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FEATURES
Is There Life After Seven-Ply?
By Robert Brink
Posted 04.19.2005
For nearly 30 years, seven-ply hard-rock maple skate-deck construction has been the standard for manufacturers and skateboarders alike. The reasons are many: seven-ply maple is relatively inexpensive, wears well, and is widely believed to have a superior feel while riding compared to other materials tried. It�s also strong and structurally impressive. For the most part, it�s what the consumer and industry know and accept. Perhaps the old adage, �If it�s not broken, don�t fix it� applies here, too.
But some manufacturers maintain that new technologies may break down the barriers that have stymied alternate construction methods in the past and show the world once and for all that there�s life after seven-ply.
A Little History
Despite the fact that seven-ply is so widely accepted, many skateboard manufacturers have experimented with different materials and constructions over the years. Just about every veneer combination has been tried, from five-ply, seven-ply, and nine-ply to vertical-horizontal-ply combinations and vast varieties of concave. There probably isn�t much that hasn�t been tried with the standard maple and glue configuration.
As far as non-maple materials are concerned, Paul Schmitt, currently president of PS Stix, experimented with foam and fiberglass boards twenty years ago. Powell Peralta had Boneite in the 80s. Santa Cruz tried its hand at Nu Wood in the 90s�a decade that also saw the rise and fall of slick-bottom boards and the introduction of Lib Tech�s Perma Pop skateboards.
More recently, Kevlar has been added to decks for strength and pop. Fiberglass and carbon fiber (in various forms and configurations) are also making their way into more skateboards than ever.
Room To Grow?
Despite all the attempts at new technology, none of the seven-ply alternatives have really caught on. Part of the reason is that historically skateboard sales haven�t been driven by technology�but that could be changing.
Most manufacturers agree that technology is a positive thing. Despite the many failed or unsuccessful attempts over the last few decades, they say experimentation, variety, and progression are always welcome in skateboard manufacturing. The trick, however, is getting consumers to accept new construction techniques.
�There�s room for competitive technology in the market,� says Tod Swank, founder and president of Tum Yeto, Inc. �It�s good to have variety and be experimenting. But just because companies are trying new things doesn�t mean consumers are jumping on the bandwagon. Regardless, it�s good to see there�s some impact {from new technologies}�it just gets so boring doing the same old thing.�
This boredom trickles down through the marketing and sales components of the business, as well. Currently deck companies primarily compete through their team roster, board graphics, price, or other marketing-driven strategies. Product differentiation, at least on a technical level, is minimal. But if a new technology emerged that increased performance and became widely accepted, it could potentially shore up the price structure of the entire market and invigorate sales.
According to Bob Sayre, president of Dwindle Distribution, �With skateboarding, new technology is way overdue, and everyone is getting to work. The pros are getting involved, and the decks are getting better. Skateboarding has been progressing a lot over the last few years, and now the riders are pushing for products that can keep up with the new level of performance. The tricks are more technical, and we need technical products to keep up.�
How likely is it that board sales will become less reliant on price, pros, or graphics? Can new technologies compete with the beloved seven-ply maple deck or will they be tossed in the �A for effort� scrap heap because the quality wasn�t 100 percent or the consumer was unwilling to try it? Finally, should retailers expect that the new technologies in development will affect price, and if so, how?
Consumer Acceptance
Paul Schmitt knows who the boss is: �The boss is fourteen years old. He doesn�t know he�s the boss, but he is. As an industry, we can design and engineer anything we want, but if a consumer doesn�t want it, it really doesn�t matter.
�The biggest challenge {to new technologies} is the consumer wanting it and liking it,� he continues. �But they follow what the pros like, and the pros don�t like anything different from what they know. I�m very successful at making enhanced skateboards that the pros won�t ride.�
But Schmitt does see how a typical skater would be interested in his Fiberlight or Tear Drop constructions when a pro isn�t. �Teamriders just put a new board on every three days or when it chips or breaks,� he says. �It doesn�t matter as long as their shape and concave is right. But for the consumer, a board has to last until they can afford another one.�
According to Scott Jensen, Dwindle�s director of R&D, �PS Stix has offered several new constructions over the years and has successfully proven that wood alone isn�t going to make the most elite skateboard decks. Pros vary in tastes according to what they do, so we have to be realistic about the fact that some layups may not be good for everyone. Now that we have our own woodshop, however, we�ll keep striving to come up with better stuff. If we come up with something that helps high-caliber skating�helps raise the bar�then we�ll get it into the hands of the skaters who are at the forefront.�
Jenson says that currently some of his top-tier pros haven�t wanted standard seven-ply boards for more than six months. �I make them the special stuff and keep them well supplied,� he says. �That�s the starting point, the essence of consumer acceptance: a better product that pros actually ride. Once we come up with something that the pros like, the next step is to outline everything we need to mass produce them consistently and as inexpensively as possible.�
According to Schmitt, �People are trying to differentiate themselves and say, �Hey, our product is different and better.� What�s hard in our industry is knowing what�s marketing and what�s true. Good marketing can make anything sound great, but ultimately how does it feel under your feet? The product has to have substance to it.�
Since most skaters are familiar and comfortable with seven-ply, a new deck technology not only has to improve performance, but these benefits also have to be easily and immediately understood by consumers. �Most of these newer products can outperform seven-ply decks in one or two categories�strength, stiffness, longevity, or holding concavity�but rarely do these new attempts dominate in every category,� says Sayre. �The consumer will always try out new products, but until one deck really outperforms the seven-ply, the consumer will go back to what he�s familiar with because it performs consistently. They�ll also save five or ten dollars.�
Appearance is important, too. Schmitt says part of the success of Element�s Fiberlight and Popwar�s Teardrop construction is that they don�t look much different from a standard seven-ply deck. �Everything else out there looks freaky, and people are afraid to step out of the envelope,� he says. He notes how Dwindle has embraced the concept of �You can�t tell from the outside� when it comes to its new deck technologies. Dwindle�s new constructions�despite sporting carbon-fiber cores or other enhancements�still look like a standard, seven-ply maple skateboard.
Ahead Of The Game?
Lib Tech skateboards are handmade, one at a time, and consist of aspen, birch, fiberglass, carbon, UHMW, and plastics�all of which work together for lightness, pop, and longevity. The brand was shunned when it first began making skateboards nearly a decade ago. Lib was viewed as a snowboard company from Seattle, way out of the �cool Cali� zone. Lib�s boards were priced higher than almost every board on the market (although they aren�t anymore), and they weren�t seven-ply maple�which was an even riskier move back in the mid 90s than it is today.
�We�re living proof that a premium board can be made in the U.S.A. by skateboarders,� says Rich Merlino, Lib Tech�s skateboard business manager. �Other companies called us kooks, said it was a gimmick, and made things up about us to try and keep us from growing. It was funny for us. We laughed at ASR when a big-name street pro who was watching Alex Bland set the world record switch high ollie, said, �Too bad it�s not a real skateboard.� That was a classic sign of someone who was afraid of looking to the future. Especially since Bland switch ollied just shy of what that guy did on a regular ollie.�
Dwindle�s Jenson lays it all out, when asked about the Perma Pop technology: �Lib Tech has been making the most intricate snowboard constructions for years. When the first Lib Tech skateboards hit the shelf, they were so ahead of their time, many skaters didn�t know whether to snowboard on them or skate on them. It�s clear now that Lib Tech can teach many skate manufacturers a thing or two about deck manufacturing.�
What About Price?
Unavoidably, the cost of labor and material for all of these new technologies may result in higher deck prices. But an increase in price may not always be a bad thing if performance and quality are enhanced. The amount of the price increase, however, is key.
�There�s room for higher prices,� says Swank. �Skateboarding�s the most inexpensive activity that a kid could get into besides eating dirt. Skateboarding, despite higher prices on certain decks, is still cheaper than snowboarding, surfing, baseball, BMX, wakeboarding, and so on. Skateboarding is an activity for kids from all income levels.�
Price sensitivity is an issue at Lib Tech, and the company worked hard to get its prices in line with other premium-quality decks. �Our boards are very labor intensive and require a lot of skill to produce,� says Merlino. �You can�t have just anyone make our style of board. This also means a little bit of a higher price and more time spent in production, which is one of the reasons most companies won�t commit completely {to new technologies} or give up after a few months.�
One of the first things Dwindle did once it attained consistent seven-ply production overseas was to significantly drop the price of its boards. By using more efficient means, Dwindle was able to make the benchmark seven-ply more affordable and pass the savings on to the shops and skaters. The technology Dwindle is developing will make the construction process more expensive. It demands new machinery and a greater amount of time and precision. Nevertheless, the company�s new carbon-fiber deck constructions�Armor Ply and Life Ply�will wholesale for less than Dwindle�s seven-ply decks did a year ago.
�Clearly, our first step shows where our heart is,� says Sayre, �providing more value for the price. One goal we have is to come up with an array of different deck constructions that range from a standard seven-ply to more advanced constructions�then let the skaters decide what�s best for them.
�It would be naive to believe that skateboarding and its equipment will be homogenized to the point where price reigns supreme, particularly at a time when we�re availing ourselves of materials and technical prowess that�s unparalleled in the history of skateboarding,� he continues. �Look at what these pros are doing. Look at a 411�random kids are doing insane stuff. We can�t believe that there�s nothing more we can offer to give them an even one-percent advantage over what they�re riding�that could mean the world to them.�
Paul Schmitt�s premium constructions, like Element�s Fiberlight, Popwar Drops, Slick Drops, and the soon-to-be-released Rock Bottom from Black Label, will likely be successful due to a minimal price increase.
�These boards work because they cost ten percent more, not twenty percent more,� says Schmitt. �Twenty percent is too big of a gap. It was a huge challenge for me to figure out how to manufacture something with alternate materials and still maintain that ten-percent markup.�
In addition to its premium Pop Top construction, Tum Yeto currently uses New Wave construction (first introduced by Flip) and has two new deck constructions proposed for spring�one is a newer layup process and the other a mold variation. Both have a price variance from the standard seven-ply pricing. Also expect plenty more developments from Lib Tech as well.
As for the future, whether we like it or not, the ten-percent markup of a premium deck may become standard as the prices of traditional seven-ply maple decks continue to drop. But maybe price shouldn�t be the concern here. If these new technologies truly outperform and outlast the standard maple skateboard, won�t customers plunk down the few extra bucks?
For those willing to take the plunge, there will be a wider variety of technologically enhanced skateboards to choose from as the tried-and-true seven-ply maple deck becomes more affordable. For retailers and skaters, that�s not a bad deal.
Ain�t technology a wonderful thing? |
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