There are numerous factors that impact the cost of purchasing a surfboard, including board type, material used and more.
An expensive surfboard will generally cost more than its low-quality counterpart due to the superior stability and performance provided by a higher grade material.
Cost of materials
Surfing can be an engaging hobby, yet can also be costly. Equipment like boards and accessories such as wetsuits, fins, and wax cost money to purchase; plus it’s essential that boards stay in good condition by regularly maintaining them to repair dings or cracks as soon as they arise.
Cost of surfboards depends on several factors, including material composition and manufacturing process. Higher quality boards tend to cost more. Selecting appropriate material helps make riding smoother, faster and more efficiently.
Polyurethane foam (PU foam) is the go-to material for making surfboards. Unlike its expanded polystyrene counterpart, which absorbs water quickly, PU foam doesn’t retain it; thus making it more durable than EPS and costing anywhere from $100-200 more than other options.
Polyester resin is another popular surfboard material. It is less costly than epoxy resin and provides better flex and response in the water; however, it does not last as long.
Epoxy boards tend to be more costly than polyurethane foam boards, yet offer superior overall performance. Furthermore, they’re significantly lighter than their EPS counterparts without needing a wooden stringer frame for support.
Longboards tend to be more costly than shortboards as they require larger amounts of foam, fiberglass and resin for construction. Furthermore, their construction requires more physical labor compared to shorter surfboards.
DIY surfboards can range in cost from approximately $160 to $450 depending on the quality and quantity of materials used, your skill level, as well as necessary accessories like foam blanks and tools.
Once you have collected all the materials necessary, it’s time to start shaping your board. Proper tool sets can greatly increase your chances of success when shaping boards; such as Stanley Surfoam Plane which quickly removes foam. Sandpaper with different grits should also be included for smooth sanding operations.
Shapers typically charge between $650 and $1,000 for custom surfboard shaping services, depending on factors like shaper experience, material costs, glassing schedule requirements and colors available.
Cost of labor
Labor costs have an enormous effect on the price of a surfboard. These costs include both time spent making it and materials used, which may differ depending on its quality or manufacturer’s production process.
Shapers must possess both specialized equipment and years of experience to craft beautiful yet functional surfboards. Shapers work in controlled environments with meticulous detail handcrafting each board for clients – this may prove more expensive but is still an excellent way of creating something truly individualistic and personalized for themselves or someone else.
After a shaper has completed their board, it must be brought to the glass shop where fiberglass cloth and resin will be laminated together to form the outer shell of its surfboard. As this process involves many people and steps, it could take several hours or days.
Polyurethane foam is the primary raw material for surfboard manufacture in the US. Clark Foam provided this raw material until its closure in 2005; since then many manufacturers cannot find an appropriate supplier.
Asian manufacturers have made great strides toward filling this need by training workers with shaping experience from both Australia and America.
Workers make multiple boards every day at a fraction of the cost it would take in America to produce one – all made in an environment similar to what exists here.
People usually opt for Expanded Poly Styrene (EPS) foam as opposed to polyurethane foam because EPS soaks up water faster. Also, unlike PU foam used for soft tops, which tends to deform, EPS is more durable and can be coated with epoxy resin glassed on top.
Though more expensive than its cheaper counterpart, PU foam, this material is more durable and requires less labor to install. Furthermore, polyester won’t melt as easily if used with it, plus its eco-friendlier composition absorbs less carbon dioxide into its cells than its PU counterpart.
Cost of design
Surfboards were originally hand crafted by skilled board builders who experimented with shapes and materials until they found something that satisfied customers’ desires. Over time, board builders have continued pushing the limits of surfboard design and construction; today many professional and amateur surfers use custom boards that feature more features than before such as channels cut along the bottom edge for improved stability or using only one fin instead of two to increase speed.
Cost estimates for new boards typically fall within the $200 to $1,200 range, depending on their type and brand as well as size and shape considerations.
Surfboards typically consist of a polystyrene core covered by layers of fiberglass and epoxy resin for strength and durability, often featuring Balsa wood used as decorative material that shows through between its resin layers and fiberglass covering.
Petroleum is another raw material found in surfboard construction that can contaminate ocean or land environments with volatile organic compounds such as benzene. When extracting for polystyrene manufacturing purposes, some of this petroleum may escape and leak into ocean waters or land bodies and pollute waterways with volatile organic compounds – potentially polluting them with pollutants that are harmful.
Additionally, the oil used to manufacture polystyrene may contain toxic chemicals that pose health hazards to those working with or breathing it in. Furthermore, these pollutants remain airborne for extended periods, potentially impacting both people and the environment alike.
Like any industrial process, the production of surfboards produces significant environmental wastes. These include transportation of materials from mines or extraction sites to workshops where surfboards are manufactured; as well as finished products being transported back out again for sale at retail stores.
Transport of these materials also relies heavily on fossil fuels that are burned to power vehicles and trains that travel long distances, with energy costs added onto overall embodied energy of materials for transport purposes – increasing its total price even more than when purchased separately.
Cost of accessories
As most surfboards represent an investment that will last us for life, it is vitally important that we purchase only high-quality boards. One way of doing this is visiting an established surf shop near your area that sells quality boards at competitive prices – there are plenty! Additionally, shopping locally gives you access to new products before they hit shelves; shopping gives you an early look at new releases; however viewing of goods may only last several hours at best due to reasonable pricing schemes; in any case we value getting value for your dollar!