Archive for Industry
December 1, 2010 at 8:45 pm | Spongercity Australia, Industry News
News from Nomad Bodyboards about some new weapon they’ve got for you: Nomad Bodyboards is stoked to announce the release of the new Alex Halsey Ltd pro model for the 2010/11 season.
The model is extremely limited with only 50 being produced for the 2010/11 season. 25 boards have been produced in the Engineered Flex Core (EFC) and 25 boards have been produced in Polypro (EPP)
Alex Halsey represents the next wave of young riders who are combining power to their tech riding. His template and specifications reflects this high standard of riding.
Due to the Alex Halsey model being limited, Nomad will announce which stores will be stocking the models exclusively on their Facebook page on Dec. 1st. Join up to the Nomad Facebook now at www.facebook.com/nomadbodyboards
Check out www.nomad.com.au for more details.
Available in OZ:
EFC: Specifications: Check the photo here.
Sizes: 40” / 41” / 42”
Core: Engineered Flex Core (EFC™)
Deck: Cellu-Cushion 8lb PE
Slick: Surlyn
Rails: 50/50
Features/Tech Specs: Variable Flex Triple Stringer System, Channels, Nose Grips, Nose and Tail Buffers. Designed by Alex Halsey.
RRP // $329.95
PP Specifications: Check the photo here.
Sizes: 40” / 41” / 42”
Core: Polypro (EPP)
Deck: Cellu-Cushion 8lb PE
Slick: Surlyn
Rails: 50/50
Features/Tech Specs: Carbon Fibre Stringer, Channels, Nose Grips, Nose & Tail Buffers. Designed by Alex Halsey
RRP // $379.95
November 26, 2010 at 12:23 am | Spongercity Australia, Books, Industry, Photography News
We found Mitch Rawlins’ FOUND BOARDS Lookbook and it’s freakin’ good ! Worth every penny, sick shots and nice read ! The t-shirt looks sick too !
Check Mitch’s Lookbook here if you haven’t yet and order it if you can, it’s a good investment, we’re telling you: http://mitchrawlins.com/projects/look-what-we-have-found/
November 14, 2010 at 11:24 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
The No6 launches a couple new boards for 2011, including a Max Arent / Plastic People model collaboration. “Max Arent Highfield has collaborated with nouveaux artist Chuck Guarino of Plastic People on a unique piece of custom artwork that will feature on Max’s new No.6 model now hitting stores. The board features the “Helta Skelta” skeleton rib cage artwork. Available in PE EFC, & PP. Max is no stranger to custom art on his model, with his “Blood Drip” art also available in store now”. – says No6
Check Max / Plastic People’s No6 board here.
Also new from No6 this year is the Jono Bruce model ! Here’s what No6 has to say about the new board: “With his fast, fluid, precise and technically perfect riding style Jono Bruce has had a cult like following build up around him. Hailing from Australia’s Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Jono is a man who stands out in a crowd, both as an amazing Bodyboarder as well as the lead guitarist of hardcore band Toxic Jungle, making him the perfect fit as part of the No.6 team. The new No.6 Jono Bruce signature model is everything you would expect from a man his reputation. The new model is available in PE, EFC, & PP, and in store now”.
Check Jono’s No6 board here.
November 11, 2010 at 2:40 pm | Spongercity Australia, Industry News
Mitch Rawlins just released a super nice Lookbook titled LOOK WHAT WE HAVE FOUND with photographer Trent Mitchell for FOUND Boards: Check it out here on Mitch’s website and watch the sick trailer for the Lookbook.
Found boards has teamed up with award winning photographer Trent Mitchell to create a look book that captures the rise of Found Boards into the bodyboarding world with stunning pictures and interesting quotes this book is surely to become a collector’s item in years to come.
Now available online and soon to be available at all found boards stockist. Already available on Mitchrawlins.com
November 7, 2010 at 10:08 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
Grand Flavour has a new website and collection (Summer 10/11) – Check it out here: http://www.grandflavour.com/.
November 7, 2010 at 8:26 pm | Spongercity General, Industry, International News
**Updated on March 2018
You’ve always wanted to know where your boards were made? Who shapes them? Which companies/boards come from the same factories ?
A lot of companies actually have their boards made in the same factories, it’s no secret. More hi-end boards are well-made and solid crafts. Some companies make customs and shape only their own boards (like Toobs, Basic Boards, Gato, Primo, Jimmy Linville, CustomX & Cartel for example), other companies shape for just a few different brands and other factories are way bigger and shape for dozens of brands.
Whether it is a board made in a large factory or a small factory you must know that all boards are hand-shaped. Sometimes the shaper is famous, sometimes it’s just a random guy in a factory but one way or another you need a man (a several mens) to build a good board.
- The PE, PP (or 3D or FRC or whatever core it is) core can be machine-cut with a CNC machine (like it is at the Mez factory in Surabaya, Indonesia) or it can be hand-cut by a shaper. The core is given a shape with a template and curves according to what board we want.
- The rocker is shaped on the core blank
- The Rails are cut (50/50 or 60/40 or 55/45)
- The channels and deck contours are shaped if there are contours on the board
- Then the slick and deck are laminated with a machine called a laminating/laminator machine (it’s like a big roll that’s super hot and thermo-seals the slick and the deck to the core of the board). Most laminators are pretty much the same but some are patented and kinda specific like the Buzz™ Laminator Technology developped by Buzz at Toobs which is currently used by Toobs, Mez & Dan Sivess, Todd Quigley & Jarrod Gibson for example.
- After that the rails (inner and outer rails) and tail have to be laminated to the core as well, which has to be done by the shaper.
- The stringer(s) is inserted in the core just before the tail is laminated.
- The prints or stamps are done after this.
- Then stickers and packaging+blister are put on the final product.
Make sure you watch the video we filmed at the Turbo factory a while ago in Port Macquarie, Aus. by the way: http://vimeo.com/4063842
The steps described above are more or less the main steps used but all factories and shapers. In small factories one shaper will do everything by himself but in larger factories each worker in the factory will have its own role and job to do on a board. For example one guy will help with lamination, then another will put the rails, another will put the tails etc.
Here’s a Spongercity.com short list that should help you know better where your board(s) come from or who can shape you a custom board if you’re looking for a custom board. Note that these details are given as of today and the list and details may change as it goes. We’ll update this short list as often as we can.
Important: If you’re a board maker or a brand and would like to modify / enhance the list feel free to contact spongercity.com
There’s no particular order in the list. We must have forgotten some brands so please let us know if you’re not in the list and we’ll add you in here. We apologies in advance. If you’d like your brand to be removed from here let us know.
The Spongercity short list: (updated on July 2013)
TOOBS – Made at Toobs factory until recently, Morro Bay, CA. with stock boards now made by Mez (Broady Asia) in Indo
CUSTOMX USA – Made by SFP, Oceanside, CA.
CUSTOMX USA Customs – Made by Peter “PMA” Anaya at the SFP factory in Oceanside, CA.
CUSTOMX AUSTRALIA – Made in Taiwan (Agit)
CARTEL USA & EUROPE – Made by SFP, Oceanside, CA.
CARTEL USA & EUROPE Customs – Made by Peter “PMA” Anaya at the SFP factory in Oceanside, CA.
DIVISION71 – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
JL DESIGNS – Made in California by Jimmy Linville
CONGO BOARDS – Made in California by Jimmy Linville
BASIC BOARDS – Made in Australia by Redders
QCD Boards – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
QCD Customs – Made by Todd Quigley in Australia
Hardy Shapes – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
JG Boards – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
NMD – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory with Mez designs
NMD Customs – Made by Mez at the Broady factory (only for team riders, not for the public)
VS – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory with Mez / Dan Sivess
DSC – Dan Sivess Customs. Made by Dan Sivess in Indonesia at the Broady factory (only for team riders, not for the public). Dan also shapes customs for the HB team riders and other teams.
DRAG Boards Co. – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
MOREY – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
ELIT – Was made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory (Elit is not existing anymore since 2011)
SCIENCE – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
SNIPER – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
EMPIRE – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
TRIAD – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
HB – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory with Dan Sivess designs
BZ – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
BZ Customs – Made by Yamo in California (Available to the public) or Dan Sivess in Indonesia at the Broady factory (only for team riders)
BSD (Latest Re-Issued Boards) – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
GT Boards – Made in Taiwan by Agit
HUBBOARDS – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
PRIDE – Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
PRIDE customs – Made by Dan Sivess in Indonesia at the Broady factory (only for team riders)
TOYS – (Brand is not around anymore) Made by MEZ in Indonesia at the Broady factory
MANTA – Made in China (To Be Confirmed)
4PLAY – Made in China (To Be Confirmed)
TURBO (Australia) – Brand has been sold to TURBO Japan – Made in Taiwan by Agit
ROSSI – Made by Marc Rossouw in South Africa
FOUND BOARDS – Made in Taiwan by Agit
NOMAD – Made in Taiwan by Agit
NO6 – Made in Taiwan by Agit
RIP BOARDS – Made in Taiwan by Agit
MILK – Made Gato in Portugal. Customs can be ordered and are made by Gato
REFRESH – Made in Portugal by Gato
PRIMO Shapes – Made in France by Peio (Anglet), customs only. Available to the public
ARIN – Made in Spain
RESPECT – Made in Taiwan by Agit
WR RIDER – Made in Taiwan by Agit
ID BODYBOARDS – (Not sure if production still goes on for ID. ) Made in Taiwan by Agit
FUNKSHEN – Made in Taiwan by Agit
Deeply Bodyboards – Made in Taiwan by Agit
October 26, 2010 at 12:20 am | Spongercity Industry, International News
Pierre-Louis Costes just signed with CREATURES international. He’ll now be charging with CREATURES leashes around the globe.
October 25, 2010 at 4:17 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
We just got some news from Rheopaipo and they seem to be coming back with a really good innovation. Check the press release and details below:
Iconic Australian Bodyboard brand RHEOPAIPO is back and is bringing to market “the biggest innovation in bodyboard design in many years”: The ISS, Interchangeable Stringer System TMISS – Interchangeable Stringer System™ (PATENT PENDING)
“I grew up with Rheopaipo Bodyboards, they had the best boards, best technology and the best riders when I was a grom.” says Stracky, Rheopaipo’s Brand Manager. “So in relaunching RHEO we simply didnt want to just add another brand to the overcrowded sameness that is currently available in boards. We sat down and thought about what we wanted in a board, and then went ahead and made it.”
Several years ago the geniuses at Xross Design approached Rheopaipo with concepts for an unrelated product. Discussion quickly turned to Bodyboards and the raw idea for the Interchangeable Stringer System was brought up. “I was stunned, it was exactly what we wanted and had been trying to figure out, I threw out all their other concepts and we’ve been developing ISS ever since.” – Stracky.
The new range of Rheopaipo Bodyboards have been specially crafted to use the new ISS technology so that the only visible difference to current boards is a small hole in the tail to accept the stringer. The system is 100% sealed in the board and locks tight to prevent the stringer from dislodging.
Imagine turning up at your favorite local break and its perfect 6-8 feet and hollow. Yesterday it was 2-3 foot onshore slop. So you pull the Soft Flex ISS stringer out of the board and replace it with a Stiff Flex ISS stringer that will better suit the faster walling waves on offer. This is the future of bodyboarding. Flex is arguably the most important aspect of board design & construction and now ISS puts you in control of how you ride.
Since the first stringer was placed inside the core of a bodyboard it has been a standard feature giving both rigidity and strength to the board while allowing a pre determined amount of flex. Herein lies the largest drawback to current stringer technology. Once inside the board, it is impossible to change the stringer without destroying the board. While all todays board companys compete to offer a variance of core materials to control flex they are still governed by type or number of stringers inside the board. So the simple solution is a system that allows you to interchange the stringers depending your needs.
ISS will be releasing a range of different flex stringers to suit different wave conditions, size & shape. You can even tailor the stringer setup for the riders size and weight or personal riding preference. The possibilities are endless. For more details and information on how to get your hands on one of these new boards visit:
www.rheopaipo.com.au
info@rheopaipo.com.au
Check some pictures from the new Boards and ISS technology here:
- The hole in the tail to put the stringer
- The board and its set of stringers
- The set of ISS stringers
- Another pic of the tail
More soon about this new technology and hopefully a board test to come on Spongercity.com !
October 23, 2010 at 7:03 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
STEALTH FINS got themselves a new website which you can browse thru here: www.stealthfins.com.au. Cool and classy website with all the fins models, riders etc.
September 21, 2010 at 11:40 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
A cool new collaboration between Toys Bodyboards and Plastic People is coming for 2011: A board collab. The board is Designed by Chuck Guarino on the Lower East Side of New York City in collaboration with the cool cats at Toys. The result is a sick looking blue board with a special graphic on the deck & slick.
Check the board here: click here to see the deck and click here to see the slick.
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