Starboard busted.

[SUP Sports ®]

I'm all about people making informed and educated decisions...

So, it should be stated here that Starboard is also a mom and pop company...always has been...like us...fully owned by a married couple with Svein at the helm...no silent investors...no trust funds...no VC money...no corporate boardshort or wetsuit brand behind him...success has come the old fashioned way...just plain hard work...blood , sweat, & tears...

We spent time in the islands with Svein and his family last Spring...shown below...

I am honored to be his friend and associate...he is as passionate about standup as we are...and, works as hard, or harder, than anyone in the SUP industry to build the best product available...and, is successful at that as evidenced by past year's great boards...and, the new 2011 line currently being launched and due to arrive at our shop in a few weeks...

The Starboard company would not still be in business, doing better than ever, if they didn't deliver quality product year after year...decade after decade...and, back it up with innovative shapes and technologies...

[ODJ]

I'm all about people making informed and educated decisions...

So, it should be stated here that Starboard is also a mom and pop company...always has been...like us...fully owned by a married couple with Svein at the helm...no silent investors...no trust funds...no VC money...no corporate boardshort or wetsuit brand behind him...success has come the old fashioned way...just plain hard work...blood , sweat, & tears...

We spent time in the islands with Svein and his family last Spring...he is as passionate about standup as we are...and, works as hard, or harder, than anyone in the SUP industry to build the best product available...and, is successful at that as evidenced by the new 2011 line currently being launched and due to arrive at our shop in a few weeks...

The Starboard company would not still be in business, doing better than ever, if they didn't deliver quality product year after year...decade after decade...and, back it up with innovative shapes and technologies...

just because it's owned by 'mom & pop' and they have a pic of their kid in the catalog doesnt mean it's a mom and pop company in the true sense. how about pics of the factory workers overseas making the boards? where are the pictures of them in the catalog? and i bet svein doesn't know the name of any of those workers. so how is that still 'mom & pop'?

[SUP Sports ®]

Sorry to burst your bubble with the truth...he actually lives and works in Thailand near the factory where his offices are located...he's no stranger there...that doesn't mean it's the perfect job and worksite for the workers directly, or indirectly, under his employ...is yours?...;-)

Here's part of his Thai team...they seem happy every time that I've interacted with them...this is from the windsurfing side of his business...but, many of these folks cross-over to the SUP business...

http://www.star-board.com/AutumnWinter2011/home/how.php

Whatevers...I can't help you solve the global economy conundrum that apparently has you so flustered...things have changed...heard recently that even the Girl Scouts are prolly gonna outsource their uniforms...

I will say in parting, however, that it's a bit hypocritical to take this thread there knowing that obviously most products that you use daily...from your computer that you're typing this on...cell phone...toothbrush...shoes...digital cameras...jeans...cars...imported oil...etc...etc...etc...are made by the global economy's labor pool...

"i would never ride a starboard SUP in the surf"

hmmmm...never say never...;-)
I'm prolly gonna ride the best board no matter where it's made...

Peace out...

[PT Woody]

Since mom and pop are words we don't use, and so a "mom & pop company" has no meaning for me, I take it that as soon as you stop doing your own shaping and as soon as you manufacture off shore, then you become some sort of capitalist pig company not to be trusted. On the other hand, all sole proprietors who do all the work themselves can be totally trusted to deliver and support their product.

[ODJ]

Sorry to burst your bubble with the truth...he actually lives and works in Thailand near the factory where his offices are located...he's no stranger there...that doesn't mean it's the perfect job and worksite for the workers directly, or indirectly, under his employ...is yours?...;-)

Whatevers...I can't help you solve the global economy conundrum that apparently has you so flustered...things have changed...heard recently that even the Girl Scouts are prolly gonna outsource their uniforms...

I will say in parting, however, that it's a bit hypocritical to take this thread there knowing that obviously most products that you use daily...from your computer that you're typing this on...cell phone...toothbrush...shoes...digital cameras...jeans...cars...imported oil...etc...etc...etc...are made by the global economy's labor pool...

"i would never ride a starboard SUP in the surf"

hmmmm...never say never...;-)
I'm prolly gonna ride the best board no matter where it's made...

Peace out...

you are correct about tons of other products that we use daily, but i try and do my part. hell, i even grow a fair amount of my own vegetables, compost everything that is biodegradable and use that in my soil, and recycle what i can and buy as many products as i can that are local, especially food; grassfed beef, locally grown produce, etc., so i bet it's safe to say that i practice what i preach a bit more than most, and i try and extend these practices to who and where i get my boards from! of course you can't apply this to everything that you do, but the little bit that i make an honest effort to do makes a difference.

[SUP Sports ®]

I grew most of the tomatoes and hot peppers we ate this summer...despite the fog on the coast...
Most of our basura is recycled...we shop at the farmer's market...members of a food Co-Op...use recycled rice sacks for shopping bags...drink Fair Trade coffee...worked with Tom Pratte back in college days forming the nucleus of the Surfrider Foundation...do as much philanthropy as we can to contribute to our community...my new fin line is manufactured in California with bamboo cores...my diesel Sprinter gets over 21 mpg...yada...yada...yada...but, I am cognizant of living in a glass house...;-)

I hear what you are saying...but, things aren't as black and white as they may appear...

My intuition tells me that there may be some misplaced venom aimed at ALL production board companies...
I can personally tell you that they are not all the same...and, some deserve your venom...
In fact, there are a number of companies with Chinese factory production, shilling boards on this forum and elsewhere that I run from...and, won't do business with no matter how many times they call or email...owned by people in it for one reason...DOLLAR$...knocking off shapes...stealing intellectual property...no regards for worker health...selling their crap boards to unsuspecting newbies throughout the mid-west...some of them haven't even standup paddled...don't do demos...host races...contribute to the infrastructure of our sport...talk about false marketing and trickery...etc...etc...they are a much bigger threat to your backyard bro than Starboard...whose boards are better made and more expensive  than most...boutique, if you will...especially, the top of the line wood, Technora, and brushed carbons...let alone the contributions they make to the sport and standup paddling community...etc...

Food for thought...;-)

[PonoBill]

Admirable, wardog. It would be easy to let this kind of thing blow over and let people say anything they want without a reply. I know you're a guy who doesn't back down on his principles and his beliefs.

Admirable.

[Big Z]

I own and ride a Starboard for a few reasons. However my reasons won't matter to you with your mindset. I have had a couple of made in the USA custom SUPs and they were good. Surfed really well, good shape....construction...shit! Broke both of them on around the 10th time out and not on big waves. So.... I ride a Starboard. Pulled out and landed on a rock, I weight in at 255lbs and all I did was scratch the paint. Leash came off board washed up on the rocks...again a scratch. I will but built in the USA but they have to be tuff for that kind of money. Dude don't hate a man for makeing a liveing. You don't like don't buy! Itd about riding waves and haveing a good time not were yor board was shaped!

[ODJ]

I own and ride a Starboard for a few reasons. However my reasons won't matter to you with your mindset. I have had a couple of made in the USA custom SUPs and they were good. Surfed really well, good shape....construction...shit! Broke both of them on around the 10th time out and not on big waves. So.... I ride a Starboard. Pulled out and landed on a rock, I weight in at 255lbs and all I did was scratch the paint. Leash came off board washed up on the rocks...again a scratch. I will but built in the USA but they have to be tuff for that kind of money. Dude don't hate a man for makeing a liveing. You don't like don't buy! Itd about riding waves and haveing a good time not were yor board was shaped!

Seen a pocket rocket broken in half at a starboard shop.  Everything breaks and just like you're telling me that the supposed several american made boards you rode that broke were crap, they didn't break because they were american made, its probably because the person who made them used crap materials.  I am not some ignorant fool who just blindly buys american becaue its american. My car is a japanese car (subaru) because american cars are shit. They don't last and the american car industry has rested on it laurels for decades priding itself solely on the factthat they are american. What a crock . My motorcycle is british. So I'm not some ignorant american who solly sticks with american products. I go after quality. Someone prove me wrong.  Lend me a pocket rocket and if its as good or better quality than what I ride now and performs better than what I ride ill gladly switch.

[Strand Leper]

Wait a minute... weren't we talking about boobs a few posts ago... What happened?!?  Another thread is talking about farts now... so I will go and post there.

Tim

[PonoBill]

I guess we could talk more about boobs. Hey Dog, got any more salacious pictures, Tim is losing interest.

[SUP Sports ®]

I guess we could talk more about boobs. Hey Dog, got any more salacious pictures, Tim is losing interest.

The pervs over on the SeaBreeze forum, including the guy (Naish wonk) that started this thread...have 18 pages worth...;-)

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Sexy-girl-SUP-pics/

Alrighty then...nothing more to see here folks...ya'll best move along, now...;-)

[Easy Rider]

Great posts and great reading.

The Svein and Starboard "set up" are very similar to Jake Burton and Burton Snowboards.
Everyone thinks that because Burton is the largest snowboard manufacturer in the world that they are some "corporate giant" . . . except like Starboard - Burton is owned by one man - who snowboards over 100 days a year still.