Can bodyboards be made more sustainably?
Operating from 2014-2016, I launched California Surfcraft to commercialize a new manufacturing technique I invented for bodyboards that used renewable cork instead of plastic and foam.
Situation
The bodyboard, invented in 1971 by Tom Morey (then called the “Boogie Board”), had evolved into a professional sport by the 1980s. The product had not seen a significant redesign since its original production, and I had a hunch that the market was ready for innovation.
In late 2014 I built an MVP (pictured above) in my garage out of bulletin-board cork I purchased online. I posted a photo of the board on Instagram, and asked my followers to fill out a survey asking them what they liked and disliked about the concept. I also launched a Facebook ads campaign to gauge interest in the MVP as a new product. The ads flowed to a landing page asking these potential customers to fill out the survey. I received over 200 responses.
What do you like about the design?
“I like the originality of the look compared to other bodyboards, the appreciation of design, functionality and performance. I like the use of materials that are different and environmentally friendly.”
“That is a natural, high performance alternative to the outdated foam board.”
“For starts, I love the natural look. My Grandfather is a master craftsmen of wood boats. I've been in and on the water since before I could walk.”
“It's something new and exciting.”
What do you dislike about the design?
“Not enough video footage in action.”
“That I can't see or touch it in person.”
“Possibly not buoyant enough for me?”
“Worried about it snapping in big waves.”
“Hopefully it’s not going to be super expensive because it's made out of sustainable material.”
“I’m not too jazzed about the color.”
Task
The results of the user and market research validated a demand for a cork bodyboard, and gave me a clear idea of the user problems that a new product would need to solve. I set out to improve the design, scale production, and build a business.
Iterating
I developed a new prototype of the board based on the user research results, tested it with local surfers, and began pre-orders of a board I called the Bodypo.
Actions
Manufacturing
The Bodypo was a new product based on a new kind of manufacturing. At first, I was able to produce 2-3 boards a week, but when pre-orders reached over 30 boards, I realized I needed to redesign the manufacturing process. By renting a bigger workshop, redesigning the workflow, building custom tooling, and hiring help, I was eventually able to make 30 boards a week.
Supply Chain
The aerospace-grade cork I used for the final product was grown and processed in Portugal and distributed in the US by a single company in Rhode Island, who shipped the materials from their warehouse in Wisconsin. Plenty of things could, and did, go wrong with getting cork to my workshop in California. Eventually I redesigned the board to use a thinner stock of cork that was more readily available at the Wisconsin warehouse and could arrive to my workshop in days instead of weeks (or months).
Product Marketing
California Surfcraft was a business birthed through social media, with followers watching the product’s development, testing prototypes, and pre-ordering the first boards. Demand often outpaced production, and mastering the balance between marketing and manufacturing was a hard won achievement.
Results
Hundreds of Boards
Over 300 boards shipped to surfers all over the world, especially in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. The customers called themselves the “Cork Crew” and helped grow the California Surfcraft Instagram account to over 10,000 followers by 2016.
Industry Impact
The new construction techniques inspired other surfcraft makers to try cork, from industry veterans to new designers. The success of the Bodypo was a collective vote in favor of cork and other new technologies like bio-epoxy that have since earned a proper foothold in the surfing industry.
User Feedback
Reviews of the product were overwhelmingly positive, with dozens of public reviews earning 5-stars. Within a year of launch, many customers had ordered multiple boards and joined shaping classes at the California Surfcraft workshop, where they could shape their own boards from cork blanks. Users joined Cork Crew meetups and demo days throughout California, from San Francisco to San Diego, and photos and videos flooded in from social media accounts around the world.
Conclusions
Through two years of development and production, California Surfcraft was always a beloved side project. As other business ventures began to gain momentum and eclipse California Surfcraft financially, I made the difficult decision to shift my focus toward those and away from the Bodypo.
The lessons I learned on this project are countless. Here is a partial list.
Design is iterative
At first, I thought I was designing a new bodyboard. Then, I thought I was designing an ecommerce website. Then, I thought I was designing a marketing and communications strategy. Eventually, I realized that the hardest design challenge was designing an efficient manufacturing process that could keep up with demand.
I learned that a complex business is built through the creation, iteration, and deployment of many, interconnected design solutions and each design stands on the shoulders of the design that came before it.
User research is invaluable
I had a hunch that bodyboarding was ready for a new design, and that the market would respond to an innovative approach. Early user research surveys were instrumental in establishing both the best design for the product, and the best messaging for website and marketing copy.
Bias is risk
Even though it was helpful to me, both the primary and secondary foundational research I did was marred by confirmation bias. I sold a lot of boards for a small operation, but I overestimated the market size for the product in a way that made my ultimate goals for scale and revenue unrealistic, and blocked an opportunity for a profitable exit.
A good logo is a priceless asset
I developed the California Surfcraft logo with the help of a Swedish designer, based on a text book drawing I had found showing the progression of a cresting wave. It is one of my favorite logos I’ve ever worked with, proving itself to be durable, adaptable, and amazingly indelible. A high quality logo helps facilitate all of the branding work that comes after it, and is a joy to work with.
Success has its own unique challenges
I remember telling someone once about the supply chain challenges I was experiencing with the project, and they gave me an answer I heard a lot during this time: “Well, that’s a good problem to have!”
Yes. But it’s still a problem!
I learned that problems that arise from success are uniquely treacherous, because they are often unexpected and therefore solutions must be designed quickly. This can lead to hasty mistakes. Considering all scenarios that might arise in a product - from both success and failure - is important in any venture.
Sustainability is harder than it looks
I successfully created an alternative to a polystyrene bodyboard - something that used renewable materials instead of petroleum-based plastics. It was more durable, around the same price, and even had some performance advantages to traditional bodyboards.
But was it more sustainable? It’s complicated. Shipping the cork from Portugal to Wisconsin to California created a lot of greenhouse gas emissions in transit, and sometimes the finished boards would need to be shipped back to Europe once built. Once impregnated with epoxy, was the cork still considered biodegradable? And many more questions.
I learned that “sustainability” is an easy word to put into marketing copy, but it’s a word that has almost lost its original meaning. The best I can say is that I really tried, and that I hope it made some small difference in the environmental sustainability of the world.