Clark Foam Dun

[coastal]

who knows if it's a final decision, but they be closed for now at least...

In a move that could have long-term repercussions on the domestic surfboard market, Clark Foam Founder Gordon Clark announced today in a faxed letter to shapers that “effective immediately Clark Foam is ceasing production and sales of surfboard blanks.”

From Transworld Business

[tuffy109]

uh oh


THE END OF THE CUSTOM SURFBOARD?
Clark Foam closes its doors



by Marcus Sanders



Monday December 5th, 2005 was a dark day at shaping bays and in surf shops around the country. Orange County-based Clark Foam -- far and away the world's largest supplier of surfboard blanks -- shut its doors after over 45 years in business due to a series of ongoing environmental and safety concerns.

The main issue, as outlined by Gordon 'Grubby' Clark in a seven-page fax that was circulated among shapers today, is a toxic chemical in use at Clark Foam called Toluene Di Isocynate, commonly called TDI. Most companies using this chemical have already left California; in 1999, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a slightly weaker version of California's existing anti-TDI law, while California itself instituted stronger laws. The Orange County Fire Authority repeatedly reported Clark Foam to other government agencies, including the 9th district of the EPA, who gave the blank manufacturer a 10-page citation that is still unresolved. "The seriousness of the citation could mean that I have to go to prison and be fined an astronomical amount of money," Clark writes in the fax.

Other issues contributing to the closure were, according to the fax, polyester resin, dust, trash, and the fact that almost all the technology inside the factory was designed and/or built by Clark specifically for making surfboard blanks. And due to the fact that all Clark's equipment is original, the EPA claims is does not meet industry standards.

"The only apology I will make to customers and employees is that I should have seen this coming many years sooner and closed in a slower, more predictable manner" Clark writes. "I waited far too long, being optimistic rather than realistic."

The fax is slightly cryptic, because, as Clark writes, "I have been advised by my attorney to say as little as possible. I do not want this document to be used as an admission of wrongdoing nor am I going to help the government prosecute me." But while its explanations were less that clear, its effects were immediately felt around the world.

San Diego-based boardmaker Rusty Preisendorfer received his regular shipment of blanks at noon today, and the fax came through at 2pm. "It was a really heavy afternoon," Rusty said. "And it was really sudden -- I wish he'd have given us a little warning. I have a whole warehouse of employees to think about, not to mention everyone else in the industry."

And it's not just a few SoCal surf companies or shapers that'll be affected, either -- anyone that buys surfboards will be hit. It's estimated that 90% of the world's blanks came from Clark Foam. Grubby developed, designed and built all his own technology and guarded it ferociously and his well-known aggressive business practices and unending pursuit of innovation assured him the lion's share of the market. Sure, there are other blank manufactures in Australia and a few here in the US, but no one is prepared to deal with the huge gap left by Clark Foam's closure. Surfboard prices will go up overnight and shapers still aren't quite sure what will happen next.

Ryan Sakal, of Sakal Surfboards in Huntington Beach is concerned. "I've never used anything other than Clark Foam," he says. "I don't have any backup or any contacts on how to get anything else."

Some folks think Clark Foam's closure is the beginning of the end. "The culture around the custom shaper is getting smaller," Allan Seymour, longtime industry observer, surf auction organizer and friend of Clark's explained. "This is definitely the end of an era."

"In the short term, it's a really big challenge," Rusty continued. "But I'm sure we'll find other sources of foam."

Other big name shapers are reeling but optimistic as well. Rich Harbour of Harbour surfboards posted the following on his website: "I have been on the phone non-stop for the past 6 hours. I have talked to many old friends in the industry and we all are confident that this billion-dollar industry will survive. There are many options, such as Australian foam, overseas foam and PVC foam. Over the next few days we will look into all of these and come up with some solutions. We have a stock of blanks on hand, but customers will have to be a little more flexible on their choices. In closing, Harbour Surfboards has been at this since 1959 and have no thoughts of quitting. There will be a solution, and we will find it."

Gordon Clark himself sees an end of an era. "When Clark Foam started it was a far different California," he writes. "Businesses like Clark Foam were very welcome and considered the leading edge of innovation and technology. Somewhere along the way, things have changed."

Stay tuned to Surfline as this story unfolds.

[Superstar Punani]

So the EPA shuts down surfboard materials makers, but doesn't do shit about the idiot son of an asshole drilling Alaskan wilderness?

Way to go after the little guy.

[Helicrackjnky]

That just sucks! Fucking Bunny Loving Tree Huggers @ the EPA! I am a conservationist to a degree but in some instances the EPA & Goverment go way to far!

[cj001f]

That just sucks! Fucking Bunny Loving Tree Huggers @ the EPA! I am a conservationist to a degree but in some instances the EPA & Goverment go way to far!

The writing has been on the wall since 1999 dude. Clark foam couldn't figure their head from their asshole.

[mountainbored]

, does that mean epoxy boards are going to take over?
Invest in BIC ?

[Free Range Lobster]

Well shit....

[tuffy109]

The writing has been on the wall since 1999 dude. Clark foam couldn't figure their head from their asshole.

exactly.

california imposed stronger laws that the epa did as well.

and supu, they pulled the plug on the alaskan drilling about a month ago.

seriously considering going and grabbing a board before prices go up.

[cj001f]

seriously considering going and grabbing a board before prices go up.

Too late at some places already:
Sean Mattison, who manages the sale of hundreds of boards stocked at Surf Ride surf shop in Oceanside. Mattison had been fielding calls from stunned shapers all afternoon once news broke. After assessing the situation Mattison determined his first response. “We’re raising the price on all our polyester blank boards by $100 tonight"
http://surfermag.com/features/online...ves/clarkfoam/

Hey, good time to open a ding repair/board repair business

[Superstar Punani]

I'm calling my shaper and ordering up my next 3 boards at $345 apiece.

[slim]

The EPA/California TDI regulation has little to do with Bunny lovers and Tree Huggers. It has more to do with proper handling and disposal of a chemical cocktail that is dangerous to human health and the environment (and by environment I don't mean trees and bunnies... I mean your drinking water and the air you breath).

Even core surf-brahs should probably play by the rules when it comes to the heavy chemicals they use.

[bossass]

LONG LIVE SURF TECH, LONG LIVE SURF TECH!!!!!!

[JD]

Web Exclusive | Nation
Surfing's Sudden Wipeout
A company's abrupt exit leaves surfers in choppy waters
By MATT KETTMANN WITH ETHAN STEWART
SUBSCRIBE TO TIMEPRINTE-MAILMORE BY AUTHOR
Posted Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005
Seasoned surfers are used to riding unexpected waves, but nothing could have prepared them for the shock they experienced last week when the world's largest producer of surfboard materials abruptly hung up its board. Without any advance warning, the Clark Foam factory—whose polyurethane foam “blanks” fill more than 75 percent of all surfboards on the planet—shut its doors after 44 years in business, sending the industry into a market-driven panic. Within seconds, surfboard prices around the country skyrocketed by $1,000.

The word came to hundreds of manufacturers via a seven-page letter authored by Gordon "Grubby" Clark, the 72-year-old co-inventor of the foam board and cutthroat founder of the Orange County, California company that long ago drowned out most competitors and shrewdly monopolized its niche. Admitting that his company's use of the carcinogenic toluene diisocyanate, or TDI, is a highly regulated potential health hazard, Clark cited threats of "very large fines, civil lawsuits, and even time in prison" as reasons for the closure.

Despite his claims, neither the EPA nor the local air quality district nor the Orange County Fire Authority—the three agencies Clark names in his letter—had any standing beef with the company. While the EPA warned Clark in April 2004 that the factory was not in compliance with some Clean Air Act safety standards, "he did everything he had to do (to comply)," said Mark Merchant, spokesman, of the EPA. The other agencies are equally surprised. The more likely reason for Clark's decision are the few lawsuits from former employees related to TDI ailments, including one suit filed by a widow. Despite repeated calls and emails from TIME, Clark refused to comment.

The key question for surfers is, who will fill in the blanks? There are alternative materials, such as epoxy and sandwich construction boards, but those are from molds, not custom-shaped, so surfers aren't stoked on them. There are also a few foam companies in Britain and Australia—not to mention cheap TDI production in China—but shipping is pricey and there's no way they can handle the immediate demand. Luckily, while the initial news was taken very much as doomsday for the surfing world, "the industry is banding together" to connect those who need blanks with those who have extra on hand, according to Sean Smith of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association.

Much of the business, however, may end up being made up by small innovators such as Point Blanks Surfboards, which use more environmentally friendly foam. And therein lies a potential silver lining on the horizon. "As surfers, we've always wanted to protect the environment for the good of the sport," explained Smith, "and yet the very boards we ride are not as environmentally sensitive as they could be or should be. This will force us to take a hard look as we move forward." In other words, thanks to the demise of Clark Foam, maybe surfers will finally put their money where the mouths are.

[Yeti]

Bummer. I should have ordered a blank last summer -- I was going to try a full glassing this spring.

Time to learn how to make epoxy blanks? Surely we can import foam from somewhere with laxer laws...

[cj001f]

This offers some explanation:

LA Times story

Widow of Worker Sues Foam Factory
By Jennifer Delson, Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2006

The widow of a factory worker alleges in a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court that her 36-year-old husband died from long-term exposure to a deadly chemical at the world's largest manufacturer of surfboard blanks.

The wrongful-death suit filed last week against Clark Foam Products provides a partial explanation for the Laguna Niguel company's abrupt closure in December.

In legal papers, Maria Teresa Barriga claims that her husband, Martin Barriga, and other employees ran with open buckets of toxic toluene diisocyanate sloshing on their hands, arms, torso, legs and feet.

During lunch breaks, Barriga and other workers warmed their meals in the same microwave used to heat the chemical, the suit alleges.

Toluene diisocyanate, known as TDI, is commonly used to make foam products and paint. When heated, the chemical becomes toxic and can cause severe respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous system problems. It is also a possible carcinogen, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Barriga's death certificate lists cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, inflamed and scarred lung sacs and arterial inflammation as causes of death. A biopsy showed that he also suffered from a cancerous chest tumor.

[KnuckleDragger]

During lunch breaks, Barriga and other workers warmed their meals in the same microwave used to heat the chemical, the suit alleges.

I dont know what the actual situation was surrounding this but this doesn't sound like the smartest idea regardless of what the chemicals are.

[bossass]

Interesting article about all this in the New Yorker recently. August 21, 2006 issue. Can't find the article online. Go to a newstand or back issue magazine shop or a coffee shop with a sub. Good read.

[BigDaddy]

Interesting article about all this in the New Yorker recently. August 21, 2006 issue. Can't find the article online. Go to a newstand or back issue magazine shop or a coffee shop with a sub. Good read.

Ditto... some great stuff in there on the man and the legend. Overall, a sad event... I love glass boards...