I am very seriously considering a custom board design and manufacture business which would specialise in windsurfing boards but also manufacture surfboards, kite boards, SUP boards and custom jobs for industry which are similar in construction.

I have the know how in the manufacture of the machinery needed to CNC cut board blanks and also have a good mate who is right into fiberglassing of boards and the like... Our combination of skillsets allows us to produce quality finished boards.

My question is if I could produce a board which was similar or near identical to a current board that is on the market for a lesser price, would you buy it?

How much would you expect to pay for such a board?

If you had the option of customising a board to be the exact board you want, (ie. Twin fin, hard/soft rails, concave/flat base, different deck style etc etc.) Would you do it and pay a little extra to do it?

Just some food for thought... Your comments are appreciated. Please feel free to PM me if you prefer or are very interested in such an offer.

Simon

whats ur warranty policy like??

Simon. Me personally, if you can offer a product equal or better than the cheating **unts overseas, then I am willing to pay a bit extra.

If you are risky, jump in. If not, then start off small. Can you turn out a few boards without the big capital expenditure ?. If so, could you first test the market by turning out a few boards, selling them, refining the mistakes, turning out a few more, seeing if they sell... and so forth ?

From experience designing and manufacturing electronic equipment, money talks, bull**** walks. The opinions that people give you here will vanish when financial commitment is requested. If you want to go 'big!, big!, big!', then find an eccentric billionaire willing to risk pissing up a few million.

Hi Simon. Sorry for being a bit rude. I wish you the best. I would be keen to see what you have to offer in future.

Hi Windy Simon
I think diversification into surf and sup is a good idea as sailboards are very seasonal. If you made a board for a lesser price than the competition after outlay of your quality materials the hourly rate for all your 50 plus hours labour would not be that good.
The person that is after a custom board is usually an experienced sailor who knows what they want out of a board, would you have enough knowledge to be able to adjust the board to do a certain type of behaviour eg customer wants a bit more momentum in between sections out in front of the wave or a bit more drive so the board gets a bit more verticle on the face?
Do you have the knowledge of how subtle changes to one area of the board will affect it's performance.
You also have to deal with people who don't look after their board and then complain about it. Some times you may have faulty building material eg bad glass, that ends up breaking, it's not your fault or the customers but the material suppliers will not cover it.
The bigger companies make enough profit using cheap materials and chaep labour to cover a percentage of boards for warranty.
I think most people would go for the tried and tested production with a warranty.
Good luck. I make a few a year as a hobby now as making them 24/7 takes the passion out of it after a while.