Board Prices

[swchandler]

I think what isobars fails to recognize is that custom builders building "their designs" are still custom boards.

Production boards are built in a process oriented factory subcontracted by a company and/or designer. I would venture to say that the production employees at the Cobra factory aren't really windsurfing folks. I could be wrong on this, but I truly doubt it.

However, I would say that Mark Nelson's factory is offering custom on two scales, customs that are his designs, and also customs (prototypes) that might be designed by others. One only needs to check the website to realize that what's being offered is more custom oriented, but is readily based on practical CNC engineering and dependable and repeatable performance concepts.

Having procured super high tech stuff for my whole career, I recognize talent, focus, and serious product knowledge. Actual performance can be a different matter, but working with great folks does sometimes require a measure of patience.

Production stuff is production stuff, but engineering development and custom stuff is a different thing. Truly, most real surfers understand the basic concept of custom stuff.

Past petrol heads like isobars need to get a picture. Dirt bikes and snowmobiles are a totally different picture.

[gregorvass]

P.S.

http://nelsonfactory.com/

CNC and computer models of your wish send to you before production...pretty cool!

Greene is busy with helicopter stuff...hope he will shape more (the guy is a genius)!

[hitech]

Regarding the rants and raves for and against production and custom boards, both sides have their points. Production boards have a history of poor construction at times and custom boards can be a crap shoot as to what you will actually get vs. what you ordered and the waiting times can be eternal.
I ordered a new 8'10" Mike's Lab board many years ago, waited several months and received a new 8'6" board. The board was absolutely everything I was expecting (except 4") and reflected the fact that designs had progressed in the months since I submitted the order. That is really part of the benefit of ordering custom and letting the board designer do their best design based on current concepts. By the time you get the new production board, the design is about a year old as it takes that long just to produce and test the shapes, shape the final plugs and get them to the Cobra Factory for mass production. It doesn't mean they are bad but designs just keep changing. My new Nelson slalom board that replaced the 8'6" Mike's Lab is under 7'10" and will outperform it in light winds and choppy conditions.
Isobar says that we should all be able to find a production board to meet our needs but for many years the major manufacturers were not making a decent slalom board as they forced us into the Freeride, Freestyle and Freewave boards. If you wanted a good slalom board you had to get a Mikes Lab, Mark Nelson, Alex Aguera, Richard Green, etc. to be competitive. If you owned a Drops slalom, you just got passed by your friends.
For me, part of the attraction to this sport early on was being able to create the graphics on the boards and Bruce Jones, Wave Tools and HiTech among many others allowed us to personalize the sport. The current custom designers still allow for creativity in design and graphics so my board is just my board and not another off the rack Exocet, Tabou or JP.
Mark Nelson has now merged high tech computer design and custom shaping to lock in a rocker and rail line that works and then build boards of varying volumes. The guesswork is taken out as every handshaped board is a one-off design and will never be the same as the last one that was shaped. They used to build Dunkerbeck a dozen "identical" new slalom boards and we would pick one or two that performed the best. Now, not only can a design be duplicated it can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of each sailor. The 7'10" I mentioned above is about 94l and was scaled up from an 87l design. A friend of mine has a 100l version of the same basic design. Mark Nelson puts them in the CAD system and he sent me a proposed design with all measurements and the final volume. We went back and forth as we scaled up to the 94l board and the machine turns out the final shape which is then hand sanded and finished to my specs.
Also, Isobar, the new machine can "clone" a board so your friend can sail the same board forever if he wants.
Hey, the whole point is having fun and I don't mind sharing the water with production boards or kiters if we all just behave.

[isobars]

[keycocker]

I have also had good experience with custom built boards, and seen many faults in production quality control from boards in our retail shop.
My Island Unique lasted 13 years. The big problem is buying a board off the website without a chance to try it. We all like something a little different and few can judge the fine nuances of a boards feel by looking at it, or asking someone how it sails. You rarely hear "my new board is clumsy' because we all love our new toys. Many honest mag reviews are affected by most folks preference for a board much like the old board they loved.
I bought my customs at the beach after trying them a few times, same as my production boards. The loss of small dealers all over the country is one thing dragging the sport down right now. The makers never cared about the dealers, but are going to miss them at windsurfings funeral. Anybody remember hanggiding?
The most interesting thing I have heard lately is out of Greenes shop. His bright new idea is converting an old board to a speed board by grinding the rails off and peeling back the top from a low buck old board. The blank with a finbox and bottom can be curved to order and top glassed in two days, put back the inserts and sail. Brilliant guy.

[Jrobb]

I didn't realize JP and Exocet both made a board called the Usurf II. They even used the same graphics....

J