First, and foremost, we do not make “foamie boards” or cheap flimsy toy surfboards that fall to rubbish after a couple years of surfing them
Building a high performace surfboard with a soft shell has been attempted by many —but we are so thankful that we have finally succeeded.
For 20 years we have been working with various designers, including Tom Morey and Jim Richardson, to create the board of the future — In the process boards and prototypes were built for riders such as Mark Occhilupo, Ross Williams, Pato Teixeira, Sky Rama and many more.
The technology advancements designed have brought us to a place where a soft skinned / shelled surfboard are a reality
Since 1958 surfboards have been made with technology originally derived from the US Navy. For over 60 years boards have been made with a foam interior and a fiberglass or epoxy outer shell. An Exoskeleton of glass and fiber has been used to strengthen boards and determine their flexiblity and weight.
We have been working hard to change this.
With the advancements in modern materials we feel that 60 years is far too long to hang on to old technology. We at Cush - Spacestick are all admirers of beautiful surfboards shaped and glassed by incredible craftsmen and artists. But as with all things, change is inevitable. So we sought change which would not only protect the board, and the rider, but also protect the future with less boards filling landfills.
An average surfboard under regular use will last 2 to 5 years. We are convinced that our boards will last a persons lifetime and beyond. The experiences you get riding a Cush board will also be like none you have felt.
It is well known among ocean biologists that the fastest animals in the water all have soft outer shells. “Porpoise like” is a term many have used to describe Cush smooth skin.
Building these boards involves expensive materials and about 10 hours of extra labor compared to a standard surfboard. But the results are worth it.
We have adapted our production methods so that Cush Tech soft shelled boards are finally available to the general public and an acceptable cost.
“We hand shape every board. Our hands laminate and skin every board. And our hands send the finished board to you. We use advanced materials which were previously never used in surfboard manufacturing.
An EPS foam core is laminated with Basalt cloth and Epoxy.
Basalt is made of strands of volcanic rock made into a cloth. Basalt can take a beating better than most. It is stronger than E glass and carbon fiber. In addition, its superior elasticity means it is less also likely to buckle than either.
Our most unique feature is our memory foam rails.
The resilient rails can take a beating. No more rail dings on your favorite board. The rail foam is firm, but soft, and is not glassed. Instead, we encapsulate the entire board in a smooth and soft skin. This outer skin technology has solved most all issues of damage to the board. In addition, the amount of flex we can add or remove from a board is unmatched by any manufacturer to date.
This is a novel skin material which has only been used in aerospace… and never before used to make surfboards.
The support from world champs and local surf leaders has been tremendous. And the corporate surf world has tried to discourage. Our boards could last a persons lifetime or beyond— but they are very hard to make and not in line with the profit goal rush of corporate surf industry.
Wyatt Foley— Grew up as a grom in the Pacific Northwest wind tunnel we call ‘the Gorge’. Surrounded by the thousands of kitesurfing and windsurfing extremists who live and play there. It is one of the most visited wind sport destinations on the planet. Wyatt started shaping young but has been our laminator now for a couple of years. Wyatt applies the skin, basalt glass, and urethane rails on all custom Cush surfboards and Spacestick foilboards. He is a surfer, elk hunter, mountain biker, and snow chaser.
Chris Bauer - A Gen X at Spot X near Canada —Pacific Northwest shaper and laminator with a 20 year background in board building and repair. Having worked with Joe Roper (San Diego) Bob Haakenson, Clyde Beatty Jrs glass shop (aka the old Yater glass shop) , and he ran Chris Christensons glass shop. Chris sharpened his epoxy/styro skills at XTR In Oceanside. We are proud to have Chris Bauer on our team. A very underrated shaper and a helluva great guy who has chosen to live and work in the remote northwest territory of the USA. Follow Chris’s traditional glass boards @bauer_surfboards_usa
Scott N - Seaside, Oregon and Northern Washington - Sales and marketing —-35 years surfing - 20 years kitesurfing - 10 years windsurfing - 2 years foilsurfing - Scott has been working on high performace soft tech and finless soft tech since 1999 when he was introduced to, and inspired by, Tom Morey and his many inventions and design concepts. A commercial fisherman for many years, Scott explored materials used in marine industry to develop new materials for ocean sports. Scott also worked in the industry and was the sales manager at Liquid Force kiteboarding.
Jim Richardson - Oahu - Professor at University of Hawaii — Inventor— and 40 plus year shaper in the Sugarmill on the North Shore of Oahu—Jim spent the late 90’s and early 2000’s working on Surflight high performance softboards which eventually collaborated with Cush Surfboards to make Cush Tech and Spacestick boards. Jim’s Surflight boards got a lot of attention on Oahu. Occy even owns three. Pato Teixeira says his Surflight board was his “ magic pipe board” which he unfortunately lost. Jim brings 30 years of shaping, high performance soft board prototyping, and material sourcing experience to our team.
Toby Ogden - Encinitas born and a committed hisband and dad. Toby has been a pro surfer and team manager for the Arnette brand team -A talented photographer, he was the media go to for “No Fear gear” back in the day. Toby is our eye on the sand in Southern California— Tobys shop in Oceanside will be stocking up some Cush boards - Now a family man, Toby’s young daughter is he and his wife’s first priority….. but he still manages to get out in north county waves and show his solid Enicinitas OG surfing style
