Basque Country Surf 2022 Surfboards Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Surfboards S/S 22 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Basque Country Surf Company
Interviewee: Johnny Cabianca, Co-owner at Basque Country Surf Company and Shaper
“Summer boards” did become a relevant designation in the surfboard industry. But how much of your business does this category account for?
Most people coming to our factory are looking for high performance boards and about 30% of the boards we make are “summer toys”.
Candy peace
Newbies in surfing are spoiled with beginner boards that do look cool (compared to a few years ago), mimicking the steezy models (shapes, colorways). Do you confirm?
Yes the “sponge industry” is really far with nice designs and graphics. For people starting to surf now, there is plenty of options to choose from.
According to you which surfboard designs will be the most popular in Summer 2022?
Our best selling boards will remain high performance boards. But people are looking for midlenght and performance twin fins for sure.
With fishes, foamies and midlengths everywhere, is “performance” still a catchphrase in 2022?
Maybe we don’t speak for all of the industry. But especially Cabianca Surfboards made its name for performance surfing and many athletes and higher level surfers are choosing our brand.
Beyond EPS and PU, new materials/constructions are popping-up, mainly greener options. Do you foresee a quantum leap in a near future as far as surfboard manufacturing is concerned?
The way the market is growing, EPS is for sure gaining more importance and we are producing a lot more boards in EPS/Epoxy than before. A quantum leap is not in sight yet that would change the entire industry, except much better production possibilities in Asia, especially for EPS/Epoxy boards. Which are really time-consuming to do. But there is interesting materials and we are happy if someone is choosing to make a board with for example a blank from Polyola.
COVID has favored the rise of online retailers and D2C. Is this a threat for bricks&mortar surfshops or the more the merrier?
We work with different markets around the world. Some places like Korea, Israel, Morocco etc only have local surfbrands and if a private person wants to order a custom board from overseas, it gets really expensive. In those countries surf shops are for sure important. In the USA, Australia, here in Europe etc.. buying online is for sure an option many people are choosing. Even though many probably want to see a surfboard before buying it.
Best Sellers
1 THE MEDINA: The perfect board for less-than-perfect waves
Low rocker from nose to tail, a combination of concave to V bottom, and a flatter dome deck makes this board stable, yet very lively and responsive. Get this board 2 inches shorter than your usual shortboard. Whatever your level, the Medina will turn your bad days into fun days… and good days into classic days.
Medina
2 CANDY: The perfect entry to performance surfing
If you’ve mastered the basics and you’re itching to start throwing some spray around, the Candy is the perfect first step towards performance surfing. Plenty of DNA from The Medina, combined with all the ingredients you need to catch way more waves on average beach breaks: flat rocker, lots of foam under the chest, and a stable, easy glide for maximum control.
3 UBER TWIN:
The Uber Twin combines all the speed and looseness of a classic twin with the maneuverability of a modern performance shortboard. Run it with a twin fin setup for ultimate retro fun, or add the rear stabilizer fin for extra drive and control. If you’re looking for a small wave board that flies down the line and turns on a dime, get the Uber Twin.
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