Yeah, you could use a new stick. Photo: KC Welch
Historically speaking, surfers could hardly ever be described as politically motivated. And I’m sure one could, if properly motivated, come up with a fairly plausible sociological reason as to why, especially during times of counter-cultural tumult, surfers as a collective didn’t join their sign-brandishing brothers and sisters in their struggle against the establishment [insert establishment of your chosen period and socio-political issue here.] Why? I think the answer is pretty simple: surfers are too wrapped up in the all-consuming lust for waves, with that relentless pursuit’s plethora of challenges, to give much of a damn about the travails, both social and economic, of the civilian population, and how the vagaries of any particular political climate might affect their lives.
In the late-1960s, although I was probably two or three years too young for the Vietnam War to be an actual reality, I certainly didn’t know many of the older guys who were burning their draft cards or protest marching in D.C. No, with single-fin pintails and righteous “old ladies” at their sides, they were living in leaky tents on Kauai, heading south along the coast of Central America, holing up in Biarritz, or scoring discount airfares to Queensland. A hardy few even fled the country for good, crossing our northwestern border and choosing the expat life, I’m convinced, when they discovered an empty, cold-water Rincon in British Columbia.
Speaking from personal experience, my buddies and I gave little thought to how the politics of the time affected our surf life, having no idea that it was the Hamas invasion of Southern Israel that touched off 1973’s devastating Middle East oil embargo, leading to gas shortages, hour’s-long lines at the pump and previously unheard-of domestic gas prices (53 cents a gallon? Outrageous!). No, all we knew, as when on Sunday mornings we skulked around the back sections of well-attended evangelical church parking lots, siphoning hi-test from faithful practitioners, was that we needed to get across Highway 17 to Santa Cruz before the tide got too high for The Hook. Even so, we only sucked a half-pint from each car; we weren’t dirty thieves, we were surfers. And oblivious to how the current political tidal chart was affecting our trip, other than making it more difficult to get to the beach.
Today, even without an economic degree it’s easy to see that this almost entirely arbitrary series of tariffs levied against global exporters is again bound to hit surfers right where they stand: on their surfboards. Given the surfboard industry’s razor-slim margin of profit, even a ripple in exported raw material costs could add, in some cases, price increases up to 25 percent. Resin components, certain foam blanks, fins and fin boxes, leash plugs — even plastic lamination squeegees — all used by virtually every major manufacturer, all exported from overseas. That’s not even counting the latest Slater Design or Rob Machado Groove, just two of a broad range of models manufactured entirely overseas that will take a tariff gut-punch.
Yes, it looks like an ill political wind is about to blow, and the way it’s boxing the compass these days it’s hard to keep up. Which makes buying a surfboard now the right thing to do, for a variety of reasons. Here’s just a few:
A BARGAIN AT ANY PRICE
We’re talking high end here:
Specialized 2026 S-Works Turbo Levo 4 e-mountain bike…. $13,499
Homma Beres 5-Star Japanese golf clubs, full set……………$68,379
Zegma Black Zai skis…………………………………………$7,540.00
Puakea Volare Pro OC-1 outrigger canoe……………………..$5,950.00
6’0″ CI 2 Pro surfboard…………………………………………………..$785.00
5’8″ …Lost Original Puddle Jumper surfboard………………………………..$745.00
5’10” Slater Design Great White Twin surfboard…………………………$965.00
9’0″ Kai Sallas Mango Jam surfboard………………………………………$1,3120.00
Need I say more?
SUPPORT REPUTABLE SURFBOARD EXPORTERS
Held less in thrall of the hoary board-building myth that righteously asserts only a surfboard hand-laminated with a wallpaper squeegee has a soul, more and more surfers are taking advantage of the design and manufacturing sophistication offered by labels like Firewire, JS, Haydenshapes and DHD, all of whom produce models in ultra-modern Southeast Asian factories. Now, I know that there’s those of you who rankle at the idea of getting a board made from someone who doesn’t take off from work when the swell’s up, yet on the other hand have no doubt benefited at least somehow from the unprecedented manufacturing innovation coming out of cutting-edge facilities like Thailand’s Cobra factory. Support the surfboard of tomorrow by buying one of these today.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SURFBOARD MANUFACTURER
So they’re not as light and strong as styro/epoxy composite sandwich boards, or have structurally superior flex characteristics, or are built to consistent dimensions every time, each one an exact replica of the designer’s original vision. Who cares? Because there’s just something indefinably special about the opportunity to get dropped in at your local spot by one of the crafts-persons who had a hand in shaping, spraying, laminating, finning, sanding, glossing and rubbing out your new board. Get in good with them while you can — just give them a wave next time.
BUILD A QUIVER
No, I’m not talking about a sponsored pro’s foam and fiberglass stable, with their board’s differences measured in ascending units of half inches. That’s not a quiver, that’s a Lego set, an extravagant toy chest made up of nondescript, easily exchangeable pieces. What you want is a real quiver, consisting of at least three surfboards, none of which look, feel, or ride anything like each other. And one of these should be significantly longer, wider, and have less fins than the rest. Despite popular perception, for 99.6 percent of all surfers, the quiver concept isn’t about having the three-inch longer “step-up” for that trip to Kandui or your latest Backdoor session. It simply means having a variety of designs, suitable for the variety of waves you ride on a regular basis, to provide the variety of sensations that will broadly expand your surfing enjoyment and overall experience. Consider a proper quiver one of the best emotional investments you can make in these troubled economic times.
HOPE FOR THE BEST, PLAN FOR THE WORST
Today, due to what is being called an ill-conceived, chaotic, AI chatbot-designed “tariff war,” solely instigated by the current inhabitant of the White House, the economic fallout is acute and getting even more so. Putting the price of eggs aside, vaulted indicators like the Dow Jones Average, which in the first two-three weeks of April plummeted 9.1 percent (I know, I don’t really know what that means, exactly, except that it’s not good) hit a dubious benchmark: it was the 129- year-old index’s worst April performance since 1931. And 1931 being the second year of the Great Depression. Yeah, that depression. So while the stock market regularly climbs and drops like Jordy Smith on a good day at J-Bay, this current scenario of on-again, off again, late-night Truth Social economic policy changes has created the sort of uncertainty that makes the above-mentioned doom and gloom more of a distinct possibility. So better buy that new board now — it might be the last one you’ll be able to afford for a very long time.
