Semente Surfboards 2024 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: 2024 Surfboards Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Semente
Interviewee: Co-owner and shaper Nick Uricchio

To a certain extent, the surfboard market relies on custom-made products and on demand manufacturing. Does this mean the business is relatively spared from the poor sell-out and overstocks reported in other boardsport categories?
In a certain way, yes. We make custom products and people like to order their personal custom board. It is different than the sales of clothing or other surf hardgoods where orders are taken 6-8 months ahead of time. But it can happen when shops overstock like everyone did during the Covid-19 period and did not come back with board orders as factories expected. So, it did affect the board builders in the last year or so. Our personal situation was spared a bit as we work mostly with custom orders.

While the board offer has never been so wide nowadays, which were the top trends of 2023?
Every year there’s tons of models out there from every brand. The big trends this year were probably Midlengths and twin-fins. We have been playing around with a lot of twin-fins for bigger solid surf and different variations for small waves. The Midlengths have stepped in as a model for a lot of people that just want to have fun and or to get back in the water after a long layoff.

There is a noticeable step-back from competitive surfing: did this affect the sales of high-performance models?
I personally don’t think there’s a step-back from competitive surfing. We still see a huge number of kids trying to make it in the competitive surfing world. Coaching and the organization of teams from around the world is at its all-time high. As far as the sales of high-performance surfboards go it continues steady and has not slumped. I don’t however feel that this type of surfboard has ever been the biggest seller for the majority of surfboard brands worldwide. There are so many average surfers out there that the volume of boards sold to them far exceeds the high-performance crew. Our progress in design and new ideas does come from working with professional athletes and the average surfers benefit from that.

There is no arguing: twins and midlengths still are crowd favorites. But which will be the trends within those two trends in 2024?
Within these two trends there is a huge playing field that shapers will be exploring in the coming year and years to come. Plane shapes, bottom contours, rocker lines, fin placement and outline, etc. As shapers we will all be working to enhance and push both of these designs a little further.

After the release of the Channel Islands Mid, the launch of the CI Log is a clear indicator of the appetite for classic longboards, outside the perimeter of niche hype brands. How is your longboard game for 2024?
Longboards have always been part of our game and we are ready for 2024. We’ve got a great in-house longboard shaper and designer Daniel Bartoli with a huge background in longboard design. So whether you’re looking for Classic, High-performance or a good Nose Rider we have got you covered.

There are two main paths when it comes to sustainable surfboards: the eco blanks & resins, or the low-waste vacuum-made EPS boards. What is your take on the matter?
Here at Semente we work with both EPS Blanks and eco Blanks. Our finishing is done with Epoxy resin on the EPS and can also be done with Epoxy on the eco blanks. We do not work with the vacuum system. Sustainable surfboards are a tough task as the production of even the most eco-friendly board still produces a lot of waste. There is a lot more focus in this direction and hopefully someone will come up with some new materials that will revolutionize our industry and lead us to a more sustainable future

Key Products:

Midlenght:
A fusion of classic and modern elements blended with smooth and rounded lines are the base for this model. Low-entry rocker and ample volume in the front grant both speed and effortless paddling, while the double concave beneath the feet and the V-shaped tail ensure confidence in tight turns. Adaptable to all conditions, it proves to be the perfect board for surfers seeking to ride more waves without compromising performance, as well as for longboarders who crave something suitable for larger waves and hollow sections. Undoubtedly, this model is a perfect addition to your quiver.

Mid Lenght

Catcher:
The Catcher continues to be one of our best sellers, it is a high-volume user-friendly board. The rocker line is flat and fast with single concave feeding into a vee release tail. Outlines run wider front, mid and tail, lots of planning area and constant speed. Our fin set up allows you to carve hard or drive high depending on wave conditions. Probably one of the most refreshing designs around to motivate a lot of us to surf those gutless days but still versatile enough for the hollows. I personally swear by this model and have been riding them since 2007. We set tail plugs in all catchers to give the surfer an opportunity to try them as 3 fins or as 5 fins with a bump fin out the back. We run the soft double wing on all catchers. Tails can end with squash, diamond, round, square or my personal favourite swallow.

Catcher_white

Mega Thug:
Although it is one of our oldest models the Mega Thug has been an ongoing success and has been filling the hole in a-lot of quivers as the go to in small gutless surf. Our Mega Thug is a blow up of the original Thug. It was created to suit bigger surfers as a lot of northern Europeans and big home boys have ordered this model. Float and flow are the go in this board, the outline is full and we feature a single to double concave with a vee release to compensate for the tail width. Time moves on and new models appear but it’s hard to say goodbye to a solid dependable model.

mega-thug_white