Buy one of Ryan Burch's dazzling hand-shapes… for fifteen hundred dollars!
Do you recall feeling mystified upon viewing Ryan Burch’s section in Psychic Migrations? The one where he surfs in cursive on a self shaped fish at a Chilean Point break?
Did you, like me, vow to owe one of his fiberglass masterpieces? Well now you can!
Until just recently, Ryan Burch, the shaper, has been reclusive to average surfers. Despite the constant begging of those who frequent Cardiff, Swamis and other San Diego reefs, the freesurfing professional would graciously reply that he only shapes for himself and for friends – who just so happen to be some of the smoothest cats on two keels. Lucas Dirkse, Bryce Young and Derek Disney are some of the blessed few who, until now, have been able to get Ryan Burch out of the water and into the shaping room.
Now he hasn’t opened the floodgates for board orders out of being snobby or lazy, because he is neither.Ryan is business savvy and knows that limiting his output drives the hunger for one of his boards. “
When I went into the business of making surfboards, I realized that the demand drives the price up,” says Burch. “But I want to be able to make boards for people and do them myself and make sure that I’m making something that I can be proud of rather than giving the designs to someone else to produce them for me. My favorite part about shaping is using my hands to build them myself and I don’t want to sacrifice that. The bummer is because I’m doing it that way, I have to turn people down. I just really want to be able to shape and get some boards out there slowly but surely.”
But if you want an asymmetrical, a glider or one of his now-famous fishes, they are going to set your melt your plastic. The last time Ryan did a run of boards for Hansen Surf shop, the small window of opportunity to own a Burch original was reflected in the price tag- $1,500 a piece.
Steep, yes, but worth it? Probably. That is, if you value being unique.
Oh and now you can bypass the rack altogether and order a custom, but not in person, Ryan is far too shy for that. Hit his website.
I’ll bid ado with a question.
Do you want to be the guy paddling out to your local point on the CI Flyer that everyone has, or do you want to be the straddling the board that has every hipster in the lineup feeling envy? Do you want to fumble through a foam climb on a generic pop-out or express your panache with every cutback on a hand-shaped masterpiece?
Would you shell out 1,500 bucks to know the difference?
Good boards aren’t cheap. Cheap boards aren’t good. The prices of surfboards reflect what kind of craftsmanship goes into them. If you want to spend less, than do so, if you want something of value, spend what you think is fair. For reference the boards your referring to at Hansens were the cream of the crop. Resin tint bottom, with deck inlay, and resin pin lines, gloss and polish, with hand foiled Larry Gephart keel fins. There is no better Fish than those. Very deserving of the price tag. Fishes on Burch’s website start at a much lower price. Again, you pay for what you get. Please do your research before knocking on someones work. Large companies that pump out machine shapes, clear, sanded shortboards, have skewed the market. Craftsmen who still handshape should be payed for their knowledge of using a real tool and not relying on computers to do their work for them.
If 1500 bucks is what the market can bear by all means i hope its a huge success. However, any surfer would be better served by employing a shaper you can actually talk to in person and get 3 boards for the price of 1.
If it made me surf like him, then money well spent, but we all know it’ll just highlight how shit I am!
Fishes start at 1K
In all seriousness, can we stop with Jake’s “here’s a person I know” pieces? Each one is less interesting than the last.
what the fuck is a CI flyer?
A hypto before there were hyptos
There are more than enough trust fund dollars floating around north county to ensure his success. He deserves it, very unique talent.
Burch is a legitimate freak of the highest order… He could ride any craft well. Only a fool would pay $1500 US and think they may even come close. A fool and a his wallet are soon parted… I hope he does really well.
Boards are only worth what people will pay of them.
I to am utterly sucked in by Mr Birch but just imagine the amount of execs of start ups who are rubbing their hands with glee. The thought of a twin plus a Japanese Patagonia short arm in crumbly 2ft lefts will send them into a dizzying spin when they sip lattes in head to toe Saturdays. They’ll buy ten each and he’ll be rich as all buggery.
Bloody hell what I’d do for a 5’6″ though…
Ryan has inadvertently created the old supply and demand formula , by his passion and desire to surf and create handmade bds , that surf different and explore different parts of the wave. The guy is so humble and talented , he just surfing all his own bds , to learn about design. the 2 bds sold at Hansens sold quick because there are virtually none on the market as till now he has a sponsor which pays all the bills so now he’s ready to start making bds as part of his continuing evolution of a great surfer designer shaper !
it will be a depressing day to see hordes of flounderers on such a beautiful craft
If this keeps up, Chas will have to write an obituary of BeachGrit…
Agree..Got money! Nick D got something better to say. What the fuck is a Jake M Tellkamp. Shorten that thing up “by Tellkamp” way better!
Two thoughts on the middle initial: He’s channeling his professorial inner self and/or his real name is ‘Miguel’ but he goes by ‘Jake’ to fit in around North County.
Um, isn’t it ‘bid adieu’? Know the difference? For $1500 a plane ticket and a trip to Indo with a nice Dahlberg will do just fine, thanks.
This is the sort of proofreading I’d expect over at Stab. You can “owe” one of Ryan’s boards too, but be ready because it will “set your melt your plastic.”
Absolutely not. However, following in Tudor’s footsteps is apparently working quite well for him which is good to see. He surfs well and has a kind disposition in the water.
I’ve logged a loooot of hours with him in the water over the years, definitely one of nicer pros you’ll surf with.
So he’s not really following in Tudor’s footsteps then…
never seen joel drawing the lines burch does. joel just goes left in mediocre barrels. never saw the hype with this twink.
CI Flyer