World Tour Pro vs. Amateur on the ...LOST 3.0 Stub

Carlos Muñoz is a former WSL Championship Tour surfer. Michael Ciaramella is a failed junior surfer turned Stab writer (and occasional board-tester).

What happens when you put both of them on a new model from Lost Surfboards — the Stub Driver 3.0 — in fun beach break conditions? Only one way to find out.

Between tests, we also learn about the board brand licensing model, which helps major brands like Lost sell boards around the world, while helping to elevate local shapers.

[bernardwaters]

Mark Wooster is an awesome human and board maker! If you live in Costa Rica he's worth making the drive to get a board from his factory! Great episode boys!!!

[tonybeatbutcher]

Lost is also is done at Olatu/Pukas factory Zarautz, Basque Country, Europe.

[MrRobinski]

Why didn't you show which fin Carlos was using?

[RadRumblings]

excuse me Mike is the garden state grudge match champion

[tonybeatbutcher]

The shaper is called a "back-shaper" they are even trained to copy the autograph and handwriting on the board.

[nicholaskaye]

Licensee models rely on surfers being mostly ignorant to the product they're receiving. Mass production rarely, if ever, leads to quality. Of course there's wide variance between products used (ie blank, resins etc), skill (shaper, laminator, finish work etc), and overall production etc. But as an example, in Australia, most big brands are being produced via glass lab in QLD. While their lamination is fine, do yourself a favour and take a look at something that's easy for a lay person to visualise; fin box placement. In the last few years at least, most boards I see coming from glass lab (manly ridden by pros), are off! And i mean way off! Ive seen greater than 8mm variance, all directions; rotation, medial/lateral, entirely asymmetric blanks that haven't been lined up properly with a laser before CNC etc etc. Obviously this completely ruins a board, makes replication impossible, and voids the riders experience about the shape they're supposedly riding. The quality control is entirely MIA, yet, these boards are selling for the most premium price there is for a HPSB. Glasslab makes $, as does the brand, so neither seem to care (I've called glass lab out for this, sent photos of my own boards, and they literally did not care - in fact after buggering one up three times in a row, they just stopped dealing with me - totally fine, because it was their last chance)... but i bet if the brands knew just how common this was they might change their tune. They certainly should, it greatly damages their brand. Do yourself a favour and start analysing these products properly! Or better yet, buy from smaller makers that actually care about the product that goes out the door. After all, there's nothing special about a HPSB, aside from the marketing of course ;)