Author Topic: Cobra Factory  (Read 22349 times)

jjue

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Cobra Factory
« on: August 22, 2008, 09:44:52 PM »
In doing some   research  about the new Bic Jungle  I just  bought     I   was suprised to learn that  almost all of the worlds windsurf boards and many SUP boards  including  my Jungle  are produced by one factory , the Cobra factory in Thailand....  Sup's by Naish , Starboard, Bic , Amundson , Surftech  are all produced there... in fact  , Surftech was the  first  Surfboard  factory to   partner with Cobra..  Interesting   learning a bit about the history of the company and where they are now ... .. Many of the boards  that  we all use   , although of different  designs and shapes,  are basically made of the same materials   in the same factory ..

Here is a link about the  early history of the Surftech /Cobra connection

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2005/09/01/8277774/index.htm


And a  little about  where Cobra is now   ... 

http://www.reinforcedplasticsbuyersguide.com/WZ/RPlastics/latest_feats/months_features/000043/show/




Dwight (DW)

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2008, 03:30:26 AM »
Good reading.

Cobra was a windsurfing board brand in the beginning. Known for its superior pearl like finish. Never saw one in the US.

PonoBill

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2008, 09:40:05 AM »
Actually, I remember Cobra boards in the US. One of the gorge shops carried them. I don't think it was big winds, I think it was one of the ones that are gone now. I liked the looks of the boards but at the time I was into custom windsurfers, mostly Schulers. I still have a couple of them. Pretty funny how heavy they are by comparison to modern boards. At the Starboard dealer conference I picked up one of the new wood/carbon boards, it felt weightless. By comparison my Schuler wave board probably weighs 25 pounds or more.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

DavidJohn

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2008, 12:17:31 PM »
 I   was suprised to learn that  almost all of the worlds windsurf boards and many SUP boards  including  my Jungle  are produced by one factory , the Cobra factory in Thailand

Yes but the materials, construction and even quality and finish are very different with each board brand.

It's just like almost all big brands of bicycle come out of the Giant factory.

DJ

heave

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2008, 08:29:31 PM »
Cobra makes a real fine product.  However, I've acquired a taste for really light and smooth therefore my favorite recipes are far from theirs and the like.  It's amazing what some ingredients can do when combined in certain ways.     

srfnff

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2008, 04:49:15 PM »
Is it true that the board manufacturer submits the build specifications for each board? Does anyone know how this works?

Blane Chambers

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2008, 07:53:35 AM »
For certain boards they are trying to fill holes in their lines so they may tell a shaper we need this or that.    But for the most part the shaper has a lot of say in what gets made.

srfnff

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2008, 10:14:41 AM »
Thanks Blane, further...let's say a shaper wants them to build a run of 50, 9-6 performance SUPs with one of the primary criteria being light weight. Could a shaper then configure or spec out a build using components (foam, resin and cloth, divinylcell, etc. that would equal the weight the shaper wanted for each board? And therefore some boards would be more durable than others because of the build specs, even though they came out of the same factory?

Weasels wake

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2008, 06:29:40 PM »
Great question!
It takes a quiver to do that.

Yannick

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2008, 07:47:39 AM »
srfnff,

A shaper could technically do that, but the cost to make the mold would make it cost prohibitive.

A better route would be to do a CNC scan (terminology?), and then choose the blank weight (i.e. 1# or 2# EPS, and then have it hand laid up in epoxy resin, choosing the glass schedule.

I think that this is what we are going to start seeing more and more of.  I know of one shaper who is doing just that trying to get 400 boards out in the next 6 months or so.

The beauty of this is that, the shape can be modified relatively easily.  Say they have a 10'er x 29", and I want one that might be a little more floatey, I could get one made that would come in at 30" or 31".

PonoBill

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2008, 08:40:30 AM »
I think that's what Frank's doing at Lightning bolt--scaling a shape up and down using CNC. Seems like a fine approach for shorter runs. When I was at the Starboard dealer conference they said they were aiming to produce more than 16,000 SUP board year after next. I wonder how many windsurf boards per year were produced during the boom.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Byronmaui

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2008, 09:34:47 AM »
I just don't see how any non foreign produced board can compete with these Chinese (Foreign) factories with regards to pricing. Is boardworks a foreign produced (not owned) board company too?

Aloha

Byron

srfnff

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2008, 10:46:04 AM »
Obviously I am not an industry insider, but to the best of my knowledge all molded production surfboards and SUPs are made in Asian factories. I understand there are businesses that can do this in China, Vietnam and Thailand (Cobra location).

One of my interests in this issue is to not only learn more about the process and the business, but to try and further the dialogue re what we're getting for our money. To a great degree, production boards leave the buyer out in the cold re build and material specs. For example, when I have a custom built: I talk over the shape and the glassing schedule with my shaper and he orders the blank I want. Then, I make an appointment with my shaper, meet him at the shaping room and watch him shape my board. We talk about this and that, he works, then the rough shape is complete. The blank is finished at a later time usually, and glassed after that. If I want, I can watch the glasser work.

With a custom board we are given the bare necessities, i.e. as little as possible. If it isn't a Surftech then one really doesn't know where the board is being built...sometimes the seller doesn't even know, or they're not saying.

I understand that there are a lot of shady players in this game, so I can understand a reluctance on some people's part to not let unscrupulous people steal or ruin someone's honest and hard work. And I am not pointing fingers at anyone, or any company. But there seems to be something of a veil of secrecy, either intentional or unintentional (or both) that does not serve the consumer who wants to know more about what they're getting.

Maybe I'm in the minority about this. It won't stop me from buying a molded production board in the future because I think there are some very positive benefits to this type of build over other types, especially for a SUP. But I wish there was more easily accessible and direct information out there.

Easy Rider

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Re: Cobra Factory
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2008, 10:55:49 AM »
Coming from the snowboard world from the last 28 years - the whole idea of "custom builds" is relatively new to me.

The idea of being able to select the side cut / flex / weight / etc. of your snowboard is simply unheard of.  If you want something different - you pick a different board.

As for the secrecy of how the board are built - in snowboarding - you get to know what the manufacturer puts in the catalogue - and that's it.

As the sport of SUP grows beyond the surf (to the inland masses) I would bet the production boards will all but take over the market. 

Just my 2¢
Easy Rider is the name of my store in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
My name is Warren Currie . . . and we SUP Surf indoors . . . in a shopping mall!

jjue

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Costco selling SUP's !
« Reply #14 on: August 27, 2008, 11:22:27 AM »
speaking of   mass produced surfboards  and SUP's ,  I found this news from  the online WINDSURF JOURNAL

"Well known all over America, supermarket chain Costco has also developed an online shop site where you can buy almost anything, like a television, car battery, and now, your very own SUP board !
Already working as a distributor for surf manufacturer Maverix, Costco have decided to surf the SUP wave and will be selling two models at 11’0” and 12’0”, complete with paddle and carry bag for less than a thousand dollars…
A stunning piece of news and the kind of supplementary shot in the arm that could help SUP make even more of an impact than it already is !"

 


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