Open Surf

A SPACE WHERE SURFBOARD BUILDING KNOWLEDGE IS OPENLY SHARED. WHERE BESPOKE TRUMPS MASS PRODUCED. WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO CREATING THE BOARDS WE LOVE TO RIDE ARE SUPPORTED AND PROMOTED.

Background

Located at the Wheal Kitty engine house in St Agnes, Open Surf is first and foremost a surfboard factory. It’s also a creative space where shapers can express their individuality and anyone can be inspired. The Wheal Kitty engine house is a marker of Cornwall’s heritage. Unlike many engine houses that have fallen into disrepair, Wheal Kitty has been transformed into a small business park and is now home to Open, Surfers Against Sewage; the charity that forged a path for the fight against plastic pollution in the UK, Finisterre; an ocean-orientated clothing company that champions sustainable production and the Canteen; an innovative catering operation.

Often in the shaping world things go on behind closed doors, but Open is what it’s name suggests – cultivating an environment where the art of shaping and the enjoyment of surfing is openly shared. There’s also the opportunity to participate in surfboard building workshops so you can design and build your own surfboard with an experienced shaper and gain insight into this skilled and unique craft.

As you walk through the door you’re met with an impressive collection of surfboards lining the walls, it’s a welcoming space for anyone, and especially for surfers. The minimalist interiors are complimented by a jungle of house plants, laid back wicker chairs, surf magazines and merchandise. Beyond this aesthetically pleasing front you’ll find the heart of the factory. Set up so that anyone can visit and witness the art of shaping; you can see the shaping bay, glassing bay and sanding bay in action and discover exactly what goes into creating a surfboard.

The Mass produced market

For 28 years, the Open building has been utilised as a surfboard factory. Before it was Open, it was home to surfboard shaping company, Laminations. Laminations used to produce boards for big brands in the industry but the mass-produced market began to get more and more competitive and for Laminations – it became increasingly difficult to keep up.

When Open founder, Mark Anderson, witnessed the difficulties facing Laminations, he could see that the shaping world was changing. As surfing becomes increasingly popular, shaping brands begin to seek out cheaper means of producing boards, often resulting in production being moved abroad. Take Chilli Surfboards for example; the headquarters are located in Warriewood, Australia but the company also manufactures and distributes boards in Japan, North and South America, Europe and Tawain.

Another brand that manufactures boards overseas is Firewire. With headquarters in the US, Firewire imports all of its boards from its factory in Thailand to sell around the world. When once surfers would shy away from a machine made board from overseas, now they’re widely accepted and even coveted. There’s no denying the exceptional shapes and quality of the boards being produced. However, it raises the question; how much do you value the process of surfboard shaping if you’re happy to ride a board that’s come from the production line and probably hasn’t even been touched by the shaper whose brand you idealise?

Open’s ethos

With this in mind, when Laminations shut up shop, Mark decided to take on the factory with the hope to support small scale shaping methods. Promoting a return to boards being shaped by hand by the shaper; rather than being manufactured in countries around the world.

“Our core concept at Open is to try and showcase shapers and the skill that goes into this craft. As a 20 year old surfer I fully bought into Firewire and other tech companies,” Mark says. “I thought if it’s tech, it must be better. I bought into the branding and materials but I never really appreciated people’s time and craftsmanship, now I’m in my 40s these are elements of the industry that I’m beginning to think about more. Surfing started out as being this creative thing but now we get sold boards off a peg that are all the same dimensions and stock colours. It makes you question where the appreciation for craftsmanship and creativity has gone.”

The focus at Open is on custom boards made in the factory and passing from the shapers hands to yours, rather than passing through a machine in Thailand. This is because Mark holds the view that surfboard production shouldn’t be about how many boards you can churn out as quickly as possible, it should be about producing hand-crafted boards, made with the best quality materials.

Benefits of going custom

When thinking of the perfect fit, a safe bet for finding a board that fits you down to a T is to go custom. A unique element at Open is that investing in a custom board means you can sit down and talk with the shaper in person. This bodes well for experienced surfers because you can discuss every detail, be totally specific about the style that works for you and maybe even add in some quirky touches to express your individuality. Allowing you to be part of the process from start to finish and giving you a deeper appreciation of the board you’ll be riding. For a novice, going custom means you can get sound advice from an expert who has an understanding of the kind of dimensions and shapes that will suit different body types.

There’s no way a 6ft 4 man who likes beer will ride the same board as Julian Wilson, and there’s no way that a novice surfer will walk into a shop and know exactly what board will suit them and their dimensions. This means that a lot of rookie surfers (I speak from experience) will end up buying boards that aren’t right for them. So, they buy another board and another one to try and get it right, but when you see what goes into creating a surfboard, it becomes clear that a disposable model like this should be avoided at all costs. Instead of buying multiple boards, people should be encouraged to buy once and buy right. A decision that’s made a lot easier with the help from an experienced craftsman.

Open’s environmental viewpoint and how to avoid a disposable mindset

“There’s a lot of greenwashing that goes on in the industry,” Mark says. “A lot of ‘eco-board’ projects and we could put those stickers on our boards but we don’t because we feel that the best thing you can do is make a board that lasts and buy less boards.” The other element is that if you have a custom made board, you’re more likely to hold on to it because it’s made to your exact specifications, thereby helping to avoid the disposable model. “Investing in something that lasts rather than going for the newest model out there and choosing to repair instead of replace is the future for us as surfers and for the environment,” Mark explains.

The concept of repairing the products that you buy rather than replacing them, and building them from quality materials in the first place rather than cutting corners, is continuously championed in Patagonia Founder, Yvon Chounaird’s book Let My People Go Surfing. This quote in particular resonated with me: “Everything that we personally own that’s made, sold, shipped, stored, cleaned and ultimately thrown away does some environmental harm every step of the way, harm that we’re either directly responsible for or that is done on our behalf.” With this being said, Open shies away from the mass produced market, which sees boards shipped around the world, it makes sure to use good quality materials and it encourages people not to buy into the disposable model.

“The best thing from an environmental standpoint is our Board Club,” Mark explains. “It’s the future as far as we’re concerned and provides an idea of how surfboard ownership can change.” The concept behind the Board Club is that it encourages people to find out what works for them before they invest in their own board. There are 70 boards from famous shapers that have been shaped at Open, and are available to take out for a spin, thereby promoting a sharing economy.

Essentially, if people share the ownership of boards; the environmental cost is spread. Less boards are being built but when people do buy boards, they’re buying the ones that they know are going to work for them and they’re prepared to spend more money because of that. “It becomes a way more sustainable approach to surfing,” says Mark. “And that’s ultimately what we hope to achieve, as well as showcasing some exceptionally talented craftsmen.”

Open owner and founder Mark AndersonImages by the_atlantic_walrus — Open owner and founder Mark Anderson
Images by the_atlantic_walrus

Final thoughts

Open provides a space for people to come and see how a surfboard is created. So many people pick up a board, that’s their surfboard but they don’t know how it’s been made. The shaping can make an impact on your surfing ability – once people make that connection they’re more likely to invest money in a product. Because once you buy something you really care for and you know is right for you, you can be sure that it’s going to stand the test of time. “It’s easy to get caught up in the disposable mindset, constantly looking for the next best thing,” says Mark. “But what we want to promote is investing in boards that are tailored to you, and keeping those boards for years.”

To find out more, visit the website Open Surf or Instagram open.surf