[Proud_USA_Republican]

france = california in 20 years.

No matter where its been tried, socialism always ends up destroying the economies of any country.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

And why has manufacturing moved offshore?

[RWR8189]

You're talking about surf boards, and I just got done shoveling 6 inches of snow...

[snarks_when_bored]

Grubby should move down the coast a ways, into northern Mexico, and set up his factory there. No regulations and plenty of cheap labor.

No, wait, that's right, all of the Mexican laborers have moved to California, to do the work that Americans won't do. Right, forgot.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

Is it just me, or has the overhead of living in the US gone up in the last few years? Even if you master capitalism, the govmint makes you work that much harder just to keep afloat.

[Paleo Conservative]

[WideGlide]

Bummer Dude.

[PAR35]

Yes, I'd get a connected local partner down in Mexico and move my manufacturing there.

[The KG9 Kid]

Boy, those dumb surfers who helped the environmental movement along all these years.

I wonder what they think now?

[Razz Barry]

"The rest of the $200 million U.S. market is comprised of machine-produced boards mostly churned out at factories in Asia and Eastern Europe."

Who don't have to adhere to the same environmental laws as US companies.

[TChad]

This guy has been making surfboards/blanks since the late 1950s. It sounds like he is retiring, and closing the business rather than selling it or relocating it.

[truth_seeker]

The owner is 74 yrs. old, and likely just worn out with it all.

I expect somebody will buy him out, which may have been his best option. It would be worth more still up and running, but he might not be "sophisticated" enough to know how to sell it that way. (Or maybe just not willing to admit he is at the end of a long career).

A near monopoly like Clark Foam is a nice business opportunity, and I wager some spreadsheets will be doing overtime.

Aside from foam blanks, the total Surfing industry is much bigger. Stores, apparel, finished boards, magazines, films, accessories, etc.

That is my take, from here in Surf City (Huntington Beach).

[Troublemaker]

Good OC Register Article on the subject - China is mentioned

[opinionator]

I am sick and tired of looking out into the water and seeing surfers. Replace them with oil rigs!

[RoadTest]

A victory for the Red Diaper-Doping Babies

[wildbill]

I wonder how many of the surfer crowd are also eco-weanies who parrot the 'green' line.

Be careful of what you ask for.

[kaktuskid]

"Local and federal officials said Clark was in compliance with all laws and rejected the claim they were to blame for his demise."

Hmmmmm

[kstewskis]

Late comer to this thread.

Just heard about the bad news last night, via visiting friends from California.

I can't believe the environazi's have hit a big one on an entire industry, let alone culture.

I wonder if Surfrider Foundation has anything to say about it?