How do you justify selling everything else (clothes, sandals, bodyboards, etc.) from China and other countries with "unfair wages and lax environmental laws," but you refuse to sell surfboards from these countries?

Glas T-Shirts, WaveZone skimboards, Julie Designs boardsocks, XTrak traction, most of our Katin clothing, most Futures fins, and most of our private label boardshorts are a few on the short list of the products still made in the U.S.A.  If we could get more clothing and other similar goods from the U.S, we would, and we're always trying.  There's just not much out there in the surfing industry; that's the reality we're dealt.  When we first started selling Rainbow Sandals, they were made in the U.S., then they were made in Mexico, now they're made in China.  That's one of the biggest reasons we don't sell Chinese surfboards; there are still plenty of American surfboard companies to support, and we'd like to see them continue.  We prefer to support U.S. shapers and buy surfboards made by surfers.  Practically everything else is made in China; we hope this never happens to the surfboard building  industry.

You say you're "100% Real Surfboards," but you rent Pop-Outs.  What's that all about, you hypocrite you?

By "100% Real Surfboards," we mean we don't sell or service Pop-Outs.  We could sell Pop-Outs and, in fact, make a much better profit than we do with handmade boards.   But, we don't have the lack of conscience to recommend these to anyone who really wants to become a surfer.  However, we do think Pop-Outs have a use, and we take advantage of exactly what we think they're good for (as do most surf camps and surf instructors - although the instructors don't ride them themselves).  When we first started renting surfboards many years ago, most of the renters were locals who were interested in becoming surfers; back then we rented real surfboards.   Today, the most common renter does not live anywhere near the coast and has no intention of actually pursuing surfing as a part of their lives.  For these people we think a "toy surfboard" is perfectly sufficient.  The only advantage some Pop-Outs have is that they can be more durable than  real surfboards.  We're not about to rent a real surfboard to someone who hops the board down our front steps, tosses it into their trunk, drags it over rocks and onto the beach, then pushes it into the ocean and into several other renters.  It would be just as absurd to give a child a real gun to play with, to expect a plumber to perform delicate brain surgery (no offense to plumbers), or to hand over the keys to the new Maserati to someone who has never driven before.   Additionally, the rentals that we choose are manufactured primarily in France, the United States, and Germany where wages are more fair and conditions are more humanitarian than in some far eastern countries where most Pop-Outs come from.  Bottom line, sorry, but from us - renters get toys; surfers get real surfboards.

You've dropped quite a few famous surfboard brands because they started having some of their models made into Pop-Outs.  How come you've never dropped Channel Islands, since they have Pop-Outs too?

Channel Islands has a unique relationship with their Pop-Out manufacturer.  The distribution of most Pop-Out models are handled by the Pop-Out company.  In the past, nearby shops have carried Pop-Out models of the exact same brands and models we carried.   In Channel Islands' case, the Channel Islands sales rep controls distribution of Channel Islands Pop-Outs.  So, as long as we are the exclusive dealer for Channel Islands in our area, there won't be any Channel Islands Pop-Outs here.  We couldn't assume this with JC Hawaii, T Patterson, G&S, Harbour, HIC, or other brands we used to carry; all of these Pop-Outs made their way into other local shops while we carried their real boards.  We want to avoid this ever happening again.

Some of my favorite surfwear brands are Quiksilver, O'Neill, Billabong, and Volcom.  Why don't you sell any of these?

One of our biggest considerations in choosing a clothing brand to support is its distribution.  We prefer to sell brands that can't be found anywhere and everywhere.  Sometimes exclusive brands aren't that easy to find.  It would definitely be easier just to carry every company that has a huge ad in Surfing magazine.  Instead, we think each surf shop should have a unique style and give customers a special reason to shop there.  If we all carry the same brands, then no one stands out, and it doesn't matter where you buy - every shop would just be a clone of another shop.  We like the idea of being different; most of our customers have become accustomed to that and seem to appreciate it.  We used to carry all of those brands until they began overselling.