CABIANCA SURFBOARDS 2025 PREVIEW

Retail Buyers Guide: Surfboards 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Cabianca Surfboards
Interviewee: OWNER, SHAPER

If you were to draw a quick assessment of 2024, how would you describe the current state of the surfboard market?
Surf shops in Europe are still struggling to recover, with large pre-orders remaining rare. In our case, the market has shifted significantly, where shop orders once formed the backbone of our business, we now rely primarily on direct-to-consumer sales, along with bulk orders from surf schools and other groups. Overall, retailers remain cautious.

We see a resurgence of a trend consisting of (literally) no-name brand, with boards retailing at very aggressive prices (under 300 €). Are you concerned by this recurring phenomenon?
In Europe, the lack of a deep-rooted surfboard culture, like in Australia or the U.S., means many consumers have little knowledge of how boards are made or which brands represent quality. Several factors contribute to the flood of cheap boards: investor-backed factories that don’t need to turn a profit (or also a few backed with government money), filling shops with consignment boards that eventually get dumped at rock-bottom prices; brands and shops going bankrupt and liquidating stock; and, of course, imports from Asia. (Many of these investor-driven factories collapse once they realize surfboard production really isn’t that profitable..) Back in the day, shops took pride in offering only high-quality surfboards. Now, many are focused on cutting costs, selling low-price products, while the high-quality boards are left to gather dust in the corner as more customers opt for the cheaper option With the cheaper boards, shops can still make money by selling accessories like leashes and grips. Just yesterday, I had a shop call—someone who has purchased five boards from us over the years. He mentioned that for regular boards, he gets them produced at [xxx – another factory in Spain producing economic boards]. He said he only recommends our boards to clients looking for truly high-quality, complex designs. This leaves us with the most challenging orders—the ones where every detail, like the leash plug color and Pantone spray tone, has to be perfect… We believe a well-made secondhand board is a far more sustainable choice than a low-quality board that’s essentially disposable. Unfortunately, many buyers are simply looking for something that floats for their two-week holiday, and with boards available for under 200€, this trend is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

The good news in the surfboard market is that sales are quite evenly spread between very different designs (perf shortboards, summer boards, midlengths, longboards, beginner funboards), unlike other activities which rely on a single design. Have you adapt your range to offer a mixed bag of boards or do you rather specialize in one segment?
Our catalog offers a wide range of boards, not just in terms of shapes but also materials. If we can’t or don’t want to produce something ourselves, we collaborate with others—our shapes are available as soft tops, 3D-printed boards, wood, and more. We even produce SUPs, though they’re not listed on our website. However, most of our clients buy performance shortboards—that’s what we stand for.

In the past, beginners had go through the walk of shame, forced to aim for “fugly” looking shapes. In 2025, a novice board can be sexy as well: what do you have in stock for the newbies?
From the classic mini Malibu—our ‘Omelette’ model—to the versatile mid-length ‘Sherpa,’ we offer several beginner-friendly options that don’t compromise on style. These boards aren’t just for learning; in the right conditions, they remain a valuable part of a surfer’s quiver even at an advanced level.

The so-called Grovelers dominate the shortboard category (even if used in overhead surf), yet options are very unalike, from twin-keels to stubby tri-fins. What is your take within the Groveler category?
We call them ‘summer toys.’ We offer six boards in this category, ranging from an egg to a thruster, as well as modern and retro twin designs.

Midlengths are everywhere as well. What are the latest developments in this design within your range?
We offer mid-length options in a variety of dimensions, with or without channels, based on two core shapes: the Sherpa and the Candy Twin. For those seeking a shorter mid-length, we can adapt the Candy Twin to a longer size, providing enhanced versatility while maintaining its performance-driven feel.

The longboard reach is unprecedented in surfing history, as even die-hard shortboard brands offer classic Logs. How have you positioned yourself? If you have been a long-time promoter of 9’+ boards, do you think “the more the merrier”?
For the past 7 years, we’ve been selling longboards to Korea—starting with just a few, then growing, and eventually receiving requests for additional models. Their demand helped us develop this segment, which we hadn’t initially focused on. Currently, we offer three types: a more modern, performance-driven model (Slimmer), a classic design (Trimmer), and a very traditional, old-school longboard (Dreammer). While we don’t sell many longboards through stores in Europe, we’re seeing increasing sales directly to customers. In terms of ‘the more the merrier,’ we believe that the three models we offer cover a broad range of longboarders’ needs.

The Groveler infused the High-performance Shortboard, yet the extra foam has been streamlined so that High-perf shapes still bear a racey look. Please unveil your secrets!
We work with many top-level athletes, and they definitely don’t want extra foam—they require precisely tuned boards. While shortboards have evolved since the ’80s, becoming shorter and wider, the rails still need to perform. We can’t just add foam anywhere and expect it to work.

While the alternative constructions/materials towards the eco-friendly surfboard have never been so plentiful, we are far from a massive adoption (whether from manufacturers or end-users). Any solutions out there that seem viable to you?
We think it’s fantastic that more eco-friendly materials are becoming available in the surfboard industry, and we’re definitely open to testing out new options. A few years ago, we started using biomass-based EPS. It even looks better than most other EPS and performs at least as well—if not better—with a much better eco balance. It’s now also available through Europe’s leading surfboard material distributor, Viral Surf! We’re also excited for the team at Polyola. Their collaboration with Arctic Blanks will significantly increase the visibility and acceptance of eco-friendlier solutions. Now that the blanks are coming from the US, Europeans will think it’s cool too—haha! Using blanks made with more sustainable materials doesn’t change our production process at all, making it a viable option for sure! When it comes to niche materials, we’re currently working with Agave Blanks and starting a new collaboration on hollow wooden surfboard construction. We’re also offering 3D-printed boards through Wyve. While these are great options for many surfers, they haven’t made their way into high-performance surfing just yet—athletes are still seeking custom dimensions (not possible with some construction types) and the performance they’re accustomed to. We’re still waiting for a truly great eco-friendly polyester resin to emerge, and we have more ideas in the works for creating longer-lasting boards. Ultimately, that’s the only truly sustainable solution—reducing consumption by needing fewer boards.

Key Products:

CANDY:
Mastered the basics and itching to throw some spray around? The Candy is the perfect first step towards performance surfing. Plenty of DNA from The Medina, combined with all the ingredients you need to catch way more waves on average beach breaks: flat rocker, lots of foam under the chest, and a stable, easy glide for maximum control.

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CANDY TWIN:
Because all good candy comes in different flavours, the Candy is also available as a twin fin, for those who love the extra speed and looser feeling of a twin.

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EVIL TWIN:
With its flatter rocker and extra width at the nose and tail, the Evil Twin really excels in the kind of summer slop that makes other shortboards chop and hop back to the beach in disgust. The combination of pronounced concaves and double concave generates extra speed and helps connect sections even in the most average conditions.

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