I've had them run the gamut - from Murphy mowing the foam then and there with me in the bay to Gene taking a year for my pig and lots in between. I usually expect and don't mind 4 months... My last 2 (Christenson Chris Craft and Hobie Phil) both took 10 months. Great boards but those waits changed my board hunts at least for now.
call comes down to their personal finances, age (young and hungry vs old and hammered) general work ethic, and how much they surf.. One of my shapers says 4 weeks, it's four weeks. Another, 4 to 8 weeks depending on how good the surf is. Another, an in demand shaper favored on this forum, took 5 months, and the board was decent, didn't rock. Ordered a board from BK in his shop during a north shore stay, an 8' semi for Ocean Beach and Sunset..took 8 months to get it, and it friggin rocked...
Right? I guess the question becomes : what accountability do you hold a shaper to , regarding fabrication time?
it's the glass shop man... it's always the glass shop I buy way too many customs. average with shipping time included is right around 3.5 months. Generally sooner if there isnt a rock star firewall to contend with and I'm reuping. for a guy like you gnar with your S.A.P and Insta clout plus being situated on the west coast it seems reasonable that the average wait time should be about 1/2 that. math 6-8 weeks
I have never had a board done in the time quoted. I assume half again longer, and I am pleasantly surprised if it beats that. 4-6 weeks, I will assume about 8-10.
I don’t currently have anything ordered from anyone. I’m genuinely curious what it’s like out there. I’ve had the wait time on custom shapes be all over the place. I’m guessing some people don’t care about a wait. Some do. Some people will give money to someone for a finished board and not be told anything regarding an estimated time of completion. If a consumer does this, then they have no soap box to stand on if the wait is long. However, if a manufacturer receives money and asserts a date of completion , then it seems like their should be some level of accountability. Our little corner of industry seems atypical in this regard.
I definitely agree with the esoteric nature of this industry but, luckily most shapers I have dealt with have nailed their estimates and like i alluded, to being on the eastcoast puts me a bit of a disadvantage for holding anyone accountable. That being said all the issues I have had 4 out of 50 ( maybe going on a 5th as we speak) have been dealt with amicably - money refunded or "next board at cost" kind of stuff. Any time I have mentioned that the board is for a surf trip or that I'll be picking it up out their on such and such a date can it be ready? - it always has been. when in doubt tell them you know smukes- trust me
