I don't understand surfboard branding?

Question

Can someone break down how how surfboards are branded? When I go to various websites... there are different brands? (Channel Islands, Rusty), and then shapers, and then "Surftech" within many those brands. I know Surftech refers to the construction (Tuflite)... but I don't understand why the name pops up everywhere before the brand name...

Can someone breakdown the hierarchy for me? Thanks!

Answer 1

It all has to with with copywrite, trademark and licensing regulations.

Guys who physically design surfboards (shapers) can market their shapes under their name or brand name. If they own a corporation that manufactures surfboards, they can sell surfboards under that corporate name (Rick Harbour owns harbour surfboards - he designs 'em, and sells 'em that way).

If I own a corporation that makes surfboards I can market boards in my corporate name (Channel Islands). I can also pay the designer to design boards for my corporation, and use his name on my boards (Al Merrick Channel islands).

If I own the rights to a "process" like Tuflite, surfboard companies can pay me to use my process. So I can make a Walden (corporate name) "tuflite" (process name) Donald Takayama (designer name) surfboard. Everybody who's name goes on the label gets PAID!

I know it doesn't sound much like 'soul surfing' it's more like big business and corporate law. That's one reason why I love hand shaped boards made by nice local shapers who have day jobs!

Answer 2

Surftech makes machine made epoxy boards. They make a mold of the name brand board, like Rusty, and can then make a carbon copy of the original Rusty board. Rusty then gets a percentage of the board profit. Rusty did not make the board. He only grants permission to Surftech to copy his boards and use his name.