Archive for Industry
April 28, 2010 at 7:59 pm | Spongercity Australia, Industry News
We just got some news via Limited Edition (the people behind Nomad, Limited Edition Fins etc.) that the West coast Aussie bodyboard brand FUNKSHEN was back in the game. It’s good news. From what we understood Tully (the head shaper) will be making boards (customs) and the brand will also offer some stock boards in the shops. What we didn’t understand was if all stock boards were gonna be shaped by Tully in Oz or if the stock boards were gonna be made in Taiwan like the Nomad boards (distributed by Limited Edition). We’ll try to gather more info about it as soon as we can.
Here’s what the press release says:
Tully re-enters the shaping bay – FUNKSHEN IS BACK!!
For some time now there has been whispers emanating from the western seaboard of Australia that Dave ‘Tully’ Tulloch had re-entered the shaping bay and was working in secret on the relaunch of his successful custom label Funkshen Bodyboards.
Tully fills us in after Funkshens 12 month hiatus.
Can you tell us what led to the break?
Yeah, after much deliberation and heartache I reluctantly made the decision to take a break from running Funkshen and shaping bodyboards entirely at the end of 2008. The last few years I was continually challenged on the business side of things. My focus had always been on the quality of my shaping skills and how the Funkshen boards were coming out. The feedback from all our riders and customers ensured the quality of our boards was often described as the best in the industry. But unfortunately as our boards were progressing, our business network was failing. Funkshen was at the crossroads on whether we could take it to the next level. This combination of issues led me to think that taking a forced break would be best for the business and for my own personal wellbeing, not that I was ever happy with that decision.
Why the return now?
The return of Funkshen is largely due to 2 reasons.
The first is that I have sorely missed shaping boards a great deal and would love to continue my involvement in developing bodyboards in general and using my experience to keep the Funkshen empire cranking!
The second is that we were fortunate to form a great relationship with the lads at Limited Edition. Through their extensive networks and ability to help, we were able to revive our very proud and highly regarded company. All my previous customers and fans of Funkshen boards have been overwhelming in their continued support over this break and I have continually been blown away by how popular Funkshen really was and how respectful everyone has been to me. Stoked!
Change of focus to stock boards?
Yes for the time Funkshen will be focusing on developing a very tidy, high quality range of stockies to ensure that we can expose Funkshen‘s meticulously crafted board range to to a larger group of riders without sacrificing quality. I have been given the opportunity to utilise our most functional templates and shapes that I developed with my custom boards, and refine them into our new range of bodyboards. This is insane and how it should be done so a bodyboarder buying a board from his/her local store can buy the best possible piece of riding equipment possible.
Whitey’s back too?
To see the old gang teaming up again is insane mate and having Whitey involved again with a new signature board is a massive coup for Funkshen and continuing Funkshens progression. Although Chris may not spend as much time surfing these days as what he used to, he is giving back through his bodyboard coaching of up and coming riders and is still heavily involved in filming and hangin with mitch, ryan, jake etc and with his brand new project, “Grow up” being released at the end of this month, Funkshen will be thrown back into the spotlight front and centre. The hype created so far about this video and with Funkshen coming back has been overwhelming and largely has justified our decision to resurrect a legend!
What can we expect from the new stock range?
The new Funkshen range is basically a combination of our previous best ever boards with a couple of killer new models. We have brought back the original “Tully Premo” and “Lowrider” models and I have been working on an entirely new “Tully” base/custom board which I have incorporated the new core technology with the EFC core with my own personal best ever dimensions and shape to form an insanely functional bodyboard. I have been quietly working on the refinement of the Premo model even further and expect the new version to address all the needs of the professional level rider. All the classic custom colours will be available throughout the range. These new boards are looking insane and now being a father myself, I am stoked to know that my own son will be able to grow up and ride Funkshen boards for years to come. Very cool!
The Funkshen range will be released Australia wide in July 2010 through your local bodyboard specialist.
Funkshenbodyboards.com
April 28, 2010 at 12:20 am | Spongercity Industry, International News
TOOBS Bodyboards just told us they’re now using a new PP core in their PP boards (or custom boards if you want some PP in it). The new core is called CARBON PP and is a Beaded PP core with incredibly good flex and recoil.
Toobs shaper Mike Brum tells us more about the new core – “JSP USA makes a very interesting core. I can jump on this stuff and it springs right back into shape…it’s almost pneumatic”. That’s not all, the new CARBON Core is even lighter than the extruded PP that most companies had before: Mike says – “It is also crazy light…just over 1.4pcf compared to 2.2 for Dow (p.e.) and 1.9 for the older Extruded PP (Propafoam)”
Mike adds – “It’s very early but I’m excited about this new core. I think the board performance is greatly increased.”
This new CARBON PP is made from JSP USA and is very similar to what Mez uses for the Kinetic Core (JSP Taiwan) except for its color: the CARBON PP is black !
We’ll test the new CARBON CORE asap on Spongercity.com !
The end of the classic Extruded PP fabrication seems to lead to good innovation and new materials in the bodyboarding industry which is awesome (pretty much like when Clark Foam stopping making foam for the surf industry a few years ago – it lead to new cores for boards with better materials, good performance, and more eco-friendly boards).
April 13, 2010 at 6:13 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
As of the 14th April Boogerking online store will be called Bodyboard King. This is what pro rider & owner Toby Player had to say about the name change: “This is due to a certain fast food chain sending threatening legal letters and implying if it wasn’t changed they would pursue legal action. We came to an amicable decision and the case was settled out of court”. So from Now on www.boogerking.com.au will now be www.bodyboardking.com – It’s still the same site and same business selling the same products just a different business name and domain name!
Check the new logo here.
April 7, 2010 at 5:41 pm | Spongercity Industry, International, Interviews News
We wanted to learn more about the new Kinetic™ core from Mez and decided to ask the man himself Nick “Mez” Mesritz a few extra questions about the core. We’re pretty sure that everything you might have wanted to know about the core is in this quick interview we had today with Nick:
Spongercity: So it’s basically EPP but molded into a specific bodyboard core mold with better properties than simple EPP yeah ?
Mez: Firstly, EPP stands for Expanded Polypropylene, not Extruded PP. Expanded and Beaded PP are one in the same. Essentially, Kinetic Core is a proprietary EPP formulation moulded into a Bodyboard specific blank. JSP is the industry leader for EPP, and having created the stuff, naturally they produce the highest grades available.
Spongercity:How different is it from Beaded PP or from the EFC blanks that are also molded cores if i remember well.
Mez: I can’t comment too much on EFC, as I’ve not worked with it, but talking with a couple of shapers that have, they indicated that it was a lower density EPP. Which would make sense, as its touted for use in cool water temps or riders after a more flexible board. As I said before, EPP is Beaded PP, so I can’t say its different. What I do know is that the material we are using for Kinetic Core is the best EPP we can get our hands on.
Spongercity: Is the core available as blanks and then employees at your factory or shapers like you and Dan for example add stringer(s) and/or mesh ?
Mez: Yes, Kinetic Core comes in a blank form and we shape it to suit, adding stringers and/ or mesh if the customer requires it.
Spongercity: Is the Kinetic core similar to the classic EPP you used in term of buoyancy, stiffness and weight ?
Mez: Yes, we have invested a considerable amount of time, energy and cold hard cash to ensure Kinetic Core has all the right attributes in terms of stiffness and finished board weight, which determines displacement/ buoyancy. The one area where EPP excels over Propafoam is its superior compression set characteristics. Which mean’s it’s far more resistant to denting/depressions.
Spongercity: So the cores you work with now at your factory are the classic PE, the 3D core and the Kinetic core yeah ?
Mez: Correct.
Spongercity: In the 3D core is the PP part made from Kinetic PP or from other classic PP material ?
Mez: This seasons 3D boards will be made with a Kinetic PP top layer.
Spongercity: Is the Kinetic easy to laminate like the EPP with just a substrate in between the deck/rails/surlyn and the core ?
Mez: I wouldn’t say its easy, but lamination of the outer skins is very similar to how we fabricated the Propafoam.
Spongercity: Only boards made at the Mez Factory (such as NMD, VS, Pride, Sniper etc.) will benefit from this innovation or do you sell the core to other brands outside your factory ?
Mez: At this stage, only boards made at our factory will use the Kinetic Core moulded blank.
Thanks Theo.
Spongercity:Thanks Mez!
April 7, 2010 at 10:26 am | Spongercity Industry, International News
Mez factory launches new Kinetic Core™
After rumors of discontinued extruded PP core a.k.a “EPP” (the PP core most brands used for their polypro boards) most factories tried to find new cores they could use for their polypro boards to keep those boards in their range and offer a stiffer alternative than the classic PE core.
Nick “Mez” Mesritz recently announced that his Indonesian based bodyboard factory has switched all of their PP production to a new proprietary blend of EPP Expanded Polypropylene cores he has dubbed Kinetic Core. The core will be used for boards made at Mez factory (NMD, VS, Pride etc.)
Here are some more details and info abot the new core with Mez himself:
Why the switch?
When Pregis, the USA based packaging company, ceased production of Propafoam extruded PP core, the only viable option was EPP. A year or so back we contacted all the major EPP companies and began testing their foam to see who could offer the best material. We settled on Arpro® EPP from JSP, the Japanese company that pioneered the development of EPP in the 1970’s. In JSP’s own words, Arpro® is an engineered foam material, constructed by combining polypropylene resin with spe- cial additives, and applying heat, pressure and CO2 in an autoclave, where the material is formed into small plastic beads. These small, closed-cell foam beads are injected into a steam chest to create parts custom moulded into complex shapes using steam heat & pressure. The next step was to work with JSP to design our own unique, bodyboard specific, moulded cores.
What’s with the name?
Kinetic Energy can be described as “the energy of motion”, and while I am aware that true Kinetic Energy is directly related to speed and mass of an object, I liked the connotation of the word “Kinetic” and its relation to motion. We noticed during our testing phase that the Arpro® EPP had these crazy compression set characteristics, meaning that you would compress the material and it would spring straight back to shape. PE does this to some extent, but nothing like what we were seeing with Arpro® EPP. The recoil was off the charts, which can only mean one thing in body- board terms, and that is projection. Motion, projection, recoil, spring, call it what you want, but I’m calling it Kinetic.
What’s the difference between your EPP and other EPP foams?
I really can’t comment on anyone else’s foam. EPP/ BPP/ EFC, they’re all the same material, which is Expanded Polypropylene, albeit at different densities as specified by the customer. All I know is that Kinetic Core is the best EPP I have found and it gives me what I want in a PP bodyboard.
When can we expect to see it?
As they say, coming to a store near you.
April 1, 2010 at 1:35 pm | Spongercity Industry, International News
Joe Clarke is now riding for VS (the change isn’t that big since NMD is behind the VS project anyway). Jarrod Gibson is Joe’s shaper and they both designed Joe’s new board which will probably soon be available in stores.
Chad Waldron just released a Joe Clarke podcast episode on BOOM! and it’s really amazing with top notch editing and footage.
Joe Clark VS Jarrod Gibson – VS Project 4.0 Podcast: Watch it here on Vimeo.
Podcast Link: on iTunes is here if you wish to subscribe
Podcast RSS feed: is here if you wanna use the RSS to subscribe
March 31, 2010 at 7:00 pm | Spongercity Australia, Industry News
EBB breaking news once again: new website and new web store for the famous WA bodyboard shop ! Check it out here. Good looking site and store !
March 29, 2010 at 11:33 am | Spongercity Australia, Europe, Industry News
Two Pipe Champs at ebb.net.au – As of 8:40pm EST on Thursday 25/03/2010 EBB – Exclusively Body Boarding has signed as the official bodyboarding shop sponsor of this years Pipe Champ Amaury Lavernhe.
After finishing number one at Pipe this year and his competitive battles against BP in 07 it’s fitting that Amaury becomes part of “The Dream Team”.
EBB says: What impressed us most however, is his professionalism and dedication to the sport of bodyboarding and I am delighted to welcome Amaury to the team.
Amaury will join the strongest bodyboard team around – a team committed to promoting the lifestyle that we all love – Exclusively BodyBoarding.
As the 100% focussed bodyboard company, Exclusively BodyBoarding supports the following athletes: Brad Hughes, Alex Bunting, Ryan Hardy, Alex Halsey, Chase O’leary and Lewy Finnegan.
“So stoked to be a part of EBB and represent the brand around the world. Thanks for supporting bodyboarding!!” – Amaury
Amaury has signed as EBB’s international flag bearer and he will bring a euro flavour to an already diverse team.
March 27, 2010 at 12:03 pm | Spongercity Industry News
Toobs Bodyboards just released their new website. Check it out. They’ll be adding more features as it goes. In the meantime if you’re looking for a 100% handcrafted board made in the US of A then go for it and order one, you can’t go wrong with these boards! Stock boards or custom boards, it’s all handcrafted in Morro Bay CA. with love. We’ve been riding those boards for more than ten years and have been stoked since the very first board we rode.
March 24, 2010 at 3:53 pm | Spongercity Industry News
Brian Peterson, one of the world’s most talented bodyboard shaper (Who shaped for Toobs, Science, then started his own company called Vortex and now shapes for Catchsurf) just started a new bodyboard brand under the Catchsurf guys, his bodyboard division is called DIVISION 71. Boards look sick and nice and well shaped. We can’t wait to learn more about the brand and we’ll keep you updated about the brand.
Division 71 owned and ran by surfers and bodyboarders. All shapes, designs and manufacturing led by master shaper Brian Peterson at AREA 71 in San Clemente, California. It’s a new brand developed by Brian at Catchsurf.
Check the some of the boards here:
- Brian working on a board
- The bLack Lite board
- The Division 71 Logo
- The SUper Board and an oldschool revival board by Brian
More details here:
http://www.catchsurf.com/blog/2010/03/division-71-bodyboards-coming-soon/
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