This week's closure of Clark Foam will help fuel the offshore production of surfboards, a trend that has been accelerating in recent years, industry experts say.
The Laguna Niguel factory's closure Monday roiled the surfing world, leading to price hikes and a run on surfboards amid fears of shortages.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday December 09, 2005 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 49 words Type of Material: Correction
Surfboard production -- An article in Thursday's Business section about the effects of the closure of Clark Foam, a maker of surfboard materials, misstated the size of the retail surfboard market. Retail sales were $200 million nationwide in 2003, not $22 million, according to the Surf Industry Manufacturers Assn.
Some surfing enthusiasts say the shutdown could threaten a California tradition of custom surfboard shaping if the industry shifted toward boards that use polystyrene foam and epoxy resin, known as epoxy boards, mass-produced in Asia.
"It's inevitable," said Isabelle "Izzy" Tihanyi, co-owner of Surf Diva Inc., a women's surf school in La Jolla that sells surfboards and apparel. Having a shaper "who knows how you ride your board, who surfs with you, is really a luxury of the past, unfortunately."
In a letter to customers Monday, industry pioneer Gordon "Grubby" Clark said he would close his factory after 44 years in business. Clark Foam churns out the polyurethane foam blanks for two-thirds of the surfboards made in the United States.
Clark said that state and federal regulation drove him out of business, an allegation denied by environmental regulators.
On Wednesday, surfers rushed to secure surfboards, fearing the factory's shutdown could spark shortages.
Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach, which on a good day sells four boards, sold 25 to 30, salesman Joey Fumar said.
"People are buying them, like five, seven at a time," he said. The average board usually sells for $550 to $600, but Jacks raised prices by $100 on Tuesday and $50 more Wednesday, Fumar said.
Killer Dana Inc. in Dana Point, which typically sells a board or two a day, sold 15 on Wednesday -- even after posting a sign limiting sales to one board per person, co-owner Chris Andrews said. The shop didn't raise prices because it didn't want to appear as if it was gouging customers, he said.
"I don't want to feel like I'm ripping off the customers, you know, like the gas prices went up because of [Hurricane] Katrina," he said.
Many small surfboard makers were scrambling to find polyurethane foam blanks, which are roughly cut in surfboard shapes.
Clark Foam's closure created new opportunities for some businesses, including Walker Foam, a Wilmington company that has seen demand for its polyurethane foam blanks explode.
"We've just been inundated with phone calls," said Gary Linden, a surfboard shaper who works for Walker Foam.
