Surfboards 2016 Trend Report

Haydenshapes

Healthy and straightforward, the surfboard market is crusing along nicely. With a progressively more high-end position and a big wave of technological innovation, the surfboard is no longer a consumable but an investment in pleasure capital. By David Bianic.

Last year in the same surfboard trends report we were presented with an observation that was both reassuring and demanding in relation to retailers. While surfboard sales were going like a dream with double figure growth, the flipside of the coin was that there had never been such a diverse range. The paradox: a specialised market, which is a generalist at its heart.

Twelve months later and the report healthier with the big players of the market such as Euroglass (Quiksilver Surfboards) indicating a “10% rise in made in Europe boards compared to last year”, explains workshop manager Darren Broadbridge. With an international presence, Firewire are also confirming the sector’s good health with CEO Mark Price noting that “sales in European coastal areas were on the rise in 2015, while the technical surf sector still performs better that most other categories in core shops”. And yet, another medium is partly cannibalising the water boardsports market: “SUP continues to grow at a higher rate and is attracting many new participants”, ponders Liam O’Shea from Holysport, European distributors of Global Surf Industries Brands (Haydenshapes, 7S, Walden…).

Even those making a comeback to the surfboard market in 2016, such as Brunotti, are revealing through their market studies that the upward trend is very much a reality. This proves that the clientele has turned up to play and is welcoming newcomers with open arms. Obviously Lib-Tech springs to mind, a solid snowboarding and skateboarding machine that has been investing in the surf segment for four years now: “Our sales are increasing year after year”, indicates Mike Olson, snowboard champion and founder of the brand, “all our boards are manufactured in our own factory, four minutes from the sea and it is cranking seven days a week, practically 24h/day.”

Venon Surfboards

This new competition doesn’t scare the usual suspects of the industry, as marketing manager of Hoff (SurfTech, Venon, Torq…), Benoît Brecq asserts: “More and more market players are selling boards. The cake just keeps getting bigger so noone’s slice is getting smaller.” And this is not even counting the second hand market, adds Benoît, “the second hand market is very active, in shops as well as on the internet.” All the foams that pass through the shaping machine cutters take different forms of course, but to tell the truth, there is one that seems to be in.

The H Bomb
The most wanted model in 2016 remains the hybrid shortboard, a shorter, wider version that’s rounder than the traditional high performance surfboard. “They are appreciated by intermediate surfer who want to get onto a small board and also by good surfers who want a bit more of an easy paddle without compromising on performance”, explains Benoît from Hoff. For Darren at Euroglass, the requirement specifications are simple, at least on paper: “We want hybrids that surf like shortboards (performance) but that paddle like hybrids.”

Early into the hybrid niche, Firewire were also amongst the first to sense the rise of this kind of shape, as Mark Price reveals: “Hybrids are continuing to sell well but performance hybrids are now overtaking”. But why? According to the Firewire big boss, it might just be a way for a surfer to complete his quiver. He also cites the impact of the world WSL elite whose own boards have grown round: “They are now a bit shorter and wider, which allows a wider segment of average surfers to draw enjoyment out of this kind of board.” This prodigious, never-seen-before versatility is now also significant at SUPERbrand, whose “three classic models, Toy, Vapo and Fling are seeing great success”, designs that are “user friendly” points out Rémi Chaussemiche, commercial and marketing director for the brand in Europe, and are “able to be surfed by high-standard surfers as well as intermediate surfers.”

Of all these hybrids, the numero uno is called the Hypto Krypto, a world bestseller signed by Haydenshapes and popularised by freesurfer Craig Anderson. It has been the top selling model for three years, “three-time winner of the Board of the Year prize”, adds Liam from Holysport. “Its sales increase each month while word of mouth plays its part and highlights the board’s great versatility.” To strike while the iron’s hot, the Hypto Krypto is coming back in 2016 with three different colourways and a new, 5-fin set up.

Big sticks
As the El Niño winter 2015/2016 is characterised by the frequency and considerable size of the swells that lap the Pacific as well as Atlantic shores, the gun market is coming out of its niche to become a significant segment in the annual report: “We have sold 30 guns of over 8 feet between October and December, it’s become a real market,” confirms Darren from Euroglass. Another big board to make a comeback is the ever-appealing longboard and it’s not just popular amongst the retro-lux movement. “The longboard is working well at Firewire”, says Mark Price, “because surfers are realising that our technology is even more effective on longer boards.” At Hoff, long-term distributor of SurfTech, 9 footers and over have always represented an engine of activity and Benoît confirms that they have “always been popular”, with “models that are sought after by the wider public.”

Catch Surf

Softcore
In less than five years, a new epiphenomenon has come to shake up our standard quivers: a mellow purveyor of contagious fun. The softboard is no longer limited to surf schools with new designs seducing more experienced surfers. Characterizing this trend, the Beater from Catch Surf has been invited into the most core surf shops, confirms Andreas ‘Maui’ Maurmeir, distributor of the brand on the Old Continent since autumn 2015: “To cut a long story short, I’d say that the Beater is a good choice for any conditions that you’d have previously written off as lousy or considered unrideable.” It’s still too early to quantify their success but Maui speaks of having “bought all that was available at the American manufacturer and it all got sold”. These funny little weapons are backed up by technology after serious R&D from brands, as Frans van der Vegt, marketing and product development manager at Brunotti confirms: “we have developed new techniques to provide top-of-the-range softtops.” The Beater from Catch Surf has two or even three slats on longer models, “truly rigid boards”, stresses Maui, “which sets them apart from other foam boards”. For under 300 euros, these boards have found their place on the market, complementing “serious” models.

Technol-Orgy
At last. At last. At last. While the traditional polyurethane/polyester combo is still getting most people’s vote, the wider public is warming to innovations in construction materials. Since traditional foam was born, everyone has been striving to reinvent the wheel like Channel Islands have with their BarronFlex, as Adur Letamendia from Olatu (Channel Islands, …Lost, Pukas) explains: “It’s about EPS foam with varying densities to provide different flex configurations.” It’s the same objective but different means at DHD with the brand new Epoxicore, “a hit at every surf expo in the world”, rejoices Tiago Raimundo, boss at Mindlx, manufacturer of boards branded Darren Handley in Europe. The Epoxicore combines two pieces of different foams to make one piece, classic PU (polyurethane) and Styrofoam (extruded polystyrene) to provide the dynamism of an epoxy board and the flexibility of a PU/polyester model; the distribution of the slats also contributes to making a particular flex. The result is even more striking in the flesh! SUPERbrand are also venturing into this by using “a very lively EPS foam, without slats, laminated with four types of different reinforcements, spread in six directions,” explains Rémi Chaussemiche.

It comes as no surprise to see an impressive demonstration of technology from the mad scientists at Lib-Tech and their intriguing Nitrogencell Foam: “A foam whose structure has been drawn from top to bottom and filled with liquid nitrogen to make it more resistant to compression and provide lots of springback”, reveals Mike Olson. Another advantage of this foam, it does not absorb water: invaluable in the event of damage. And that’s not all, the foam is covered head to toe in basalt fibre, “an excellent shock absorber compared to fibreglass”, then the whole thing is laminated in a honeycomb structure, the Hexzylon Fibrefoam: “the upper layer is super solid and light with magnesium fibre tissue”, adds Mike, “and along the rails, elastomer (elastic) fibre serves to reinforce everything, giving you the feeling of surfing on silk”.

Olatu has a big part to play with the Spanish factory producing for the brands Channel Islands and …Lost, as well as its own label Pukas: “Carbon patches, different stiffnesses thanks to slats or lack of, different foam densities…A whole load of ingredients to play with”, exclaims Adur Letamendia. And why not cardboard? This is what Brunotti are onto with a honeycomb structure that will feature in a mass produced line, confirms Frans van der Vegt.

Benoît from Hoff: “In terms of new constructions, for 2016 we have Thunderbolt technology in distribution in the Tolhurst/Harley Ingleby longboard: a sandwich high-performance epoxy mixing epoxy and carbon with incredible memory, very light and ultra-high performance”, commends Benoît, while other models should also see the light of day with this technology.

Even the PU purists at Euroglass are offering the flavour of the month: “We have released a few boards in Varial foam for Leo Fioravanto and he digs them”, reveals Darren Broadbridge.

Euroglass

Finally, GSI are enjoying the success of Haydenshapes’ models and their FutureFlex construction (EPS foam without slats but with a carbon frame along the outline) to include technology a bit similar to the brand 7S: “the Carbon Vector on the 7S and FutureFlex boards at Haydenshapes were in high demand as customers were seeking lighter, more responsive models”, highlights Liam O’Shea from Holysport.

In terms of fins, the trend is no longer about exclusive choice but about exhaustive choice with more and more brands offering set ups with five fins, meaning you can have as a thruster, a quattro or five-fin (Thanks Kelly Slater).

Waste disposal
“We are probably still quite far away from seeing true cradle-to-cradle technology (C2C), but its day will come”, extends Mark Price from Firewire whose eco-credibility is a reality. Here and there, everyone is striving to fight against the production of waste in their own way, especially by reusing resin waste (Olatu), or by recycling boards in the Resurf project: “We all have a collection point within the company to recycle used boards to be then dealt with by Resurf”, points out Benoît from Hoff. At Euroglass, they are going in pursuit of cleanliness by “directly improving our carbon footprint” affirms Darren, explaining that rigorous cleaning allows the machines to work better and consume less electricity.

The argument of “better boards=happy customers=longer lifespan” keeps cropping up. For Darren once again “less bad boards out there on the market is beneficial to us and to the planet”.

Further still, Lib-Tech are using “foams that do not contain isocyanates or swelling agents that are full of nitrogen. As for the offcuts, they are recycled for making more foam. We do not use any airbrush paints, adhesives or sandpaper. Our factory runs on wind and water power.”

Firewire’s fight against pollutants is too long to be explained in detail: bio-resins with foam densifiers and outsourced waste control management, these efforts have the aim of making “zero waste come 2020” says Mark Price.

Distribution
More fun, more tech, more clean; the 2016 surfboard crop does not lack selling points and the proof lies in the fact that sales of the top-of-the-range are performing better and better: “Boards for beginners are hardly selling”, explains Pete Craig, co-manager of the shop Bundoran Surf Co, in Ireland. A few hundred miles away in Munich, Toby Haseloff from the shop Santo Loco notes that “people are better informed and prepared to pay the price for a known brand or shaper”. So far this wave of very specialised models has not broken into the bigbox sports stores or other wider-public shops and Darren from Euroglass adds: “The big shop chains rarely get involved in core products and anyway, the margins are not what they are looking for.” The same feeling is at DHD, as commercial director of Mindlx, Clésio Correia, admits to having worked “80% with core shops, 10% with more mainstream shops and 10% with big chains”. The loyalty that brands show to retailers is the mark of a successful marriage and the sales figures prove the expertise of core shops. Back to basics.

SUPERbrand