Durability of Custom vs Stock boards

[Senorjacob]

I've got a starboard 10'3 and I'm thinking of getting a 9' board to add to my (limited) collection of boards.  I'm considering going with a custom...been demo'ing a lot of boards.  But I'm wondering about durability.  My starboard can take a beating.  Thought it seems like custom boards are much more susceptible to dings.  

Is this generally true of all customs, or just certain ones?  If I go custom, should I expect to get plenty of dings if I'm not super careful with it?  Is this the basic trade off between custom and stock? performance vs durability?

Any insights you guys have would be super appreciated!

[ODJ]

first off, the starboard boards i've ridden or owned were bulletprof! they make a very durable board. customs are generally made to be lighter, more performace oriented, epoxy construction where the starboards are a sandwich construction. starboards wont dent or ding as much, but when they do its a little tougher to repair than an epoxy board. also, in my opinion an epoxy board has a less stiff feel compared to a starboard or other sandwich construction boards. all of my customs have been double 6oz. decks and a single 6oz. bottom. i've ripped the fin box out of one board and all of my customs have had foot wells from where i stand or step back on all of them, but feel like they are more sensitive and responsive. also, as i get better at SUP i start pushing myself harder, taking risks, bigger waves, etc. so the changes of damaging a board are increased.

that being said you can glass a custom anyway you want. it's a custom so you can have it made anyway you want, but the board will also be heavier. so i guess the advantage of a custom is you get it made exactly the way you want to your specs, but you lose some durability.

[bigdom]

its to do with the different construction methods

most stock boards are made of heat cured epoxy composites (TEC tuflite etc)
which are very tough

not many customs are made by the same method since it requires
expensive moulds  - a hand shaped board woudl ususally be a traditional polyester
over polyurethane and is much less tough, epoxy over EPS would be tougher
espeically if vacuumed and heat cured but still not as tough as the composites

[Pureadrenalin]

Off the shelf pop outs got my vote for durability. My Naish could takele a punch any day of the week my Bark Custom now that is a nightmare when it gets hit by something or even if it gets strapped on the car to tight.

[colas]

A custom can be whatever you want. It can be light, strong, and not too expensive (but not all 3 at the same time :-)
Note that to have a strong and light custom, you must find a shaper mastering sandwich construction (mostly people having experience with windsurfing boards). Custom PVC sandwich construction is much lighter and stronger than production.

[jdmotes]

 Well; having been in the surfing/windsurfing/kiting/sup world for 48 years, experience has taught me that a well made eps/pvc-sheet-foam/sandwich/epoxy constructed board cannot be matched for its light-weight, yet impact resistant characteristics. Just my nickle... Paddle on,   JD

[paddlesurf.net]

Popouts with sandwich construction are more durable... but they flex and surf differently than conventionally made (eps blank/glass/resin) boards- so there's a trade off there.

My boards are all customs (except my first one which is, by the way, 4 + years old and still going strong) and most have deck indentations where my feet go- this doesn't bother me at all because that's what happens to surfboards- and I come from a surfing background. Pressure dings on the deck don't affect performance at all- as a matter of fact, my feet like them because it feels like coming home  .

I also prefer customs because I'm used to fixing dings on boards made that way.

[andygere]

Most customs are not painted, and so the cosmetically ugly paint chips are not an issue.  Durability of any board, including customs, is based on the lamination schedule and technique.  My custom Angulo has proven to be at least as durable as any manufactured board out there.  Talk with your shaper/glasser and get what you want.  Stronger boards use more materials and labor, and accordingly may cost more.  The upside of a custom boards is that you are getting exactly what you want, and you will know how it's built.  I'm not bagging on manufactured boards, but I think it's a myth that they are universally tougher than customs.  When they start using tinted resins instead of paint they may have an edge...

[Senorjacob]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback, guys. As always, this forum is a great resource.