it for me...... Volume, rail shape, rocker, bottom contour, deck lines the lot. My name on the bottom.

Could I have ridden a board made as a model from somewhere in a mould........ Yes absolutely.

Did I enjoy supporting a local shaper and bask in the complete romance of helping to design to my own board and then having my name on the stringer? YES, I live for it no matter what board I ride. I even watched him shape it in the bay. I love the process for me it's 70% of the fun of getting a new board, the smell of resin, covered in dust. I really don't know how that joy of being part of it all got lost along the way with so many people. I love it so much I rely upon it to pay my Mortgage.

Next time, why argue about which moulded pop out is better than whoevers, why not design your own with a 'shaper' and feel the joy of being part of the process to endless refinement with the same shaper. Your feedback, your feelings, your modifications.

I'd love a PSH, but only if Blane shaped it for me which will never happen mainly because I couldnt afford it..... He sounds like a legend....

B Chambers said...

We don't spend a lot of $$$ advertising

PSH do not directly support Seabreeze.
www.seabreeze.com.au/info/sponsors.asp

Don't believe me...... ask the bloke who owns the site

loco4olas said...
Stop the whinging-just don't read a thread with PSH in the title if it pizzes you off.

ok

Your indisputably correct in every aspect of the argument.

Jake " the snake " Roberts leaves the ring..........

loco4olas said...

poor relative said...

But that is an AA ad who stock PSH
Starboard, Naish and a host of others all directly support Seabreeze
PSH do not yet get heaps of airtime.

BUT AA is the Australian importer, wholesaler, distributor and this is an Aussie site and the ads are for PSH.

And Blane is on here giving us info/feedback etc-no one else from the other majors are. (Scotty McCercher is now and again for Starboard, Rod Hocker does for Surfshapes (or did)-but you don't see Naish or his designer Iggy on here, or Jimmy Lewis, or DC or the Laguna Bay guys etc etc). Sure it may be part of his 'marketing' but he comes across as a genuine bloke too.

I can't speak for any of the others- but to the best of my limited knowledge 2 of the shapers you mention - DC and Laguna Bay are actually busy designing and shaping quality surfboards and sups. And I am sure that either of them would go out of their way to address any enquiries or concerns from any person at any time.

I can't speak for any of the others- but to the best of my limited knowledge 2 of the shapers you mention - DC and Laguna Bay are actually busy designing and shaping quality surfboards and sups. And I am sure that either of them would go out of their way to address any enquiries or concerns from any person at any time.

I can say from personal experience that Dale Chapman is a pleasure to deal with and extremely helpful. I have not used his product but I will be happy to provide feedback on Niki's Board after we receive it next week.





If the board is as good as his customer service and the custom spray then it will be superb!

Phill.

Now I guess I am a DC pimp!


Start slagging me off here { }

OG SUP said...

I can't speak for any of the others- but to the best of my limited knowledge 2 of the shapers you mention - DC and Laguna Bay are actually busy designing and shaping quality surfboards and sups. And I am sure that either of them would go out of their way to address any enquiries or concerns from any person at any time.

I can say from personal experience that Dale Chapman is a pleasure to deal with and extremely helpful. I have not used his product but I will be happy to provide feedback on Niki's Board after we receive it next week.





If the board is as good as his customer service and the custom spray then it will be superb!

Phill.

Now I guess I am a DC pimp!


Start slagging me off here { }

you just cant slag an aussie shaper,dc is having a big go as is laguna,on a smaller scale surfshapes and imperial,they are all top designers and could easily go os to get their product done in the same factory as the biggies(cobra in thailand)but at the moment they are in competition for a part of the market the production boards cant meet,custom shapes,there is no way phil could get a production board to suit his girls,good choice phil dale is a champion bloke and has a solid product.tully at laguna bay will back his product and his finished boards are second to none.btw the new sup store in noosa has 40 boards in stock but no phs,the new corbans will arrive shortly.

OOOOH,stop it ,your giving me a chubby, er woody, oh dont we just love the smell of foam and resin in the surfing process.

CMC said...

Here's my disclosure. I do work in the 'surfing' (not to be confused with 'surf') industry and have done for many years. I sell products to manufacturers, not SUP either.........

Good on PSH for closing the loop on customer service. A great shaper said to me once that most surfboard manufacturers operated like a chair with 2 legs, with the two being for product and ability the missing two being for service and customer focus.

As for product and where its made. I sat down with my shaper and designed my own SUP on the Aku shaper program with him and we talked about it and designed it for me...... Volume, rail shape, rocker, bottom contour, deck lines the lot. My name on the bottom.

Could I have ridden a board made as a model from somewhere in a mould........ Yes absolutely.

Did I enjoy supporting a local shaper and bask in the complete romance of helping to design to my own board and then having my name on the stringer? YES, I live for it no matter what board I ride. I even watched him shape it in the bay. I love the process for me it's 70% of the fun of getting a new board, the smell of resin, covered in dust. I really don't know how that joy of being part of it all got lost along the way with so many people. I love it so much I rely upon it to pay my Mortgage.

Next time, why argue about which moulded pop out is better than whoevers, why not design your own with a 'shaper' and feel the joy of being part of the process to endless refinement with the same shaper. Your feedback, your feelings, your modifications.

I'd love a PSH, but only if Blane shaped it for me which will never happen mainly because I couldnt afford it..... He sounds like a legend....