Rich Price Surf Designs

Trending Surfboards 2012

Rich Price — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:08:47 +0000

I just read a book on the history of the surfboard and the one thing that stood out to me is that no matter what era it was, the shapers/designers/surfers were always looking to push the limits when it came to construction technology, weight, and performance of the boards they were riding. In the progression of the surfboard from one generation to the next, I don’t think that anyone, in years past, could have foreseen where we would be today in both the level of the surfing being done and the advancement in the design of boards we are riding.

One of the really cool things here in 2012 is you can take almost any design out there and incorporate a degree of high performance into it. Surfers seem to be really open minded to whatever works for an individual rather then closing their minds to everything except what’s perceived to be the “coolest” design of the moment, as was the case a few years back. I think that helps in the progression of design for the average surfer….the one who was left out in the days when the only boards that were considered “high performance” were the ones that were thin, narrow, and rockered out. Today, I feel that a performance board is one that is designed to allow an individual to surf to his or her maximum potential. It is not a board that only a few gifted surfers have the capability of actually riding.

With all that being said, I do feel that for 2012, we will continue to see refinements of the designs we have been doing for the last couple of years…shorter, wider, thicker, flatter, concave’s, 3,4, 0r 5 fins. Bigger guy short boards and fish are no longer being designed with just the extra paddling ability being the only goal. Mid-range boards and long boards are also being refined as well with an emphasis being put on performance. And if you do want to ride a thin, narrow board with lots of rocker, you can do that too. There is a freedom for shaper’s now in that they can throw almost anything out there and surfers will appreciate and like it.

On another note, I have personally spent a great deal of time designing and refining boards for a number of little groms who really rip and it’s been cool. I’ve learned so much about the curves, both in the outline and the rocker. I’ve also learned how all the numbers work and blend together on these little rockets. I look for this to continue in 2012 and it has been awesome to be a part of the future of surfing with these kids. They will be setting the standard soon!

One last thing worth mentioning, I do feel that most of the progression in board design will always filter down from the guys and the girls who push the limits of performance surfing….the elite. You just take what they are doing then incorporate it, modify it, and customize it for the individual within their own particular level of ability. This will give them a “high performance” board that has been personalized and will allow them to achieve maximum potential when they surf. 2012 will once again be a year of anything goes in surfboard design. Enjoy it!

February 2012

Cool Artwork

Rich Price — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:07:16 +0000

Got some cool artwork done on this little 5’10″ CoreVac Five Fin Elliptical tail. Lots of positive feedback on both the board and the art. I think we are going to do more in the future….

November 2011

Josh Burke Shaping Room 2011

Rich Price — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:19:09 +0000

It was cool to have Josh Burke up here from Barbados and spend some time in my shaping room. We went over the new 4’8″ that he ordered and he also got to meet the Future Fin rep. Josh is 14 years old, he rips, and has unlimited potential. He’s up here to do a series of contests that will run through the first of September.

August 2011

Six Channel Pocket Rocket

Rich Price — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:31:20 +0000

There’s something about a six channel bottom design that is timeless. They have never been immensely popular but I have never known anyone who hasn’t liked the way they ride when they surf them in the conditions they were made for. Truth is, people love them and not only do they love the way they ride, they also love the way they look. Personally, I feel a good surfboard should always be as aesthetically appealing as it is functional in the water. After all, it’s usually the look and feel of a board that attracts you to it in the first place. This board was custom made for Charlie and it is 6’6″ long. He rips and he had it designed for travel as well as big wintertime surf in New York which is where he is from…should be no problem in either one of those scenario

August 2011

Summer 2011

Rich Price — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:59:13 +0000

In the summertime, the key to having fun is to be riding the right board for the conditions that you are surfing. I have four new models that are great for typical summertime conditions. one model, the Transformer II is already on my site but the other three, the Annihilator, the Assault, and the Frog, are going to be added to the site soon and will compliment the many models already on here. These four designs can turn a session in marginal conditions into a session that makes you feel like the waves were really going off…well not going off, but way better then you thought they were going to be. Check out the Transformer II on here and the Annihilator, the Assault, and the Frog Models on my Facebook page at Rich Price Surfboards. Board featured is a 5’10″ 3XC Transformer II.
June 2011

Josh Burke Video

Rich Price — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:29:04 +0000

Rich Price Interview

Rich Price — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:25:10 +0000

CoreVac Boards

Rich Price — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:46:01 +0000

The CoreVac technology is a process by which you vacuum bag the lamination over an EPS(styrofoam) core. It is very light and very durable and I have been taking advantage of this technology since the fall of 2009 with a great deal of success. I own two of them myself and I am stoked on both the performance and the strength to weight ratio each board has. I am normally pretty easy on my boards but I shape boards for a couple of guys who are pretty heavy footed on theirs and while they did dent some after prolonged use, it was nothing like the normal polyurethane boards that they had been getting. They too, were stoked on the performance, weight and the durability of their boards. If you are interested, you can read in more detail about the process by clicking on CoreVac in the main menu. Board featured is a 5’11″ 3XC Transformer II.
April 2011

Design Trends 2011

Rich Price — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:06:39 +0000

There is a general tendency to refer to the narrower, thinner boards that many have been riding over the past number of years as performance boards while referring to all the rest of the designs as alternative boards. The truth is the shorter, wider and thicker boards, which have been the trend for the past couple of years, are every bit the performance board of their narrower, thinner counterparts. After all, what is a performance board but a board that allows your surfing to excel in the conditions that it was designed for. These little boards have more width and more volume for easier paddling and more speed along with a little less length for tighter turns in the pocket. You don’t have to work to generate speed because the speed is already there for you. The type of performance they offer equates to more fun in the water. I like to call it skateboarding on waves. Also, I like the trend of putting five fin placements on many of these little boards. It increases the versatility of your board by allowing you to ride it as either a three or a four fin. I think everybody should try switching out fins and experimenting with different combinations of fins. In the end though, you should settle in on what works best for you and your own particular design.
As far as glassing and board construction, I feel at the present time we are offering the best of all worlds…the best quality polyurethane boards, high quality hand glassed epoxy boards, and the CoreVac’s which are composite boards that have EPS cores and are then glassed with epoxy resin using the vacuum bagging process.

March 2011

3XC RAZOR

Rich Price — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:51:17 +0000

LENGTH: 510″ – 6’6″
WIDTH: 18″ – 19″ THICKNESS: 2 1/8″-2 3/8″

DESIGN CONCEPT: This board is designed to go fast and feel more responsive when going rail to rail as the narrower tail block gives you quicker directional changes. It is another alternative in my high performance line to choose from. Width and volume should not be a consideration for you when choosing this model as they are both minimal. It should be ridden 1-2 inches longer than your height.