Do the Chinese Surf?
May 16th, 2007
Submitted By: Steven Rodger
It depends on what kind of surfing you’re talking about. What was once an industry influenced primarily by Hawaii, California and Australia, there is a sleeping giant who has been awakened … Chinese surfboard manufacturing. In an industry worth over 8 billion dollars, it is no wonder why China is getting involved. With the disappearance of the Clark Foam [the former leader of 'blanks' for surfboards], there are more and more Chinese surf manufacturing plants popping up all over China.
Most of these Chinese boards are being stamped with expired logos from the past, such as The Realm or Canyon. Next time you’re at Costco look for one of these boards. All these boards are being hand-made, by Chinese shapers as oppose to machine produced. The ironic part …n one of these Chinese shapers have ever surfed, nor have they ever visited the beach. While Chinese surfboard production does not represent a large part of the sales market yet, it surely will in the future as this new Asian growth is merely the tip of the spear. Further expansion into China is certainly going to occur, primarily because surf-shop owners of the U.S. are begging to dually have the long sought-after margins, and to quench the demand for low-end/beginner boards.
While most MBA’s probably are too busy with business matters to get a board and go surfing, this is an interesting phenomenon/opportunity that we’re seeing across most industries. Asia is clearly changing the way we do business. Similar to the Wal-Mart dilemma, this puts some skilled crafts-people out of jobs … Diversification of skills and products will help to alleviate this problem evolving the industry to the next level. Debates over whether tariffs should be put into place have been made to block the importation of Chinese boards, but would this be fair?
Who should determine whether Asia should be able to dump cheap products on US soil?
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, China, Misc.
17 Comments Add your own
1. Chris Carr | May 16th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Good post.
I surf, or try to. Not very good. But the main reason I am a surf wanna-be is that what I really enjoy is dipping into Mother Ocean and feeling that serenity and her power.
I have often thought of whether a surf shop would fly in China, similar to the ones we have in downtown SLO or in Pismo Beach or Morro Bay.
With parts of China fixated on certain parts of the west and Western brands, do you think it would based on what you have read and heard about China thus far? Once you go there, toward the end of the trip, let’s chat more about this.
If you could go there, open a surf shop or two in a coastal city, and make good money selling surfing products to rich, middle class and/or poor Chinese, by in part marketing yourself as “the California surf guru who came to China to help locales fall in love with surfing” would you do so?
2. Lindsay Yoshitomi | May 17th, 2007 at 1:40 am
I don’t know a lot about surfing, but to me it doesn’t seem like an influx of low-end boards would hurt the rest of the surf board manufacturers. Surfers, the good ones at least, are very particular about their boards and will not be buying these ones anyways. It provides a new market for capturing the beginners as Steve said. It’s actually a good idea. Surf boards are expensive, and anyone just wanting to try a new activity is probably not willing to buy one. The low-end boards would allow people to try it out. When my sister and I first started boogie boarding, we bought the cheap, low-end, foam boards. After a near drowning experience, I stopped boogie boarding…but my sister still loves it. So she upgraded and spent more money to get one of the nicer boards. So I can only assume the same kind of thing would happen with surf boards. Who knows…it might even increase sales for the more expensive boards as more people start to pick up the sport.
3. Paul | May 17th, 2007 at 2:07 am
I am a Chinese, many things you do not understand, although,you’ve been China many times.
cases related to the Government shoud be think another way.
4. JP | May 17th, 2007 at 6:47 am
The June 2007 issue of Surfer magazine reported that there are no shaping machines in China and attempts to romanticize the Chinese handshaper. The truth is that there are many shaping machines in operation in China.
The mass produced imports from China are watering down the surfboard craft. It’s all part of the great gentrification of the world.
If you are learning to surf a new board is not the way to go. Buy a good used board from a reputable surf shop.
5. JP | May 17th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I’d also like to note that China is setting the environmental standards of the surfboard industry back 20 years.
6. Chris Carr | May 17th, 2007 at 7:01 am
Paul -
Thanks for checking in.
Nobody on this end claims to understand or know China. I am skeptical of anyone who says they do, even if and when they come from or live in China.
I don’t understand … what do “cases related to the government” have to do with a post on surfing?
7. Chris Carr | May 17th, 2007 at 7:16 am
JP -
Thanks for checking in.
You raise some good points. I know very, very little about the sufboard industry; yet I see the “wave” (pun intended) of surfboards made and coming from China as inevitable.
What steps to you think the surf industry should take to be proactive to reach out to Chinese suppliers and/or retail stores and/or consumers here in the US as part of an effort to minimize the impact of the environmental concern you raise? Remember that import tariffs are not an option … that would violate the WTO.
8. Paul | May 17th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Chris
what i mean the government, is answer your last question.
for the surfing, even people who lives near the beach, do not have time to do such luxurious entertainment, which belongs to small part who have money and time.
i just skimed over the website, is it a college blog forum?
and i saw your tour plan in the coming day, i am wondering is that a kind of course for the MBA?
errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, i do not know.
9. Steveo Rodger | May 17th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
~Dr. Carr
In regards to your question: Would I possibly consider marketing myself as “the California surf guru who came to China to help locals fall in love with surfing?”
If I had the chance? Perhaps…Since I haven’t yet visited China, I couldn’t really say that I would want to promote surfing in Asia. While it seems that China embraces western culture, I’m not sure if surfing would catch on so much? Maybe the government would get a whiff, and want to sponsor surfers to start competing internationally? While becoming a guru of the surf industry in China would certainly be a profitable endeavor I’m not sure if I could bring myself to do so. While I have spent some time teaching people how to surf, as well as how to shape surfboards I’m not sure if I’d want to dedicate my life to becoming a Chinese Surf Guru. So long that the Chinese kept their surfing in China, maybe I’d give it a shot. I don’t think I could live with myself if I became the guy who encouraged surfing to a billion people (every surf break in the world would be crowded
Touching on JP’s point, I agree that there are dangers of China becoming competitive in the surfing industry. While they already manufacture most of the surf label clothing, it could be devastating to surfboard shapers worldwide if China boards go mainstream. Until then, I will do my part and continue to shape and teach the art of surfboard shaping as a hobby, to promote surfing to friends within California and Hawaii.
While the wave of Chinese boards coming to the United States is inevitable, and tariffs are not an option… American/Australian surfboard manufacturers should guide the way and show China how to manufacture boards (Pro Surf shapers are already sneaking over to China to start up shop)… Similar to the Electronics industry, where Japan produces high-end goods and China manufactures the lower-end products… China can produce the cheaper ‘cookie-cutter’ surfboards for beginners. There would still be plenty of demand for custom shaped boards for intermediate and advanced riders, so American/Australian custom shapers would not loose their livelihood. If anything, this may promote surfing within China’s coastline enough to create a new untapped market for professional surfboard shapers from the US. Rather than sitting in America and being scared that China will take over the industry, perhaps we should be pro-active and lead the giant.
10. Chris Carr | May 18th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Well said, Steve.
11. Chris Carr | May 20th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Paul,
Thanks for checking back in.
Yes, this is an MBA class that travels to China for a three week
experiential business study tour. It’s a 4 unit elective course.
Where you see a dead end, I see a possible opportunity. True, many in China now have little to no discretionary funds. But if/when the day comes that changes, why not be the first surf shop in/on a Chinese coastal city selling the surfing lifestyle? Who cares that most who buy boards or surf product will be crappy surfers (just like most in the USA) — it’s the dream or illusion they will be the next Laird Hamilton (Google him to check out who he is), or the Chinese version of him, that they are buying into as part of such a retail business. I am also not so sure that there are not enough people on the Chinese eastern seaboard who have more than enough money to try such a lifestyle — shoot, if they can shop in high end department stores and buy a latte at Starbucks, some can probably afford a cheap board and wet suit (both made in China) to give it a go. They may just need some crazy dude from California or Hawaii to set up the first shop to make them “think” the gotta try surfing to find themselves … Isn’t that the world of most retail sales and products??
12. steve feng | May 21st, 2007 at 3:57 pm
On the central coast, we still have a lot of space to surf. Pismo beach or morro strand is open almost every day, but the conditions are not always great. In so cal and santa barbara surfers are crowding the breaks, you could go out and easily have 20 people waiting. Its gets even worse when beginers cut off surfers because they dont know the general rules. Surfing is an awesome sport and many people want to do it. I can not imagine what will happen to surfing when China starts producing cheap boards. People will be able to afford surfing, and a single break will have 40 people. Then peole will start to get hurt, then we will not be able to surf, or you will have to buy tickets to go surfing in the ocean.
13. Chuck Rylant | May 23rd, 2007 at 10:48 am
Steve, this is a great post. It is great how you have combined your hobby with your MBA education and found a link to our China trip.
14. Christopher Arena | May 23rd, 2007 at 2:16 pm
As a person who also appreciates good water (flat glass on a lake) I can totally relate to the frustration of 40 people who don’t know what they are doing on a single break. Imagine a middle aged man with too much money and a $60,000 boat, drunk on a lake throwing hugh wake and messing up the water for everybody. You need a permit, 10 hours of drivers ed and then a license before you can drive a car, but all you need is a decent credit score to buy a vehicle with no breaks (boats don’t have breaks). My point is cheap Chinese surf boards might in fact lead to the problem Steve just mentioned, way to many people involved in a sport that they know nothing about. I want to start an initiative to require boating licenses, maybe you can start something like a required surfing lesson???
15. Chris Carr | May 24th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Hey, watch it Arena! My boat is worth at least $72,000 ….
16. Erik | May 24th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Does that $70k+ boat come with proper in the event of an emergency?
17. Chris Carr | May 24th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Haha.
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