Is the end nigh?
There is, likely, no surfer in our universe as iconic as “Mr. Pipeline” Gerry Lopez. No? You disagree? Well, I would say that you have surf goggles covering your eyes and are not seeing things correctly. Lopez’s mark is everywhere, from our favorite wave to our favorite movie, and now his mark is inside big box discount retailer Costco, partially covering the “stringer” of a Gerry Lopez signature model sotftop surfboard.
When I became aware of this truth, late last night via secret message to Derek Rielly then forwarded to moi, it surprised. I assumed the Gerry Lopez model was part of the Wavestorm line. As you know, the ubiquitous VAL steed is produced in environmentally dubious Chinese factories very near even more dubious Chinese factories producing exotic new diseases. As you also know, Gerry Lopez is a Patagonia brand ambassador. Very ecological etc. and I was having trouble synching his involvement with Wavestorm.
Well, as you continue to know, I am a surf journalist of rarely seen integrity and before writing the title “Seventh Seal: “Mr. Pipeline Gerry Lopez releases signature Wavestorm softtop surfboard at Costco!” first Googled “Gerry Lopez Wavestorm” and discovered a treasure trove of information on the discussion website Reddit.
Let’s read.
Went to Costco to get a wavestorm (reserve your judgements, they’re great for what they are) and was surprised to see only 8’ white soft tops bearing Gerry Lopez’s surfboard logo and his face in the packaging. That was weird on a couple levels. This board has a fake stringer painted onto it. Fins are removable/different from wavestorm’s. Felt slightly heavier than a wavestorm too. As someone who already feels a little conflicted purchasing a surfboard from Costco, I couldn’t stomach buying one of these.
Anyone know what’s up? Are wavestorms a thing of the past? Anyone surf one of these Gerry Lopez soft tips? Do they surf differently than a wavestorm? I’ve got a pink fin that I put on my old wavestorm and it made the thing surprisingly fun/able to hold in steeper waves. Don’t think it would work in the new one….
The comments were mostly sad about how Gerry Lopez did naughty, collaborating with the devil etc. UNTIL…
Yes, that’s our board!! California Board Company. We’re out of Vista CA and have been making soft surfboards since Scott Burke was making BZ softops back in the 1980’s. Gerry felt it was time to put his name on a softie – he’s a legend as you know, and he hooked up with us for 2020 to compete with WaveStorm. We chose to do fin boxes instead of the screw/plug version. Gerry shaped the blank, Scott made it a foam board and our business partners at the factory did the rest. We’d love to hear your feedback!
I immediately gumshoed straight over to California Board Company’s website and smashed the “View Surfboard” button many times but apparently it is broken. Still, much good surf journalism, no? You disagree? I would ask that you please remove your surf goggles and take another look.
But quickly, any opinions? It seems as if Lopez’s board may sell for $400 while that Wavestorm is a cool $99.
I think California Board Company might make “The Sushi.” You know, that foam board that looks like sushi?
Much good surf journalism.
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Nice & soft so it won’t hurt the teeth of those Great White Sharks that every once in a while have a taste test of us boney humans. Not very tasty.
Here we go ………
Totally agree. A world of Patagonias with not a single Old Navy is still screwed.
I am pleased to see investigative journalism skills flexed here.
Where is my new Beach Grit board? I ordered weeks ago!!
Lazy kooks, its flat..get to work!!
Yvonne wrote a book called “Let my people surf”, while he lived on the ranch and it was closed to the public. Should have been titled “Let my people surf, But only where you surf, and overcrowd your line up with Gerry Lopez Chinese made foam boards“. The Patagonia wool sock wearing crew in Bend will ignore this, as long as they can still get an autographed yoga mat after their SUP yoga retreat in Cabo. This story is as good as Jeremy Jones protecting our winters from fossil fuels, while making snowboards in the United Arab Emirates……
Good effort here Chas. I hope the wife rewards you accordingly.
Yeah….I saw a guy on one of these at The Hook in Santa Cruz this weekend people in the lineup were speaking in hushed, worried tones about it being the Lopez soft top….you could smell the fear.
The pro surfing, soul surfer thing is mainly a farse. Just a bunch of guys trying to stay away from the 9-5 by bringing something seemingly relevant to the masses who believe the crap. It allows for us rank and file to escape reality by imagining we are one of them, much like super heros do for kids and female celebrities do for women. It’s all a big matrix that allows us an easier existence in this horror movie called human existence (as Dallas Willard puts it)
HAHAHA You serious? Joe Kooks-its-all is still around?
I like the blue camo.
You ready for a board review because I feel the tingle of a halfway hurt halfway incensed email coming on!
blue camo Gerry soft top?
stuff of dreams.
Let your goat ride it. Maybe a shark chomps board and goat. Can feed a 3000 word review in no time.
Lopez is a fake
Yeah, Taiwan, not China. The factories. Where they make all the Costco boards, almost all the other softboards, and also all the bodyboards in the world.
You divisive son of a bitch. Taiwan is One China! Keep up with the official line, please.
hahahahaha
Fuck! I thought I was the Communist here
Socialist Nick! Feel the Bern.
Taiwan is where the Polynesians ancestors came from and started the migration eastward across the Pacific to Tahiti before splitting and some heading north to become the Hawaiians and some heading southwest to NZ as the Maoris.
This is shown in the DNA of everyone from Polynesian descent.
So in fact it could be said that Taiwan is the true birthplace of surfing…
Bulk of the “performance ” bodyboards come out of the “Broady” factory in Indo.
Correct the shitty EPS ones sold through chain stores are from Taiwan.
They have punched a massive hole in the bodyboard economy. The money that used to go back to bodyboard manufacturers from ” casual” or ” family ” purchases of an entry level board now flows to faceless corporations, with no reinvest into the sport.
This equals a lot less money for sponsorships, supporting events, advertising etc.
Similar story in the surfboard industry?
Yeah well
A huge number of brands around the world have their boards built and separately branded in one factory in Surabaya, Java for instance which is owned by a Chinese company with no other connections to surfing other than money.
It’s the pricks like that who’ve put a lot of honest long-standing boardbuilders out of business over the last 10 or so years…
Oddly enough no. There’s a really wide range of business models in the surfboard industry. I kinda think it was saved by Grubby Clark’s abrupt departure in 2005. That one event kind of unlocked a lot of stuff. Some of it was already in progress, and some markets were a bit inoculated from it, but overall, it was followed by a lot of innovation in how people operated and the ways they chose to make their boards for an increasingly fragmented market. The expansion of those markets since 2010 particularly, and the range of demand, has pretty much permitted bigger manufacturers to exist side by side with bespoke quality board makers, regionalised and localised commercial builders, and international “star” board makers and designers. There’s been some hard luck stories too for sure, but overall, surfboard making has been more successful than surf fashion in the past decade, and for sure has pumped a lot of time, money and product into nurturing the sport at numerous levels, and continues to do so.
Though there’s definitely more bigger faceless corporations operating out of Asia for instance who don’t put money back in that produce cheaper lower quality products for many well-known western brand names (who can then afford to give more away as advertising due to such cheap production) to flood the general marketplace at prices that are less than the cost of top quality materials alone.
We have a few local shapers selling boutique boards for 1200$. Didn’t see that 15 yrs ago. But demographics are shifting. Lots of people in 40s and 50s with expendable income who want a local artisan shape to ride in our crap waves.
Ethos, Extremely, Disappointing, Gerry, Damaging, End, Brand, Thank You.
I get the feeling that a call or email involving the words above has, or will be leaving Patagonias head office.
I get the feeling that Patagonia are already double dipping on the hypocrisy barrel along with certain (unnamed cos I’m not going to be controversial this month) apparently environmentally minded surf pool magnates…
When it comes to digging surf industry graves it’s small amounts of dirt with a small subtle shovel.
Let’s saviour each moment as big fuck off scoops with a 40-ton digger are just to quick to enjoy the funeral.
I think you’re smart enough to get where I’m coming from here Westie.
“VAL steed” is good
I’ve got my surf goggles permanently attached. I never take them off and even I can see that this is excellent much good surf journalism of rarely seen integrity.
Top stuff, Chozza !
“Sidekick: You unreal. You must like getting drilled real bad. Come on, Vince, we go poun him.
Vince: You took his stuff. You poun him.”
Again, how the tables turn!
that board looks familiar.. what you buy it at costco
Only place where us soul surfers shop.
Gimme a board that works…